The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1872-03-16

/ every beautiful thing he saw as IL ne wo1ld
break it OF and pocket it, when the old fellow
would roar out something in Spanish, which X
would pretend TO understand was an approval
of his course. Did you ever see an old withered
! Spsniard of the color and much the appearance
of fitch of bacon, get so mad that he would
try hard to turn pale in the face, bat could only
50 far succeed as to assume most ghastly ap-
pearance in the uncertain light of t4llow dip
in dark cave? Well, if you have, then you
have seen just what we saw away down under
the earth that day.
The first descent was about thirty feet down
plank steps. Before this Was half ACCOMPLISHED
we appreciated the proprlety of leaving as much
clothing behind as was proper. Outside l judge
| the thermometer was about sixty, down there it
must have been nearly one hundred. I took
little time to accustom the eye to the place so
we could see anything but the darkness. a
| little way from the foot OF the stairs we passed
| by deep chasm of great depth on the right,
| which was guarded by railing. The road we
| went had been built up to make the passage
toerable. Directly We descended about ten feet
more by steep grade and then passed into a
smaller opening and down sort of winding
hogsback with descent Of perhaps twenty feet
more. We now began to encounter very fine
stalactites and stilagmites of large dimensions
and we thought beautiful; but they were
soon forgotten. for presently we entered
chamber that was beautiful, yes, magnificent far
beyond anything I had ever imagined. The
| ceiling arched and at no great height, and
all over pendant from it the most wonderful
Congratulations it is possible to imagine. Con-
ceive the most gorgeous frost chrystals magni.
fled to several inches in size, and you may form
some idea of the forms which covered that cell
ing. Nosnow was ever whittier or purer. Moth
ing in nature possibly be whittier. The
smoke Of the candles, the breathings of peo-
ple the dust in the atmosphere, have all left
| it untouched and untarnished save where dirty
fingers could reach and soil it. For myself am
not much learned it, the mysteries of caves hut
one of our party, who had been through the
Mammoth Cave, declared there was nothing in
that that would at all compare in beauty with
this, though here the grand and stately proper
tions are wanting, which have given the other
SO wide celebrity. cannot stop to describe
the various rooms passed through, nor the
beauties OF each, but may say there are many
of surprising beauty in the Congratulations
which adorn them. The most surprising feature
to me of all was. that the water which had per-
colated through the lime rock above, portion
of which it had dissolved and brought along and
fashioned into these beautiful white forms, must
first have passed through the red soil above the
rock, which is strongly impregnated with iron,
yet whatever of iron this psrcolating water
started with was entirely lost in it's descent
through the lime rock, that not the least trace
of it is found save in one single place of but
few feet In extent, where the virgin white is
changed to salmon color. Another observation
is worthy of note The decoration OF this cave
was nearly finished before its discovery. All
those great arched ceilings studded all over with
the beautiful forms like irregular jars set in
great casket, and which must have besn dripping
with water for many long centuries to form
them, are now perfectly dry. The pores through
which the moisture passed have been choked up
and the work is finished. Had the process been
continued those beautiful forms would have be.
come larger and larger, and several might have
been joined into one, and their exquisite proper
tions destroyed. At few other places the water
is still slowly dripping down, and the form.
atoms still going on, but with few excep.
tions the way is Is dry as dust, and lady may
safely pass through in her slippers. At one place
only is the water collected: into little pool
deep enough to be dipped up in a tumbler,
which is kept near by. All tasted it, but it was
too warm to be refreshing and single swallow
sufticed. What would not have given for a
gallon Of good ice water, to have refreshed that
thirsty, painting party with in that hot, dark
cave. 1 imagine you did not suffer for the
want of it at high noon on the 21st of January
1872
Tho road was not particularly difficult to
travel. There were some steep accents and
descents, and In some places low stoopiny WAS
Imposed, where Turner found his extra eight
inches above the average height of men rather
an inconvenience, but with the rest Of us he
worried through with only an occasional bump
of the head, which would have inspired phre.
nologist with tn. belief that some of bis faculties
were remarkably developed.
After = few stops to rest, when M:s. Cations
fan WAS passed around tor the relief OF each in
turn, abe still insists she could never have got
through without that fan, which by the nearest
accident she had taken along, we resch tho end
Of the cave, which 10 about half.a.nile from the