Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-07-30
WynmdOttc Gave.

WyHndOtte Gave.
A correspondent of the Louisville Commercial
gives an interesting account ofkWyandotte cave,
which is situated in Crawford county, Ind, some
five miles back of LeayenwOrth. the county seat
sixty miles below Louisville. which is said to be
so cool in the hottest weather that the thermOm-
eter never reaches more than 81 degrees above
zero.
To reach this cave one takes the Louisville
and Henderson packets, leaving Louisville at
five O'Clock in the evening and arriving at leay-
enworth at about ten O'Clock the same night.
After good nights rest the visitor takes car
riage, and after ride over fine country road,
and through beautiful scenery, of some five
miles, arrives at the Cave hotel. Here,
after brief rest the tourist dOnS a suit of old
clothes and proceeds to the mouth of the cave,
distant from the hotel some two hundred yards.
A rugged assure in the side of the hill, about
thirty feet wide and six to eight feet high, and
from which the cool breath of the cavern pOurs
is the entrance to wonder land Under the
guidance of G. w. Rothrock, one of the prOprie-
tors of the cave, who has been acting in the ca
pacity of guide for more than twenty years, each
member OF the party is supplied with a light,
and is ready for entrance into what would well
pass for the mouth of the bottomless pit. We
must pass in slowly, for the change of tempera-
ture is too great to be suddenly endured.
On entering the cave it is difficult matter to
see WELL as the daylight and candle light con-
some distance from the mouth the candles get
rather the best of it, and the tourists are able
to pick their way without difficulty through
Faneuil hall, Columbian arch (Which bears
striking resemblance to a railroad tunneD and
Washington avenue to Falling rock, an immense
block OF limestone, tons in weight, and appar-
emily so slightly supported that people involun-
tarily hold their breath as they pass under it,
fearful that the slightest jar may bring it on
their heads. But II has stood thus since the
cave was first discovered, seventy years ago.
Immediately over Falling rock is a very cor
rect representation, on the ceiling, of an Indian
chief, scalplock and all. Leaving him to his
eternal watch, we pass on through Bandtti
hall and come 10 the Scuttle the entrance to
the new cave 1t was not until 1850 that this
was discovered and then only by the merest
accident. 1t is narrow passageway. some tif-
teen or twenty feet long, and when first discov-
cred was scarcely large enough to admit a
mans hand. We hurry on through Bats
lodge, Counterieiters trench, over Rugged
mountain, through COOD's council chamber, up
the Hill of Difficulty, and stand at the entrance
of Mammoth hall, the greatest wonder of the
cave. Before us, towering upward TO the hight
of 175 feet, stands Monument mountain, con.
fused pile of rocks, while above all, 245 feet
from where we stand, and 20 feet from the sum-
nit Of the mountain, is Wallace's grand DOME
| arching gently in every way TO tue shape of the
huge pile which looms up beneath it. Judge
a letter published in the Indianapolis Journal
says of it:
"rhis dome has hardly a superior in the
world. Standing on the summit of the noun
tain, which rises to the height of one hundred
and seventy-fve feet, we looked upward, but
the top was yelled in darkness. We cast our
glance around us, and the same unilluminated
night lay beyond the dim light of our candles.
But when we had ignited our fireworks, then
we could see, far above us, the bending arch of
this majestic temple, rising two hundred and
fOrty-fYe feet from the base of the mountain,
while around us, extended in vast proportions,
circular wall one thousand feet in circumier-
encei Within this roUnda the ancient Pan
theOn might be placed, or st. PauPs of London
find ample room. The dome is closed at the ton
by smooth, elliptical slab, beautifully fringed
by broad, leatlike, curling stalactltes, bearing
close resemblance to the ornamental foliage OF
the Acanthus. The summit of the mountain is
a gigantic stalagmite, one hundred and twenty
feet in circumference, rising above its common
bulk in three pOints-siX, five and three feet
These, viewed from the mountains base have
the appearance of three persons clad in pure
white. Hence the name-Monument noun
tain"
On the opposite side of the mountain from the
entrance is a beautiful sulphur spring. the
water clear and cold as ice. For about three
years after the discovery of the new cave this
was supposed to be the end of it. A party was
number noticed that strong draught of air
was about TO blow his light out. Examination
disclosed small aperture some six inches in
diameter. Tools were procured, the orifce en-
larged enough TO admit of passage in longi-
tudna position, and is now dubbed the Aunur
Hole, and tight squeeze it is 1t leads into
Lilipulian hall, thence into the hall of Ruins
and thence to White Cloud chamber, where the
irregular shaped rocks, with their thin crusts
OF gypsum, look like immense piles of fieecy
clouds.
