MILLIONS OF RATS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7677, 9 April 1903, Page 2

MILLIONS OF RATS.

STARTLING RESULT OF THE

STRAND DEMOLITION.

(Daily Mail, Feb. 16)

A rat plague, unprecedented in the annals of London, has broken out on the north, side of the Strand. The streets principally infested are Catherine Street, Drury Lane, Blackmore Street, Stanhope Street, White Harb Street, Clare- Market and Russell Street. Something akin to a reign cf terror prevails among the inhabitants after. nightfall. Women rtfuse to pass along Blackmore Street and the lower part of Stanhope Street after dusk, for droves of rats perambulate the roadways and pavements, and may be seen running along the windowledges t)f the empty houses awaiting demolition by the County Council in the Strand to Holborn improvement scheme.

Th» rats, indeed, have appeared in almost incredible numbers. "There are millions of them," Baid one shopkeeper, and his statement was supported by other residents. The unwelcome visitors have been evicted from their old. harvnts by the County Council housebreakers, and are now busily in search of new homes. The Gaiety Restaurant has been . the greatest sufferer. Rats have invaded the premises in such force/ that the managers have had to close the large dining-room on the first floor and the grill rooms on the ground floor and in the basement. Those three spacious halls which have witnessed many assemblages of theatre-goers are now quite, deserted. Behind the wainscot of the bandstand in the grill room is a large loonnd of linen shreds. This represents 1728 serviettes carried there by the rats. In the bar the removal of a 'panel disclosed the astonishing fact that the 'rate have dragged for a distance of seven or eight yards some thirty or forty beer and wine bottles and stacked them in such a fashion as to make comfortable sleeping places. Mr Williams, the manager of the restaurant, estimates that the rats have-, destroyed £200 worth of linen. Formerly the' Gaiety Restaurant dined 2000 persons daily ; no business whatever is now done in this direction.

BARMAID'S EXPEDIENCES

One of the barmaids relates some thrilling frxua-km-es. Tha other afternoon she was eating htr lunch behind the bar when a couple of ■• gentlemen in the cast* of " The Toreador ' called for drinks. When, after supplying their wants, she sat down to resume her meal, the plate was ernplv. The barmaid glanced suspiciously at the gentlemen, but they bore no evidence of guilt. Then she heard a rustling? in a cunboard behind her. A large rat was quietly munching rhs missing beei, while it he-Id a. boiled potato between its More tluilline still was another experience which befell this same attendant. In the most, matter-of-fact and impudent manner a rat climbed on to her sKirts, evidently with the idea of going to sieep. A scream startled the customers, who on turning round were astounded to see the young woman holding a writhing rat by the bacK of the neck. A dog, kept for the purpose, was quickly on the sspott t and the rac was us quickly dead. Dozens of lemons and fresh eggs have been «at«u by the rats, who hay* a-lso a partiality .for cigarettes, which they ab- £ k£« off the jdanta jj-ed for decorative purposes, leaving onbr bare twigs. On^ day a dog of rat-killing fair* ™w left " tli restamant all night. But it was the doe tLat AwA. The poor creature was fofnd terribly mauled ths following n-o--n-' w*ll-known city man e;say«4 to Varoh" a rat which had lal«n refugo m a cuiiboa'-d hehiiul ;:c l.ar. The rodent Jhowid light ■ and -b I «.:..■ cf tihe amateur, rat-catcher's fingers to tl:c Done Vo-t«r-lay iift«moon an excited crowd fathered round the windows of an empty °hop in BlackMioor Street. They were watehi,v.r the gambols of a. swarm of rats on he si;op floor. The flag pavement m this thorouohfa^ has had to be repaired twice laHy, the wrts "having burrowed undornoata and honeycombed the earth to such an extent that the Hags sank m.

TERRIFIED RESIDENTS

The female occupants of a tenement house in Stanhope Street wt-re faced the ether nidifc with the running sr-ecUicte oi a body of rats which had taken potion of the 'stairs and defiantly refused to budge. Tho women appealed, to the policeman on th° ht'.it. and the invaders, presumaoly lerrifiul at tho majesty of the law, scamp»rcl nwav. The constable himself fokmnly vouches for the accuracy of the S °i woman who lives in White Hai-t Street states that she is kept av.ak-? at. night-, by the screams of tlie rats. "They muff a noise lik? the a/in* of children, she declared. Her ma tried daughter, who lives with her, was a few days ago lying lllin b-d when a rat rerched himself on the eu,ge of tl:e fender. The invalid, who was gating fmifc at the time, threw a pear at the visitor, which stolidly walked away. In this house- two dogs and two cats are employed to destiov the rats. _ , \ more ingenious method of. exterminating the creatures is being employed 'by a shopkeeper in Bla'cVomoor Street. When sfle retires at night she takes with her imo her room a dor- mid an airzun. With the latter weapon she " bagged " three rats in one nlgh " WHILE THE -CAa?'S AWAY/ In CattiFriire Street is one of ■ the "bKincli shons of Mr W. 'Olarkson. the well-known costumier. The rats have eaten their wav through the window-frames and mounted to the rafters. The other night- a nvuff which was being >nade for a well-known actress was left on the table. The fol-low-incr morning a. litter of thirteen young rats was found inside it. Two expensive fancy d'-fses had nl?o received attention, one, with extraordinary appropriateness, a Covent Garden pfir" "confection. ' ongmallv d^si^nfd for M'ra Marie Lloyd, and called " While the Cat* Away." . So extensive is £h-9 pla?ue that the inhabitants <lr-spatr of the ainwelcomc visitors. Professional rat-cntchers, however, are Q-wippling with the problem at fourpenoe a hea^l. '