New-York daily tribune., 1842-09-03
For The IIIDUHt
THE sCHOHARIE CAVERNS.

\
| THE SCHOHARIE CAVERNS.
/ ALBANY, August II, 1912.
Mr. Editor: We deem it duty owe to the public tt
place before them account the recent wonoeru s
coveries in Schohae county, and in doing SO, we wish
TO be distinctly understood that the story less true thar
strange We say this lest the absence OF scientific terms ane
learned technicaes should lead the sage and wise one
"to suspect The OF supendous mice"f-teiebJ
throwing great dscred upon the unmpeachable veraci
o your correspondence who in sooth to say panDen
"not much learned in the worlds ways"
Without wishing to have 1t supposed for an instant tha
incapable of giving scientific description, we trus
that our humane desire of spang readers great bore
and ourselves much trouble, will account for the seeming
deficiency above mentioned. Neither we fond of dis
playing our schooling in conspicuous place as the
| columns of public newspaper
We are, sir, your very obedients servants,
I'm The yuga,e-" smell a ratn-Dey. e. G. S.
We are pedestrians, my friend and myself
from sundry reasons, among which economy is not
the most incopsiderable, and not cave high hill,
| or rock-wallsd valley, within q days walk of our
CITY, but we have visited. We are lovers of Ma
ture in all her varied forms, the grand and terrible
as well as the beautiful. 1t will be matter of no
surprise, therefore, that vague and uncertain ru-
NOR of the discovery Df new and extensive cave
in the county of Schohnrie, which reached us one
cloudy morning few days since, was well
come intelligence. There was nothing positive in
the case-ths rumor like all others might be true
or it might not, and we csuld devise no method of
deciding the point, unless by an expedition into
the region where rumor had placed it. Accord
ingly in less than an hour afterwards we were
equipped, and en- route, " all a foot" for Scho-
harie. It was about 10 o'clock, A. M. On the
morning of the 18th inst. that we turned our
backs upon our goodly burgh. Right mrrily did
we measure off the ground over the sandy plain
back of our city, and before the sun was at his
meridian VIC were in the hourishing village of
Cumberland, doing ample justice to the excellent
repast that followed our order. Dinner over, We
were again on our winding way through the
rich and fertile country, and before o'clock we
stood at the junction of the Schoharie and great
western turnpike on the summit of the classic
Helderburgh. Here we pause for a few mo-
nents, as every traveller has done before US to
gaze upon one of the most gorgeous prospects that
it has ever been our lot, in the of pretty
extensive iourneying, to witness. The Catskils
ut the South, the Berkshire hills supported by the
Green Mountains in the back ground, in the East,
and the highlands of Lake George and Champain
| in the North, alone bounded our vision. Before
| us was vast and diversified valley, moro ex,en-
| sive than many European Kingdoms and embracing
besides three hourishing Cities including the capitol
| of the Empire State, many enterprising villages
| and immense wealth. The Mohawk, and the city
of Schenectady, with the white walls of its Unver.
sity seemed almost at our feet: and while the eye
roaned over the broad expanse, almost wearied
with the yastness Of the view, large cloud slowly
and majestically moved before the sun and shut
| off the light in part, and while the hills in the
distance were glowing in its ruddy blaze the fore
| ground was mantled with the rich broad shadow,
presenting picture which can never be surpassed
and which will ever be remembered with feelings
of pleasure.
Two hours walk through diversified country
brought us to the neat village of Quaker Street
% miles from Albany, and supper was ordered a,
the Temperance house of John Sheldon-Mr. we
cannot call him, for John rs Quaker, and hath
no respect for the empty and unmeaning titles o
the custom enslaved world. Thus far we had
utterly failed of procuring the least information
respecting the object of our expedition, and we
had at divers times exchanged sundry signi6can
looks, all Of which seemed wonderfully to ex
press that the knight of La Mancha would proba
bly, find rivals even in these degenerate days, anc
that the new Cave story was CANNON. Here
however, we received some encouragement in the
shape of hear-say, and learned that if, if minc
you, there cave, it must be at least ten miles
beyond. Nothing daunted, we determined to ''ge
1t az all events, but after discussing John sup
per reconsideration was moved, and a new reso
luton unanimously adopted, viz: proceed direc
to Balls or the old cave distant abou. FIVE miles
and then so on in quest of the ne@ one. Shaking
worthy Johns hand, in whom by the way m,
friend had recognized friend of his childhood
We proceeded as fast as brisk walk could carr,
us in the direction of Balls Cave As much from
mischievous desire To note the answers of The
Inhabitants rs to gain interma,ion we inquired
of nearly every person met, the locality, diuen
sion,, appearance, &c. of the cavern in their vi
cinity. Strange it may appear found onl,
one who had been there, and she wouldnt be
caught there again, no, he. Another individual
who had . been by it q thousand times and neve.
yet entered, looked hard, very hsrd at US whea We
informed him we were cave-hunting, and Ieall,
mean, 10 examine all we could find To their inmos
depths. And when to his half doubling inquiry
whether we really meant te so isto the dc