The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-11-13

Inc whole affair is great improvement
on the transportable habitations of other
nomadio peoples.
A HONEY MINE.
1t Is in Mendocino County, Cal, and Is the
| Largest Bee Hive in the World.
Did you ever see a bee tree with a
swarm of bees around it? Well, magnify
this about TO-, 600 times and you will have
slight idea of natural beehive in
Mendocino county, California, not far
from Ukiah. But this one is not in a
tree. 1t is in rift in the face of cliff,
and tradition has 1t that there is a large
cave on the inside where the myriads of
busy insects make their homes.
| This great natural curiosity is known
to residents of the adjacent country as
Bee rock and they have grown to look
| upon it as commonplace, when in reality
! it is the only beehive of the kind in exis-
tence
| There is no danger of a person getting
very near to this natural beehive without
knowing it, for at all hours of the day a
swarm of insects hover about several
hundred feet in all directions. An inces-
SAINT, maddening buzz fills the air that can
be heard an eighth of a mile and serves
as warning not to venture too near.
But men do venture near after having
first put on suit Of leather clothing,
| e. II Of
their hat-brim and lighted good big
torch These precautions are absolu tely
necessary
/ 1t takes nerve to approach close to the
opening in the rock and the experience is
a never to be forgotten one. Bees to the
number of millions of millions will light
on the intruder, humming f1endishly,
and endeavoring to sting him to death.
They form perfect cloud, and the air is
| filled with a fetid smell and q fine dust
that gets through the wire screen and
causes an irritation Of the eyes. The tiny
insects really show signs of vlciousness
and fly into the flame of the torch In
countless numbers as though they intend
ed to extinguish it. Round and round
l
indeed is the man who can stand the on
slaught of the tiny foes for more than q
few minutes.
| 1t is almost impossible to make out just
| where the entrance to this natural bee
hive is. There is a sort of cavern in the
cliff that seems to have q crack through
the inner wall from top to bottom, but
most of the bees hover around hole
about eighteen inches wide and appear to
make that the point of ingress and egress
Many days it is impossible to even see the
cliff, SO thickly covered is 1t with insects,
and they roll in and out of the opening.
like stream of molasses.
I. During the summer dead birds can al.
ways be seen ON the ground around the
mouth of the hive. They have been
stung to death while attempting to fly
through the swarm of insects. -Four foot
ed creatures never venture within half
a mile of the hive, seeming to know that
death turks there.
In front of the mouth of the hive there
Is pile of dried honey that has flowed
from the interior. 1t looks like heap of
molten lava that has been hardened after
being discharged from volcano.
Asparty Of men living in the vicinity
claim to havefentered Ethis natural bee
hive several years ago. They selected a
cold day. in winter, Ewhen the bees were
half dormant, and poured coal oil and
benzine around and into the opening,
Then they..madessa big fire Of wood SO that
the whole cavern was filed with flames.
Then.they poked the. red-hot embers down
into the opening and SO killed every bee
in it.
But there was not much to see after the
men got inside. Only large cave with
the walls covered with wax and dried
honey and enough of the sweetness in
pools in the bottom to last big CITY for
several years. Of course the honey was
unit for use on account of being full OF
dead bees and ashes from the fire. The
men, however. did not linger in the cave
any great length of time as it was foul
smelling and Estifing. Although count
less millions of bees must have been de
stroyed ons.this occasion, the next summer
they were as numerous as ever and ius
as vicious.
Indians of the neighborhood say that ii
the good old days" the bad men of thei
tribe were bound hand and foot and car
rled to within short distance of the be,
: hlve by men wrapped in blankets. Their
ne helpless creatures were left to suffe
tne awful agony of being stung to death
San Francisco Call
, PEOPLE can't be good natured, can't bt
pleasant, if they have Itching Piles.
Doan's Ointment will make any sufferer
from this plague of the night happy. i
: gives Instant reli.af and narmauent cura