The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-20
FLOODED WITH HONEY.
COW a SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
CHURCH WAS RUINED.


Eun a Tunnel and Strike a Ledge of
Honey.
From the st. Louis Republic,
Who ever heard of a church being flooded
with honey asks the San Francisco Chron-
,cls. The very idea seems ridiculous, and
in any other place than California would
sxcite only a smile Of incredulity. The
average tenderfoot would certainly
class it with the 'snipe-bagging" and
ether attempts to impose upon his
1srdsncy, while an eastern man would
undoubtedly snort out something or other
about another California lie." We have
all heard about places that flowed with
milk and honey" and metaphorical refer
spces to the ''droppingi of the sanctuary"
srefamiliar, butt has remained for a swarm
Of bees to make literal facts of these IA
miliar metaphors.
II appears that lot of vagrant bses
while in search Of suitable home found
an admirable location in the loft of an Epis-
copalian church in Tulare county. Here.
having an abundance of space, they in.
creased and multiplied, and at the same
time laid IN a large store of honey. Great
white combs were attached to the rafters
overhead, and were built downward and
added to until hundreds OF pounds of sweet
ness were hidden away in the delicate white
waxen cells.
1t was, indeed, a bee paradise. The yelled
marauder, armed with smoke and knife,
could not trench upon the stores thus laid
away. Here none of the four~footed.
sweet-toothed enemies Of the synonyme of
industry could take advantage of the de-
fsnseiessness of the little insects. The ad-
menition 80 often spoken from the pulpit
beneath to lay up treasures above, where
neither moth nor rust could corrupt nor
thieves break through and steal, was
patiently needed and faithfully carried out.
One contingency. however, was not pro-
vided against, and, indeed, was not ex-
pected. The normal temperature in the con-
tracted proportions Of the loft was of a
character admirably suited for the best
advantage of the bees, and had that tenn
perature continued this story would never
have been written.
1t is almost unnecessary to remind the
readers of the Chronicle that a week or
two ago California was visited with some
thing bearing a remarkable likeness to q
sirocco. In a word, it was hot-deucedly
hot To be sure it was impossible to locate
the area of the heat wave. The Milpitas
Bladder insisted that the weather there
was uellBuCluli DuD JUST over 6n0 county
line the thermometer showed something
like lis degrees in the shade. The White
Bluff Corporal casually remarked that over
in Platoville it was hotter than hades,
but in our immed ate Yicinage the COOL
ing breezes from the bay made the tenn
perature delightful. The Los Diablos
hurled jeeringly called attention to the
alleged fact that the northern cabbage belt
showed temperature considerably higher
than that of the southern potato section,
and in the next breath patronizingly ad-
vlsed its northern friends to take their
oranges in out of the frost. So it went from
one end of the state to the other. No place
could be found to acknowledge that it was
as warm as any other place. By common
consent the difficulty was finally settled by
O combined attack upon San Francisco
where, if the press of the interior were to
be believed, il was hotter than-well, hot
ter than Arizona.
But down 10 the loft of the church, where
the bees we're holding high carnival, the tenn
perature rose and rose until it reached the
melting point. Wax gave way beneath the
torrid heat, and now, down the rafters,
along the scantlings, over the laths and
down the joists began to flow streams of
liquid sweetness. They found orevioes here
and there, and soon altar, pulpit chancel,
furniture, prayer books and all the belong
ings of the interior of the sacred edifice
were treated to such deluge as the world
had never seen. Efforts were made to stay
the sticky tide, but these were only par
TALLY successful, and before anything could
be done the interior of the church was q
sight to behold, and damage had been done
that required considerable expense and hard
work to remedy.
Bees develop many peculiarities on this
coast which are unheard of elsewhere
While the eastern beekeeper is hard pressed
to devise means OF sheltering and protect
Ing his charges through the winter. in this
state the bees frequently evitce a distaste
for any artificial protection whatever
Cases have been known where swarms have
left comfortable hives and betaken them
selves to a tree. where, clustering on the
limbs, they have proceeded to build combs
and gather honey as calmly as though pro-
vided with all the latest improvements In
movable frame hives, comb foundation,
etc.
In many places, particularly in the south
ern part of the state, caves in the mountain
sides have been taken possession of and lit
orally filed with the nectar gathered from
the myriad honey-producing wild flowers.
There is remarkable instance of this sort
of natural beehive in the Cajon pass, north
of the city of San Bernardino. In precipi-
tous bluff rising from the bed of the creek
that flows through the canyon is an
opening in the rock large enough
for a man to walk through. Over
this rude door made of wide
meshed wire netting has been placed, so
that while the ingress and egress Of the bees
Is not hindered the stores of honey cannot
be molested except at the will of the person
having the key to the door. The cave pene-
trates far into the hillside and is literally
alive with bees. Away at the back the
back the combs hang from the rocks for
several feet downward and are literally
black with age. Toward the front many
fresh combs are seen, some already sealed
over and others being filled with honey. 1t
Is evident that there must be many swarms
IN the cave in order to have produced as
much honey as is stored away within its
rocky walls.
The bees of California are ambitious
workers, and when their hives are not kept
Clear of the surplus honey will put their
stores In all sorts of places. The writer
once had charge of a large apiary, and the
season was SO favorable that it was impos-
sloie TO take the honey from the hives as
tapldly as it was stored. In one case there
were three hives standing on some scant-
ing, with about foot of space intervening.
havlng filled the vacant boxes, the bees
next turned their attention to the outsides,
ana hlled the space between the hives and
also underneath them with a solid mass of
money. so closely were the hives fastened
snat II actually required the use of q crow
Oar to pry them apart.
DoWn at Temescal, San Bernardino
county, near the famous San Jacinto tin
nine there is a veritable mine of honey.
no1ualiy and literally this is a fact. There