Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-01-24
sUBTRRRANEAN EXPLORATION.
THE FOUNDATION ON WHICH KNOX.
WHILE Is BUILT.
visit TO subterranean Grotto Thirsy-sev
en- Years Ago

The Athens Post for the current week,
gives the following interesting incident re-
lating to Knoxville which is worth some
investigation. Including Iven's jokes, it
is good reading, even If he is trying to
scare Knoxville Off from becoming great
city. After referring to the CHRONICLES ar
ticle on our sabterranean caverns, says:
AS well as we now remember, about
thirty-seven years ago Il couple of adven-
furious young men, after providing them
selves with the necessary lights and lit
tie something TO fortify the inner man,
sought the entrance of the cave situated
on the right bank of the Holston, less
than mile below the Lower Ferry, for
the purpose of exploring it and if possi-
bic ascertaining the mysteries tradition
said were there hidden. At first the way
was narrow, but gradually expanded as
they passed under College Hill, until fl
nally they emerged into spacious cham
Der, which, rs far as they could discover
with their feable lights, had no limit in
length or bredth, though the roof or over
hanging wall was plainly observable,
with various stalactites depending there
from some of them beautiful as statuary,
while others were grouped in the most
fantastical and grotesque shapes. From
the distance they had travelled and the di-
rectiOn, as well as they could determine,
they supposed this chamber was under
what was then the principal part of the
town. The entrance of the cave was
marked by descent for some distance, I'M
until they crossed a small stream of water,
when the way suddenly changed and the
adventures commenced ascending, not
abruptly, but gradually, to the ample
apartment referred to, which they were in
duced to believe could not be at very re-
mote distance from the earth's surface.
A short space inside what might be
termed the doorway of this chamber or
hall, our adventures discovered number
of rude iron-bound boxes or chests. Sup
posing they had come upon o rich treasure
and now almost wild with excitement,
they attempted to lift one of these, when
their ears were greeted with a succession
of horrid noises and peals of unearthly
laughter, such as is presumed to welcome
each fresh arrival of radicals at the portals
of the damned. These terrific sounds APP
peared to emanate from the objects pen
dant from the ceiling, and the now thor
Oughly alarmed young men hastily aban-
doned the place, and retracing their steps
as rapidly as possible, felt much relieved
VIXEN they again emerged into open day
light.
One of the parties connected with the
facts here related was gathered to his faith
ers during the noted "sickly summer ~
the other is now an old man, with the
frostS OF sixty winters on his head, whom
we saw in the streets of Knoxville only a
few weeks ago. Since the date of the adj
venture Knoxville has grown from a place
of two thousand inhabitants to its present
magnificent and imposing proportions
Whether the future expansion and pros
perity of the city are to be retarded by the
recent discoveries, and their announce
ment by our reliable and unsensational CO.
temporary, remains to be seen.
We have only TO add: should the au-
thenticity of the details above be ques-
toned, there is the entrance TO the cave, at
the bank of the river, to show for itself ;;
and we have no doubt that if any one will
take the trouble to penetrate the subter-
ranean passage far enough, which is no
myth, they will find, not only traces of
the iron-bound chests, but the empty bot
tie which the former explorers left behind
them in their precipitate retreat. AS to
what those chests contained whether gold
and silver and precious gems or, as some
of the whited sepulchres above, only rot
tenness, corruption and dead mems bones
it would be useless now to conjecture.