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Show 8EES SW TRAIN Professional Apiarist Is Quickly Put to Flight. Well-Directed Stream of Water Finally Dislodges Little Stingers from Their Shelter in Spout of Standpipe at Tank. Spokane, Wash. While swarming bees are credited with doing all sorts of unusual things, probably this is the first time that a queen and her retinue re-tinue and subjects completely tied up a steam railroad. It happened at Twin Falls, Idaho, the, other day. Tin dishpans, tom-toms, whistles, and other recognized lures failed to dislodge the swarm, which had settled in the spout of the standpipe at the water tank, where a long train of freight cars stood on the main line without sufficient water in the boiler of the big mogul to pull out. The driver and coal heaver did excellent work in trying to reach the pipe, but the bees gave. them short shift and the men refused to make a second attempt. at-tempt. H. A. Swab, a local expert in bee matters, bore down upon the scene to capture the swarm. He was armed with a nail keg and two long sticks. He sent his helper to coax the bees into the keg, but in less than six seconds sec-onds the assistant had a score of active ac-tive bees up his sleeves, and he made a dash toward the railway station. Swab also remembered he had an important im-portant business engagement elsewhere. else-where. The foreman and members of the section crew were next routed, and when the engineer appealed to Agent Sullivan that worthy declared it was a matter for the maintenance of way department. The conductor of the stalled train suggested sending for the sheriff, while the stoker insisted upon calling out the fire brigade. The brakeman on the front end offered no solution, as he was nursing a dozen or more knobs of the size of mature hickory nuts on face, hands and body. Finally a bystander prescribed the water cure, adding: "If that doesn't drive 'em away nothing will." A well-directed well-directed stream from a garden hose seemed to have a quieting effect, and the pipe was lowered to the intake on the tender and the tank filled with bees and water. While replacing the pipe the fireman fire-man was attacked by a few stragglers, and to protect himself from further onslaught he tied a red bandana handkerchief hand-kerchief around his head. After raising rais-ing the spout he tucked the handkerchief handker-chief into his pocket and accepted the congratulations of the onlookers upon his escape, but while mopping his face a vagrant bee winged its way out ,of the folds of the bandana and stung him on the lip. After the excitement with the bees two small boys climbed to the roof of the water tank and with bare hands captured the queen, placing her in the bottom of the keg, into which the bees quickly swarmed. Swab bought the swarm, presenting the boys $1.25 and the incident closed. |