Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1866-08-29
Remarkable Cave In WestmOre-
land County.

railroad, In estmOreland county,
says the Blairsviile New Era, there is
natural cave, called by the early set
tiers the Beer Cave, which name it
retains to the present day. Why it
has received this name is more than
we can tell. We were fortunately one
of a party who visited this cave some
four years ago, and its features are
lndellbly impressed upon our memory.
The party consisted of six persons, all
of whom were provided with hook
lamps, twine, firearms, and each an
old suit of clothes for entering TAX
ing the train at Blairsville, we alighted
at Hillside, and after refreshing walk
OF halt an hour up the gradual slope
of the Chestnut Ridge to the south
and east, reached the mouth of the
cave, which at first sight appeared to
be nothing more than an opening amid
large mass Of towering, moss covered
rocks, into which the most timorous
was reluctant to enter. DOnning our
old clothes, lighting our lamps, and
tieIng the outer end of the twine
firmly at the mouth of the cave, en-
tered the subterranean passage, carry
ing the ball with us, unwinding it as
we proceeded After traversing q
straight but narrow court or alley for
about three hundred feet, you come to
a room out of which lead a dozen or
more passages, each one in a different
point in the cave. We selected what
appeared to be most capacious one,
and entered to the end of our twine,
some l 400 yards, or three-fourths of a
mile
The explorer is at once reminded of
his insigniticance, as he stands amid
such wondrous works of nature, those
massive rocks on either hand being
capable Of crushing him to death
should a certain earthly agitation cause
them to quit their places Or, as he
leans tremblingly over the verge of
deep and narrow chasm, listening to
the faint sound of the gurgling water
below, he feels q chill of horror as be
c0ntemplates his tragic end should
mishap hurl him into Its depths. This
cavern is Of curious structure, being so
formed as to admit OF exploration
either way you wish to 90, to the right
or left, up or down. Streams of pure
spring water course down through
rocky ledges, and nestle in artificial
reservoirs at their base, giving an air
Of comfort to the dirt begrimed ex-
plorer The rocks forming the sides
and ceilings of the different rooms and
and passages are set with the stalac-
tites, shedding off a strange Iustre
when brought in contact with the light
The sandy rocks are literally covered
with names from all parts of the coun-
try, and dated as early as 1920
A number Of years ago lady from
Pittsburg lost herself in the cave and
being unable TO regain the course to
the mouth, perishcd; her whitened
bones were found few years after
ward by an exploring party, being the
only vestige left to tell of her unhappy
fate. She had probably entered the
cave unguided, and thus unthinkingIy
subjected herself to an awful death by
starvation.
Nothing can be more striking to the
lover of romance in nature, than this
u ulf hISIOl ~ CahS L u6 uisCON CISE -
not known, and it may be this was
one of the accustomed haunts of
savage band of Indians, and more lat
terly the rendezvous ola den ofthieves,
who infested this county in 1852. 1t
has never been explored to its fullest
extent, but it seems to cover large
area, as our party crossed their twine
two or three times. For some dis
tance, perhaps rod or more in certain
/ places, 1t narrows down to a small cir
cular hole, perhaps two feet or more
J IN diameter, and then into a large spa
clous room. Shaped in the rocks are
/ to be seen the outlines of snakes. liz
ards, and other curious shaped reptiles.
and occasionally the marks OF human
/ feet and hands in the solid rocks
once supposed to be of soft clay. Bats,
both white and black, are found, which
set up terrible screeching upon the
approach of the light, thing to which
they are unaccustomed