THE LARGEST BEEHIVE IN THE WORLD.

Evening Post, Volume IX, Issue 84, 21 May 1873, Page 2

THE LARGEST BEEHIVE IN THE WORLD.

In. Los Angelas cotinty, on ?tho' eastern slope of the San Francibco range of mountains, etiti in the im^ **' mediate vicinity of the L&Tning v! Petroleum Qompany'sold region, tht-ra is a wonderful collection of wild honey, in. existence., Tbe hive, is located 'm a rift which penetrates the rock to the depth of probably 160 ft-et. The orifice is 30 feet long aad 17 feet wide; four passages.,, The < rift was discovered to be the abiding place of a swarm of ; bees that id represented as coming out In nearly solid column one foot in diameter. Certain parties have endeavored to descend to tl. c immense store of honey collected by these bees, but were irivatiably driveti back,and one man lost his life in the effort. Others have, at the expense of much labor and money, built a scaffold 1 25 high,in the hope of reaching a place whence they could ruu a drift into the rock and extract its well-hoarded sweets, but finally ceased their work. Within four years the bees have added n * no less than 15 feet of depth to their treasure, as ascertained by actual measurement, and it is thought that at the present time there cannot be '¦< less than eight or ten tons of honey in the rock. A man named B. Brophy lives in a cabin tio^ far from the spot, and obtained from the melting of the honey by the sun's heat enough for his family requirements. All through that region immense store of wild honey are found in the trees, in the rocks, neatly every place

where its imlnj-trioo» manuf«ct« rem think — for bcf» «eem to » Wink— it \ will be secure. The/ con»rtru"jr vvi-y \ small proportion, as tb« •- nnatr? enable* them to keep «p opemuons nearly every day in the yeav, and fiower» of name sort are always in bloom. It m»«t he a- HHVvre mttton indeed when the little fellows are not seen abtoad in vast numbers engaged in their melliflttotta work.