Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1891-09-26
CALIFORNIA BEES.
Mountain Caves Converted Into
Hugo Hives.
4 vsritabtS Mine OF Honey Discovered IN
: the MountaIns-A Battle foE Ita
Prosecution Between Bees -
aud Miners. ...

southern part OF the state, caves tn the
mountain sides have been taken possess
sion of and literally filed with the nee
tar gathered from the myriad honey
producing wiIdfiowers. There is re.
narkable instance of this sort of natur-
al beehive, says the San Francisco
Chronicle, in the Cajon Pass, north of
the city of San Bernardino. In q pre-
cipitous 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
a 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 penetrates far into the hillside and
Is literally alive with bees Away in
the back the combs hang from the
rocks for several feet downward and
arc literally black with age. Toward
the front many fresh combs are seen,
some already sealed over and others
being filled with honey. It 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
pnt their stores in all sorts of places.
The writer once had charge of large
apiary, and the season was so favorable
that it was impossible to take the honey
from the hives as rapidly as it was
stored. In one case there were three
hives standing on some scantling, with
about foot of space intervening. Hav-
Ing filled the vacant boxes the bees
next turned their attention to the out
sides, and filed the space between
the hives and also underneath them
with solid mass Of honey. So close
ly were the hives fastened that it actu-
ally required the use of crowbar to
pry them apart.
Down at Temescal, San Bernartiino
county, near the famous San Jacinto
tin mine, there is a veritable mine of
honey. Actually and literally this is a
fact. There is large force OF men
employed ut the tin mine, and they put
in their idle time prospecting in the
hills in the vicinity. On Sunday half
dozen of the miners applied to Col. Rob
1nson, the superintendent, for the privi-
lege of using some giant powder ana a
few tools. He asked them what thew
wanted to do, and they replied that they
had found honey mine and proposed
to tap it. Laughing, he gave his con-
sent and an order on the storelxceper
Tor the desired articles, and, with
supply Of pals and tubs, the men set
out on their expedition.
They were gone all day, and along
toward shutdown a sorry-loolsing pro-
cession came over the hill and made it's
way to the employees headquarters.
They had tapped the mine, there could
be no question about that. Tffey were
sticky with honey from head to foot.
Hair and beard dripped with it, like
unto the appearance Of Aaron when he
was annointed, even so that the oil ran
oil over him and down to his feet
Their clothes were literally plastercd
with mixture OF honey and mud; there
was honey everywhere. But the tubs
and buckets were full of honey as we'll,
for Il rich lead had indeed been struck.
But the miners had paid dearly for
their trouble. Their faces were pulled
W o"N o"oAAOhi SJSn WcTC UTMOST
closed, and there was not square inch
of exposed cuticle but showed the marks
of contact with the torrid business end
of the in sects who had been robbed.
The men, it appeared, had found a
crevice in the rocks whence issued a
constant stream of bees, and from this
hey judged that there must be a large
Quantity of honey in the recesses Of the
cliff. The opening used by the bees
was too small TO admit of the passage
of human being, and after carefully
examining the place tunnel was com.
menced little way from the entrance,
md after this had been run the right
distance an upraise was put In, which
by good tuck struck tho ledge of honey
II its center. After % hot contest with
nc bees several hundred pounds OF
olnb honey were taken out, and tho
unnel was then closed up. Several
ines since additional supplies of tn,