St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-10-10
FLOODED WITH HONEY,
HOW a CALIFORNIA CHURCH
WAS RUINED.
a Torrent Of Sweetness Overhead
Tin Miners Run a Tunnel and
Strike a Ledge of Honey.

flooded with honey? The very idc
sounds ridiculous, and in any other plac
than California would excite only
smile of incredulity. We have all hear,
about places that "h0wcd with milk an,
honey and metaphorical references t
the "droppings Of the sanctuary" ar
familiar, but it has remained for swarm
OF bees to make literal facts of tlcs
familiar metaphors.
1t appears that lot of vacrant bees
while in search of a suitable home. found
an admirable location in the loft of a,
tDlScopaIlan Church in Tuare county
Here, having an abundance of space
they increased and multiplied, and al
the same time laid in large store 0!
honey. Great white combs were attached
to the raftcrS overhead, and were built
downward and added to until hundreds
OF pounds of sweetness were hidden away
Ill the delicate white waxen cells.
1t was indeed bee paradise. The
vcllcd maraudcr, armed with smoke and
knife, could not trench upon the stores
thus laid away. Here none of the four
footed, sweet toothcd enemies of the
synony Of industry could take advan-
tage of the dcfcnscieSsness of the little
insects.
One contingency, however, was not
provided against, and, indeed, was not
expected. The normal temperature in
the contracted proportions of the loft
was OF character admirably suited for
the best advantage Of the bees, and had
thai temperature continued this story
would ncver have been written.
1t is almost unnecessary to remind the
readers of the Chronicle that week or
two ago California was visited with
something bearing remarkable likeness
to slrocco. In word, it was hot
deucedly hot. To be sure, it was impossi-
bic to locate the area Of the heated wave.
No place could be found to acknowledge
that 1t was as warm rs any other place.
Iy common consent the difficulty was
finally settled by combined attack
upon San Francisco, where if the press
of the interior were to be believed,
it was hotter than--well, hotter than
Arizona.
But down in the loft of the church,
where the bees were holding high car
nlval the temperature rose and rose, I'M
I'll 1t reached the melting point. Wax
gave way beneath the torrid heat and
now, down the ratters, along the scant-
llngs, over the laths and down the ioists
began to flow streams of liquid sweet
ness. They found crcvices here and
there, and soon altar, pulpit, chanccl,
furniture, prayer books and all the be
lon CrIp pf tho cooroI of
sacred editice were tt Gated to such a
deluge as the world had never seen. Eff
forts were made to stay the sticky tide,
but these were only partially successful,
and before anything could be dons the
interior of the church was a sighI to be-
hold, and damage had been done that !
'equired considerable expense and hard /
work to remedy.
Bees develop many pecularities on
his coast which are unheard of else
where. While the Eastern beekceper is
lard pressed to devise means of shelter
ng and protecting his charges through
he winter, in this State the bees fire.
Iuently evince distaste for any arti-
icial protection whatever. Cases have
,een known where swarms have left
ON tortable hives and hetaken them
elves to tree, where, clustering on the
limbs, they have proceeded to build
ombs and gather honey as calmly as
hough provided with all the latest i'm
movements in movable frame hives,
omb foundation, etc.
In many places, particularly in the
outhern part Of the State, caves in the
lountain sides have been taken posses
ion of and literally filled with the nee
ar gathered from the myriad honey pro-
ucing wild flowers. There is a remark
bic instance of this sort of natural bee
i've in the Cajon pass, north of the
ity Of San Bernardino. In precipitous
lulf rising from the bed Of the creek
hat flows from the canyon is an opening
/ the rock large enough for man to
'allz through. Over this a rude door
ladc of wide meshcd wire netting has
cen placed, so that while the ingress and
gress of the bees is not hindered, the
cores of honey cannot be molested eX-
ept at the will of the person having
ne key Of the door. The cave pene-
'ates far into the hills and is literally
live with bees. Away at the back the
ombs hang from the rocks for several
,et downward and are literally black
it'll rage. Toward the front many fresh
ombs are seen, some already sealed over
I'D others being filed with honey. 1t
evident that there must be many
warns in the cave III order to have pro
uced as much honey as is stored away
thin its rocky walls.
The bees of California are ambitious
orkers, and when their hives are not
cpt clear Of the surplus honey will put
leir stores in all sorts of places. The
ritter once had charge Of a large apiary,
as impossible to take the honey from
le hives as rapidly as it was stored. In
&c case there were three hives standing
/ some scantling, with about o foot of
ace intervening. Having filled the ,
lcant boxes the bees next turned their !
tention to the cutsides, and filed the r
ace between the hives and also under +
cath them with solid mass of honey. !
, closely were the hives fastened that ,
actually required the use of crowbar .
pry them apart. |
Down at Temescal, San Bernardino ,
ounty, near the famous San Jacinto tin : :
inc, there is vcritable mine of honey. '
ctually and literally this is a fact. Y
here is q large force of men employed r
the tin mine, and they put in their y
lie time prospecting in the hills in the p
cinity. One Sunday half dozen of +
e miners applied to Colonel Robinson, =
e superintendent, for the privilege of +
ing some giant powder and a few tools. 8
c asked them what they wanted to do, r
d they replied that they had found /
'ney mine and proposed to tap it.
lughing, he gave his consent and all
der on the storekeeper for the desired
ticlas and with a slnnly of nails and