The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1897-07-08
MOUNTAIN LEAKS HONEY
A Natural Storehouse OF Sweet
ness in Pennsylvania
On Warm Days the Rocks Drip with
the Sweets of the Great Beehive
within Stories Told by
Hunters.

wild chain of mountains leading from
Penn's valley into Stone valley.
The Seven mountain range is per-
haps the widest system in the state of
Pennsylvania. More than one ex-
perienced hunter and woodsman has
lost his way in these mountains, and
spent weary days wandering around
before he found his way to civilization
again. and some even failed to return
to it, and it is the general belief thai
their bones lie bleak and bare in some
dark ravine of the Tussey, range.
Years ago current report said that
in one of the least explored of the man,
Businesses of these mountains there
was bee hive in the rocks which cor
tanned enough honey to make man
rich. The story was in effect as fol-
lows: Some eight or ten miles north of
The gap is one of the deepest ravines in
closing the widest spot in the entire
chain of mountains. Precipitous cliffs
10 the height of several hundred feet
rise on either side, the whole almost
completely covered with dense growth
of small shrubbery and trailing vines
while away down at the bottom, so deep
that the 3un hardly penetrates, owirg
to the narrowness of the gorge, trickles
a small stream or rivulet.
On the north side of this gorge, about
half way up the rock side of the cliff,
is a fissuce in the rock presenting an
opening perhaps 20 feet long and vary
ing in width from two to five feet
Though there is no accurate way of
knowing the depth of this fissure or
cave in the rock side, it has been es-
t.mated at anywhere from 30 to 5O
1eet, perhaps even more, and possibly
with the dimensions of large cham
Der. ~----@ ---7-~- --..
In this rift in the rock a swarm OF
bees years ago made their home, and
there they have continued to abide.
multiply and store up honey until three
years ago, when the last report of tler1.
as given by a lost hunter, stated that
so numerous had they become that
there was one perfect column or string
of bees fully a foot thick continually
going and coming from the stone hive
Parties who claim to have seem 1t
aver that on warm day the sweet
fluid, melted by the hot rays of the
sun in the brief time its rays penetrate
the opening, would trickle down the
side of the cliffs and fall in pools at
the bottom.
Several parties attempted to dis
lodge the bees and get at the hive of
| honey, but owing to the difficulty in
getting at the opening they were never
successful. as the bees always drove
them away.
A few days ago a stranger, who
claimed to hail from the eastern part of
the state, and who had been trudging
these mountains in quest of the outloo <
for game on several of the game pre-
serves. located here, stopped few min
utes at the gap, and while here told Of
seeing the beehive in the rocks. The
man was so excited over the. discovery
that he could hardly tell a complete
story, but the facts related by him are
so closely allied to the current report of
years that there is no doubt that he
found the wonderful honey deposit.
The man averred that the bees GO
ing and coming looked like an immense
tar rope at least two feet in diameter
and so constantly did they keep at their
work that in the hour or more he
watched them there was not one brea i
in the flying string of bees.
To dislodge the bees and secure the
honey would, however, be an almost in
} possible task, at the very least a Her
,uIean one. From the bottom of TIE
,ayine to where the rift in the rock oc
,urs is fully rs feet, and from the tor
iown to the rift is almost an equal dis
snnce The rocky side is very nearl!
s4raight up and down, and the small
brush and wild vines with which thu
{ side is almost entirely covered are NO
embedded securely enough in the rocks
to admit of one climbing either up O
down them as support.
There is only one way by which th'
cavern could be reached, and then i
: would be at the risk of destroying tn
4 rich store therein, and that is to blov
? the mountain side up with dynamite
But even this mode of attack woult
not rid the place of all the bees, ans
when once their home was destroyer
all interlopers would want 10 seek som
= secure retreat. The stranger averrc
that he would find a way to get tn
bees out and get at the store of honey
l. He declared his intention of return
ing to make the attempt, at least, an
e what the results will be remain to b
seen.
Five, four, or even two tons Of hone
is large pile of the sweet stuff, an
the smaller amount, if it could be pu
on the market in anything like a goo
condition, at the present price of 1
cents per pound, would realize just SEQ
for the successful bee hunter, a yer
i clever sum to pull from a rift in til
mountain side.-Philadelph Times.
LOST.
d Ye sterday, in this city, silver mate
DIoo,a ,ot,,-r % hhfe