New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-11-02
4 Advanture in a Lead Cave.


~ Adventure in Lead Cave.
4 " fss
The great cave Of lead discovered by Thos. Leven,
Of Dubuque in October, 1850, is one Of the mineral
wonders Of the world. It has never received to my
knowledge, a detailed public notice. Mr.. Leven and
myself were one day examining some of the old
works near Dubuque, with which, as miner, he was
infinitely acquainted, when he told me in confidence
Of 2 discovery he had recently made. It was, he
said, pocket Of mineral in that vicinity, that no
human eye had seen but his own, and he had never
seen its equal BE then stopped short and began to
examine my person. Putting hand on my breast,
and finding me, like himself, somewhat thin and
slender, he finished BY saying Guess you can get
Throughout must make up your mind to 90 through
mo backing out. If you go through, you will see
sight that never will be again. will call for
you at 6 O'Clock tomorrow morning"
At Dubuque, Tom Leven is notorious as perseyer-
ing mineral hunter who, guided by mineral instinct,
passes days and nights alone underground squirmng
through crevices in the rocks in pursuit of lead.
He had been twice rich but jolly, carefor-naught
they made In this desperate case he had spent
three weeks among the shafts, and adits of
the mines, and was now pale, thin and nervous.
Before daylight on the morning Of October IA,
1850 party Of six were on their way to explore the
new cave At the mouth of the shaft sat watch
man, who, with another man, had stood sentry over
the prize since its discovery its position being up to
that time profound secret. -, =.
Arrayed in the miners outfit, we were, one by one,
lowered, by means OF a rope, down well five feet
across, and ftysix feet deep, dripping with water
Each here made up round ball OF the mud which
abounded throughout this gallery into which in place
of candestick, tallow candle was stuck and
lighted. ,,...
Mr. Leven went forward, placing short lights at the
angles Of the gallery objects for the surveyors to
direct the compass upon For about 500 feet we could
walk or creep along quite comfortably. From this
point, it was only occasionally that one could
straighten, or even sit upright and the mud was
deep for the additional distance Of 800 feet. Here
the labcrs of our ndefatigable explorer had COM
menced, in earnest Here he began to apply pro-
frequently claw the mud from the crevices with their
hands, in imitation of gopher He felt assurance
from the signs around him, that this creyice would
lead to a "pocket," and painfully did he labor on,
from night to night, taking care never to be seen
about the shaft. The water mad disappeared, and a
free circulation Of air rendered labor supportable,
even at this distance from the day.
II it was not for the continuous channels of these
recesses by which the atmosphere is conducted mile
after mile, through the crevices of the rocks, ex-
plorers would soon become stifed and exhausted by
the coseness of the place. As it is neither ventia-
drainage is thought Of and the capital necessary
for mining exploration consists in man. or perhaps
two, o shovel, a pick and few candles.
Behold, now, six persons crawling upon their bel
lies along the gopher hole made there BY Tom Leyen
Each holds up his ball of mud and its short CANDLE
sliding in succession head first, down slope of five
to eight feet in length and from the bottom turning
From vertile crack in the lime rock, filled with
mud, the walls expanded into cave very broad and
very low, with only few inches between the floor of
earth and the roof of rock. A.
Here the lights flashed upon stalactites of the
whitest color and the finest texture hanging like star
candles from the ceiling, follow in the trail first
made by Leven, which resembed the track of an i'm
mense reptile impressed upon the mud. Looking
back upon my fellow gophers, each one was envel.
oped in halo of steam, made brilliant by the
winkling light which he carefully held near his head
The exercise Of crawling had started the perspra-
ton, so that each one gave off an atmosphere of
steam visible to the eye. Some called themselves
green, others declared themselves exhausted the
fattest man of the party asseverated that he could
not get on and believe heard little swearing as
now and then human head came in contact with
the sharp point of stalactite. The compass was
long since degraded from its tripod to pad of hay
At about one thousand feet the atmosphere became
more close o.r.' '.
