The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1854-08-10
a Eair-Broadth Escape from the Nam
moth Cave.

~SAA NSNi4Nl lbtlC dIG OGG lCN W iliCu at
) tract more attention, and call together
greater number Of visitors than the Nam
moth Gave, in the State Of Kentucky. 1t
attractions continue to increase by new
ana interesting discoveries as to It's inter
nal structure, its extent, and the materials
composing it. It's existence and genera
formation are mentioned by a number O
authors, whose accounts, though interest
ing, are not sufficiently descriptive to EN-
brace all that might De instructive and in,
tcresting in relation to it; and it can hard.
iy be supposed, while there are additional
and new developments constantly taking
place, that former accounts arc ample in
detail. According to recent discoveries
there are in it about thirty apartmerts.-
Some Of them are Of great extent and are
appropriately named. The one which is
called the Haunted Chanberis two miles
in length, supported by pillars of rock
One room is assigned to the Evil Spirit,
where there is a dining table, working
shop, Sc.
The largest apartment yet discovered
b4@tDA ctSNo al di ga "a ti-1 III v VI
by a vast arch, some portions of which are
one hundred feet high, without a single
pillsror column to suppoytit. There are,
also in this cavern, streams Of water,
( some Of which are large, and in which are
/ found fish without eyes, having no use for
then in the absence Of all light. Its en-
TRANCE is horizontal and large enough for
teams to pass for several miles. As near
as can recollect | will now, in substance,
state few particulars as given me by the
lips Of my son, descriptive of this wonder
OF nature, whose rescue from its deep and
gloomy caverns regard as nearly mira
culcus. In the spring of I849, in com
pang with my daughter, left the South
to pass few months with my family in
this place, and he who had been my trav-
ellig companion eight years remained to
spent the summer on a tour Of obscrva-
tion and pleasure, and visited, with other
places, this celebrated cave.
Those who enter this subtcrranean won
der in general do SO in groups: some, how
ever risk it alone, not having a guide
This is vcnturing too much; it is indis-
Greet it is as pre=umptuous as it is bold;
for the numerous Uindincs, angles, and
avenues can hardly be remembered with
sufficient distiuctness to retraca one 5 steps
and secure 4 safe cgrcss, as has been fal-
" demonstrated in cases Of dread tatali-
ty. Those who enter this dark and dred
ful place provided themselves with food
and LIGHT sufficient to last during the time
of their intended subterranean sojouVn,
so that in case they become bowiIdered
and lost, protracting the time, their doom
is darkness and suffering the pangs of
hunger; and what is still worse, the fore
bodings of approaching and speedy dis
solution stare them in the face.
On eutcrting alone, when one is daring
enough to do so, the hazard is still great
cr not to leave evidence Of his ingress, so
that search could be made in case
Of too long detention. Without observ-
ing strictly this necessary pcccaution, my
son entered alone in the morning with
lamp and lunch in hand, and commenced
his tramp for the day, or, perhaps more
properly speaking, for the night, as there
is no day there. In advancing he passed
many angles, at each Of which he placed
mark as a guide to direct his safe re-
turn. The absorbing interest Of the
scene, mental abstraction, or from some
cause, one corner was passed without
leaving the necessary mark to guide his
returning footsteps. Still onward was
his course, observing with great intensity
the various and interesting objects which
presented themselves to his view.
When admonished by his watch that
the time TO rctrace his steps had arrived,
/ he commenced his return, and on arriy-
ing at the angle where he had left no
mark unfortunately, though supposing
the course taken was right, he took the
wrong direction, and soon became beWil-
dered, With accelerated step and deep
anxiety he rushed from avenue to avenue
to fad if possible the aperture thro ugh
which he had passed from the glorious
light of the day to the pitcby darkness oI
rayIcss cavern. As is generally the
case with a lost and bewildered person,
! his course was diamcirically opposite to
the right ono, leading further and still
further astray. From the time Of first
missing the right way no object was sufi-
cieutly interesting to engage his attention
until be came upon a half consumed, as
he supposed, human skeleton. This gave
intensity to thought, and new vigour to
bis already impaired powers Of locomO-
ton.
After passing over considerable dis
tance, other bones, supposed to be human
lay in his pathway, After passing these
he came upon the bank Of river at Z
deep water fall As his taper would not
afford suficiency of light to see The
depth of the chasm below, he could judge
as to its depth only from the noise Of tbl
falling waters, which indicated an i'm
mense fall. This river, which was Of con
siderable size, was a barrier sufficient t
arrest his progress in that direction; /
was also, to him, evidence that his cours,
was not the right one for finding the va,
out. Whatever OF interest this river
plunging into the abyss below, may hav
- |, e. p,