New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-06-01

iass ,tau an offering to the Kentucky gnpmes
"a lobolds-tLe underground iairles WAC nave
s1llcvsd for themselves this marvellous palace
pnler her green hills.
C,ntinuine our walk, with eyes that now saw
.,,.,iT not oply the grand dimensions of the ave-
me Knit it's Jude suggestions of pilasters, friezes
I'D eoyrices. and the darh cloud-patterns that
notified its gray ceiling, wo passed in succession
tbe K,ptncky Cliffs $50 called from their resem-
blsnce 10 the rocks on Kentucky River) WlllleIs
cpring. tiny thread Of water which has channel.
cd itself fantastic futed niche from the top oil
the base Of the wall, and the Second Hopper''
where tie operations Of the old miners seem 10
have been prosecuted on very EXTENSIVE scae.
Above these hoppers. on the right hand, IS 'ne
mouth the Gothic Avenue, branching OH at rignt
angles to the main cave 1t is reached by nisnt
NJ stems, The scenery OF the cave became more
end more striking as we advanced. Inc rooi Is
coated with thin incrustatlon oil gypsum "hcp
AZ coloree in patches with black OXIDE OF manga
pese. giving it rude resemblance 10 gray BAY
eeoked with dark clouds. In the waving and I'M
certain lieht of the lamps, these clouds seem to
move as you walk and to assume capriclous and
fantastic forms Now you see an oval lake sur
rounded with shrubbeTy, now couchant beast, or
a sitting figure like the colossal deity of Theban
tomb. In one place there is huge ant-eater,
very perfect in another an Indian chief wrapped
in biz blhnket; then giant, with MS wlie and
child ara IIUDN a CudIttdl rhttth, III 'hiN" 'iS
imaginative can see Napoleon crossing the Alps.
Under the last Of these pictures Alfred stopped,
and after stating that we were just one mile from
the entrance, threw the light OF bis lamp upon
large white rock which lay upon our right hand,
and asLed us what it Tesenlbled. why" said
one Of us, cit is very much like CONN. " 1ou
are right" said be; ait is the Giants Conn, 81
feet in length" lie then informed us that he
should leave the main cave and take the road to
Al ID. IN ordpr M show OF tho
nest remarkable objects On this side OF that
stream We followed him, one by one, into
O creyice lehind iLe coffin, at the bottom whereof
yawped narrow hole Halfst0opDg, hali-crawl-
ing, we descended through ali Irregular contracted
massage to a series OF basement balls, called the
deserted Chambers The first OF these IS the
Wooden Bowl, room about 100 feet in diameter,
with A low, slgttly concaye ceiling. The name
NAV have been suggested BY this circumstance, al
tboush there is story Of all ancient wooden bowl
having been found in il by the first persons wnO
entered A staircase called the steps OF lime-lor
what reason it il impossible to say-leads TO still
lower chambers two of which are connected by
passage called tie Arched Way, from the smooth
snd regular curve of its white ceiling In the fur
tbest one is "Richardsons Spring." little bowl
of or, stall water which we found very cool and re-
freshipp despite the flavor of the limestone rock
The roof presently shot up into pointed, lrreg-
ular vault and we heard tie sound OF dropping
water Alfred, who was in advance, cautioned us
to remain still while he leaned forward and held
out biz lamp, which disclosed the mouth of PIT.
The sides were az smooth as If hewn by a stone
cutter and worn into deep grooves and burrows
by the waters Of ages. log is placed along one
side to protect visitors, and we leaned upon 1T
while be kindled sheet of oiled paper and sut-
fered il to wLirl slowly down into the gulf, gm-
merng on the wet walls and the dark pools of wa
ter in its ny sterous womb
Leaving the deserted chambers, we descended
steer staircase into the Labyrinth-a winding way
thirty or forty feet high and barely wide enough
for two persons TO pass. This brought us to anO-
tler pit, along tie brink Of which we walked, clam
bered up ledge and at last reached window
like opening, where Alfred babe us pause. Lean
ing over lie thin partition wall the light of our
united lamps disclosed vast glimmerlng hall, the
ton of which vanished in darkness and the bottom
of which we could only conjecture by the loud,
hollow splash OF water-drOps that came up out OF
the terrible gloom. Directly in front OF us hung
gigantic mass of rock, which in its folds and masses
presented wonderful resemblance to curtain.
Ii had regular fringe ofstalacttes. and there was
short outer curtain overlapping it at the top.
Tie length Of this piece of Limestone drapery could
not have been less than one hundred feet In
few moments Alfred, who had left us, reappeared
at another window on the right hand, where he
first dropped some burning papers into the gulf and
mination to enable Us to take in the grand dimen-
sione of the dome. We could see the oval arch of
the roof hundred feet above our heads; the floor
studded with stalagmitic pedestals as far below
while directly in front tho huge curtain that
hung from the center Of the dome-the veil OF
some subierranean mystery-shone rosy white, and
seemed to wave and swing, pendulOus IN the awful
space We were thoroughly thrilled and Peie-
tIated with the exceeding sublimity of the picture,
and turned away reluctantly as the fires burned
ont. feeling that if the cave had nothing else TO
show it's wonders had not been exaggerated.
Leaving Goran's Dome-the name which has
been given TO this lall-we retraced our way
through the Labyrinth aud following the main
passage short distance further, came to the Bot
tomless Pit formerly the limit OF excursions in
this direction 1t was finally crossed by means of
a ladder, and is now securely brdgei and the path
nlong its brink protected by an iron railing The
bridge is renewed every four years, even though
the tmbers remain sound, in order to guard against
all possibility of an accident. The Pit is i75 feet
deep, and is covered by pointed dome forty or
fifty feet high. 1t is hOrrid guli-dark, yawning
and awful as the mouth of Tartarns. Pieces of
burning paper dropped from the bridge slowly fell
into the depth, eddying backward and forward and
showing the black, furrowed walls ON either side.
The vault above our heads, in IFS grooves and
inches and projecting points, reminded me very
wildly of tie Moorish domes in the Alhambra
There is staiacftic element in Saracenc architec
ture which must have had its suggestion in Nature
The avenue beyond the pit leads to the River
Styx, but "a we had reserved that portion of the
cave for the next days trip, we returned through
the Deserted Chambers 10 the Main Cave.
short distance beyond the Giants Colin We reached
fhe Great Bend, where the avenue changes its
direction a. a very acute angle 1t is still upwards
4 N in hlrhf With ho