Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-04-01
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famiIp GirtIf.
GAVERNS.

= EGW IdbufIi ObICGtD H4VCt lHOlG DIV Lh-
ened the curiosity Of travellers, and excl
ted the Imagination of visitors, than the
hollow places, and subterranean passages
common to districts which have been
subject to great physical connections
Their seclusion and gloom, their fantas.
tic architecture, the effect Of toreh-light
upon their numerous crystallizations, the
augmentation Of sound, and its reverbe.
ration, together with their unknown x
tent in many cases, contribute to invest
the cavities Of the earth with exciting
Interest nor is it strange to find them
interviewer with the traditions and
~mythologies Of unenlightened nations
On account of their somber interior and
strange outline being adapted to impose
upon an ignorant population and give
effect to religious observations, the priest
hood of antiquity localized in caverns
their false divinities, and celebrated
sanguinary rites upon the affairs found in
their recesses,"
Geological researches seem to show
that the powerful ~upheaving forces OIL
subterranean gases, volcanoes, and earth
quakes, by which elevated sites have
been raised upon the surface or crust OIL
the earth, have left chasms beneath OF
great depth and extent.
The greatest cavern in America is the
Mammouth cave in Kentucky. 1t is near
Green River, one hundred and thirty
miles southwest of Lexington. 1t has
been penetrated nine or ten miles. and
has many windings that have not been
explored. The depth is sixty or seventy
feet. 1t contains figures, some of which
are of immense size and fantastic form (;
but is more remarkable for its extent
than the variety or beauty of its produc-
tons having none of the beautiful stalac-
tites found in many other caves. The
earth is strongly i%mpregnated with salt
peter, and large quantities of it are man
ufactured.
The table land Of Quito, in Mexico, is
surrounded by the most powerful volca-
noes on the earth.
Condamine believed that a considerable
portionsof the DISTRICT waste be regarded
as the dome of an enormous vault and
Parrot has shown it to be highly proba.
BILE, by a earful observation, that a cavity
Of at least a cubic mile and a half exists
beneath its surface. The rumbling noise,
like that of distant thunder, which on
the testimony Of Humboldt usually pre-
cedes and accompanies the eruption of its
volcanoes, tends to confirm this suppose
ton.
From the discovery of America to the
year 1859, the plain of Malpais, a volca
mic destrict iu Mexico, had remained I'M
disturbed, and was covered with plan.a-
tons ofindigo and sugar-cane at the latter
period. In the month of June a success
sion of earthquakes commenced, and on
the night Of september the 28th a tract
not less than from three to four miles in
extent rose up in the shape of a dome !;
and six great masses suddenly appeared.
having an elevation Of from 1912 to 1,640
feet above the original level of the plain.
the most elevated of these is the valcanoe
eff Jorullo, which is constantly burning,
the projections of which with its kindred
masses must have created a considerable
subterranean v%acuity, and proably the
whole dome-shaped plain Of Malpais is
hollow Hence it is a common event, in
countries subject to great valcanic activi
ty for portions of the surface to fall in,
the subsidence frequently becoming the
bed of a lake.
Cavern formations are very common in
the valcanic rocks. The we'll known
cave of Fingal, in the Island OF Staffa, is
one of the most splendid examples in the
world. The basaltic columns have in
various places yielded to the action of the
waves, which have scoped out caves of
the most picturesque description.
Caverns, especially those which are
situated in limestone, commoly present
the formations called stalactites. from a
Greek word signifying distillation or
dropping. The manner of their produc-
ton admits Of a very. plain and simple
explanation. They proceed from water
tickling through the roofs containing
carbonate OF lime, held in solution by car
bonic acid. Upon exposure to the air.
the carbonic acid is gradually disengaged.
and a pellicle of lime is deposited. The
process proceeds, drop after drop. and
eventually, descending points hanging
from the roof are formed, resembling
%icicies, which are composed of concentric
rings Of transparent peliicles Of lines
presenting a very peculiar appearance,
and, from their connection with each
ether, producing a variety of singular
shapes. These defending points are the
stalactites properly so called, from which
the stalagmites are to be Distinguished
These are produced by the evaporation of
the larger drops which have fallen to the
bottom, and are stalactites rising upward
from the ground. Frequently, in the
course CT ages, the ascending and de-
scending points have been so increased
as to meet together, forming natural col
umns. a series Of which bears a striking
resemblance to the pillars and arches Of
Gothic architecture.
The amount of this deposition which
we find in caverns capable Of producing
it, is often enormous, and gives us an i'm,
p~ressiye idea of their extraordinary an
tiquity. The grotto Of Antiparos-one
OF the islands OF the Grecian Archipelago
lis particularly celebrated on account Of
the size and diversity of these denosites