Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1858-10-26
Daring Exploit in the Mammoth
Cave

The louisville journal gives the fol-
lowing description of u descent into hith
erto unexplored abyss of frightful depth,
at the supposed termination Of the largest
avenue OF the Mammoth Cave. The hero
of the adventure, Mr.. w. g. Prentice son
of the senior editor of the journal" de-
termined to solve the mystery a few weeks
since was lowered into the pit by means of
Il rope fastened about his body. ...
We have heard from his own lips an az
count of his descent. Occasionally masses
of earth aud rock went whizzing past, but
none struck HIM. Thirty or forty feet
from the top, he saw ledge, from which
as he Judged by appearances, two orthree
avenues led of in different direction
About hundred feet from the top, cata-
ract 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 appre-
hension that his light would be extin-
guished, but his care prevented this. lie
was landed at the bottom Of the pit, a
hundred and ninety feet from the top
He found it almost perfectly circular, about
eighteen feet in diameter, with a small
opening at one point, leading TO a fine
chamber of no great extent. lie found on
the floor beautiful specimens of black silex
Of immense size, vastly larger than was
ever discovered i'll any other part of the
Mammoth Cave, and also a multitude of
exquisite formations as 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 of that cave, he
swung himself with much exertion into ii
and holding the end Of the rope in his hand.
he incautiously let it go, and it swung out
apparently beyond his reach. The situa-
ton was a fearful one, and his friends
above could do nothing for him. Soon.
however, he made hook of the end of his
lamp, and by extending himself as fal
over the verge as possible without falling
he succeeded in securing the rope. Fast
ening it to a rock, he followed the avenue
! SO or 200 yards to APPOINT where he found
it blocked by an impossible avalanche o
rock and earth. Returning TO the mouth
of this avenue, he beheld an almost eXactl,
similar mouth Of another on the opposit'
side of the pit, but not being able to swing
himself into it, he refastened the rop
around his body, suspending himself owe
the abyss and shouted to his friends to rails
; him to the top. The pull was an exceed
ingly severe one, and the rope, being Ill
ad djusted around his body, gave him tn
most excruciaLing pain. But soon his pail
was forgotten in new and dreadful peril
When he was 90 feet from the mouth o
the pit, and 100 from the bottom, swayin!
ard swinging in midair, he heard rapi
, and excited words Of horror and alarm
I above, ard soon he learned that the rope b
| which he was upheld had taken fire fror
, the friction of the timber over which
D passed. Several moments of awful sus
e pense to those above, and still more awful
, him below, ensued. To them ana him
D fatal and instant catastrophe seemed lnevl
: table. But the fire was extingulshed wit
s bottle of water belonging to himself, an
d then the party above, though almost eA
y hausted by their labors, succeeded in draw
); ing him to the top. He was as calm an
# self possessed ms upon his entrance int
y the pit, but all of his companions, ove
e came by fatigue, sank down upon III
u ground, and his friend Professor Wrigb
e from over exertion and excitement, fannie
|. and remained for time insensible
o The young adventurer left his name Ell
a graved in the depths of the maelstrom-
e the name of the first and only person th
ever gazed upon its mysteries.
n