Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1861-01-18

of the town, and the blaze of our campfire
after dark attracted to our tent a few Of the
most PROMINENT citizens Of the place, who
owned that the " City had seen better days."
but the mines in the vicinity were worked
out and visitors did not now flock to see the
Cave as formerly, "whcn Old KRoNK kept
the Eldorado, and his wife and darters ust'r
fiddle an dance--reckon they couldn't jist
ketch up the bow an play off Ole Dan
Tucker or Injun eat a woodchuck, jist as
nateral---oh no, no chance mo chance put
them to do good fddlin'!" What! could
the old lady and her daughters play the
violin " Play the cioleen' oh no, no chance.
couldn't jist rake out jigs, csmarilders, con-
tillons, mazukeys and wallses by the hatfall,
an play break-downs squar up to the hand
le--no chance?" tvts E
In the morning we found the "guide"
and started for the Cave, which is situated in
a low ridge Of primary limestone, and distant
some three hundred yards from the town.
This cave was discovered in 1852, by a
Frenchman, who located it, (that is stuck up
a notice claiming it,) but was too timid to
venture to explore it. It was soon after
dumped" by Mr.. SMITH, the present pro-
prietor, who explored it and brought it into
notice. The entrance is Immediately at the
base of the hill, on level with the road, and
has been somewhat widened by artificial
means and fitted with a door, which is kept
locked. After passing through the door we
were each furnished with lighted candle,
by our guide, who now led the way down a
long, low hall in which we were unable to
stand upright. Soon, however, we found
oursclvesgin long irregular room with dark
holes ana passages branching off in all dircc-
tons. Here we found circular shelves pro-
jecting from the walls one above another to
the ceiling with huge columns irregularly
carved and scolloped as by the action of
water, but all Of dull brown color and there
fore of no great beauty. Turning to the right
and going down short fight of stairs, we
came to very large room, but only some
seven or eight feet in hight, the whole roof
Of which was completely hung with long,
slender stalactites Of light brown color
Leaving this we passed into room fifty feet
long by fifteen in width, where We found the
stalactites Of huge proportions, many being
two feet in diameter and reaching from floor
to ceiling and Of a pure, snow white. The
roof was some ten to fifteen feet high except
in the centre where it was at least forty, and
thickly hung with beautiful icicle-like, con-
cretions ten or more feet in length. Passing
around huge column that was completely
hung round with stalactitcs, and which pre-
scntcd the appearance of a great tree with its
every twig and scale of bark pendent with
glittering icicles, an immense circular apart
ment opened to our view. Our few candles
did not afford sufficient light to illuminate
but small portion of this vast dome shaped
room, and for this reason very much of the
grandeur which the scene would otherwise
have presented was lost to us. The feeble
rays Of our half-dozen candles failed to reach
the lofty ceiling, which must have been at
least eighty feet high and through which in
one place ray Of daylight glittered like a
lone star in midnight sky. In the centre
Of this room tall mast or pole was planted
with an apparatus for hosting lights, similar
to the centre pole of circus, but our French
guide could not, or would not understand
that we wished him to "hst the Illumination" ("
and about all we could get him to say du-
ring our underground journey was" Zee
shcntlemen will please for not to preak of
zee cicles; zee shendlcmen mus not put zee
sings in zee pocketr ....
The floor Of this apartment was somewhat
lower in the centre than on the outer edges
near the walls, and composed Of loose earth
and fallen stalactitcs. The walls were futed
and grooved and Of alabaster whitencss, with
inches ornate with curious knobs and pen
dents. Leaving this room through a narrow
door and descending short flight of stairs,
(art,ficial) we find q long hall with plain, fiat
walls almost entirely destitute Of ornament,
branching off at right angles from which is a
long, low and narrow room, extending back
to SO great distance that all is lost in dark
ness. In this room, at the distance of few
feet from the main hall, stands large and
regularly proportioned table, composed of a
single slab supported on short pillars of stone,
and crouched upon it is a concrction of the
purest white, having the semblance of goat,
with long white beard falling quite down
to the table on which the figure is crouched.
This figure needed but very little aid from,
the imagination: with background Of the
pitchy darkness beyond, and the light Of all
our candles concentrated upon its snowy sur
face in front, we could hardly believe we were
not standing before the work Of sculptor
not one out Of a thousand would name this
figure anything but "the goat' When VIC
asked If there was name for the image, he
replied, -" Zees is call zee Beely Cote-zee
sheep vot have zee perad, zee cootec." Leav.
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