Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-22
A NashviIIian at Mammoth Cave.


To the Editors of the Union and American:
MAMMOTH CAVE, Aug. 49, MessrsI
Editors land other members of the
"Can't Get Away Club"): Perhaps line
from this hole in the ground will not be
unacceptable. Dear old Kingston was
filed to overlooking, and hundreds of our
fellow-citizens were sweltering in Nash
vile under the July sun, utterly at loss
where to go, when q thought struck me
that should return to this spot after an
interval of about quarter of century.
The Cave Hotel is kept by Messrs Proc
tor & Son, very clever and aecammoN
dating gentlemen, with whom | fad no
fault except that they stand in their own
light in not advertising more extensively.
Before | left Nashville, had heard that
the Cave charges were four dollars per
day, and this alarming idea very nearly
deprived me of my visit, for the results
of our late misunderstanding with the
Northern section has left very few Nash~
vile people able to indulge in the luxs
ury of a summer recreation which makes
such daily break into five dollar bill.
This is a most delightful summering
Mace. with comfortable, well furnished
cabins, fine shade trees, good music, enor-
nous porticOes, fine table, good SER
wants of the old style, and cave which
is one of the wonders of the world; the
rate is Sl3 so per week, and all within
five hours travel of Nashville There
has been no night during this month that
was warm enough to render blankets
unnecessary; and there are but few bugs,
candle flies, beetles or other winged
denominations which render most country
places insufferable at night. Taken all in
all, there are more things to render Mann
moth Cave delightful summer resting
place than can be described in q letter.
The main drawback to the place is that
people do not seem to appreciate its sur-
roundings; the great majority OF visitors
come to see the cave and that is all A
party arrive at breakfast time, hurry
through the short route that day, on the
next, do the long route, return used up
retire for the night only to be home early
next morning They remind one OF
the man who arrived at Niagara; askes
the hotel clerk when the next train went
hack: finding that it would be 10 fifteen
minutes, posted down to the river, re-
turned in ten minutes and hurried home
thanking God that he had seen the great
Falls Very few persons really see the
cave, the sterotyped routes, the long anC
the short, are all that are general,
shown, whereas, the great curioslhes o
the grand cave lie outside of the trip:
ordinarily taken. Visiting and exhibit
ing the cave has ceased to be of any in
terest to the guides, and it is onl.
nv persuasion that we induce
, one of them to conduct US to the grea
sights. Yesterday party Of four ladie
and as many gentlemen (yOur correspon
, dent included) visited place called tn
Mammoth Dome" of which | had ofte
heard, but did not much believe Ii
!, Very few ladies ever get to see this cur
osity once, and still fewer have the entel
mise to attempt a second visit Dant
in his Inferno, writes over the entranC
to hell, aye who enter here, leave hoI
5 behind" A friend suggests that ovt
the entrance to Mammoth Dome shou
n he engraved, aye who enter here, lea'
l. hoops behind" 1t is very difficult
e access, though well worth visit, for
such appalling vision can elsewhere
re seen, except in some dreadful nlghtmar
shall not attempt a description, for
y ia simply indescribable. Ordinarily &
- guides rather exaggerate the wonders
~ the Cave for instance, one OF them
sures me that if 1 will 90 in with him
dozen miles or so, he will show me
opening about the size of the Pub
Square in Nashville | suppose l sh
N. find it in reality embracing a couple
as acres but the "Mammoth Dome is I
to exaggerated. 1t is said to be 2oO I.
oil high. We had no means OF measure
eI it, but with all the illumination we we
oo able to get up at the bottom, we w
70 unable to see the top Of the roof
20 There are many other remarkable o
ID iects to be seen by the adventure
al explorer, but the majority of visitors hi
~ are like the Englishman who did La
= Geneva; the carriage of the excurs
party to which he belonged, being OF
regular omnibus pattern, in which
tourist happened to get seat on the
next the water. As the trip exten'
entirely around the lake, the views W
of not especially satisfactory, but John /
ity made the tour and was entirely delight
,as During my sojourn, there has been
for ties here from all parts ofthe county,
ali agree, with more or less empha
that the cave is charming beautiful,
licious, grand, gloomy, peculiar and "
correspondent adds in tho express
E & language of Capt Dixon in the 81
sas, Lion, ~ "dam'd foine + -
300 | might add that Mammoth 7
ing. (paradoxical as it may seem) is eele'
for ted for its eclipses-we had one her
20, the 9TH inst. which was total, and .
slhc gether superior to any thing of the
~ ~ d / had ever seen before, and | have
q Of opportunity seeing eclipseS in all P
OF the country As our only optical
struments consisted of bits Of SIM
window glass, leave to other obser'
scientific remarks touching coronas,
from scurations, RailBy's beads, etc,
~ close with an assurance that, ike
go wonders of the cave, il it was II
80 "damnd foine'
II When Is the next voting to be Dc
= - have recently got possession of q p
!, q which causes me TO take interes
NJ elections, so await to know. \ Q