Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1857-01-07
MistrIlanfuns.
Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.

The following highly interesting account of
an exploration of this remarkable cave is from
j. P. K, correspondent of the National
Intelligemcer::
| Happening, in the course of summer
jaunt. to come within one hundred miles of the
! Mammoth Cave, | determined to cross the
| country to make visit to an object of such
remarkable interest
The Mammoth Cave is situated in Edmon-
son county, Kentucky, within half mile Of
Green river, one hundred and sixty-fve miles
| above its confluence with the Ohio, nine miles
west of g Bells Tavern" point on the
| Louisville and Nashville road. aoout ninety
| miles from each place, among range of high
hills, or knobs, as they called, which
stand singly, the road from % Bells" passing
up and over each with that bold defiance of
obstacles characteristic of an uninproved
| region. Their SUBMITS, however, from lev
| ell table land of several hundred acres in ex-
tent in each case
Arriving at the Cave Hotel, we find it
standing upon plain of similar character, in
the midst of a country of very ordinary ap-
pearance, with nothing in its aspect that is at
all suggestive to the visiter Of the subterrane-
an wonders by whose fame he has been at
| tracted Commencing our exploration. we
proceed for few hundred yards down the
hill along wild ravine, when cleft in the
hill side attracts our notice, which we are in
formed is the mouth of the cave. Upon COM
ing oppost to it we remark strong blast of
cold air rushing forth in so we'll defined cur
| rent that person can stand with one half his
body In the warm external air while the other
half is chilled by the cold current. The uni
form temperature is about so deg. and when
IN the cave it is most comfortable and bracing,
precisely suited for enabling one to endure the
tatigues of exploration and emerging upon a
warm day the sense of oppression is almost
overcoming, the sensation being similar to
tbs of inhaling the vapor from tea kettle
vi course, on cold day the contrast is revers-
ed
Each of the party being furnished with
lantern, and carefully shielding it's flame from
the draught, we entered. and passed for a
considerable distance along the gallery of an
Old saltpetre mine, by the extension OF which
the cave was originally discovered, and which
has been abandoned on account Of the demand
being more cheaply supplied by importations
from broad. as we proceed, we begin to
be accustomed to the darkness, which is most
intense, and like that which fell over Egypt
can be felt; noticing the remains of the old
works, which consist simply in large wooden
hoppers, In which the nitrous earth was pla-
ccd, and in series of logs bored out to form
pipes through which to conduct water that
performed the office of soaking through the
earth, extracting and holding in solution the
salpetre, in a manner similar to that eff ma
king ley from ashes. Coming into the main
cave, we enter the ball room, the grand-ro-
tunda, and the church, as they are called
The guide tells us of the size of the rooms
-15o- feet long, 90 broad. and 90 high
He points to the ceiling, consisting of sin
gle stone unsupported by a single column, and
unbroken by either seam or joint; the struc-
turc of the sides, to the color ofthe stone; and
to what ever be considers may elicit our ad-
miration astonishment Nor, as we pass
from one gallery to another. aud their won
ders are successivcly pointed out to US, is our
admiration particularly excited
As some one has said of the first view of
the ocean, g Is this the mighty ocean? Is
this all % SO this does not strike US as be-
ing very wonderful. After all, it does not
seem to be SO very grand. But as We see
more, and not having previously had an OBJ
ject of comparison, what is presented to us be-
gins to or ow into our minds and the proper
tions to become more recognizable. 1t is
.' vastness which grows, but grows to harmo
nize'
Proceeding through macs of galleries,
walks and avenues, with variety of names,
few of which. however. are in any way sugges-
tive, and repetition of them would only tend
to confuse without conveying the least idea,
we stop in the Star Chamber, where the cell
ing presents the appearance OF the starry sky
upon clear cloudless night. the effect of