Little is known of the backstory of Bill Chantey, the criminal who became known as the Snake.   He was known to be an amateur herpetologist, raising a variety of venomous snakes on a private snake farm and that he had been working for the Allerton Construction Company for years prior to 1942.

Sometime prior to October of 1942, Chantey became sufficiently frustrated that he sabotaged work on the Holloway Tunnel, causing a major flood and killing several men.   Undeterred several of the men returned to the job and when a worker named "Big Luke" took point, he was attacked by an unknown assailant and found with two fang mark muttering "The Snake" over and over.   Having arrived to cover the tunnel workers for the Daily Star, Clark Kent and Lois Lane rush to the scene and question the workers.  Clark takes Lois home and heads to the hospital as Superman, where he finds a figure dressed in snakeskin lingering over the stricken worker who he realizes is "The Snake".  Leaping forward Superman attempts to grab his foe but the Snake slips free and takes a nurse hostage, threatening to kill her unless Superman flees.  Superman complies and returns to find the nurse unhurt but the Snake gone.

Pursuing the story, Kent suspects there is more to learn at the construction site. As Superman, he uses his powers of disguise to adopt an new face and applies to work the tunnel.  Other workers take umbrage at the new applicant and one,  Matt Hickey, attacks him.  Foreman Chantey sends them down to work the tunnel and Hickey takes advantage of their isolation to attack Kent.  The Snake, suspicious of the newcomer, as also appeared and strikes at Kent with one of his poison lances, but hits Hickey instead.  Changing to Superman, Kent confronts the Snakes but the criminal causes a cave-in that threatens the others workers and escapes as Superman stabilizes the tunnel.