Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1858-09-23

bologna, where my sisters received me
with open arms, and two days AFTER
wards, we were all at Venice.
80 much for my trip across the APP
pennies. And let me say to you: flew
er you have occasion to hire a special
diligence, with strange drivers, to ride
foyer the mountains of Italy, be sure you
are well armed; and have trusty
friend with you if possible"
Terrific adventure in the Monmouth
\ Gave.
Al the supposed end of what has al
ways been considered the longest ave-
me of Mammouth cave, nine miles from
It's entrance, there is pit, dark, deep,
and terrible, known as the Maelstrom.
Tens of thousands have gazed into it
with awe, whilst Bengal lights were
thrown down it to make its fearful depth
visible, but none had ever had the dar-
ing to explore it. The celebrated guide
Stephen, who was deemed insensible to
fear, was offered six hundred dollars by
the proprietors of the cave if he would
descend to tile bottom of it, but he
shrank from the peril. A few years ago
tennessee professor, a learned and
bold man resolved to do what no one be.
tore him had dared to do, and making
his arrangements with great care and
preeaution, he had him self lowered
down by strong rope, a hundred feet,
but at that point his courage failed him,
and, he called aloud to be drawn cut
m human power could ever have in
duced him to repeat the appalling ex-
pertinent.
A couple of weeks ago, however, a
gentleman of Louisville, whose nerves
never trembled at mortal peril, being at
the Monmouth cave with Prof. Wright
OF our city, and others, determined, no
matter what the damages and difficulties
might be, to explore the depths of the
Maelstrom. Mr.. Proctor, the enterpris-
ing proprietor of the cave, sent to Nash
vile and procured long rope of great
strength expressly for the purpose. The
rope and some necessary timbers were
borne by the guides and others to the
point of proposed exploration. The ar
rangements being soon completed, the
rope, with fragment of rock affixed to
it, was let down and swung to and fro
to dislodge any loose rocks that would
be likely to fall at the touch. Several
were thus dislodged, and the long con-
tlnued reverberations, rising up like dis
tant thunder from below, proclaimed the
depth of the horrid chasm. Then the
young hero of the occasion, with sever
al hats drawn over his head to protect
1t as far as possible against any masses
falling rom above, and with a light in
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 Cimmerian gloom.
We have heard from his own lips an
account of this descent. Occasionally
masses Of earth and rock went whining
past, but none struck him. Thirty or
forty feet from the top, he saw ledge,
from which, as he judged by appearance
es, two or three avenues led off in differ
ent 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 water and
in the midst of the spray, he felt some
apprehension that his light would be
extenguished, but his care prevented
this. He was landed at the bottom Of
the pit, hundred and ninety feet from
the top. He found it almost perfect
circular, about eighteen feet in diameter,
with small opening at one point, lead
ing to fine chamber of no great extent.
He found on the floor beautiful speci-
mems of black selix of immense size,
vastly larger than were ever discovered
in any other part of the Monmouth cave,
and also a multitude Of exquisite forms-
tons as pure and white as snow. Ma
king himself heard, with great effort, by
his friends, he at length asked them to
pull him partly up, intending to stop on
the way and explore cave that he had
observed opening about forty feet above
the bottom of the pit.
Reaching that mouth Of the cave, he
swung himself with much exertion into
it, and holding the end of the rope in
his hand, he incautiously let it go, and
it swung out apparently beyond his
reach. The sit uation was fearful one
and his friend above could do nothing
for him. Soon, however, he made a
hook Of the end of his lamp, and by ex-
tending himself as far over the verge as
possible without falling, he succeeded
in securing the rope. Fastening it to a
rock, he followed the ovenue $50 or 200
yards to a point where he found it block
ed by an impossible avalanche Of rock
and earth. Returning to the mouth Of
this avenue, he beheld an almost exact
ly similar mouth of another on the OPP
posite side Of the pit, but, not being able
to swing himself into it, he refastened
the rope around his body, suspended
himself again over the abyss, and shout
ed to his friends to raise him to the top
The pull was an exceedingly severe one
and the rope, being ill adjusted around
his body, gave him the most excrutia-
ting pain.
But soon his pain was forgotten in a
new and dreadful peril. When he was
ninety feet from the mouth of the pit, and
one hundred from the bottom, swaying
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 of awful sus-
pense to those above, and till more aw-
tul to him below, ensued. To them and
to him instant and fatal catastrophe
seemed inevitable. But the fire was
distinguished with bottle of water be-
longing to himself, and the party above,
though almost exhausted by their labors
succeeded in drawing him to the top.