The Washington times., 1901-07-20
FINE BEES FOR THE ASKING
An Aerial Apiary the Prize of Him
Who Claims 1t Quickly.
Top OF Telegraph Pole the Location
of u Busy Hive Of Honey Makers
May Interfere with Wfres-Iine-
men Afraid to Eject the Tenants.

men Afraid to Eject the Tenants.
The local branch of the Postal Tele-
| graph Cable Company is the unwilling
proprietor of a prosperous apiary situated
| sixty feet up in the air on the summit of
| one of the company's poles at the cor
ner of Florida Avenue and Nineteenth
| Street. The honeyed contents of an iron
| distributing box, with a capacity of six
square feet, and a thriving and indus
trious swarm of bees who have made the
box their home, are at the disposal of
| anyone who will hive and remove the
bees permanently.
| The Postal Telegraph-CabIe Company
| is in quest of linemar who can hive
| bees or of a beeman who can climb tele-
graph poles. So far the search has been
| vain. No lineman has been discovered
| who is not mortally in fear of the busi-
| ness end of the insect. No beeman has
been found who does not quail at the
thought of a dizzy climb of sixty feet in
air. The company is impaled on the horns
of dilemma.
| Meanwhile the bees hold undisputed pos
session of the distributing box. They con-
duct their business affairs of manufactur-
ing honey as though in the best ap
pointed hive, confident that the product
benefit of man. They come and so at
their own sweet will and pleasure, with
out let or hindrance. After the nature of
bees, they will rot pay rent for their
usurped quarters, and their landlord has
as yet been unable to dispossess them.
Such is the present situation. which has
| another than humorous phase for the
telegraph company. The presence of the
bees bids fair to be a serious matter.
Access to the box, an important factor
in the local telegraph system in con-
meeting it with the outer world, will
sooner or later become an immediate and
! imperative necessity. Despite repeated
| attempts. the company has been unable
| to secure the services of anyone com
petel,t to cope with the situation or afford
solution of the difficulty. The bees must
go, and can be had for the asking
The company will transfer ali it's rights,
! title, and interest in the apiary to who
| ever will remove it from its present loca-
tion in midair There is no question of
the title of the company in the strange
| settlement. The company, or its repre-
| sentative. Manager Ribble. would be de-
| lighted to find that the title to the insect
| vested In some other concern or indi-
| vidual. In that event the responsibility of
| relieving the situation could be imposed
| upon such proprietors. So one who
| desires to secure the apiary by complying
with the terms of the Postal Telegraph
Cable Company need hesitate through
fear of a bad title. for the bees are finally
at the disposal of anyone having the te-
merity to climb the big pole and hive
| them.
| The bees were first discovered In their
present apartments about three weeks
-t.I ~
that bees were in the box. The extent of
| the invasion was not at that time realized.
\ and the seriousness of the situation was
absolutely unappreciated. Recent reports
to the office of Manager Ribble and the
| refusal of iinemen to approach the box
| have been the means of exciting appre-
| hension.
| 1t is believed that the constant hum of
the wires and the sounds constantly
heard in the distributing box. rather than
any SCIENTIFIC inclinations have been the
cause OF the ~hiving of the bees. As is
well known, bees are hived with droning,
| monotonous sounds. and such music is
| closely initiated by wind playing on the
/ wires.
| The pole at the scene of the difficulty
is one of the most important in the city.
| 1t is the terminal point of one of the
underground cables. feeding the northern
I trunk line. Whenever trouble occurs on
| the line in this direction it is at this
| pole that inspection and tests are made
to discover the source OF trouble. 1t is
not regularly inspected, and to this fact
| is ascribed the unsupported squatting Of
the bees the premises. Should any
serious interruption occur in the system
along the northern trunk line the service
would be badly crippled. Manager Ribble
has been endeavoring for three or four
days to secure some one to relieve the
situation. which is momentariiy becom-
| ing more tense.
Half way up the pole is the terminal
box of the underground cable. This box
Is feet by IL feet in dimensions. and
has a few bees who claim II their
legal residence On the summit of the
pole is the distributing box. The cable
mounts from the lower box to this one,
and issues in small telegraph wires, which
are run from pole to pole, connecting with
the rest of the country. This is a large
box. about feet long. and 1 foot in its
other dimensions.
This box bas been selected by the bees
as their principal business Office, storage
warerooms, residence. and dormitory. the
sides OF the iron box are perforated with
holes fer the Issuance of the smaller
wires distributing from the main cable.
Many of the holes are not used for this
purpose, and have been Utilized by the
bees as side entrances to their quarters.
1t is impossible to estimate the amount
be considerable and well worth the trou-
bic of removal Under the effects of the
suns heat liquid honey Is constantly drip
ping through cracks in the sides and
bottom of the box.
Manager RibbIe is still hoping to dis
cover some one who will effect the re-
moval of the bees and thereby relieve him
OF considerable anxiety.
FORMER PARTNERS FALL OUT.