Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-09-23
Daring Exploit in the Mammoth
Cave.

Gave.
The Louisville Journal gives the follow
ing description Of descent into hitherto
unexpiored abyss oi frightfu depth, ut the
OF the Mammoth Cave. The hero of the
adventure. Dir. WIN. G. Prentice, son of
the senior editor Of The Journal, determined
to solve the mystery few weeks since was
low cred into the pit by means O.: a rope fas-
tened about his body:
We have heard from his own lips an &C.
count Of his descent. Occasionally masses
none struck hin.. Thirty or forty feet from
the top, he saw ledge, from which, as he
judged by appearance. s.two or three avenues
led off in different directions. About hun
dred feet firm the top. a cataract from the
side Of The pit went rushing DOWN by the
abyss, and, as he descended by the side OF
| the falling water ard in The midst of the
spray he felt scme apprehension that his
| lght would be extingu:shej, but his care
! pr, We n'td this. He xas landed at the bot
tom OF the pit, a hundred and ninety feet
from the top. He found it almost perfectly
circular, about eighteen leet in diameter
with small opt ming at one point, leading
to iue chamber 0! no great extent. He
found on the floor beautiful specimens Of
black silex Gf immense size, vastly larger
than was ever discovered in any other par,
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
uskcd hem to pull him partly up, IN ending
to stop on the way and explore cave tina
he bad observed opening about forty feet
above the bottom of the pit
ReacEing the mouth of that cave, h,
swung himsel: with much exertion into it
and holding the cad of lie rope in his and
he ihcautiousy let it 90, and 1t swung GU
apparently hey ond his reach. The situation
was tear .u one, and his friends abov
Could DO nothing for him. Soon, however
he made houk of the end of his lamp, an,
BY extending himself as far over the verge
as possible without falling, he succeeded il
securing the rope. Fastening it to a rock
he followed the avenue l50 or 200 yards t
point where he found it blocked by an i'm
passible avalanche Of rock and earth r.
/, turning to the mouth of this avenue, he he
he I'd an almost exactly similar mouth of an
= other on the opp ste side OF the pit, but no
being abe to swing himself into it, he re
ias.ened the rope around his body, suspend
5 ing himself Il. ain over The abyss, and shout
ed 10 his friends to rLise him to the top
The pull was an exceedingly severe one
: and the rope, being ri-adju>ted around hi
body, gave him the most ,Xcrutiatiug pain
But SOON hi 5 p;il was forgotten in a new
! and dreadful peril.
:, When he was 80 feet from the mouth q
, the pit, md 100 from the bottom, swayin!
and swinging in mid air, he heard rapid ar,
excited words of horror and alarm above
and soon he learned that the rope by whicl
he was upheld had taken fire from the fric
ton of the timber over which it passed.
, Several moments of awful suspense to thos,
) above, an still more awful to him below
| cuSuSu. u lheil dbu u 'h d ldLdl anu III
slant eatas rophe seemed inevitable. Bn
the fire was extinguished with bottle be-
longing to himself, ard then the party above
though almost exhausted bv their labors
succeeded in drawing him 10 the top. He
was as calm and se!t-possessed 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 exertion and excitement,
uinIed and remained for time insensble
The young adventurer left his name
carved in the depths OF the Maelstrom--the
name Of the first and only person that ever
gsZed upon its mysteries.