The Oxford intelligencer., 1860-07-18
For the oxford lnrelligencer
Green River VaIIey-BOwiing Green,
Kentucky Caves, &c.


hour or two after leaving Nashville brough
us into old Kentuck. The mountains wer,
left in the distance, and on we went, flying
over the Green River Valley. 1t is not al
rich as some other parts of the State, bu
the land is very good and the crops look well
The oats will yield less in proportion thar
any other grain. 1t is not only short, bu
the heads are very light.
We stopped at Bowling Green to call Oh
an old class mate, and you, Mr.. Editor, know
enough of college boys, TO require very little
of imagination TO picture the glorious times
we had in discussing those halcyon days spent
together at our Alma Mater.
This place is very much like Oxford in the
manner in which it is built; the Court
House in the centre and the town spreading
out in every direction from it. 1t is larger,
however, and their grass meadows, covered
with the finest cattle, are decidedly in al
vance of anything we can present in that
line. EVERYBODY seemed to be taking an ac-
tive part in politics; but Breckenridge is,
without doubt, far in the lead in this section.
On Monday morning we were off for the
caves" There are two points where visitors
get ofl,-caye City and Bells Station. The
hotel at the City is the largest, but Bells is
much nearer the caves, and Mr.. PRocroR,
who has charge of the Station, is as kind
and attentive to the wants of his visitors as
any one could wish.
Besides the Mammoth Cave, which is
known, not only throughout the United
States, but Europe, there are two others
v yhich have not been explored until recently,
though their existence have been known for
many years They are called Hundred
Domcs and Diamond. We had been thro'
the Mammoth, and were discussing which of
The others we would 90 to first. While thus
hating between two opinions, we were intro
duccd, by friend, to Mr. KELIoS I. PEDDl-
CORD, the interchangeable explorer Of the Hun
drcd Dome Cave. Ills gentlcmanly bearing
so interested us that we at once determined
to go with him, and explore, or rather under
his guidance, take view of the world under
ground.
After going about mile and a half, only,
from the Station, we arrived at the mouth of
the Cave. 1t is on hillside, about two
hundred wards from the bottom and not
quite so far from the top. Here we were
dressed in thicker clothing, to suit the colder
atmosphere of the Cave, and furnished with
lamps to light us through the Plutonian re-
gions.
will Just mention here, that the atmos-
phcrc within the Cave is always the same
winter AMI summer not causing degrees
difference in Entrance Hall or the one immc-
diatcly in connection with the outside atmos-
phcrc. 1t is pleasant, " temperate" atmos-
phcrc, and so bracing that you would travel
hour after hour without fatigue over a coun-
try, the roughncss of which would frightcn
even an effort under other circumstances.
But let us enter this hole in the ground"
(by which we have been standing cooling off
for some timc,) and see what we will sce-
We descend, by a stairway, about cigty feet,
when We reach the Entrance Chamber. 1t is /
quite large room, forty-iivc by fifty-ivc, and
is furnished with fine plank floor, and prop
erly arranged for parties to engage in "trip .
LIE
choose such novel place for the perform
ancc On the right of this is Solomon's
Throne, an immense mass of stalactites, and
presenting an appearance Of massiycness and
grandeur uncqualcd by anything the eye ever
bchcld. On the left is Genii's Retreat, with
its miniature caves, grottocs, arbors, arches,
and all decorated with the most beautiful sta
Iactitcs, stalagmitcs AMI incrstations.
From this room there are five avenues lea.
ling in different directions, aud each posses
sing its own peculiar beauties, and presenting
entirely different formations. But though
The formations arc beautiful, they arc not the
attraction Of the Cave.
The name of the Cave indicates that for
which it cxccls, viz: its Domes. They are
Utmost without number. The most celebra-
cd are Cleopatra. Everett, Clay, Eureka, Ken
ucky, Byron, Kane, Flnted, and United
States Grand Dome.
Many of these are Of immense height, and
llthough our lamps were aided on several oc-
.asions by the fine Bengal lights our Guide
5 always supplied with, vet, beyond this
terc was darkness and inpchetrable gloom.
In one Of them, five hundred feet from the
loor, our Guide has fixed pulley, over which
le has fastened a rope. Here he took all
he lamps from us, and tying them to hook ;
tarted them up, and up, up, they went, re- Z
ealing masses of rock, immense stalactites j
nd uncxplored openings on each side; and
t the last, leaving height beyond still
yrapt in unfathomable darkness. How he I
ver managed to fasten that pulley no mortal I
ould tell, unless it is that the party who {
ycre in the day before us were right in their
oniecturc, that it was fastened to tree on {