The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-07-21
Bees Found In a Santa Fe Re-
frigeratOr Car.
Probably Came Here From Cali
fOrnia Orange Groves.
NOW AT HOME HERE.
Made Honey During Trip Across
the Continent.
Santa Fe Men Discovered Nest
While Repairing Car.

Seldom does any great number of pas
sengers ever beat a railroad company
out of transportation but there was
an exception to this rule revealed in
Topeka yards a few days ago. Snugly
ensconced between the floor and the In
side lining of a common yellow refriger-
ator car swarm of bees was discover
ed here, while Elmer Hunter, foreman
of the yard timers, and James Kincaid,
who has charge of the repair carpenters
in the field, were al work on this part1c-
ular piece of equipment.
How and when they established their
home there, and in what way they
maintained it probably has not been ac-
curately recorded, but the Santa Fe
men who shortly after their discovery
removed the insects and now proudly
claim them as their own property have
constructed this hypothesis: On some
unimportant side track of the Santa
Fe in southern California near an
orange grove and in close proximity TO
fields OF ever-bloomlng- nectar-produc-
ing flowers, this refrigerator car was
set out to be loaded with the ripe fruit
of that sunny climate. Parts of Cali
fornia are largely populated with horti-
culturiSts and the business of bee Gull
tUre fits in handily with that of fruit
growing. On one of these apiary farms
one day young queen bee with her
the old one being too small for the
rapidly increasing family In other
words, the bees swarmed. AS is their
instinct they started away from home
without any definite idea of their new
location but none the less confident that
1T would be found They came upon
Santa Fee freezer car that looked
good to them; its yellow color reserobled
the flowers. And more than that, there
was a small hole in the floor near orc
end where in times past inch bolt
had fit That opening reached up
through the wood and into a soft tempt
n h0rCa hnf nv ms Of
which the inside temperature of the car
is maintained at the desired figure. The
regal leader of the homeless swarm of
bees entered here and after a brief ex
ploration picked it as desirable place
to rear her constantly increasing brood.
There was an open space of two or
three inches In depth, half a foot in
width and the full length of the 32-foot
car in which not only they could live
but store up their supply of honey for
both the active and associate members
of the household But after the bees
had taken up their location about three
days, the railroad company packed a
lot of cabbages into the freezer and
moved if away. 1t was sent east with
its cargo being on the road some days.
Then it was rushed back into the west
ern country and numerous times was
set out on side-tracks being used
wherever the company needed it. In
the meantime the honey bees had en-
deavored to keep up with their transit
tory domieile. During the daytime they
were absent in the fields adjacent to the
railroad gathering honey and material
for honeycomb. Many times they would
return at evening to find their home
moved away several miles. they knew
not where. In this way the size of the
swarm was continually curtailed; but
there were always new children born
into the family which prevented its
complete extirpation. Finally, when the
car went in on the repair track at To-
peka a few days ago their presence was
soon detected by the workmen who were
to fix up the hole which formed the en-
trance to their home. 1t would be i'm
possible for the carpenters and timers
on one side and the Italian honey bees
who had earned their homestead rights
by a journey half way across the con-
tinent and perhaps back again, to get
along together at that point amicably.
So the Santa Fe men decided they