Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1854-10-21
Correspondence Of the N. Y. Erdngel''f.
THE NAM MOTH CAVE
MAMMorn CAVE, KY, Aug. II.

Mn. EDITOR In my last gave you
some account Of what is termed the
short route" through the Cave. In
+ taking the "long route" we entered
the Cave as before, passed through the
i G,eat vestibule, and on for mile OF
; two through the main branch over the
same route we had already travelled
; 1t seems impossible to realize that this
is a Cave, it is SO high, SO wide, SO vast
Several Of. our company remarked this
fact. We seemed rather to be In some
deep, dark ravine or mountain gorge,
wandering by the light Of our dim
lamps, in some night that was was utterly
rayless and slarless. We at length
reached the Bottomless Pit" where
we entered upon path that was new .
to US. This pit is deep, dark, fearful +
chasm, and received its name before
anything like bottom had been found
| 1t has now been measured to the depth
of IT'S feet, and there may be assures
in the rock decending infinitely below.
Near this pit, wepassea over an art'tl,
cial bridge, and entered the !" Valley of
Humility" through which we made our
way, stopping and crawling, until we
reached what is the most comcal and
laughable pointin the Cave, which is
most appropriately named the "Wind-
! ing Way," or I"Fat Mans Misery
This is an exceedingly circuitous open
ing in the rock, about eighteen inches
wide, and between three and four hun
dred feet long. At the entrance of this
"Way,D the fissure through which we
pass is not more than about two feet
deep, and the ceiling above US is so high
that we could stand erect without diff
Guilty; but in advancing, the fissure be.
comes deeper, the rocks on either hand
are higher aud higher, and the ceiling
above becomes lower and lower, and it
seems to be, indeed. not only /" fat" but
".all mems misery. 1t is a most
laughable sight to see party edging
their way through this zigzag pa,h-a
path that gives every indication Of hav'
ing been washed and worn by the ac-
ttion Of the water for innumerable years.
Our, party was decidedly lean one, SO
that we did not like many others, have
the amusement of seeing some one Of
|alaermnalnnic proportion squeeze and @or.'
Irry his way through. One Of our party;
however, most enthusiastic admirer Of
nature, and determined to get along as
fast as the rest Of US, though he was
somewhat afflicted, 'gaveus the most re-
peated and abundant assurances that it
was bal place tor 6les! He insisted
that they were nojoke, in such a place,
all our shouts to the contrary notwith-
standing ). and when we got through the
Misery" and came into large open
space, which our guide called Z" Great
Relief" he said it was a great relief
sure enough. Passing on, we entered
a large roomy avenue called River
Hail." where we were shown the high
water mark in the Cave; where in times
Of freshets, the river rises ffty-seven
feet, perpondicularly, above low-waer
mark in the Cave. We turned aside
from this hall into large room, to wit.
ness great curiosity called the q. Bacon
Chamber" Here the formations over
head are such as to make the room look
remarkably like a large smoke.house
filled with hams; aud near by we were
shown smooth circular excavation in
the wall above us, which was pointed
out as the kettle for boiling these hams,
now turned bottom upwards. Return.
ing to the hall, we went forward, pass.
ing several points of interest, until we
came to pure and beautiful body of
water called "Lake Lelhe," upon which
we embarked in a small boat provided
for the purpose. We we're now all on
the lookout for the eyeless FISH that arc
found in The waters Of the Cave, and
we're SO fortunate as to catch in small
net, first, what was called a clawfsh,
having legs like lobster, but eyeless
and apparently bloodless, being almost
precisely the color Of potato sprouts that
have gruwn in thespriug in dark cellar.
Afterwards we caught very small fish
Of The same color, and having no eyes.
Where the eyes should grow, the flesh
was smooth and just like the rest of the
body. Whatever our doubts might have
been before, we here had occular dem.
onstra,ious that the fish in these waters
; which are never illumined except by
lamp light, are entirely without sight.
Leaving Lake Lehe, we entered Q
. most grand and imposing avenue, with
! ! lofty rocky walls towering about 25C
feet high, called the "Greas Walk.n-
: This leads to the "Echo River" one q
the q. ea,est Of these subterranean won
!; dprs. We sailed down this river dis
! tance Of three quarters Of a mile-ani
such sail! Where on the earth or un
, der the earth, could another such sal
= be taken? The water was cold, clea
and pure, and in color remarkably like
The Niagara rs it plunges over tile falls
AT many places We could seethe bottom
and in others it seemed Of very grea