The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1867-09-26
Discovery Of n Singular Cave
In Hancock County.

/ ~S''NOfSAS vi a. SluytliHF cave
IN Hancock County.
Tho editor Of the Marysville
Tribune,spcaks tas follows Of the
newly discovered cave in Hancock
(or WyandoD county: "Many OF
our readers have no doubt noticed
an article going the rounds of the
newspapers giving an account of a
new cave lately discovered in Han
cock county, Ohio. 1t is located
within fifty yards of the road run
ming from Cary to Findlay, about
four miles from the latter plsee,
and near the town of Vanluc. Tn
our journey to Findl"y last week
we took carriage at Cary with Mr..
Thomas Jones, Of Pleasant Valley,
and several others, and being in.
formed by the driver of our near
approach to the cave we requested
him to stop and give us q chance
Tor examination. The cave is To-
Gated on the farm of Mr.. Kurtz,
and was discovered only few
weeks ago, in the following man
ner: Mr.. Kurtz was engaged in
plowing the field in which the
cave islocated, when he noticed the
horse breaking through the earth
with his feet. After passing over
with the plow, he began opening
the cavity, which is now large
enough at the surface to admit Of
an entrance. On looking into the
dark and fearful recess, our first
impulse was to shrink back. but on
being assured by the owner Of tho
land that a number of persons had
"gone down." we venturcd to be
more bold, and before VIC left both
Mr.. Jones and ourself had the
'reckless daring" 10 descend n
ladder about twelve feet, where wo
had a good opportunity of looking
down an apparently interminablc
black hole below. 1t looked aw.
fully hideous, and We rctrcated
back TO daylight, not frightened
but feeling easier. The field in
which the cave is located abounds
in singular kind of lime stone
rock, not usual in limestone locali.
ties. The rock does not lay in reg.
ular strata as is usually the case.
Tho entire earth for miles around
is covered with small boulders of
irregular shape and so thickly
strewn around that it is with diff
Guilty that plow can be kept in
the earth. These boulders increase
as you descend into the earth, and
about eighteen or twenty inches
below the surface they consolidate
into rock so that the entire pas
gage way into the cave, except
few inches at the mouth, is encas-
cd with solid rock. The cave has
had as partial exploration. Seto-
raj persons iave descended TO the
depth of seventy.fivo feet, where
they came to q lake of water,
which they fa.homed to the depth
Of about 60 feet but found no bot.
tom. Ladders, boats, and lamps
arc being manufactured and other
preparations making to give the
cave q thorough exploration in a
few days, when we shall have full
reports of its extent, and the Gu
riositics which may be disembow-
eled in that vicinity. 1t is consid-
cred great curiosity in the vicin-
ity, ana indeed it has awakened a
great interest for many miles a.
round, and hundreds of persons,
especially on Sunday, flock there
to see the wonderful curiosity"
We may state in this connection
that the country in this immediate
vicinity has very cavernous ap-
pearance. There arc numerous
places near by of indentations, or
concaves, on the surface Of the
earth, that have the appearance Of
having been caused by the giving
way of the earth beneath, and we
were likewise informed that those
places when run over with a wagon
give peculiar cavernous sound as
though the earth bonesth were hol-
low. A good gcologist could en-
ploy himself profitably in this vi
cinity for somo time, and perhaps
gain some information which
might not be so readily acquired
in any other locality.