The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-09-25
Terrific Adventure in the Mammoth
Cave.
lFrom lhe LouiayIIIo Journal, Sept II


lights were thrown down Il % make ia fear
fol depths visible. but none ever had the dnr-
ing 10 explore Il, The celebrated guide
Stephen, who was deemed inhonsiho 70 fear,
was offered six hundred dollars boy the pro-
peictors ~ the cave il ho would descend to
the bottom ofit, but be- shank from the per-
To- A few years ago, a Tennessee professor,
a learned and bold man, resolved TO do what
no one before him had dared TO- do, and,
making his arrangements With great care and
prccauuon, he had himself lowered down by
a strong rope hundred feet, but At that
point his courage failed him, snd be called
aloud 10 be drawn out. No human power
could ever have induced him 10 repeat the
appalling experiment
A couple of,wocks ago however young
gentleman Of Louisville, whose nerves never
lrcmbltd ut mortal peril, being ut the mann
moth cave with Professor Wright Of our city
and others. determined, no matter what dam
gers and difficulties might bee, TO explore the
depths Of the Maclstrom Mr., Proctor, the
cntcrprsiug proprietor Of the cave, sent to
Nashville and procured a long roYc Of great
strength expressly for the purpose. The
ropd and some necessary limhers were borne
hy the guides and others to the point Of pro.
posed exploration, The arrangements being
soon completed the rope, with heavy fag-
mont of rock affixed 90 il was let down and
swung 10 and fro 10 dislodge any loose rocks
that would be likely 10 fall at the touch,
Several we're thus dilodgrd, and the long
continued rcycrbcHtious, rising up like dis
,nut thunder from below, proclaimed Tie
depth Of the houid chasm. Then the young
hero Of th- OCCASION with scy cral hats drawn
over his head to protect IL as Ear as possible
aguiGs, any masses falling from above, and
with light in his hand aud the rope iastcn-
ed around hi, body, took his place over the
. awful Piy 1Ud directed The tltr tUzrU muU,
who held shc end Of the rope tolc, him down
m,o the Cimmcrian gloom.
We have heard from hi, own lips an ne
couu, Of h,s descent, Occasionally ma,sr,
Of c1i,h and rock went wh.zliug past, but
none struck him. Thirty or forty fec, from
,ir,. toi,l -ew .le. ...leA 10
judged by appearance two or three avenues
led of in different directions About a hum
drcd feet from the top, cataract from the
4 side of the pit went rushing down the abyss,
and as hc descended by the side Of the fall
ing water and in the midst Of the sproN he
felt some apprehension that his light would
hc cXtiusui,hcd, but his care prevented this.
lie was landed at the bottom Of the pit, "a
hundred and ninctyfcct from the top. lie
rouud il utmost perfectly circular about Is
feet ia diameter, with @ small opening at one
point, leading to fine chamber OF no great
extent lie found on tho floor beau ,rul
specimens Of blacl, slick Of immense size, vast
.ly larger than were ever discovered ia 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, in
tending to stop on the way and explore a
cave that he had observed opening about for
" feet above the bottom OF. the pit Reach
ing the mouth Of that cave, hcswung himself
with much cxcrlion into il, and lholdng the
END of the rope in his hand, he incauuousy
let it 20, and it swung out apparently beyond
reach The situation was fearful one, and
his friends above could do nothing for him
. Saon however he made hook of the end Of
his lamp and by extending himself as far
over the verge as possible without falling, he
succeeded ih securing the rope. Fastening
. it To n rock he followed the avenue 100 OF
200 ards 10 a point where he foundit block
ed by an impossible avalanche of rock anc
earth. Returning to the mouth Of this ave
nue., he bcheld an almost exactly similar
. mouth Of another on the opposite side of the
pit, but not being able to swing himself into
it, he rctastoned the rope around his body
[ suspended himself again over the abyss, ant
c shouted to his friends to raise him TO the top
The pull was an exceedingly severe one, an,
It the rope, being i'll adjusted around his body
n gave him the most cxcruciating pain. Blu
s soon his pain was forgotten in n new anC
= dreadful peril. When he was 90 feet fro II
n the mouth Of the pit and 100 from the lot
p. tom, swayug and swinging in mid-air, h
n head rapid rnd excited words of horror an'
: alarm above, and soon learned that the rop
h by which he was upheld had taken fire iron
C the friction ofthe timber over which it pass
n ed. Several moments of awful suspense &
!. those above and still more awfu, to him be
- low cnsued To them and him fatal AM
II instant catastrophe seemed inevitable. Blu
the fire was extingushed witha bottle Of wa
: ter belonging 60. himself and then the part
q above though almost exhausted by their Ia
IS bors, succeeded in drawing him to the tor
is lie was as calm and selfposscssed as upo
: his entrance into the pit, but all Of his com
h puuions. oyereome by fatigue, sank down W
5. on the ground, and his friend Professo
= Wright, from over exerton and eXcitemon
ie tainted and remained for a time nsenfblc.