Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1862-10-22
T~rrific Adventure an thc
Mammoth Cave.

Journal of 1853. The hero of the adj.
venture was the son of Mr.. Prentice of
the journal who was recently killed
AT the supposed end of what has al
ways been considered the longest avenue
of the Mammoth Cave. nine miles from
its entrance. there is pit, dark and deep
and terrible, known as the MaeIstrom.-
Tens of thousands have gazed into it
with awe whilst bengal lights have been
thrown down to make its fearful depths
visible, but none ever had the daring to
explore it. Tho celebrated guide Steph-
en- who was deemed inaccessible to fear,
was offered six hundred dollars by the
proprietors of the Cave if he would des-
cend to the bottom of it. but no sllrank
from the peril. A few years ago Ten
nessee professor, a learned and bold man,
resolved to do what no. one before him
had dared do, and, making his arrange
ments with great care and precaution, he
had himself lowered down, by strong
rope hundred feet, but, at that point
his courage failed him and he called aloud
to be drawn out. No human power, cod
ever have induced him to repeat the APP
palling experiment. .s
A couple of weeks ago, however. a
young gentleman of Louisville, whose
nerves nevor trembled ut mortai peril, be
ing at the Mammoth Cave with Profess
sor Wright of our city and others, deter
mined. no matter what the dangers
might be, to explore the depths of tfc
Maelstrom. Mr.. Proctor, the euterpris-
| ,ng proprietor Of the Gave, sent to Nash
vile end procured leng rope OF great
strength expressly for the puroose. The
rope and some neccssarp tirnbefs were
borne by the guides and others TO the
point of exploration. The arrangement
being soon completed, the rope, with a
heavy fragment of rock attached 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 continued
reverbrntions, rising up like distant thun-
der from below. proclaimed the depth of
the horrid chasm. Then the young hero
of the occasion, with several hats drawn
over his head to protect it as far as posi-
bic against any masses falling from above,
and with light in his hand aud 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 Cimmeri-
an gloom.
We have heard from his own lips An
account of his descent. Occasionally
masses of rock went whizzing past, but
none struck him. Thirty or forty feet
from the top he saw q ledge, from which
as hejudged by appearances, two or three
avenues led off in different directions
About hundred feet from the top cat
aract from the side of the pit went rush
ing down the abyss, and, rs he was in
the midstsof the spray, he felt some APP
qrehension that his ght would be extin-
guished, but his care prevented this. He
was landed at the bottom of the pit, q
hundred and ninety feet from the top -
He found it almost perfectly circular,
about eighteen feet in diameter, with a
small opening at one point, leading to a
fine chamber Of no great extent. He
found on the floor beautiful specimens Of
black slick of immense size, vastly lar.
ger than were ever discovered in any 9th.
er part of the Mammoth Cave, and also
a multitude of exquisite formations as
pure and white as the virgin snow Ma
king himself heard, with great effort, by
his friends. bo at length asked them tc
pull him partly up, intending TO stop or
his way and explore cave that he had
observed opening abont forty feet above
the bottom Of the pit a.
Reaching the mouth of that cave, he
swung himself with much exertion into
it, and holding the end of the rope II
his hand, he incaut:ously let it go, and i
swung out apparently above his reach
The situation was fearful one, and hi
friends above could do nothing for him
Soon, however, be made a hook of thu
end of his lamp, and, by extending him
self at far over the verge as possible with
out falling. he succeeded in securing tn,
rope. Fastening it to rock, he follow
ed the avenue $50 or 200 yards to ,
point where be found it blocked by M
impossible avalanche of rock and earth
Returning to the mouth Of this cave, ht
beheld an almost exactly similar mouth
of another on the opposite side of the
pit, he fastened the rope around his DO
dy, suspended himself again over The
abyss. and shouted to his friends to raise
him to tho top. The pull was an ex
ceedingly severe one, and the rope. being
i'll adjusted around his body. gave him
the most excruciating pain. But soor
his pain was forgotten in new and
readiuhperil. slen a'
| When ne WIS 90 feet from the n,outl
Of tie pit, and 100 from the above
swayiug and swinging in mid-air, h.
heard rapid ard excited words of horror
and alarm above. and soon learned tha,
! the rope by which he was upheld had ia.
ken fire from the friction of the timber
over which passed. Several moments
of awful suspense to those above, and still
more awful to him below ensued. To
| them and to him fatal and instant ca.
tastrophe seemed inevitable. But the