The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-05-20


have passed Mi anon, the beautiful
Summer residence of the late unfor-
tunate Macmillan, and arrived at a
small village surrounded By hills of I
Mountain Limestone, as at Cum ber-
land Cave England, or IN Edmonscn
County Kentucky, of Mammoth Cave
notoriety, or Harrison County, Indi-
ana, in which the Wyandotte Cave is
situated.
Making arrangements over night
with the regular government guides,
for 1856 lights. the greater illumina-
ton of 1900 costing considerably
higher, we entered the cave very early
IN the morning. having one guide,
Slovenian, speaking German. to ex-
plain, and two others to distribute
the candles so as to produce the best
effect, one usually lighting them IN
advance and the other following
to extinguish them. Sometimes
they have grand festivals in the largest
vaulted portion, called the Orchestral
Hall, where 5000 persons have been
assembled, and at which time 5000
candles are sometimes used, a me I
band being in attendance, while
dancing, music, and feasting enllven |
the scene. Francis, Emperor of Aus
tria, in 1919, and. subsequently,, Fer
dinand, visited the cave, and explored
most of its well known six miles,
leaving to others the additional four
teen claimed as the extent of the
rami6eations. More recently. (1S65).
/ the present Emperor and Empress
walked through most Of It's Windings.
| Many bridges were thrown across, as
a large river flows through part Of the
cave, and steps were cut, previous to
the visit of the royal family. IN order
to facilitate their progress. LII IS, Ike
our two celebrated caves. dry, and the
air feels pure and exhIlarating. AT
several places the dome rises to one
hundred and fifty feet in hight, and at
one place to two aundred; and as we
pass along the different fantastic and
initiative forms. which stalactitic
stalagmitio and other slowly forming
deposits have assumed, these were in
| succession named by the one guide
and illuminated by the other. Some
of the most prominent localities and
names / shall mention, with the gen.
eral remark that, while some designa-
tions are far fetched and remote,
J many initiative forms are strlk-
ing and almost startling resem blances,
consequently their names are appro-
pirate ard descriptive. Thus We
have, sometimes IN curious contrast
J and juxtaposition, SO called churches
! and amphitheatres. pulpits and the
} atre boxes; q butchers shop near a
nursery; q waterfall with its snow
! white foam, not far from a dark char
! coal pile. Near the part called ElIz
| abeth Grotto, latter royalty lis Shown,
J in Franz Grotto, a magnificent white
! structure, denominated Mount Gal
vary, aud after passing 'Frozen rain.
J and Diamond Glitter, we come to
Weeping willow" overhanging the
unexplored depths of Tartarus;
aud are soon resting under the canopy
ofthe Tent, or gazing at +" CorIn-
J THAN columns hung with trans
! parent drapery. thirteen years of dep
osition only rendering this the thick
, ness of paper, SO that when the
guide placed the lights behind,
the effect was dazzling; and when the
other struck some sOnor0us pendants,
J and brought out tones of solemn
grandeur, near the Chapel" "Canda-
! labra" and Organ" we were suitably
prepared to pass Teyerentlally the
''Egyptian Mummy" and the
, Hearse," and to muse on the vicissi-
tudes Of human life, near the Milan
Cathedral" while gazing on a large
space, which had a most remarkable
resemblance to a Cemetery" filled
with 0belisks, SHAFTS and other monu-
ments marking the resting places of
the cavernous inhabitants; and to
, wonder who, among their illustrious
dead, claimed the honor of a
stalagmitic column six feet in hight.
But we must hasten past the Sleep
ing Lion, " The Riding School" and
the Moscow Cannon Monuments, !"
{ not even stopping at the " Comics
: sional, lest we be swallowed, Pha.
raoh like, in the waves of the Red
} Sea" and now take the retrograde
path by the Family Vault" where
all our pilgrimage must terminate.
, And there are shown the sightless
Elepteodorus chaier, peculiar to this
Grotto, and / purchased specimen of
> bis equally blind congener, the Pro-
teus Anguinus, whom for safe keep
ing | deposited in a bottle of pure
: water, and then in my capacious coat
} pocket.
} But. alas for the uncertainty of
; Protean, as well as human life |
: When subsequently entering a car,
5 hurriediy, as the whistle blew, the
: thin bottle swung against the door,
: ard soGn became sensible that the
t water was streaming from my pocket,
the reptile seeking an exit, and the
s cars under rapid motion.
t fortunately, we had resolved
) small bottle of Cogniac, as a present,
3 at Venice, which, being temperance
> men whose state of health had not
{ required medicine, was still I'M
touched; therefore, pulling off my
coat, while my companion oblig-
] ingly held open the mouth. of the
] bottle, raised a small corner of the
+ pocket flap and permitted his reptile
, ship to glide into his liquid house,
where, Notwithstanding his batrachian
(. character, he quickly met the fate. Of
t his illastrious predecessor, the Duke
of Clarence, who preferred, however,
Malmsey Madeira. And now his
Protean movements have terminated
on q cabinet-shelf, where he is ex-
J posed to the gaze of an admiring con-
, temporaneity.
But now we are recalled from these
/ incidents to the contemplation of the
magnificent views, as ne approach the
glorious scenery, and fairly scale the
summit, of
THE sOENIERING PASS.
Dashing along past car loads of coal,
near Loitsch and a fine arched and
Wo-steried yiaduet, $50 yards long,
and 125 feet high. We GROSS part of the
Carni0lian Alps, look out On the oxen
ploWing attached by singletrees in