New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-05-31
NOTES or WESTERN TRAVEL.
THE MAMMOTH CAVE FIRST TRIP
UNDERGROUND.
cfIhe n. Y. Tribune.

woods, we were cordially welcomed by Mr..
Miller, the host. The hotel is long, strag-
Cling pile Of wooden buildings, with stone CHM
news attached TO the exterior at the gable ends
A wing Of furnished apartments joins its north
ern end, fronting upon a lawn where tall forest
trees have been allowed to stand in their nstu-
raj attitudes and groupings. The main body Of
the hotel, with this wing, furnishes at least six
hundred feet Of pOrtico forming one Of the most
delightful promenades imaginable for Summer
weather Around the place interyenes narrow
girdle Of cleared land, beyond which stand the
primitive woods, wherein the deer and wild
turkey still make their habitation. We heard
the cell Of the latter as we sat in the shaded
portieo. The rooms ore sufficiently large and
comfortable, though their doors have the same in
ability to be closed which have already noticed
as a Characteristic Of Kentucky architecture.
The season for travel has hardly commenced,
and we found but seven visitors on our arrival.
Two of these had just returned from a trip be-
yond the rivers, under the charge of Stephen
the famous cave guide, and their clothes, be-
spattered with mud, gave us some indication of
the character of the trip. As our stay was
limited to two days, we decided to visit the cis-
fuvial avenues the same afternoon, reserving
the grand journey over the water for the next
day. The rivers had been gradually rising for
four days, and were then at precisely the most
inconyenient stage, though not yet impossible.
Mr.. Miller informed us that they rarely rose
more than four days in succession, and there
was 10 likelihood at present that we should not
be able to cross them. l engaged Stephen for
the next day, and took Alfred, of the other
guides for our intiatory excursion.
After dining off noble haunch of venson,
Alfred made his appearance with bundle Of
lamps and announced that everything was in
readiness. Turning around the hotel to the
nOrthward, we entered rocky ravine in the
forest, and in few minutes were made aware
by gust of cold wind that we had reached the
entrance to the underground world. The scene
was wild and picturesque in the extreme, yet
the first involuntary sensation was something
akin to terror. The falling in of the roof Of the
main avenue of the cave as il approached the sur
face of the earth has formed gap, or pit, about
fifty feet in depth, terminating in dark, yawning
portal, out of which steady current OF cold air
edges of the pit, almost roofing it with shade
ferns and tangled vines frnged its sides, and slen
der stream Of water falling from the rocks which
arched above the entrance dropped like silver
veil before the mysterious gloom. The temper
AZURE of the cave is So throughout the year, and
that of the upper air being about 75o, the colder
stratum was ebbing out When the inside and out
side temperatures are equal, as they were this
morning previous to our visit, there is no percep-
10
Taking each q lighted lamp, we descended some
rocky steps to the floor of the cavern, passed be-
hind the tinkliDg cascade, and plunged into the
darkness The avenue rapidly contracts, and is
closed by an artificial wall, with door, which IS
sometimes locked TO exclude pllierers. Having
passed this, the daylight disappeared behind us
Our ewes, blinded by the sudden transition to CON-
plete darkness could barely roof of solid rock
not far above our heads and masses of loose stones
piled on either side. This part of the avenue is
called 1.-The Narrows." The space gradually ex-
handed; the arch of the ceiling became more dim
and lofty, and the walls only showed themselves by
faint and uncertain gmmer. The floor under
our feet was firm and well-beaten, the air we
breathed pure and refreshing, and feeling of per-
feet confidence and security replaced the shrink
inc sensation which think nearly every one must
feel on first entering.
As the pupils of our eyes expanded and we began
to discern more clearly by the light of our lamps
the dimensions of the grand avenue, we reached
spacious hall called The Vestbue, which is said
to be directly under the Cave HOtel 1t is 20 or
80 feet in hight, branching off on one side into
spacious cave called Audubons Avenue. Near it
is the Great Bathroom, which hundreds of bats
have chosen as place Of Information. We were
now in the Main Cave, which extended for three
or four miles before us with average hight of
about 80 and an average breadth of at least so
feet, in some places expanding to $50 feet. What
are the galleries of the Vatican the Louvre, Yer
,aies and the Cry tal Palaces of London and Paris
Ia this gigantic vault hewn in the living rock
Previous to the crossing of the BOttomless Pit in
1888. and subsequently of the Rivers in $40, all
the published accounts of the Mammoth Cave
1escribed only this avenue and its branches. The
,ides are perpendicular walls with distinct and
sometimes bold cOrnice and slightly-arched cell
inc which often resembles groned vault. The
limestone lies in horizontal strata with scarcely
fault and oil the wonderful forms when IL as
kumes are clearly traceable to the action OF water
Immediately on entering, you see the remains OF
the saltpeter works which were carried on here
from 1865 to 1914. The old hcppers or teaching
watts the sluices for carrying on the wafer ana
many other appliances are still almost as perfect
as if the manufacture had just been relinqushed.
The woodwork remains perfectly sound and UNI
corrupted, and even the ruts made by caIt"heeIs
and the prints of the Oxens ho0fs IN the then
moist soil have not been efaced. 1t is said that
,altpeter to the value of $50, 900 was washed from
the earth in one year and that in the course of
three years the same earth became as richly lm-
precnated as before This property is also COM
mupicated to the air, but probably in lesser de-
gree | am not aware that II has ever been
anal, zed but whether from the absence of vegeta-
bic exhalations and the consequent purity OF Its
constituent elements or from the presence OF some
eshilaratmg property, it is certainly more bracng
and invgorating than the air of the upper world;