Arkansas democratic banner., 1851-03-11
)ones oam ua
MORNING, MARCH II,
Another Mammoth Gave.


 The Franklin, la. Examiner gives the following account of vast and most interesting cave recent iy discovered. It $ written by yisiter named $. Burnet.
 I last week visited newly discovered cave n Crawford county Indiana. IL Is on the right bank of Blue River. For magnihcence and beauty oi scenery 1t promises. when fully explored, to uval even the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky The Ep- som Salts Cave. known for nearly half century, and successfully woF6ed for saltpetre and salts. many years since, IS about two miles long. and ID some places 40 or 50 feet wide, and 75zFeet high; but has nothing peculiarly interesting ia it except beautiful Hated coln1ln, soule 25 feet m diame ter, and 25 30 feet nigh, all of stalace matter
 Entering this cave under a iuttng rock, near the brow of lofty hill. and descending for about a quarter of a mile, al an ang5e oi 30 deg We en- tered shall door, and affcr stooping rather uR- comfortably low for sixty yards, found ourselves n large open cave, or bathroom, in which tens of thousands of these little animals hang suspended from the rocks in large clusters, like bees In Further on, sticks the size Of hoop poles hickory bark, charcoal, and barefoot human tracks were discovered, which mast have remained there long time, as he door to ths part of the cave was so blocked up with rocks when first dlscov. cred that man could not possibly pass We soon entered an avenue 10 feet wide, and varying in height from 10 to 50 feet; the cehng as smooth and beautiful as if finished by the trowel; then suddenly changing, presents the appearance ot d. yerSihed hanging drapery, all of spotIeSs whIte.- Then again the naked rocks appear.
 Al he end of thjs avenue, we found ourselves at the foot ot a rocky pyramid, up winch we climbed some sixty feet, and on the top of which stand two beautiful SialaeInI:es five feet high, eighteen inches in diameter, end as white the purest Italian marble, and when viewed by the dim light of our candies, preseated a strong con ;rast with the grey walls of limestone rock. An oblOng canopy some forty or fifty feet high, IS here hnng with beautiful Stalactic, suspended from the ceiling We now found t necessary to crawl upon our faces, or " snake it, for about twenty feet, when we came into an avenue wide and hlgh.- Turning suddenly 10 the left, we found ourselves in the midst of scenery of surpasSng and Quisite beauty. The entire wallis are covered with an incrustation of sulphate of lme, crystal ized so as 10 giiSten like ten thousand dadems in the light. Some of these crystals are foot in length. an inch wide, and as thick a table knitr blade, and grew upon ths base in d thousand d. yeFSiied forms.
 Upon a projecting rock, al one side of the ave- nue, large numbers had broken by their weight. and were lying in great profusion the bottom of the cave. These formations, like the base on winch they grew, are sulphate, and white as the driven snow. Others, resembling glass, form up- on the ccIling as well as the floor, from an inch diameter 10 the length and size of a common knitting needle, and even smaller. The lncrUs uOn IS frequently an men thlck but more general ly from an eighth to a quarter of an inch thick Much of 1t has fallen to the floor and IS crushed under the feet of tke viser, and the place 1t occu pied on the ceiling IS being replaced by new for nation But am utterly unable to describe it, l. must be sgen to be appreciated, or any correct tdea formed Of Us beauty.
 We visited many rooms with spacious donies aud s,aIactites of every imaginable size and fonm In one apartment the water finds its way through long range of projecting rocks. and the stalactic matter s formed in folds and blades, like extended honey comb, and hangs hke drapery around the sides of the Toom Upon the bottom IS formed a great number of little pools, of every form, eieva ted upon the foor like basins or troughs--the rim of each being perfectly level and inclined nwards the stone which forms the basin being nos thicker than !, 4Sye board. 1 spent three days in this wondcrul hole in the ground-say seven hours each day. The first two days were spent in ex- amnng and exploring. and think we must have traveled at least one mile per hour, or fourteen miles iu two days. The third day revisited the most interesting parts, to procure specimens for geological investigation.
 l hsd forgotten 10 say That Salfpetre and cpSon salts are found in yau0ns parts, m large quanti- ties; aud procured lump ut salts of half pound weight, quite pure. We veHtared a mile at least further than any one had ever gone before, and Iei il for others stl to prosecute. quite transparent cyeless crawiish which We fouBd not the least Interesting thing which we saw.
 The entrance to the cave belongs to HcuFv P Rathracks wealthy, generous gentleman, who cheeTfulIy rendered us every facility for examin- ing the cave, and attended guide. have no daubt when it IS fully explored and surveyed, 1t will prove to be one of the wonders of Hoosierdom