Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1858-09-24
Terrific Adventure in the Mammoth
Cave.

terrible, known as the Maelsirom. Tens OF
thousands have garcd inta it with awe
whilst bengal light. were thrown down il
20 make Il, fearful depths visible, hut none
had dared ever to explore il. The selebra-
TED ru,to stephen, who was deemed insen.
sibls o. far was offered SIX hundred dol.
lars BY ihc proprieturs Of the Cave IL he
would descend % the bottom of but he
shrank from the peril. A few years Ag''
aTcnness'o professor. a learned and bold
man resolved 20 10 what No one before him
had dared 20 do. and, making his arrange
ment, with great carr and PrecautiOn. he
had himself lowered down ~ strong rope
n hundrcl feet, bat at that point. his oour-
age faded lin. ard he eallcd aloud to 10
drawn cut No human power could ever
hAvc iuiaccd him to repea, the appalling
experiment
4 couple Of weeks ago, however. young
g,pticman OF Louisville. WHOSE nerves never
trVmblcd AZ mortal peril, beng at the Nam
moth Cave With Professor Wright of our
civ. and others. determined no matter
what tho .lr-css and discultics might be
u explore th, depths OF the Maelstrom.
NJ Proctor, the cnterprisiug proprietor
Of The Cave s-ut - Nashville and procured
4 long rT', of graf strength, expressly
Cor oil, TgT1s, The rope and some neces-
ary timhsrs wcrc horne by the guides and
othes Oh 90 proposed poiu. Of exploration.
Tho arrlr-mcu's being soon completed
tbe rryr. with heavy fragment Of rock
afxed O. 10, was lct down AID swung %
aud iro G, jisloigc any loose rocks tina.
would bc likely % f,ll at the touch. sever
al were uus d,slctsed. and the long CON-
tinu,j ryerherations, risin. up like distant
thundrr iFrm '1w, proclaimed the depth
OF tie hoTj e.4sm. Then the young be-
10 Of tie OCCASION, with several hats thrown
over bis head % protect IL a. Gar as possible
Sgain,, any lnas-,s falling irON above, and
with Ugh, m b.. hand and the rope fis-
tened ar1g1d ~ body. took hi. plaos over
the awful pc and directed the half duren
men. vh, b,Id the eud OF the rope, 10 let
him down iuil the Cimmcrian gloom.
We lave heard iron has own lips an ae-
count .-.s l.,ccut OcrasioOally masses
Of Car:t and rock went wLIuiug past, but
none struck bila. Thirty or forty lcst f-Om
thc en- .lv a lodge. from which, Ns be
jud-cJ ry a.prarauces, two or three ave-
nue. iel il different d.rcsi.1Us. About
hur1r. eri from the top cataract ircm
a. .'.. PIC vgU; rushing down the
a.rss, and as ac descended hy the side u
tie falling water aud ia the mlls; Of The
srray, 81 ls.. amc apprehension that DIG
lisL: v r llUnsuishsl, bot his care
psvyrlt.l ti,. n, was landed At the b5t
tom q, Oh. pc, hundred aal ninety fest
from Co., ..r.
a. lurl it almost perfectly circular
about J-at-u ioJt in dianetor. with
small .r a.ura. one point, leading 20 fnc
chan 10 .. OIL. -r.., extent n, l5und on
ihc q 10 ..ll,...i spsc,nens uf black sil,H
ofium.a.. ST.. vastly larger than were ev-
er disco, .a ans other part % the Nam.
mot Cave. and a..5 a multitude Of eHqui.
site t9,ml, Hrs as pure and white as virgin
snow. Ma..ns himself heard with grca,
effort friends. he a; length asked
them % Y.I L.u partly up intending {,
stop AMI r.r.Yrsa cave that be had obscF-
vel opsn.a- about forty feet above the bot
ton q. Old. ID.
Rn,hr- ,ao mouth q that cave, he
svurs t'n,... With much eyrr,ion into IL
and h-li.-- che .-. 2 che rlrc ia hi. hand
be in-au".as,y o.; q, 60 aud IL swung out
apparently beyond h, reach. The situa.
tor was fearful one. ani his friends above
could dl cling w him Son however
he ual.a . ..k OF the end OF L.s lamp, aud
BY *, 1i.1- ELI as fr over the verge
as Y'ss.ii, without falling, be succeeded in
s,cusns Co., rup' Fastening il O. a rock
he t.oFei ,hr avenue cnr hundred aud
city r o. ..nIrei yards & q ro.n, where
h foar' B, blocked BY an inpassible ava.
lAncte %. s arI earth.
Esrmr. n tLe mouth Of thi. avenue
be hsh..I a. almost exactly similar mouth
OF another .a ,re opposite sie Of the pit
bu;, u.t t.H- a,l. % swing himself into b,
he rsa.,..r.l OF, ? Pc around hi, body. sus
penls- a.as q. as n over the abyss, and
shouted % i. friend, {, rais, hlm % the
tor. TIE ION was an ezceeling'y severe
one, aud t.r rope beng IN adjusted around
his body, sly, him the un., s1erueia,,ng
pain. Ia, soon biz pain was forgotten in
new AMI dreadful peril.
Wa.a o. was 90 fyyt FROM tie mouth Of
The re, and iOofs, from the bottom, sway .
ins AL sa s.as ia nil air, he heard rapid
an gxc.tI words 0f horror and alarm
sbyyt, lal ...n learned that the rope by
whicL hs vl9 o.. held bad taken fire from
the friction tle timber over watch IL pas
ssd. Ssys-.' aam.ats of awful suspense to .
thos1 above -u' s;lli more awful to him be-
low gas-el To- ;len aud him fatal and
iss;au. Catastrophe seemed Inevitable.
But Che Csc WIS cztiusuisisd with a bot
de o! So. ...lagias TO himself, aud tAcn
the party above though almost exhausted
BY th..r a..-., -1cg,.isI ia drawing him
- I'll t.u. i..v.s as calm and sell pos