Having reached place where we could stand Or
sit erect, we induged few moments in the luxury of
natural posture. This was at point where the
cavern was broad, and the roof had fallen down in
blocks twenty to forty feet across and three to four
feet thick.
Over the edge of one of these fragments, Leven
disappeared, followed by the surveyors and their
lights Out of this cave; the only outlet was through
issure about ten inches wide, into which we slid
snake fashion after the example of those who had
presided US. On the walls of this ssure were occa-
sional masses of crystalized sulphuret OF lead or
galena.
Edging and squirming along, we had not gone far,
when the forward lights illuminated cave-like eX-
pansion of the hssure. 1t may be called we'll pro.
Dortoned ROOM with neat rocky ceiling and level
mud floor Along the middle of the roof was fs-
sure running upward, about two feet wide on the
faces walls of which adherng blocks of lead
in cubiCa form, from four to ten inches square.
What is most singular, this mineral extended below
the ceiling of the room, one and half to two feet
depending from the crevce, and its surface being
oxdized it presented along distance of thirty feet
the appearance OF a gigantic rntte of the purest
white. This is what the miners Gala "sheet" mineral
On the way, the stOutest man of the party become
wedged between two rocky points, and brought us
to stop. Leven had often been caught that way
and have other daring explorers, in positions where
no human hand could help them Don't get scared
and swell up like a toad, now-keep cool" This
sensible advice of Leven, and friendly halt of the
procession brought relief to the stout man. and be
struggled through
While we were thus delayed, unable to turn around
in the narrow conduit where we WERE our unlucky
friend gave account of his sensations at this part
of his explorations. After gopherng under block
of fallen limestone, with his hands, carrying the
earth back in his cap to more open space he found
overhead crust of stalagmites. This crust formed
the floor of cavern, and must be broken in order to
proceed. Was the cavern wet, or was it dry one
Was it filled with water, that would rush through and
drown him or was it an open one, only filed with
air? He brought his pick and sounded the crust. 1t
gave hollow reverberaton, as though the cave was
empty. Was he sure? No ; but there was his house
under mortgage his credit gone, his family penny
less and what is life WORTH, thought he "to such
a man ; live Or de- | will break through" Another
blow let in the fresh air. and he soon made
to the cave.
i hundred feet beyond, lay the ealen temple
not made with hands, where our bold explore
found his third fortune 1t was in general FORM k
| the back of fish, hundred and thirty feet il
length, twenty feet high in the middle and twenty tt
thirty feet wide The sides and ceiling Of this
were encrusted with cakes of crystazed galena from
one to two feet thick. The amount of mineral tina
met our gaze was, by all present, admitted to b
| greater than had ever before been seen by morta
eyes at one view. Masses of it had fallen upon TIL
earthly floor OF the cave in blocks as high as com
! mon table. One of these blocks was estimated t.
weigh twenty three thousand pounds. 1t was sup
posed that the soft yellow earth which filled that par
of the cavern below feet, contained these masse
distributed through it, to the depth OF fifteen feet
| more
Scattered here and there, sitting upon the broke
| Jumps, or reclining upon the ground, the dtleren
members Of the party, holding up their lights
remained for time in revereDtial silence. Atte
/ this was broken, all agreed that Mr.. teven had nc
| overstated the value of his discovery. The surve
being completed our curiosity was satisfied, and
sense OF taintness, attended with hunger, comm
upon rs, we elbowed and squirmed our way back t
the Shaft.
Once more at the shaft, we hailed the sentinel, sti
keeping watch over its portals, who lowered his rop
to us by wlndlass. One by one we were drawn u
to behold, in contrast with the darkness and mos
tnre of the EARTH the brilliant glow OF clear Oct,
her noon, and the russell grass of rolling prairi
waving on every side.
We had been five hours under ground baskt
Of provisions first attracted attention, and sea