American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1859-09-01
THE MAMMorH CAVE.
ny PROF. c. W. WRIGHT. OF toupvILLr
Tie Short Routs.

lOutn OF tnS OaVes lne slaeS Dt Wnlch are
rallied with rock. which. the saltpetre
obtained from the a or at
his point, AMI which is called the Mar
ows. the visitor enters the main cave,
which is six miles 10 length. and which
Taries from forty to one hundred feet IN
heighth, and from sixty TO three hundred
Ieet in width To making the Short
Route, visitors do not. asa general thing.
explore the msin cave further than The
S:af Cbamb.T. Fhe following are the
principal. objects ofeinlerest between the
OF the Cave aud the Cave and
the Star Chamber. ~
THE RoTUEDA.
The Rotunda is entered on leavin the
Narrows. The ceiling is one hundred
feet high, and its greatest diameter one
hundred and seventy Eve feet high. The
floor is streWn with the remains Of vals,
water-pipes and other materials used by
The salipetre miners in l8l2-l4. The
WOOD OF which they are composed shows
no indication Of decay. The ssltpetr'
does not exist as such in the Gave, but is
made oy dssolviDg the nitrate OF lime
found there. and bringing it in contact
with potashes were obtained elsewhere.-
To The right Of the Rotunda Audubon's S
Avenue leads OF for about hall 6 mi'e.
Millions Of bats collect in this avenue in
winter. The Rotunda Is situated under
the dining room Of the Cave Hotel.
THE METHODIST CHURCH..
On leaving the Rotunda. and passing
hNge overhangiug cliffs to the left, which
closely resemble the cliffs OF the Kentucky y
River. after which they are named. the
Methodist Church is entered. 1t is
eighty feet in diametT and fOrty fee, in
heighlh, Here. from the gallery or pull
pit. the Gospel was expounded more than
fifty years ago. The benches OF logs oc-
cupy the same position which they dill
when first placed 10 the Church. and are
perfectly preserved.
GIANTS coTFIN. ANT EATER, ETC.
After leaving the Gothic Galleries,
which lead to the Gothic Avenue, OF which
we will have occasion to write further on,
the Grand ASch is entered. This Arch
is fifty feet high and sixty wide. 1t is
smooth, and is composed Of white lime
stone.
The Giants Coffin is a huge rock, forty
feet long. fifteen feet wide, and eight fee
in depth, and, at the point at which il is
viewed. presents a striking resemblance
toa coffin. It has, been detached from The
side oil the avenue against which it rests
The avenue at ths foot OF the GIant''
Coffin leads inbo the Deserted Chambers
On the ceiling little TO the left OF the
Giants Coffin. and looking into, the De
serted Chambers, is the figure OF Soull
American Ant eater. 1t is composed o
an tfflorescence Of black gypsum, and rest'
upon a back groun'l Of wtite lime. stone
The resemblance Of the figure to the ami
NAL after which il is named is complete
A short distance beyond the Giants
Coffin. after passing what is Gale the
Acute Angle, q group Of figures may be
observed on ceiling. which is termed the
Giant. Wife and Child. These figures
ara in a sitting posture. and thu Giant ap
pears to be in tho act OF passing the Child
to the GiantesS. They are also composec
OF black gypsum, which rests upon Z
whits background.
Still further on the figure Of colossa
mammoth may be observed on the ceiling
From the Giants Coffin to the mouth
Of the Cave. wheel tracks, aud the i'm
preston. Of the feet Of oxen may be seen
which were made nearly City yelrs ago
The earth at the time, these Impressions
were left. was moist, as most Of il ha'
been lixiviated, in the manufacture Of s4lt
petre, but at the present time il is per
foctly dry, and almost Of The consistency
OF stone. From the Acute Angle to th,
Star Chamber, several cottages whiel
were formerly inhabited by consumptiyes
arc still to be seen.
THE STAR CHAMBER.
The Star Chamber IL situated in III,
main cave. II is sixty feet in heigSlh
seventy ir width and five hundred Il