Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1858-09-24
From the LoaaSillo Journal.l
rerlibIe Adventure in the Mammoth

AT TINS buppOSeu tui " Wuat uda at1 |
wars been considered the longest avenue
OF the Mammoth Cave. fiue miles from
Its entrance. there is a pit. dark. and
deep, and terrible. known as the Mael
a;rom. Tens of thousands have gazed
into it with awe, whilst Bengal lights
were thrown down il TO make. its fearful
depsh$ -vis,ble, but none had the d"ring
5 ever to explore IT, Fhece lebra:ed guide.
Stephen, who WAS deemed insensible TO
fear. was offered SIX hundred dollars by
the 9proprietors Of the cave il he would
decend 10 the bottom Of it. but he shrank
from the peril. A few years ago a Ten.
nvssee professor. learned and bold man,
resolved to do what no one before him
had dared to do. and. making his arrange
ments with great care and precaution. he
had himself lowered down b. a strong
rope hundred feet, but at that point his
courage failed h m. and he called aloud
20 be drawn out. No human power
could ever have induced him 10 repeat
the appalling experiment.
A couple Of weeks ago. however. a
young gentleman of L uisvilie, whose
nerves ueyes irembled at mortal peril.
being at the Mammoth Gave with PrUfes
nor : right of our city, and others. deter.
mined, no matter what the dangers and
difficulties might be to explore the depths
Of the maleslr"m. Mr.. Proctor. the en-
terprisipg proprietor Of the cave. sent to
Nashville and procured long rope. Of
great strength. expressly for the purpose.
= Tho rope and some necessary Iimbers
were born by the guides and others 10
the proposed point of exploration. The
arrangements being soon completed. the
rope. with a heavy fragment of rock af>
6xetl 10 il, was let down and swung to
and fro to dislodge any loose rocks that
would be likely TO fall at the touch.
Several we're thus dislodged, and the
lnn2>continued reverbrati0ns. rising up
like distant thunder from below. pro-
claimed tbs depth Of the horrid chasm.-
Then the Young hero Of the occasion.
with several hats thrown over his head to
protect it "a far as possible against any
masses falling from above. and with a
liph, 10 his hand and a 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 & loom.
We have heard from his own lips an
account of his descent. Occasionally
r,assse OF rock an ear'h went whizzing
mast, but none struck him. Thirty or
forty feet from he top be saw ledge,
from which. he judged by appearances.
two or three avenues led "f in different
directions. About hundred feet from
The top a cataract from the side OF the pit
went rushidg 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 px,ingulshed. but his care prevented
this. tie was landed at the bottom Of
the Dit, hundred aud ninety feet from
the top.
He found it almost perfectly circular,
alb ,ut 10 eet in diameter, with small
opening at "ne point. leading to tins
chamber Of no great extent. He found
on the fuor beau iful specimens Of black
slick Of immense size. vastly larger Than
we're ever discovered in any other part OF
III. Mammoth Cave. and also q multitude
ofexuuisite formations a. pure and white
a. virgin snow. Making himself heard.
with great eff rt. by his triend<, he at
length asked them to pull him part of the
way up, intending TO stop on The way
and EXPLORE q cave that he had observed
opening about forty feet above the bot"
tom of the pit.
R~achIug the mouth Of the cave. he
swung himself with much exer'ion into il.
and holding the end Of the rope in his
hand, be incAuiously 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.
Son, however, he made a hook Of the
end Of hts lamp. and. by extending him
self as far over the verge as possible al h.
out falling, he succeeded in 81 curing the
rope. Fas ening it to rock. he followed
the avslue $50 ar 200 yards TO point
where he found il blocked up by an i'm
passah!e avalanche Of rock and earth.
Returning to the mouth uf this avenue.
he brheld an almost exactly similar
mouth Of another on the opposite side Of
the pit. but not being able To swing him
self into it, he refaSIened the rope around
his bo1y, suspended himself again over
the abyss aud shou,ed to his friends to
raise him TO the top. The pull vas Sc
we're on-, and the rope. being i'll adjusted
around his body. gave him the mo>t ex
eru,ia.lng pam. But soon his pain WAS
forg .tIrn in u new and DIE 'dful peril.
When he WAS 80 feet iron the mouth
Of the pit and 100 feet from the bottom.
swaying and swinging in mid-air. he
heard rapid and excited words of horror
and alarm above, and soon learned that
lhe rope By which he was upheld had
taxed FIRE from the friction of the ii Der
over which it passed. Several moments
OF awful suspense to those above and still
more awful to him below ensued. To
Ihem and him fatal aud instant catas
tr,,rhe seemed inevitable.