The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-10-07
Terrific Adventure in the Mamm th Cave.

ways been considered the longest avenu
of the Mammoth Cave, nine miles fror
its entrance, there is pit, dark and dee
and terrible, known as the Maelstrom.-
Tens of thousands have gazed into it wit
awe while bengal ghts were thrown dow
into it to make its fearfnl depths visible
but none ever had the daring to explor
it. The celebrated guide, Setphen, VIII,
was deemed insensible to fear, was otfe
ed six hundred dollars by the propritor o
| The Cave if he would descend to the bot
tom of it, but he shrank from the peril
A few years ago, professor, learned
and bold man, resolved to do waht no on,
before him had dared to do, and making
his arrangements with great care ant
prvcaution, he had himself lowered dowr
by strong rope hundred feet, but, al
that point his courage failed him, and he
called aloud to be drawn out. No human
power could ever have induced him t.
repeat the appalling experiment.
A couple of weeks ago, however, a
young gentleman of Louisville, whose
nerves never trembled at mortal peril
being at the Mammoth Cave with Pro-
iessor Wright, of our city, and others,
determined, no matter what the danger
and difficulties might be, to explore the
depths of the Maelstrom. Mr.. Proctor,
the enterprising proprietor of the Cave,
sent to Nashville aud procured a long rope
of great strenth, expressly for the purpose.
The rope and some necessary timbers
were borne by the guides and others to
the point of proposed exploration. The
arrangements being soon completed the
rope, with heavy fragment of rock affix-
ed to it, was let down and swung to and
fro 10 dislodge any loose rocks that would
be likely to fall at the touch. Several
We're TINS dislodged, and the long con-
tinued reyerberations, rising up like dis
tant thunder from below, proclaimed the
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 fall
ing from above, and with light in his
hand and the rope fastened around his
body, took his place over the awful pit
and directed the half dozen who held the
end of The rope, to let him down into the
Cimmerian gloom.
We have heard from his own lips an
account Of his descent Occasionally
masses of earth and rock went whizzing
past, but none struck him. Thirty or for
ty feet from the top, he saw ledge, from
which, as he judged from appearance, 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
rs he descended by the side of the falling
water and in the midst of the spray, be
felt some apprehension that his light
,IsIppbe extinguished, but his care pre-
ss,hH this. He was landed at the bot
5em of the pit, hundred and ninety feet
rom the top. He found it almost per-
ectly circular, about eighteen feet in di-
lmeter, with small opening at one point,
eading to fine chamber of no great ex-
ent He found ON the floor beautiful
'pecimens of black silex of immense size,
yastly larger than were ever discovered |
n any other part Of the Mammoth Cave,
md also multitude of exquisite forma-
ions as pure and white as virgin snow.
daking himself heard, with great effort,
" his friends. he at length asked them to
'ull him partly up, intending to stop on
he way and explore a cave that he had
bserved opening about forty feet above
he bottom of the pit. Reaching the
Mouth of that cave, he swung himself
nth much exertion into it, and holding
he end of the rope in his hand, he incau-
ously let it go, and it swung out ap-
arently beyond bis reach.
The situation was fearful one, and
is friends above could do nothing for
i'm. Soon however he made a hook of
e end of his lamp, and, by extending
imsclf as far over the verge as possible
'i.hout falling, he succeeded in securing
10 rope. Fastening it to rock, he fol-
wed the avenue $50 or 200 yards to a
oint where he found it blocked by an
npassablo avalanche of rock and earth.
,eturning to the mouth of this avenue he
ehcld an almost exactly similar mouth Il
another on the opposite side of the pit,
ut not being able TO swing himself into |
, he refastened the rope around his body, ,
appended himself again over the abyss, |
i'd shouted to his friends to raise him !
the top. The pull was an exceedingly
we're one, and the rope, being i'll adjust
| around bis body, gave him the most {
lcruciating pain. But soon his pain was d
rgotten in a new and dreadful peril. II
When he was so feet from the mouth
the pit and 100 FROM the bottom, sway I
6 and swinging in mid-air, he heard b
pid and excited words of horror and t
arm above, aud soon learned that the J
pc hv which he was upheld had taken a