Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1844-09-14
INTELLIGENCE FROM 1.-THE EARTH
BENEATH"

| BENEATH"
! As there is, on the outer shell Of the globe,
but liule interesting to the readers Of the Her
aid, about which persons Of so much intelll'
! gince as they, are not already tolerably well
informed, we beg leave to lay before them the
following extract Of letter descriptive Of a
region found within the shell Of the EARTH
that is the Mammoth Cave Of Kentucky; which
cave 10 our opinion, is the most wonderful
theatre that Nature ever built roof over.
"The air in The cave is so pure that the sense
Of smell becomes very acute; so that when you
come out, if the weather be warm, the air
seems impregbaied with vegetable matter, and
you feel as if entering hot, close stove room.
IT, on the contrary it is cold, ii is said the air
without seems as though it would pierce you
through. These sensations, however, SOON
wear Off as the system adapts itself to the at.
mosphere.
1t is believed ,ha, it was once inhabited,
and that by race wholly different from any
existing Indian tribe. As proof Of this, traces Of
the savage are still found here-two mummies
having been found some years since, with red
hair, 10 a good state Of preservation. Also the
skeleton ola mammoth human frame-besides
ends of cane, which were used for their torch
es aud their fires; one of which, an unusually
long specimen, Steve presented me with, which
he had held for several years.
But the most striking characteristic Of this
cave is its vast Dimensions. Before entering
had no idea that there could be such hole
under the earth; and what now mortles me
the most is, that | am totally unable TO des-
cribe it. This is not a cave-that name is in
appropriate for this magnificent grotto-this
siupendous tuanel-,hs boundless territory,
or neither world. Ia fact, should the truth be
Told Of this cave, it will not be believed. Who
believes that the air rushes six months in, ard
six months out, at its mouth, sufficient TO ox-
,inguish the fame Of a torch, and yet one half
a mile in there is not sufficient draught TO
wave the blaze OF a candle! Not one in TWEEN
ty. Who believes that there is pit 100 feet
deep. and directly above il dome 200 feet
hight Not one 10 thirty. Who believes that
the thermometer never varies from 81 degrees
Of Fahrenheit, the coolest days of winter or
the hottest of summer, and that too, when the
cave door is left open all winter longl Who,
that in winter, cart load OF bats can be SHOW
elled off from a space fifteen feet square, aud
that millions and millions hang on some parts
of the wall two and three feet ihickl Who,
that two mummies have been found, with red
hair, a mile inside the MOUTH Monstrous
What mummy Ii the mummy's mouth was
a mile deep, how many leagues long was the
mummy?l-(Ed. Her) Who, that animals
will not enter it without being compelled
That it was once inhabited by the Indians!
That its different, passages uniedly measure
over one hundred miles in lenglhl Who, that
saltpetre was once obtained thcrel That oxen
were once worked and fed there-that the
tracks made by their feet over thirty years
since are distinctly seen, and tha, the corn cobs,
left in their trough and on the ground, remain
in perfect state Of prtservatonl That ami
NAL flesh dries and becomes haril Who, That
meat will not purify nor vegetable matter de-
composed That stage.coach can drive for
miles without obstruction That the heaviest
thunder can no, be heard inside, even at the
first hopper! That formations, as white as
driven snow. line the sides and ceiling OF a
~ a
20 fee, deep and mile in length, and fish in
them withou. eyesl Who believes thisl Not
one in fNy-no. not one in hundred. Yet
all this is the fact. | believe il. and much of
it have seen, felt. and handled, and the ,cioic
in,oGrIiy msmorioF:e'."