Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1858-09-25
Terrific Adventure in the Mammoth Gave.

AT the supposed end Of what has al.
ways been considered the longest avenues
Of the Mammoth Cave, nine miles from its
entrance, there is a pit, dark and deep and
terrible, known as the MaeIstroln. Tens
OF thousands have gazed into it with awe
whilst bengallights were thrown down il
70 make It's fearful depths visible, but none
ever had the daring to explore it. The
celebrated guide Stephen, who was deemed
insenSble to fear, was offered six hundred
dollars by the proprietors of the Cave il
e would descend TO the bottom of it, but
he shrank from the peril A few years
ago, Tennessee professor, learned and
bold man, resolved to do what no one be-
fore him had dared do, and, making his ar
rangements with great care and prccaution.
he had himself lowered down by strong
rope a hundred feet, Gnt, at that point, his
courage failed him, and he called aloud to
be drawn out. No human power could
ever have induced him to repeat the appaIl-
ing experiment.
A couple of weeks ago, however, q young
gentleman at Louisville, whose nerves never
irembed at mortal peril, being at the
Mammoth Cave with Professor Wright Of
our city and Others deter mined, no matter
what the dangers and difficulties might be,
to explore the depths Of the Maelslrom.-
Mr.. Proctor, the enterprising proprietor of
the Cave, sent to Nashville and procured a
long rope of great strength expressly for
the purpose. The rope and some neccessa.
ry timbers were borne by the guides and
others to the point of proposed explora-
tlon. The arrangements being soon com.
pleled, the rope, with heavy fragment OF
rock affixed to it, was let down and swung
TO and fro to dislodge any loose rock that
would be likely to fail at the touch. Several
we're thus dislodged, and the long-continued
reverberations. rising up like distant thun.
der from below, proclaimed the depth OF
the lorrid chasm. Then the young hero
Of the occasion. with several hats drawn
over his head to protect it as far as possi-
BILE against any masses falling from above
aud with light in his haud aud the rope
faslened around his body took his place
over the awful pit and directed the hall
dozen men, who held the end of the rope
to let him down into tho CimmeriAn gloom
we have heard from bis own lips an &C
count OF his descent. Occasionally masse:
OF earth and rock went whizzing past, but
none struck him. Thirty or forty feet
from The top, be saw ledge, from which,
as he Judged by appearances, two or three
avenues led off in different directions
About hundred feet from the top, a cat
aract from the side of the pit went rush
ing down the abyss, and, as he descended
by the side of the falling water and in th,
midst Of the spray, he felt apprehension
that his light would be extiugaished, but
his care prevented this He was landed Al
the bottom of the pit, hundred aud nine
" feet from the top. He found it almost
perfectly circular, about Is feet in diane
ter, with small opening at one point
leading 10 dne chamber of no great ex,
tent. lie found on the aoor beautiful speci
mems OF black silex Of immense size. yastl,
larger than were ever discovered In an,
other part Of the Maumoth Cave and Al