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75
the runs removed the rat difficulty. In Cullum Street a restaurant was infested by the
brown rat. Rats had gained access to the drain from the sewer through the cleaning arm
of the intercepting trap, the cap of which was missing ; the rats worked their way through
broken drain pipes and burrowed through the basement floor and established themselves
behind the matchboarding on the walls. The old drains were properly substituted, and the
premises rat-freed. In all cases of drain defects it is the owner, and not the occupier, who is
called to remedy the defects under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891.
In the presence of the black rat, with its greater climbing capacity, preventive measures
against entry must extend to all parts of a building, including the roof. No single occupier
of a building can be made responsible for rat riddance in the roof, where ample harbourage
for rats often exists under water cisterns, etc. The large areas of continuous roofs give
ample scope to evade capture. From the roofs they gain access by rainwater pipes to open
windows by way of the chimneys. Occasionally they have gnawed through the frame of
a window. Fire-exit doors and roof ventilators also afford entry.
The following are the details of a rat-proofing work recently carried out in a City building
under the Rat-Officer's advice. Black rats infested this building, entry being through
basement windows and other windows, unguarded pipe holes through the walls, and pipe
casings leading to all parts of the building.
" Make good holes in coal cellar and outside meter room. Make good around hot-water
pipes and brickwork in boiler house. Fill in between iron girder in vaults, also stop holes in
brickwork in meter house and vaults.
" Fix expanded metal and make good in men's lavatory and carpet room. Take down
casings in corridor and boiler house, also casings, skirtings, etc., generally for examination,
and re-fix after making good as required. Make good holes in passage behind casings and
holes in floors.
" Hack out broken glass in boiler house and reglaze with wired roll plate glass. Remove
broken flaps to fresh-air inlet, supply and fix new, and make good.
" Supply and fix 3-inch brass gratings to rainwater pipes. Fix ½-inch mesh wire over
hole under stage. Make good brickwork in Reference Library. Remove rat-gnawed felt
round pipes in vaults and rebind with new. Cut and fix sheet iron over holes in Reference
Library, also over roof of first-floor lavatory. Make good holes in supper room in basement,
and also in photographic dark room. Fix expanded metal in passsage where shown. Fix
metal plate to foot of door in boiler room. Clear away all rubbish in the basement. Supply
twelve galvanised wire-work frames to correct sizes and fix to meter room, store room, area,
all basement windows, and also to gentlemen's lavatory in basement, in place of defective
wire netting. Make good holes in serving room and refreshment room, and also at back of
stage balcony. Engage rat-catcher to rid building of all rats that are shut in after the wiring
is completed."
Another instance: A building where black rats had entered by way of windows, basement
ventilators and chimneys.
In this case it was found necessary to wire chimney flues, and fix metal baffle plates
to rainwater pipes and wire basement ventilators, etc. The heavy kitchen range was taken
out to stop holes in the flue, repair work was done to the lift and cellar entrances, and holes
stopped in various parts of the building, where many meals are served to the public daily.
Food, again, was the attraction in this building. The rat proofing was effective, but it
shut in a large number of rats, which found concealment under floors. A rat-catcher was
engaged, and 97 rats were caught in two nights. Break-back and varnish traps will account
for the few remaining rats in the building. I wish to point out that these cases were not
dealt with under the Act, but, as in several other cases, at the owner's requests for advice.
Expense thus incurred in the case of old City buildings approaching demolition is not
justifiable—minor rat-proofing work and constant capture and destruction of rodents is
all that can be asked for. New buildings, however, should afford a reasonably rat-proof
condition from the first; this might well be made a part of every plan, and the additional
cost would be infinitesimal.
Virus and Poisons.—It has not been the practice of this department to encourage
the use of bacterial preparations in City premises. Business firms generally prefer trapping
to the use of virus and other poisons. No poison is advised which is not on the official list
of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Traps.—Various kinds of traps have been used—the ordinary cage trap, the eel-pot,
the round wire and other types of wire traps. Norte of them are very successful, and some
are constructed of wire so fine that captured rats are able to force the wires apart and escape.
The traps which are found to give the best results are the "break-back" and varnish traps,
the latter being now in general use and the most successful of all.