Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-03-01
sUHrEHRANEAN NAsuvrLLE.
ITS Great Cayerns and UnexpiOr0d
Passages - what an Underground
Traveller Saw aud Heard.
That we Of Nashville are living upon

! or cayerns, has long been surmised b,
t. geologists, and somewhat unwillingly con
}. coded by the more intelligent Of our com
: munity, but ofthe extent, positions, entran
;. ces, etc, of the same, we have until now
3 remained in almost total ignorance Ten.
nessee chronicles tell of the "witehery o
the Indians in approaching and attacking
! the village of Nashboro and neighboring
, posts, springing like rabbits a. il were,
from the earth, and when repnsed. vanish
ing before the very eyes of their pursuers."
The more modern records of our city give
numerous instances of sudden and concert
ed raids of strange, lawless elements in orr
, midst, which for time defied suppression.
or even detection, vanishing at length
without cause, none knowing whittier
Our readers remember the wonders pur-
ported TO have been seen few wears since
by some explorer, who made his way be
meath the city from a concealed passage
near the river. His terrible walk ia the
crypts Of our city foundations appeared
in print, and at the time promised some
Thing of an extended revelation. Those
of ms who remained at home during the
late war will recollect a species of nnde
fined dread which at times perVaded the
y ranks Of the higher officials at this posi-
how they dropped vague hints OF under.
/ ground communications with the "enemy."
In fact Truesdaie had special sqnad of
| detectlYes-the "cats to watch suspi
cious holes and eaVerns. This force once
alarmed the entire garrison hy the wild
| report that two columns OF COnfederates
were issuing from certain cellars in the
| heart OF the city. But little over two wears
| ago our people were nearly crazed with
curiosity 10 ascertain why military guard
was stationed day and night over certain
tomb IA The city graveyard, and 4 cleft in |
| the rocks along the Nashville and Decatur
railroad, about half mile distant.
few Of ns who were in the confidence
| OF the knowing ones" during the war.
| lived for a short period in deadly fear that
troops, citizens and city would be blown 10
atoms by the explosion of that ark of gun [
powder known az the great magazine. For
days, dull conclusions and rumbling sounds |
had been heard in the neighborhood. and /
jets ct smoke had been seen 10 escape from
cracks and tssures in the vicinity. Ii 1
was thought that secret sappers were blast
ing tunnel beneath. CONSERVATION among X
shoulder straps the removal Of headquar- h
tiers, etc, ensued.
So long have We heard these stories
seen water COURSES and drains disappear in
the earth laid open great assures and /
small caVerns IN excavaung cellars, etc,
that the belief Is now general that the /
foundations of orr city are honeycombed
with channels and galleries, exceeding in
extent the catacomEs Of Paris and Rome
1t has been left, however, TO this late day
for ns to chronicle anything like reliable
advance into the heart Of this mystprious |
region. WegiYe the gist of the -narrator's
own words as jotted down by him at our
request:
on remember Of my telling you, some
weeks since, Of the giving way of the earth
IN the west corners of orr cellars, leaving |
exposed what appeared to he the mouth of a |
small cave. limited at the time of purpose
to explore the same, and promised to give
you the result of my adventures. On last |
Sunday equipped with a Ratchet, | CROPPED
into the dismal place, resolved to find the
termination Of it If il had one Descending
some ten feet over fallen earth and broken
stones, found myself in the centre OF an
irregular passage, cholzed up at one end by
the slide before mentioned, and winding off
IN The gloom opposite with considerable |
dip southwark. Proceeding along this
passage about eighty yards, emerged into
a more spacious gallery, whore | was fear
fol Of an explosion, so strong was the scent |
Of escaping gas. i hurried aloag this, after
leaving my coil of rope, to make the !
turning without taking time to look about | ,
me, and as the air gradually grew purer,
found myself entering an immense hall, | ,
the roof and opposite side of which was s
unable to make out BY my faint light f
The floor here consisted of great blocks
and slabs of Limestone, lying in all con
oeiyable positiona, with black, ugly water !
gurgling down among them. Leaving a 6
lighted candle at this point / made my I,
way BY jumping from slab to slab AT one
point | could plainly hear the rumbling of III
cars or vehicles overhead, and thought | t
could see faint glimpse Of day above. / {
at length reached the opposite side of the n
cavern, and on looking back to calculate | y
the distance, could Just discern the lighted | '
candle had left. now stead on kind | a
ofnarrow she'll, jntiing out from the per- r
pendienlar walls, which here made sharp | n
turn to the right. While haliing in doubt f
whether 10 retreat OF 50 forward, | heard h
sounds approaching sqaeais and | {.
a pattering Of countless little feet Aamy
hair sprung GA end, and before | could
conjecture the cause, or make mOVementto | ?
avoid il, The rocks about me were covered :,
by a stream of rats, whose eyes sparkled
like diamonds "a the filthy crew swarmed Il
next 10 me. A laugh at nv temporary c
fright inspired me with new courage and | \
rounding the angle I pressed slowly on 7
ward ! now found branching off from \
the main cavern numerous passages, into h
several of which | proceeded a short dis | n
lance. la one OF these | discovered an Il
iron shaft descending from above into the
rocks beneath, and from certain sounds in
the same, concluded 1t to be the tubing of
4 we'll. Through a small creyice in another, "a
/ Could see the interior OF walled cham ?
her family lighted from above, but had no @
time TO investigate further. Returning 10 the .,
main cavern, proceeded around the shelly !,
ing, which gradually grew narrower at a
every step. The floor beneath and to the r.
left of me vas here entirely covered with
water, which had a percepible current,
and from the sounds given back by a n
fallen stone, judged to he Of considerable
depth. v
"Here, too,a fresh current of air met me c
bringing with il distant vet deep and con ri
tinuous rumble of falling water. A few n
Steps luFihtF, anu NV pain was entirely cOl II
of by the projection Of mass Of rock, Il
down the perpendicular face of which
slowly flowed cataract of fifth, the con-
tents, doubtless, Of some broken river. g
Pausing here, and elevating two candles Il
far above my head, peered away into the y
gloom beyond, hnt only the dark water n
aud Shiny rocks were to be seen.
had new grown chill, and a nameless ,
fear smote me with a kind of ague.
hastily sealed myself upon the narrow
ledgs, while phantem forms seemed to
dance about me, Lights fit to and fro, and
horrid gibberings come from black recesses.
! Thought of stories had read of men he
ing buried aliTe ia such places, Of being
deyoured by. rats, or going mad from the
force of oYerwrought fancies, and ! clHng 4
like q wretch 10 tue stones about me
How ] ever summoned up courage, and
made my way back TO daylight again,
cannot tell, ion the first thing | remember
was standing in our cellar, drinking FROM
~ panly Of hrfffa of po,,rbor |