806 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15. 



ON THE WHEEL— CONTINUKD FROM LAST ISSUE. 



When near Lima I saw some pumping-wells 

 very close lo the graveled road, and 1 stopped 

 to investigate a little. As I started to go near 

 the tanks, where the well was being pumped, 1 

 saw a man at a distance walking toward me. 

 Thinking that, perhaps, they did not like to 

 have visitors around unattended, I turned my 

 wheel and ran uown to meet him. He said 

 they were quite willing to receive visitors, and 

 show them around; but he felt a little anxious 

 about having strangers go around alone. Only 

 a week before, while standing on the top of a 

 tank watching the oil and gas as they came 

 together out of the pipe, a visitor, before he 

 knew it, took a match out of his pocket, and 

 proceeded to scratch it to light his cigar, iiotli 

 the smell and peculiar vapor indicated that gas 

 was all around them, and a terrible explosion 

 would have ensued. What does ail people lo 

 make them so stupid? No wonder that men 

 who have this kind of pioperty in charge get 

 short and crusty. After a very pleasant visit, 

 just as 1 was going I learned there was a bee- 

 keeper in the neighboring town of Cridersville 

 wlio would give almost anything to see A. L 

 Root. 1 had passed the town, however, and it 

 was considerably off the road, so 1 decided I 

 could not go back. When 1 came near to the 

 city of Lima I was almost speechless with as- 

 tonishment and wonder at the vast iron tanks 

 scattered thickly for miles in every direction. 

 Why, it seemed to me as if all the world could 

 not use so much oil. Around each tank was an 

 embankment of earth to hold the oil in case the 

 tank should burst. I finally became so curious 

 that I asked a workman, who was doing some- 

 thing to one of the tanks close to the road, if he 

 had time to answer a few Yankee questions. 

 He replied, "No, sir; I have not a minute to 

 spare." 



" But you can surely tell me about how much 

 each of these large tanks holds." 



'• 1 do not know how much they hold." 



" Well, excuse me, my good friend, in asking 

 one more question, and then I will go away. 

 What caused this terrible wreck and blackened 

 remains just across the way ?" 



"Two of the tanks got atire." 



Now, I wanted awfully to ask what set them 

 atire, but I thought 1 would let him see I was 

 true to my promise, even if I was a Yankee. 

 As I wheeled along I said to myself, "' Well, I 

 will just go and hunt up a bee-keeper some- 

 where in this city; and if he will not tell me all 

 I want to know, it will be funny indeed." 



I wheeled into the suburbs of the town, and 

 found a man beside the street, talking t-o one 

 in a buggy. I turned up, sprang off my wheel, 

 and commenced: 



"Gentlemen, can either of you tell me where 

 I can find a man who keeps bees or produces 

 honey, anywhere in this neighborhood ?" 



The man in the buggy looked a little curious 

 as he replied: 



" Well, stranger, I think you have hit me ex- 

 actly." 



"And what is your name '? " said I. 



" G. A. Maiteson, of Cridersville, O." 



Then it was my turn to smile, and I said, "I 

 am A. I. Root, of Medina." 



You should have seen him start at the name. 



"Well, I declare! is it possible, Mr. Root, 

 that you have actually come on your wheel so 

 near my own liome? I do not know how many 

 times I have longed to see you and have a visit." 



Friend Matteson not only answered all my 

 questions about the tanks and wells, but he- 

 took his horse and buggy, and carried me over 

 lo a well that was just being drilled. The 

 tanks that were burned up had been struck by 

 lightning a few weeks before. The great light 

 given by this huge bonfire was visible after 

 dark for 100 miles in every direction. In order 

 to save the valuable material composing the 

 tank they tired cannon-balls through its iron 

 sides down near the bottom, and let the oil 

 burn up inside of the dam that I have mention- 

 ed before. You see, these dams are absolutely 

 essential in order to prevent the tire from run- 

 ning from one lank to the next; and the tanks 

 are placed just far enough apart so that one 

 can burn up without endangering its neighbor. 

 Eacli tank holds aboui .')5,000 barrels, and there 

 are probably 500 or more of these huge reser- 

 voirs in the vicinity of Lima. They aie the 

 property of the Standard Oil Co. 



As it was coming on night, I inquired my way 

 to Blutfton, the nearest station on one of the 

 railroads passing through Medina. Friend 

 Matteson called to somebody he knew, to direct 

 me where to take the right road out of the city. 

 This individual happened to be one of the kind 

 wlio can not tell any thing witliout getting in 

 a good many hard words. A bystander pre- 

 sumed to dispute his ability to direct, and then 

 the strong adjectives just boiled out from his 

 mouth. 1 tola him, as pleasantly as 1 could, 

 that i would rather get lost than to hear so 

 much bad talk. It wound him up suddenly, 

 and 1 feared 1 had offended him. The rest be- 

 gan laughing at his discomfiture, and he was 

 silent for a moment. I fell anxious, for I feared 

 he might turn on them and swear worse; but 

 lo my surprise he spoke something like this: 



■■ Look here, boys, the road is a crooked one; 

 and a stranger, especially so near night, when 

 he is in a liurry, might find difficulty in getting 

 on the right track. 1 am going along with him 

 to show nim the way." 



You see, lie was a wheelman as well as my- 

 self. We chatted pleasantly on the way, and 

 there was no more rude talk, I assure you. 

 Then the words of the chorus of that beautiful 

 hymn burst forth in my mind once more: 



Oh glorious victory, that overcomes the world ! 



l*retty soon I was riding again after dark, in 

 a strange country. Worse still, the recent rains 

 had made quite a few bad mud-holes and mud- 

 dy places. 1 found my little bell of much ser- 

 vice, especially when 1 came up behind vehicles 

 and passed them. It is only of late that I have 

 used a bell; but I think I siiall never want to 

 ride much again without one. 1 never use it 

 to ask folks to get out of my way, or in a way 

 that they might think it was my intention; 

 but when going up behind a team, a light touch 

 of the bell admonishes the driver to gather up 

 his lines and hold his liorses from shying, as 

 they might do if a wheelman should pass at 

 any tolerable speed. 



Between seven and eight o'clock I found a 

 little town where my conauclor told me I had 

 better stop over night. The bell was ringing 

 at the little church, and 1 soon found myself 

 among a lot of Sunday-school children. They 

 had met to practice for a coming entertain- 

 ment. At the hotel whore I stopped I was 

 greatly pleased to hear the landlord ask a bless- 

 ing before the morning meal. As there were 

 quite a number of children in the family, they 

 had their own breakfast in an apartment sep- 

 arate from the dining-room for the guests; 

 but I could hear the words of the father, 

 even through the closed door; and it rejoiced 

 my heart to know that there are at least a few 

 hotel -keepers who liold fast to the good old 

 custom of acknowledging the great God above. 