The ice house is an elevated room with floor
of loose stones, which are thickly coated with
layers of semi-transparent carbonate of lime
giving them perfect resemblance to blocks of
ice. A writer in a Cincinnati paper saws of
Beauty's Bower: "And there is one of the sweet
est spots of all-Beauty's Bower. No pen can
describe its beauties Lying fiat on our backs,
with the candles by our sides, we remain for
hours looking at the endless forms the pure
white gypsum here takes-iike rams horns
frosted celery, flowers, like-well we can find a
resemblance to anything or everything. No
conception can be formed of the varied beauties
of this place until il is SEEN"
The visitors to the cave will not fail TO see
Plllared Palace, although to reach it he must
pass through Creeping Ayenue-at no place
over three feet high and about two hundred
yards Tonga journey which one very naturally
performs on all-iOurs. But when Pillared Pal
ace is reached one feels we'll repaid IL is from
several hundred yards long, and its ceiling is
complete iringe-work Of stalacttes, while its
floor is as thicky set with stalagmites hum
dred of which latter unite with the former mid.
way, making the grandest OF pillars, which
seem TO have been set up to support the roof
Drapery of every conceivable style may be seen,
some Of which is as transparent as crystal, and
rings like silver bell when exposed to light
blow from a hammer.
The writer of this account spent some six or
seven hours in the cave, walked about fifteen
miles, and then Jailed TO visit the half of it.
Inc length OF the old cave is three miles, and
OF the new there have becns explored nineteen
miles, making in all twenty-five miles of ex.
plored cave. Besides, there are some half-dozen
avenues which have never been traced TO the
ehd, so u IS useless to attempt to form an est-
mate Of the total length. From the south
western TO the extreme northeastern limits Is
about nine miles.
Tue temperature never varies more than tbree
degrees. winter and summer and ranges be-
tween "a degrees and 81 degrees The air is ex-
tremey pure and bracing, ana Of great preserya.
tive qualities. NO matter how far one walks
aud how little used he is to exercise, he rarely
feels fatigued until after he leaves the cave ana
comes into the (by comparison) close, sultry air
outside. Delicate ladies who could scarcely 90
up a flight of stairs, will walk fifteen TO twenty
miles, principally over ragged, stony path
way, without complaint. An OpOssum is living
al0nsde Of Counterieiters Trench, which was
found there when the new cave was discovered
twenty-five years ago, and Is in the same state
now as then. II is dried up aud mummified, but
presents no appearance of decay. In the winter
time the mouth of Wyandotte Cave becomes
the great potato eeller Of the neighborhood
From all appearances WyandOtte cave has at
one time been the channel Of an underground
river, Inc Limestone, where not covered with
EyPsuin ana other foreign formations, shows
un .H evidences Of the action Of water in
| much larger quantities than find their way inn
lhe cave during the heaviest rains. In the low
passages the Door, sides aud roof are rounded Off
IN curves, with no sharp angles al All. and he
rocks, which are piled here and there nearly ali
bear the same evidence "0'''' y "'
The cave Is Inhabited by a strange order of
creatures. Two are sometimes found In Man.
moth hall--one small, white, lhousand. leg@ed
worm, and the other large, white cricket. en-.
| tirely without eyes, and 80 transparent tbat
by holding II up 10 the light, It's internal strnc,
iure may be viewed with perfect ease Craw6sh
! spring. the largest stream as yet found in tho