American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1846-07-22
[Correspondenee Of the N. Q. Tropic.l

LETTER FROM THE MAMMOTH CAVE.
1too Gentlemen lost, aud Queer one Found.
| arrived at the Cave on the 25th of June,
I'D found about thirty visitors there. In COM
any with others, visited nearly all parts of
be Cave, of which, there are two hundred and
ghteen avenues or windings, leading off from
he main passage. Some little excitement had
BEN produced the day before, and the previous
#lght, by two gentlemen from North Carolina,
no proposed to be left by the guide, that they
night take some drawings of the most beautl-
ll parts Of the Cave. Accordingly, a can of
il and two lamps, were left with them, and the
Earty went on, not without being cautioned a.
out leaving the main cavern. The party went
IN and spent the day; and on their return, not
lnding the two gentlemen, took il for granted
hat they had gone out. 1t was quite late when
hey arrived at the hotel, and all'had retired ex-
2ept one or two of the servants.
At the table next morning, the two gentle
men from North Carolina were enquired for,
md servant sent to their rooms-cvery thing
was as they left it the day before, and it was an
bounced that their beds had not been slept in,
which created considerable uneasiness. All the
Euides were instantly called and directed to diff
erent parts of the Cave, followed by several
gentlemen, and their ladies. They spent the
orenoon in active search, and sent one of the
guides after their dinners, which was taken in
he Cave. The feelings of the party bacame
painfully intense as night was coming on, and
he party was worn down by fatigue with their
Walking, and the hopes of finding the lost ones
brew fainter each hour. In passing "Lake
1etha," the guide thought he saw some one in
ADVANCE and called, but no answer was given
this was in the morning in going in.) On re-
tlo,o lorhf
was seen, but on the approach, the person hold
ing it, put it out, and when the party came up,
foot prints of a single person were fresh in the
Sand and mud, but terminated and were lost in
b cliff over the water. One of the ladies ex-
pressed her fears that hunger and distress might,
hnd perhaps had, diseased the mind, and posi-
|bly those they we're in search of, we're trying to
avoid them under some haucnation of mind.
! At this suggestion, the guides separated and
passed through the different wndings, agreeing
upon password, and in case they saw any one,
pit should be given, so that all in hearing, could
push towards that point, the ladies and gentle
men remaining at the lakes.
The guides had not been long absent when
the figure appeared upon the cliff, but SO near
THE party as to show only the form of man in
the faint light emitted from their lamps. His
position was a most dangerous one, SO much SO,
that one of the ladies screamed, and he moved
off on the lodges as quick as possible. Finding
The was discovered, he turned sharp corner
(which projected out over the base and passed
out of sight. The next instant a sudden plunge
was heard in the water; and all was still but the
waves lashing the walls of the little cavern on
either side of the lake. All were filled with
horrible fears that the person had fallen in try
| ing to escape them. The boats were instantly
Launched, and the gentlemen went to the spot
where the object fell, and found hat floating
upon the water; with the paddles and poles
they sounded the lake as we'll as they were
able, but could not find the body. On the lin
ing of the hat was written the name of the
owner, {" Cad Hisby, Litchfsld, Ct,'D it was a
white one, and much worn. This made the
matter more mysterious still, as it was known
that Professor Botsford and Tracy had each a
black hat, so this could not belong to either
One of the guides gave a signal, which was an
swered by the others, and all proceeded to-
wards the spot where the alarm was given.
Considerable confusion was made, but the
guides overpowered and brought out their pri.
soner, in the presence of the ladies and gentle
men. He was clock pedlar, who had visited
the cave some ten days before, and had gone
away and no one could divine the cause of his
being found in it again; he was conducted out
by two of the gentlemen and confncd in one of
the rooms of the hotel. The whole company,
with the exception of the two who went out,
RECOMMENDED their search for the lost gentle
men, and found them at the bottom of eco
rams dlsni," about 1 Sd mile from the mouth
OF the cave. Eighty or ninety feet from the
bottom OF the dome, and there is small Gre
vice which terminates at small opening,
where visitors usually look up and down when
it is lighted up with "Bengal lights" There
is another avenue leading to the bottom, but
visites seldom go down to this, as it is danger.
Gus and difficult to get up. These two gentle.
men had gone down, in order to take draw.
ing of the dome from the bottom, and after
finishing, the rocks were SO slippery that they
could not get up, and remained, thinking that
the party would visit the dome on their way