Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1858-09-24
From the Louisville Journal.

A
49, s,,rnosod end of what has always been consid-
Az Il0 IpPost avenue of the Mammoth Cave, nine
c - i7s entrance, there is pit, dark, and deep,
me bia known as the Maestrom. Tens OF thousands
a~ ozed into it with whilst bengal hgnts were
Lyyn down it to make its fearful deptns visible pus
thrown tho dorno ever to explore it. The celebrated
nO Ctonhen who was deemed insensible to tear was
d civ hundred dollars by the proprietors OF tne cave
one would descend to the bottom of it, but ne snrank
tom the peril A few years ago ienneSsee PioieSol'
learned and bold man, resolved to 40 WhaI ho ohe Oe
fore him had dared do, and, making MS arrangements
% roat care and precaution, he had himself lowered
VIII b1 strong rope hundred feet, but at that point
Go"n failed him and he called aloud to be drawn
us No human power could ever have induced him to
repeat the appalling experiment.
couple of weeks ago, however, young gentleman
ofToujs7ile whose nerves never trembled at mortal
orI being at the Mammoth Cave with Prot Wright
onr city, and others, determined, no matter what the
dangers and difficulties might be, to explore the depths
If the maIestrom Mr. Proctor, the enterprlslng pro
pOr of the cave sent to Nashville and procured long
zone of great strength expressly for the purpose The
rome and some necessary tmbers were borne by the
mdes and others to the proposed point OF exploration
The arrangements being completed, the rope, with
heavy fragment of rock affixed to 1t, was let down and
swung to and fro to dsodge any loose rocks tnat Woud
be likely to fall at the touch.
Several were thus dslodged and the continued re-
verberations rising up like distant thunder from below
proclaimed the depth OF the horrld chasm linen the
Young hero of the occasion, with several hats thrown
over his head to protect it as far as possible against any
masses falling from above, and with light ID his hand
and the rope fastened around his body took his place
over the awful pit and directed the half dozen men, who
held the end of the rope to let him down into the CHM
merriam gloom.
We have heard from his own lips an account of his
descent Occasionally masses of earth and rock went
whizzng past but struck him. Thirty or forty feet
from the top he saw ledge, from which, as he judged
by appearances two three avenues led off in different
directions About hundred feet from the top cata-
ract 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 appre
hension that his light would be extinguished, but his
care prevented this. He landed at the bottom of
the pit, a hundred and ninety feet from the top.
He found it almost perfectly circular about IL feet in
diameter with a small opening at one point leading to
a fine chamber of no great extent. He found the
floor beautiful specimens of black slick OF immense sze
vastly larger than discovered IN any other part
of the Mammoth Cave, and also multitude of exquisite
formations pure and white as virgin snow. Making
himself heard, with great effort by his friends, he at
length asked them to pull him partly up, intending to
stop the way and explore 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 exerton into it, and holding the end OF the
rope in his hand he incauously let it go, 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 far the verge as
possible without falling, he succeeded 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 impossible avalanche Of rock and EARTH
Returning to the mouth Of this avenue he beheld an
almost exactly similar mouth of another on the opposite
side of the pit, but not being able to swing himself into
it, he refasened the rope around his body suspended
himself again the abyss and shouted to his friends
to raise him to the top. The pull exceeding y
severe one and the rope, being ill adjusted around his
body, gave him the most excrucating pain. But soon
his pain was forgotten in q new and dreadful peril
When he was 80 feet from the mouth of the pit and
100 feet from the bottom swayng and swinging in mid
air. he heard rapid and excited words of horror and
alarm above and soon learned that the rope by which
he was upheld had taken fire from the friction of the
timber over which it passed. Several moments ofawful
suspense to those above and still awful to him be-
low ensued. 10 them and him a fatal and instant
tastrOphe seemed inevitable.
But the fire extnguished with bottle of water
belonging to himself and then the party above though
almost exhausted by their abors succeeded in drawing
him to the top. He calm and self possessed
upon his entrance into the pit but all of his companions
by fatigue, sank down upon the ground, and
his friend Professor Wright from eXertion and
element tainted and remained for time nsensibe.
The young adventurer left his name carved in the
depths of the Maesrom-the Of the first and only
person that ever gazed upon its mysteries.