Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-08-09
RED BOILING SPRINGS,
Discovery and Exploration of q New
Cave-A Glowing Description of fits
Beauties and wonders. q

Cave-A Glowing Description Of its
Beauties and Wonders. 81
To the Editor of the Union and American:
RED BOILING SPRINGS, MACON CoUN-
TY, TENN, July 81, 1872.-The communi-
ty in this locality have been for the past few
DAYS thrown into excitement by the discove-
ries made by party of gentlemen guests
of the Red Springs in exploring the cave sit
uated in this vicinity. The small grotto
within three or four hundred yards of that
hotel, has afforded from time to time, hereto
fore, as reward to curiosity seekers, two or
three small rooms and numerous blind pas
sages which were supposed to lead nowhere
utterly devoid of attention, being wholly
unornamented with the usual formations
found in caves of greater pretensions. It
was, however, of sufficient attractive power
to induce party of three gentlemen, on
the morning ofthe 18th, to visit il with the
usual supply of candles, matches, etc. Up
on exploring the grotto to their satisfaction,
the party proceeded to find their exit,
which they found an undertaking of more
difficulty than they had reason to expect.
The foremost man, in going, as he sup
posed, to the entrance, followed closely by
his two companions, turned into a right
hand gallery, which they pursued until,
|
he disappeared into an irregular assure
about % feet wide which crossed the pas
sage. He, after falling some 35 feet,
called to his friends that he was all right,
having fallen upon a floor of sand. By
tearing handkerchiefs and making rope of
all available articles about them, the two
gentlemen, DR.. R., of Vicksburg, and
| Col. c., of Augusta, Ca, succeeded in
| lowering their friend, Mr.. K, of Hop
kiusville, KY, a candle and box of match
es. Upon striking light he called out that
he was in the most splendid cavern room
his eyes ever beheld. Inasmuch as it was
| impossible then to extricate him, Col. c.
made his way out Of the cave and procured
large cable from a well-digger in the
| neighborhood and accompanied by the
i well-digger and some two or three others
returned to extricate his friend from his
predicament. Instead, however, of hauling
! him out, three of the party, including my
| self, was induced by KS assurances that he
| was unhurt, ard the enthusiastic manner
| in which be spoke of his surroundings, to
| descend. When they had reached the
| floor below, and Lit two other candles, they
\ burst forth in eXclamations of wonder and
| delight. We we're standing upon a dark
| red sand, apparently many feet deep, while
| over head the walls formed an inclined
| roof, or ceiling, terminating in the assure
| through which K. had fallen sparkling
| with ruby colored incruStations, variously
thought to resemble buches of grapes, clus-
| tiers of garnets, etc. This room, however, was
| only the anti-chamber to another and lar ,er
hall, or rather corridor, with nearly perpen-
| dicular sides, which was reached by de-
scending sort of rude and irregular but
broad stairway. This corridor was remark
able for nothing but the length, extending
in about due north course, nearly straight,
for considerably over quarter of mile. 1t
is perfectly dry and foored with a deep
yielding sand. Our party proceeded eau
tiously along to its end, where they were
rewarded by entering magnificent salon,
whose true excellence and beauty must be
seen to be appreciated. We entered upon
broad ledge, 20 or 30 feet wide,
which run around three sides of the room
at distance of 10 feet from the main floor,
and on raising the lights the arched ceiling
stood revealed in ali the mingled richness OF
intermingling and corruscating prismatic
colors. AS the rays of the feeble candles
partially Illuminated, it we were delighted
to mark the richness of the incrustations
which showed every imaginable and Unim
aginable variety Of pendants, rosettes, ear
rings and traceries. We descended to the
main floor and found two passages, one
leading through high arch, northeast, and
the other, turning back under the gallery
through which we had come, at an angle of
40 degrees toward the centre of the
earth. The arched opening fronted the
galleries with its drop-curtain of blackneSs,
and true to the similitude of theatre, the
.oEAl 81, Co, font I.s,I,
er than the main floor. On ascending the
stage We found it extended some 100 feet
from the'foot lights and then turnedabrupt-
IL, much contracted in width to the right or
in an esterly direction. Here the party,
concluded to halt and after giving the thea
tire partial examination we returned to
the first grottO, to make more perfect
arrangements for the exploration of the
wonderful subterranean palace, so
unexpectedly discovered. Upon being
lifted by the cable up through the
fssure ceiling, we found the upper cave
well filled and its entrance crowded by the
principal guests at the springs and the
neighbors living in the immediate neighbor-
hood, who had collected to render all pos
sible assistance to the unfortunate whom
they had feared was dashed to pieces in
ia some bottomless pit hitherto unheard of
in the cave. Their congratulations to him
upon his lucky escape were infinitely more
sincere than the belief they gave to the mi
raculous descriptions the underground party
gave of the sights they had seen. Prepara-
tons were made in the course of the
evening, several gallon cans of coal
oil and all the available lamps
and candles, with a stout rope ladder
being procured and made ready for thor
ough exploration upon the morning, The
next day by o'clock, party of five gen.
tlemen proceeded, with pretty extensive
party following, to the cave, and were low
cred into the assure, it being decided to
carry our rope ladder along with us. The
new recruits testified warmly to those above
of the beauty of the Ruby chamber, as we
named it, in answer to their anxious in
quiries as to the verify of our descriptions.
We then proceeded through tie grand cor
ridor, to the ''theater," and took the right
hand passage at the back of the
"stage." The way was so plain
that nothing interrupted our progress but
our halt in the theatre to view under the
more perfect light the beauties OF the cell
ing. from the center OF which hangs mon
ster stalactite which sparkles like crystal,
and was named at once by the whole party
the chandelier" The passage we had en-
tered inclined at very small angle, and we
perceived as we proceeded became narrower
and lower until it divided up into multi
tude of dark, tortuous and forbidding
looking ragged openings. Here, after
considerable delay in cropping about through
the angular paths, we determined to leave
lamp, we having decided to follow one
of the openings which had not gone
"blind." Cautiously we stumbled and
squeezed our way through jagged fssurei in
the solid rock until the patience and cour-
age Of the party was pretty near exhausted,
and the general voice seemed to be to turn
back, when our "fle LEADER reported back
down the line that he saw through hole
in the right hand wall larger room than
the "theater." He got through it to explore
and report, while the second man went for
ward, and in a few minutes it was ascer-
tanned that the passage we were in lead into
the same hall our first man had entered
through the hole in the wall.
We now entered huge oblong apartment
with ceilings gradually approaching the
floor, which was rock, until they met at
some points and others showing holes and
Outlets in various directions The trick