, 1870-05-23
IOWA..
Discovery Of: ! Wonderful Cave.
An Exploration Of Six Hours and the
End net Reached

An Exploration Of Six Hours and the
| End net Reached
The Architecture of Mature.
Correspondence u 1.hs Chicago 7fiou,sx
DEBCQug, May ld, 1870,
4 cave OF wonderful. interest and beauty haa
recently been discovered about ai1 miles west
Of Dubuque. It has aken the nAme os
:. Ricets Ca7o" from its dfscoverer. While
mining for lead ore. afr. Rice opened 3 nar1ow
passage which he followed about seven hun
drcd feet This opened into large room, con-
nected by narTow passages with many othcrs,
which he followed distance Of about LOCO
| feet, where the cave seemed to terminate. Re-
| tracing his steps he traced the course OF the
/ cave along the surface Of: the bluffs, to the
! furthest point which he had reached in his or
plorations. ;,
Here he sunk shaft to the depth Of about
thirty feet, which opened into the caro- near
! its termination. r.. -
our party, consisting OF Eve persons, in
Guiding our guide, descended this shaft, and
entered narroH passage. which: We followed
| about one hundred feet, uha1e it expands into
large nall one hundred feet long, forty to
fifty wide, and ten to fifteen high.
Tho first Impression ID one OF loneliness, for
| VIC a1o not Jet accustomed to the change from
the clear sunlight Of MONDAY and the beauti-
fui and varied scenery, which few moments
! ago met our gaze On every hand, to the dark,
) =
ca1cumsct1bed Limits Of this "sub-terEa"
World. -
but . lew moments will dlspei all the gloom
aud loneliness, Tor as We LOOK about the walls
We tlnu them everywhere ornanented With sta
;hcntes OF gteas oeauts. We look mp to the
too1 ano' nhe immature sly, VIC lind it stud
neo anu spane.ea "atn ofoe o1 the most brill
1ans , iuAoe' Anost inc ontire fopf Is covered
'.n ...n 'no nost oensa'e nho oeaut1a! mcfnsta-
.,oos 81 "nlte casoonate Oh hme, formed by
eao s.o% rsasaH pssaaA'on u ".les ,neoaee tne
I:.n. po1oea soun" nantsne hse,J pas.e leaves LIB
Ae aspoa.. y. paie ~ VI nne' 1hls
~. 10 ,..:n" ~ " SAUL
Ae. ~ Ausaess a.u iuss, winch nasnea Ds Inc
's,s y. 49, - ss.eeu ND W. 80 oA'
,ao,;,,-,a ~ ~, ,,,7s ~ .t1,,t fa- ~
~. 49, 49, ~;a,,t 49, 49,, .sh;s1. - 0Ss.noo.
r,I;5I- 40 on1 onida infn,,na7 10 49, 49,
a.t". - 80 - -. !'-ss,,aa .t4:s - ~. 1ne
-. -" - - eo10t1 '-no
,1rnnoh ,,.-.o1 -. ~ xna.1,,. -. 49,.
I,-oa .. ~ e-st t1ouII x.a,t;.. :. =, -
.a5 r.o.5sxt,1 bn.r,tE r., ~. -. s-ss =.
~ ..tro~,;.x, -, ~. t,.n.h - -. ~
,,-o..eS r.s,;.,,. ,.ss;,. t,..e,,s, 1s.s. .o "o
re sN ee e.e e- t1ons,
-1.4eo" f'seeea' 80 :. "4.0
We come 10 Where the cave Il too much OBJ
st1ucted 70 proceed with pleasure We have
UaFe1sed the care thus 1Ar ABOUT haf mile.
Ihe cool, 6rae'ngt air hxs given us keen
appetite, and We Tetrace our steps to the ante
room for lunch. Thus fortified No enter the
loft hand branch by nauow passage. A little
stopping and crawling soon bring Ms into
more spacious apz1tnents. Hnra the entire
sides and roofs are covered with -snoB-
White stalactites and frost-Iike enc1uata-
tions Of carbonate Of lime and gyp-
Bum- In many parts Of the cave
fine. specimens OF arayonits may be
seen. At distances va1ying from ten to
fifteen feet there are deep recessea in
the walls, 80 large and high in some cases that
We could almost ua1k about III them, On the
floors of these recessea unany stslaguites have
formed. We noticed one about eighteen
inches in diameter, and nearly eix feet high.
with clear white surface and satin 1ustre.
From their roofs hang iuuu1ne,able gta1actitesx
The s.alsctites are formed by tha t1rinpinr of
the water through the c1eyices and seams of
the limestone. Each dron d,nosfts a litt1a
carbonate Of lime, slowly increasing their e;ze
year by year and century by centurv. Frorn
tho best estimates that va cona make sorne
Of them have heen ten 4bnua,n1 Jaws n.
forming, The drons Of vater t,,at fall fro1,
the stal,ctites have not nartaa With alt tha
casbonata- OF lime thev hn13 n solution ~
they drop Ia tbs f,oor oY tba c,ra thav ,,,Ia
another small denoa;t. and alnuiv hu;1d ~,
from the eoor of tha c.ye tbs s,,l,ua;ta
Sometimes stal, -1n;ta .,3 at,1..t;ta 80 49,
fo1m coInmns: In th;s c,ve tbero ars ~ rnsnro1 ~
,,,c.t e;7c and baautv ". ,,o, ~ ~ ,aetI,s1
I,rca roo,n where n b,,oa sta1.ars;t, @ ~ sa-s
tba walls the.a ,.a' ~ 1or,n, tiona @ xssa-.h,; ~
may be distinctly trneed. in anotha1, the
sall il covered with beapt;fnI Ah,o1i;a
= u