The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-07-28
wYANDOTT : GAVE
WHERE 1T Is AND HOW TO GET
THERE.
What We Saw Therein and There's
abOuts.

Many 20 thousands of miles from
home to seek the curious and beautI-
full in nature, when there are objects
of greater interest and scenery more |
grand right at their very doors. Such |
is the case with our own people.
Many go to the lakes of the North, the
Upper Mississippi, the Hudson, Nj
agara, Minnehaha, St. Anthony and
other places celebrated in poetry and
in song, when the hills and valleys
on theron along the Ohio and Wyan-
dotte Cave itself, possess as much
of beauty and grandeur as either of
the former.
The Louisville and Henderson pack I
cts leave here every evening and
pass Leavenworth the following eve
ming. and by taking passage on either
pleasant trip may be made; but as
the Morning Star, with Capt. Gilmore
| in command, with a corps of the most
popular assistants, is the tayorlte
| hereabouts, we would recommend
her. Capt. @. was raised near the
Cave, and knows more cave talk than
any one man on the river, and besides
| he is knowledgable in all other things
| that go to make steamboat trip
pleasant One thing struck us as
singular, the more he told US about
| the cave the more the ladies of our
party wanted to see it. We suppose
it must have been the natural cHriOs
/ ifu of the sex.
The Star landed us at Leavenworth,
! the county seat Of Crawford County,
about five miles from the Cave, where
we remained all night at the Ouer-
hacker Hotel. kept by Mrs. Hum
| phrey, a kind old lady of German
antecedents, who made it very pleas
ant for US, and furnished US with
conveyance to the Cave the next
morning after hearty breakfast, and
where VIC arrived at about 81 o'clock.
i Our ride was rough but very exhil-
Grating in the cool morning air. The
hill and valleys back of Leavenworth
/ are very picturesque, and looked
beautiful to US, who were not used to
such scenery. Large stacks of already
cut wheat, and fields of growing corn
covered the hillsides and valleys of
the Ohio and Blue Rivers The pros
poets for a bountiful crop was never
better. We saw much fruit along our
route, and the farmers looked good
natured at the prospect Of full gran
aries.
At the top of a rocky hill We found
Gave Hotel" just completed and
opened by the Messrs. Rothrock.
They are, as the denizens of Leaven-
worth say, "sons of the old man, F"
and deserve much credit for the adj
mirable manner in which they look
to the comfort of guests. The house
is built near the mouth of the Cave,
and as both the Messrs. b. act as
guides, not much time Is lost in pre-
parations for the descent into the
Cave. Our ladies had brought with
them clothing suitable for an under
ground journey, and after a little
time emerged from the house, sans
crinoline, sans bonnets, and with
handkerchiefs about their heads,
q To- AfricdRe, their appearance was
anything but aristocratic, but we all
thought the costume both simple and
effective, and after the usual stale
jokes, usually passed upon such occa-
sions, without further preliminaries,
we proceeded to the mouth of the
cave.
We would here suggest to ladies
visiting the cave, that a suit of gray
flannel, made short, q la Boomer,
would be Just the thing to take for the
occasion, and with a good strong pair
of leather shoes and some kind of a
hood to wear on the head, they would
suffer no more inconvenience in going
through than the men folks"
Our guide, Mr.. III. A. Rothrock,
Joined US here. He did not seem to
regard it as much Of an undertaking
to go through, but unconcernedly and
with great sang frOid, lit his light -
and doue IN. We followed, with each
lighted candle in hand, but not
} without apprehensions that before
our return some great CONFUSION OF
, nature might take place which would
close the entrance, which was not
very large at best, and shut US in
i forever.
!, As we proceeded, single file, at a
sharp downward course, these feel
ings left US, and as the beauties OF
: the cave opened before US, feelings oil
admiration took the place of our
e fears.
: Until 1851, only what is known as
the Old Cave" was known. 1t is
y five miles In length, and there are
f many objects of interest to be seen
y but nothing compared with the New
q Cave. After proceeding about half q
: mile from the entrance, the old cave
d branches to the left, and the new one
; opens to the right, through what is
8 called the F." Scuttle." The new cave
: is so much the more interesting thai
D visitors usually explore it in prefer.
4 ence to the old. Such was our deci.
/ sion, after a council of some minutes
t The ladies, on being assured that
there were more difficulties to over.
E come in the new than In the ole
! cave, decided that they would rather
: go through it, and we went.