Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1858-10-27
From the Louisville Journal.
Terrific Adventure in the Mammoth Cave.

/
Mammoth Cave, nine miles from its entrance /
there is pit dark ard deep and terrible, /
known as the Maelstrom Tens of thous- |
ands have gave gazed into it with awe, while
bengal-lights were thrown down II TO make
its visible, but none ever had the daring to
explore it. The celebrated guide. Stephen.
who was deemed inseusb!e to fear, was OF
fered six hundred dollars bv the proprletors
Of the Cave, if he would descend to the bot
tom Of il, but he shrank from the peril.
few years ago, q Tennessee Professor, "a lear
ned aud bold man, resolved TO do wat 10
one before him had dared to do. aud making
his arrangements with great care aGG prccaa-
ton, he had himself lowered down by
strong rope q hundred feet, but, at that
point, his courage failed him, and he called
aloud to be drawn out No human power
could ever have induced him to repeat the
appalling experiment.
\ couple of weeks ago however, young
g eutIeman of Louisville whose nerves never
tremble at mortal peril, being at the Nam
moth Cave with Professor Wright Of our
city, and others, determined, no matter what
the dangers and difficulties might be, 10 ex-
plore the depths Of the Maelstrom Air-
Proctor. the enterprlsing proprietor Of the
, Cave, sent to Nashville and procured a long
rope of great strength expressly for the prr-
pose. The rope ard some necessary tim5crs
| were borne by the guides aud others u the
| point of proposed exploration. The arrange
meuts being soon completed, the rope, With
| a heavy fragment Of rock affixed to it, was
| let down and swung to aud fro 10 disleGGe
any loose rocks that would be likely 10 fall
at the touch. Several were thus dislolged,
and the long-contiuued reycrberations, rising
up like distant thunder from below. pro-
claimed 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 fal-
ling from above, and with light III his habd
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 in the Cimmcriau
gloom.
We have heard from his own lips an ac-
count of Lis descent. Occasionally massas
of earth and rock went whiEzing past, but
none struck him. Thirty or forty feet from
the top, he saw ledge, from which, as he
judged by appearances, two or three avenues
led of in different directions. About hun
dred feet from the top, a cataract from the
side OF the pit went rushing down the abyss,
and, as he descended by the side OF the fal-
ling water and in the midst of the spray, he
felt some apprehension that his light would
be extinguished, but his care preventel this
He was landed at the bottom cf .tp pit. 4
hundred and ninety feet from the top. lie
found it almost perfectly circular. about Is
feet il diameter, with small Opening st ore
point, leading to 3 fine chamber uf no great
extent. He found on the floor beautiful spe-
: cimens Of black silex Of immense size, vastly
larger than were ever discovered in any other
, part of tire Mammoth Cave, and also a mul
titude OF exquisite formations as pure anC
white as virgin snow. Making himself hearc
with great effort, he at length asked them II
pull him partly up, intending to stay On IL,
way and explore q cave that be had observed
opening about forty feet above the bottom o
! the pit. Reaching the mouth Of that cave
he swung himself with mLcb cxertion into
it, and. holding the end of the rope in hi:
hand, he incautiouS!y let-it go, and il swung
cat apparently beyond his reach. The stu
: alton was fearful one, and his friends abov,
could do nothing for him. Soon howeicr n
made hook Of the end of his iomp, and, b,
7 extending himself as far over the verge a
possible without falling, he succeeded in Sc
7 curing the rope. Fastening ii to rock, h
followed the avenue one hundred and fifty T.
: two hundred yards 20 point where he iouu
and earth. Returning 10 the mouth of thi
avenue; be beheid al almost exactly simila
: mouth OF another on the opposite Of the pit
but not being able to swing himself into it
P he Ietastencd the rope around his body, su>
pended himself again the abyss. au
n shouted to his friends 10 raise him TO the toT
7 The pull was an exceedingly severe one, an
= the rope, being ill-.djusted around his bod )
: gave him the most excrutiating pain. Bu
/ soon his pain was forgotten in n new an
% dreadful peril. When he was ninety fe,
from the mouth OF the pit and one hundre
IS from the bottom, swaying and swinging
- mid-air, he heard rapid and excited words
> horror and alarm above, and soon learne
that the rope by which he was upheld ha
taken fire frcnI the friction of the timber ov,
/ which it passed. Several moments og awf
suspense to those above, aud still more awf'
to him, ensucd. To them and him = fat
z. and instant catastrophe seemed incvitaDl
Bat the fire vas extinguished with bot.lc
water; and then the party above, thou
the most exhausted by their labors, succeed
in drawidg him to the top. He was as cal
and self possessed as upon his entrance IN
the pit, but all of his companions, overcor
by fatigue, sank down upon the ground, a
his friend, Professor Wright, from ovt
ne exertion and excitement, tainted and RENAL
P ed for time inscnsible.
ne The young adventurer left his name cary
as in the depths of the Maelstrom-the name
ns the first and only person that ever gazed up
its mysteries.
in
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i Il T. L.