The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-09-15
PeriIous Adventure I'm the Mammoth h

/ The Louisville Journal gives an interest
ing account of a recent adventure In the
Mammoth Cave. Those who have visited
the Cave know that at the supposed end OF
/ the longest avenue there is deep pit, known
as the Maelstrom. II has never been descend
ed until two weeks since. Stephen, the cele-
/ brated guide, was offered 5000 TO descend
( il, but when he had been lowered by rope
: one hundred feet, he had himself drawn out.
The Journal gives the following account of
a descent by 4 young gentleman of Louis
Vile two weeks since:
"We have heard from his own lips an ac-
count of his descent. Occasionally masses
of earth and rock went whizzing past, but
none struck him. Thirty or forty feet from
the top, lie saw a ledge, from which, as he
Judged by appearances, two or three ave-
nues led of in different directions. About a
hundred feet from the top, cataract from
the side of the pit went rushing down the
abyss, and as he descended by the side of
the falling water and in the midst OF the
spray, he felt some apprehension that his
light would be extinguished, but his care
prevented this. He was landed at the bot
tom of the pit, hundred and ninety feet
from the top. lie found it almost opening
at one point, leading to u fine chamber Of
no great extent. lie found on the floor
beautiful specimens of black slick of i'm
mcnsc size, vastly larger than were ever
discovered in any other part of the Mann
moth Cave, and also multitude of exquis-
ite formations rs pure and white as virgin
snow. Making himself heard, with great
effort, by his friends, he at length asked
! them to pull him partly up intending to
+ stop on the way and explore cave that he
: had observed opening about forty feet above
the bottom of the pit. Reaching the mouth
t of that cave he swung himself with much
/ exertion into it, and, holding the end of the
/ rope in his hand, he incauliOusly let it 90,
and it swung out apparently beyond his
reach. The situation was II fearful one,
| and his friends above him could do nothing
| for him. Soon however he made a hook of
the end of his lamp, aud, 10y extending him
| self as far over the verge as possible with
out falling. he succeeded in securing the
rope Fastening it TO rock, he followed
the avenue 100 or 200 yards to point
where he found it blocked by an impossible
avalanche Of rock and earth.
Returning to the mouth Of this avenue,
he beheld an almost exactly similar mouth
of another on the opposite side of the pit,
but, not being able to swing himself into it,
he reiaStened the rope around his body, sus-
pended himself again over the abyss, and
shouted TO his fLiendS To raise him TO the
top. The pull was an exceedingly severe
one and the rope, being i'll adjusted around
his body, gave him the most cxcruciating
pain. But soon his pain was forgotten in a
new and dreadful peril. When he was 80
feet from the mouth of the pit and 100 from
the bottom, swaying and swinging in mid
air, he heard rapid and excited words OF
horror and alarm above and soon learned
that the rope by which he was upheld had
taken fire from the friction of the timber
over which it passed. Several moments OF
awful suspense to those above and still more
awful to him below ensucd. To them and
him fatal and instant catastrophe seemed
inevitable But the fire was extinguiShed
with bottle of water belonging to himself
and then the party above, though almost
exhausted by their llbors, succeeded in
drawing him to the top. lie was as calm
and self possessed as upon his entrance into
the pit, but all Of his companions, overcome
by fatigue sank down upon the ground. and
hiS friend, Professor Wright, from overexer-
tion and excitement, tainted and remained
for time insensible.
: The young adventurer left his name carved
in the depths OF the Maelstorm-the name
of the first aud only person that ever gazed
upon its mysteries.
The name of this adventurous young man
is VIM. Courtland Prentice, eldest son o.
the editor.