THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1939 



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President Told of 120-Ft. Snake; 

 Dr. Mann a Little Incredulous 



President Roosevelt took time out 

 from neutrality and related ques- 

 tions yesterday to listen to what 

 probabily is the biggest snake story 



ever to come out of Brazil, which 

 seems to be the country where peo- 

 ple see the biggest snakes. 



It was told to him by John Taze- 

 well Jones, one of his classmates at 

 Harvard University, who has been 

 a representative of American firms 

 in Brazil for the last 22 years. 



Jones did more than merely tell 

 the President the snake story. He 

 showed him a picture. It reveals 

 an anaconda which, according to the 

 picture, was 36 meters, or approx- 

 imately 120 feet long. 



Just how the President reacted 

 is not clear, but it is understood he 

 was impressed by both the story 

 and the picture. 



Jones said, on emerging from the 

 President's office, that he would 

 like to have Dr. William M. Mann, 

 director of the Zoo, pass judgment 

 on the picture. The Post, as a re- 

 sult, borrowed the picture and 

 showed it to Dr. Mann. 



"The snake in the picture," the 

 latter replied, "may be anything 

 from 5 feet on up. I am quite cer- 

 tain, however, that it is an ana- 

 conda." 



Dr. Mann said the biggest snake 

 he ever saw was a 25-foot anaconda. 

 Jamrach. most famous of English 

 animal dealers, he said, for years 

 had an outstanding offer of $50,000 



payable to anyone who would bring 

 him a 40-snake, but no one ever did 



It is entirely possible, Dr. Mann 

 admits, that anacondas exceed 30 

 feet. Mention has been made, he 

 declared, of an anaconda 58 feet 

 long, but such big snakes seem al- 

 ways to have been heard of, and 

 never definitely measured. 



Jones sold Dr. Mann a pair of 

 caoybaras when the Zoo director 

 stopped in Brazil on his South 

 American cruise some months ago. 

 One of the animals died, but the 

 other is on exhibit in the small 

 mammal house at the Zoo. 



Jones said he was in this country 

 signing up American firms to repre- 

 sent in Brazil. He was optimistic 

 over the opportunities for trade ex- 

 pansion with that country; 



He discussed conditions in Brazil, 

 and Latin American trade expan- 

 sion possibilities with the Presi- 

 dent. Brazil, he insisted, is the only 

 friend the United States has in 

 Latin America. Jones lives in Sao 

 Pauio, a city of more than a million 

 population which, he declared, "is 

 better lighted and cleaner than 

 Washington." 



Church Fetes Slated 



Leonardtown, Md., Oct. 11.— The 

 Young People's Society of All Saints 

 P. E. Church at Oakley, will give a 

 card party and luncheon on October 

 14. The Parish Aid of All Saints 

 Church will give their annual Hal- 

 loween Ball on October 28, at Oak- 

 ley Hall. 



STAR, WASHINGTON, 



is 

 it 



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Mrs. Mann to Give 

 Illustrated Lecture 



Mrs. William M. Mann, wife of 

 the director of the Washington Zoo- 

 logical Park, will give an illustrated 

 lecture on "Trading Animals Below 

 the Equator," before the Washington 

 Club tomorrow at 11 a.m. 



Mrs. Mann has accompanied her 

 husband on many of his expeditions 

 for obtaining animals from the 

 wilds. She also has writen several 

 books describing the adventures on 

 these travels. 



Mrs. Whitman Cross is president 

 of the club and Mrs. Gilbert H. 

 Grosvenor is chairman of the pro- 

 gram committee, and will introduce 

 the speaker. 



