The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-04-20

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THE suBrEnRANEAN VOYAGE,
THE MAMMOTH C.AVE,
PARTIALLY EXPLORED.
Frsni gentleman in Besriins Green, Kentuely, TO
HE friend tn REsse!ViiIe
t..t
BowLIse-GnERN, January 2ist, 1910.
My Dian w. ~,
You may perhaps not deem it
Nninteresting to have some information respect
ing the largest cave now known. II lies about
eight miles from the Dripping Spring, little
south OF east, near Green River, in Warren coun-
~. The surrounding country is composed OF
kwobs not unlike those in the bsrrens generally
The mouth Of the cave is situated on the north
side of one of those knobs We descended alb
ruptiy about city or sixty feet, when the mouth
presented itself complete; it is archeS over by
q large ledge cfrocks, from which issues clear
fountain from this the workmen are supplied
with suffciency of water for their salt petre
works; it falls perpendicularly fifty feet. In re.
moving the earth near the mouth for the purpose
OF erecting furnaces, several human skeletons
were discovered, of size unusually large one
ofths forEier proprietors of the cave s,oat man,
compared the size of the under Jaw bone with
his own, and found Il ], it would easily pass over
his, the other bones were OF spending size.
The salt petre earth commences with the cave
and continues so far as has been examined, which
Is about seven miles. In passing what is called
the narrows, you are obliged to walk half bent,
these continue about a quarter OF mile in this
pass there 10 constantly strsng current of air ,
the six sold months the air rushes into the cave.
this other six 1T issues from it this is easily &C.
sounted tor by all meh of science. At the termi.
nation OF these narrows, you are ushered into
enc OF the most subiimely beautiful and pictu-
Sesque amphitheatres in the world it expands
TO sixty or seventy feet wide and as many deep.
The most elaborate effort Of the pencil would
Sail to do justice to the rich scenery and varied
draPery with which the senses are delighted
Immediately on entering this large room, you ex-
psrience sudden change of the air from chill.
ling cold to 4 heat oppressive here some of our
companions pulled off their outer CLOTH ing, and
LETT them till we returned. We progressed but
> little way before we discovered innumerable
quantities of bats which had taken refuge there
from tho seventies of the season they were sus.
pended from all parts of the rocks by their claws,
with their heads down, and crowded so close
that they resembled a continued black cloud
they appeared much disturbed at our intrusion
which they manifested by disagreeab,e Kissing
or twittering noise, and SO tenacious were they
of the hold which instinct had caused them to
take, they would suffer themselves to be burnt to
death sooner than relinquish it. At the distance
of about half mile, there are two branches ma
king out ct right angles on either side the one
on the south west which is called the little room
we examined; here the earth Is suffi GENTLY i'm
ptegRated with nitre to yield eight & ten pounds
TO the bushel it has fine spring where i, a.
gsj,i divides into the upper and lower rooms in
1ne upper there is Assure in the rock sufficient
ly large for man to enter, where you have the
appearance of the different orders of Gothic AZ.
shitscture, columns, mouldings and pilasters in
embossed and stucco work, elegantly wrought by
the friction of water constantly dripping from a
sove the heights ofthese columns are so great
that with the assistance of all light we could
not discover where they terminated.
Some distance further along, we passed what
rs called the sick room, in consequence Of an at.
tempt being made to explore il, which proved i'm.
successful the person who made the attempt,
5rst fslt nausea and general debility, which
was succeeded by violent Puking they very pru-
IDENTIFY retrested and have never since entered it
we supposed the existence of mephitic gas, and
thought it most prudent to pass without entering.
AT about two miles from the entrance we found
Glauber and Epsome salts, with o chreous earths
of different colors here the whole surface ofthe
rocks are incrusted with stalactites of half an
inch in thickness the rocks are so strongly i'm.
prsgnated with the salts, that they burst through
She iucrustation and exude in octahedral, hexahe-
dral, and rllomsoidal prisms, and more frequent
ly in curved rhombs. Nothing can exceed the
brilhance of the scene /; figure to yourself ca
Eopy rradiated with ten thousand diamonds, and
you will have faint idea of its lustre. The salts
are in virgin state, and efaoresce when brought
in contact with atmospheric air; they continue
Cor half mile and are often Of indeterminate
forms at times the whole surface of the rocks
appear il covered with new ALLEN snow. We
weat OH for several miles. often passing branch.
es of the cave, makiag out at right, acute and OBJ.
tuse angles from what we supposed to be the
main body; when we approached near the end, ,
we came to fountain falling from the roof as the
&rst, forming basin OF about thirty feet deep,
this we descended and crossed, in going a few
PAGES we came to another Of the same size,
which we went round on the edge of precipicc,
and soon after came to the end, which terminates
abruptly ; here at the extreme parts we found
bats, which caused us TO determine that there
were other outlets, because, till we reached the
srd we had not seen any bats for some miles
We passed one very extraordinary room, ii is so
formed TINT q voice at the entrance prosouncing
a word, is revsrherated distinctly six times = for
Abe want Of tine and light, we did not enter, but
had our information frem those who have wrought
at the cave some years At the end or near il,
of the fest branch, it makes short turn, then
pursued this branch nearly in arctrogade dirccti-
on, till we supposed we were under the bed Of
Green river at or near the tel .nination of this
branch we found gauber salts and nitrate ofline
IN much greater aDundsncs than before at one
place particularly, / crept into small cavity,
70 be at least formed one half of regular formed
that great deal Of the earth is imprsgnated with