The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-10-16
Fearful Advenrure in The Mammoth Caye--Th
Maelsfrom Explored.

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Prentice J.--.- g -.-s- ..-- s.-t-..-1 1a.
At the supposed end of what has al
ways been considered the longest avenue
Of the Mammoth Cave, nine miles from its
entrance, there isia pit, dark, and deep and
terrible, known IS the Maeistrom. Tens
of thousands have gazed into it with awe,
whilst Bengal lights were thrown down
into it to make It's fearful depth visible,
but none ever had the daring toexplore.
A couple of weeks ago, however, a
young gentleman of Louisville, being at
the cave with Professor Wright, OF our
city, and others, determined, no matter
what the dangers and difficulties might
be, to explore the depth of the Mael-
strom. The ropes and some necessary
timbers were borne by the guides and
others to the point of proposed explora-
ton. The arrangements being soon COM
pleted, the rope with heavy fragment of
rock affixed to it, was let down and swung
to and fro to dislodge any loose rocks
which would be likely to fall at the touch.
Several were thus dislodged, and the long
continued reverberations rising up like dis.
tant 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 fastened around his body,
took his place over the awful pit and di-
rected the half dozen men who held the
end of the rope to let him down in the
Cimmerian gloom.
Occasionally masses of rock and earth
w8t whizzing past but none struck him.
Thirty or forty feetfrom the top he saw a
ledge, from which he judged by appearanc-
es, two or three avenues led off in differ
ent directions-about a hundred feet from
the top, cataract 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 apprehension that his light
would be extinguished, but his care pre-
vented this. He was landed at the bot
tom of the pit, one hundred and, ninety
feet from the top. He found it almost
perfectly circular, and about eighteen feet
in diameter, with small opening at one
point, leading to 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 forma.
tons, as pure and white as virgin snow.
Making himself heard, with great effort
by his friends, he at length asked then
to pull him partly up, intending to stoI
on the way and explore a cave he had OBJ
served opening about forty feet above the
bottom of the pit. Reaching the moutl
of that cave, he swung himself into it
and holding the end of the rope in hi
hand, he incautiously let it go, and i
swang out apparently beyond his reach.
The situation was afearful one, and hi
friends above could do nothing for him
Soon, however, he made hook of tn,
end of the lamp, and by extending him
self as far over the verge as possible with
out falling, he succeeded in securing tn
end of the rope. Fastening it to rocl
he followed the avenue $50 or 200 yards
to point where he found it blockaded b,
an impossible avalanche of rock AM
earth. Returning to the mouth of the av
enue, he beheld an almost exactly sim
liar mouth of another on the opposite sid
of the pit, but not being able to swim
himself into it, he refastened the rop
around his body, suspended himselfagail
over the abyss, and shouted to his friend
to raise him to the top.
The pull was an exceedingly sever
one, and the rope being ill-adjuste
around his body, gave him the most ex
cruciating pain. But soon his pain wa
forgotten in new and dreadful peri
When he was 80 feet from the mouth Q
the pit, and 100 from the bottom, sway
ing and swinging in mid-air, he hear
rapid and excited words of horror an
alarm above, and soon learned that tn
rope by which he, was upheld had take
fire from. the friction of the timber owe
which it had passed. Several moment
of awful suspense to those above, and stil
more awful to him below, ensued. 7
them and him fatal and instant catas
trophe seemed Inevitable. But the fiji
was ektinguished by bottle of water be
longing to himself, and then the part
above, though almost exhausted by thei
labors, succeeded in drawing him to tn
top. He was, as calm and self -possesse
as at his entrance into the cave, but a
his companions, ,oyercame by fatigue
sank down upon the ground, and hi
friend, Professor Wright, from over el
ertion and excitement, tainted and r,
mained insensible. --
The young adventurer left his nam
carved in the depths. of the Maslstrom-
the first and only person that ever gaze
upon its mysteries.