The Kanzas news., 1858-10-16
From the Louisville Journal.
Terrific Adventure in the Mammoth


From the Louisville Journal.
Terrific Adventure in the Mammoth
Cave.
At the supposed end of what has always
been considered the longest avenue of the
Mammoth Cave, nine miles from its en-
trance, there is pit, dark and deep and
terrible, known as the Maelstrom. Tens of
thousands have gazed into ii with awe while
bengal lights were thrown down it to make
Its fearful depths visible, but none ever had
the daring to explore it. The celebrated
guide, Stephen, who was deemed insensi-
bic to fear, was offered six hundred dollars,
by the proprietors of the Cave, if he would
descend to the bottom of it, but be-shrank
from the peril. a few years ago Ten
nessee professor, a learned and bold man,
resolved to do what no one before him had
dared do, and, making his arrangements
with great care and precaution, he had him
self lowered down by 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 the appalling exper-
iment.
A couple of weeks ago. however, young
gentleman of Louisville, whose nerves new
er trembled at mortal peril, being al the
Mammoth Cave with Professor Wright, of
our city, and others, determined, no matter
what the dangers and difficulties might be,
to explore the depths of the Maelstrom.-
Mr.. Proctor, the enterprising proprietor of
the Cave, sent to Nashville and procured a
long rope of great strength, expressly for
the purpose. The ropes and some neces-
sary timbers were borne by the guides and
others to the point of exploration. The
arrangements being soon completed, the
rope, with heavy fragment of rock attach
ed to it, was let down and swung to and
fro to dislodge any rocks that would be-
likely to fall at the touch. Several were
thus dislodged, and the long-continued re-
verberations, rising up like distant thunder
from below, proclaimed the depth of the
horrid chasm. 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 the rope fast
ened around his body, took his place over
the awful pit and directed the half-dozen
men who held the end of the rope to let
him down into the Cimmerian gloom.
We have heard from his own lips an ac-
count of his descent. Occasionally mass
es of earth and rock went whizzing past,
but none struck him. Thirty or foIty feet
from the top, he saw a ledge, from which,
as he Judged by appearances, two OF three
avenues led off in different directions.-
About hundred feet from the top, a 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 apprehen-
sion that his light would be extinguished,
but his care prevented this. He was land
ed at the bottom of the pit, hundred and
ninety feet from the top. He found ii al
most perfectly circular, about eighteen feet
in diameter, with small opening at one
point, leading to a fine chamber of no great
extent. He found on the floor beautiful
specimens of black silex of immense size,
vastly larger than were ever discovered in
any other part of the Mammoth Cave, and
also 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 open
ing about forty feet above the mouth of the
pit Reaching the mouth of that cave, he
swung himself with much exertion into it,
and holding the end of the rope in his hand,
ne incautiously let it go, and it swung
put apparently beyond his reach. The sit
uation was a fearful one, and his frisnds
above coul1 do nothing for him. Soon,
however, he made hook of the end of his
amp, and by extending himself as far over
the verge as possible without falling, be
succeeded in securing the end of the rope.
Fastening it to rock, he followed the ave-
nue. so or 200 yards, to point where he
found it blocked by an impossible 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 the pit, but not being able TO swing
around his body, suspended himself again
over the abyss, and shouted to his friends
o raise him to the top. The pull was an
,xceedingly severe one, and the rope, being
lily adjusted around his body, gave him
he most excruciating pain. But soon his
pain was lost in new and dreadful peril.
When he was ninety feet from the mouth
If the pit, and one hundred from the bot
ON, swayiHg and swinging in nid-air, he
heard rapid and excited words of horror and
Ilarm above, and soon learnt that the rope
y which he was upheld had taken fire
rom the friction of the timber over which
t passed. Several moments of awful sus-
'ense to those above and still more awful to
i'm below, ensred. To them and him .
atal catastrophe seemed inevilale. But the
ire was extinguished with bottle of wa
er belonging to himself, and then the par
Y above, though almost exhausted by their
abors, succeeded in drawing him to the
op. He was as calm and self-possessed as
lpon his entrance into the pit, but all Of
lis companions, overcome By fatigue, sank
lown upon the ground, and his friend Prof.
Wright, from ovsr-exertion and excitement,
ainted and remained for time inssnsib1e.