Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-09-15
Daring Exploit in the Mammoth Cave

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The Louisville Journal gives the following
description of descent into a hitherto une1-
plOred abyss of frightlul depth, at the supposed
termination Of the longest avenue of the Nam
moth Cave. The hero Of the adventure, Mr..
Wm. c. Prentice, son of the senior editor of the
Journal, determined to solve the mystery, few
weeks since was lowered into the pit by means
OF a rope fastened around his body:
We have heard from his own lips an account
of his descent. Occasionally masses of earth
and rock went whizzing past, but nune struck
him Thirty or forty feet from the top, he saw
ledge, from which, as lie judged by appear
ances, two or three avenues led off in different
directions. About 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 waters 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 bottom Of
the pit, hundred and ninety feet from the top.
He found 1t almost perfectly circular, about
eighteen feet in diameter, with a small opening
at one point, leading to fine chamber Of no
great extent. He found on the floor beautiful
specimens of black siex OF immense size, vastly
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 10
pull him partly up, intending TO stop on the
way and explore a cave that he had observed
opening about forty feet above the bottom 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, he ineautiously
let it 90, and it swung out apparently beyond
his reach. The 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 possible without falling, he sue
ceeded in securing the rope. Fastening it to |
rock, he followed the avenue $50 or 200 yards |
to point where he found it blocked by an i'm
passsble avalanche of rock and earth Return
ing to the mouth Of the avenue, he beheld an
almost exactly similar mouth of another on the
opposite side Of the pit, but not being able 20
swing himself into it, he re-fastened the rope
around his body, suspendng himself again over
the abys5, and shouted % his friends TO raise him
to the top The pull was an exceedingly severe
one, and the rope, being i'll l-adjusted around his
body, gave him the most eIerueiating pain
But soon his pain was forgotten IN new and
dreadful peril
When he was 80 feet from the mouth of the
pit, and 100 from the bottom, swaying and
swinging in mid-air, he heard rapid and excited
words Of horror and alarm above, and soon he
earned that the rope by which he was upheld
had taken fire from the friction of the timber
,yer which It passed. Several moments of awful
suspense 10 those above, and still more awful TO :
lim below, ensued To them and him fatal
md instant catastrophe seemed inevitable. But
he fire was extinguished with bottle belong
ng TO himself and then the party above, though
.lmest exhausted by their labOrs, succeeded in
rawing him to the top. He was as calm and ,
as upon his entrance into the pit, |
,ut all Of his companions, overcome by fatigue,
ank down upon the ground, and his friend,
'rofessor Wright, from over exertion and ex-
itement, tainted and remained for time in
ensible
The young adventurer left his name carved
q the depths of the Maelstrom-the name of
be first and only person that ever gazed upon
s mysteries.