Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1858-10-01
From the Louisville Journal.
Terrific Adventure in the Mammoth


trance, there is a pit, dark and deep and
terrible, known as the Maelstrom. Tens
of thousands have gazod into it with awe
whilst bcngal-ights were thrown down it to
make its fearful depths vsable, but none
ever had the daring to explore it. The
celebrated guide Stephen, who was deemed
ipsensiblc to fear, was offered six hundred
dollars by the propretors of tho Cave if no
would descend to the bottom of it, but he
shrank from the peril. A few years ago, a
Tennessee professer,a learned and bold man,
resolved TO do what no one before him had
dared to do, and, making his arrangements
with groat caro- and precaution, he had him
self lowered down by a strong rope hun
dred feet, but, at that point, his. courage
failed him, and he called aloud to be drawn
out. No human power could ever have in
duced him to repeat tho appalling expert
ment.
a couple Of weeks ago, however, young
gentleman of Louisvilo, whose nerves never
trembled at mortal peril, being al the Nam
moth Cave with Professor Wright, of our
city, and others, determined, no matter
what the danger and diIiicultiss might be,
to explore the depths of the Maostrom.-
Mr. Proctor, the onterprising proprietor of
tho Cave, sent to Nashville, and procured a
long rops, of great strength expressly for
the purpose. The rope and some nccessa-
ry timbers wore borne by the guides and
others to the point Of proposed exploration
The arrangements being soon completed,
the rope with heavy fragment Of rock
affixed to it, was let down and swung to and
fro to dislodgo any loose rocks that wnnld be
likely to fall at the touch. Several wero
thus dislodged, and tho long continued re-
verborations, rising up like distant thunder
from below, proclaimed the depth of the
horrid ehRsm. Then the young hero OF
the occasion, with several hats drawn over
his head TO protect it as far as possible
against any masses falling from above, and
with light in his hand and tho rope fAs-
tened around his body, took his place over
the awful pit and directed tho half dozen
mon who held the end Of tho rope, to let
him down into Cimmerian gloom.
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, hc saw lodge, from which, as judg-
ed by appearances, two or the avenues led
off in different directions. About hun
dred feet from the top, a cataract from tho
side of the pit went rushing down tho
abyss, and, as be descended by the side
of falling water and in the midst Of the
spray, ho felt some apprehension that his
light would bc extinguished, but his care
prevented this. He was landed at the
bottom Of the pit, a hundred and ninety
feet from the top. He found it almost per-
fectly circular, about Is feet in diameter
with small opening at one point, lead
ing to q fine chamber Of no great extent
He found on the floor beautiful specimens
of black sileI, of immense size, vastly larger
than were ever discovered in any part Of
the Mammoth Cave, and also a multitude
Of exquisite formations as pure and white
as virgin snow. Making himself hoard
with great effort, by his friends, he at
length asked them to pull him partly
up, intending to stop on the way and ex-
| plore cnve that he had observed opening
about forty fO0t from the bottom Of the pit.
Reaching the mouth of the cave, he swung
himself with much exsrticn into it, and,
holding the ond of the rope in his hand, he
incautiously let it go, and it swung out ap-
parently beyond his reach Tho situation
was 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 far over the verge
as possible without falling, he succeeded in
securing the ropc. Fastening it to rock,
he followed the avenue 100 or 200 yards to
point where he found it blocked by an i'm
passable 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 tho pit,
but not beng able to swing himself into it,
he rc-fastcnod the rope around his body,
suspended himself again over the abyss, and
shouted to his friends to raise him to the
top. Tho pull was an exceedingly severe
one, aud tho rope, being i'll adjusted, gave
him excruciating pain. But soon his pain
was forgotten in a new and dreadful peril.
When he was ninety feet from the mouth Of
tho pit and one hundred from the bottom,
swaying and swinging in mid-air he heard
rapid and excited words of 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 moro awful to him below, ensued
To them and him fatal and instant eatas-
49, L. = N II N
was extinguished with bottle Of watcr be-
longing to himself, and then the party
above, though almost exhausted by their
labors, succeeded in drawing him to the top
He was as calm and selfposssssed as upon
his entrance into the pit, but all of his com
panions, overcome by fatigue, sank down
upon the ground, and his friend Professor
Wright, from over sIertion and excitement,
tainted and remained for some time.
Tho young adventurer loft his name carv-
ed in the depths Of the Maslstrom-ths
name Of tho first and only person that ever
gazed upon its mysteries.
From the local side of the Same Journal
we cut the following:
On the preceding page will be found an
interesting account of the descent of a
young gentleman into the Maelstrom Of the
Mammoth Cave. The editor has not seen
proper to give tho Dams of the gentleman,
but we, the Local, deem it our duty TO give
il. 1t was Mr. Wm. Courtland Prentice,