Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1872-05-08
ANOTHER MAMM0THHCA
Thirty Miles Beneath the
Earth-A SubteFraneaiE
River-One Hundred A.
cres of Lake wonderful
Waterfalls.


During the latter part Of the
war a cave was discovered near
Pineville, Mcdonald county,
Mo-, but the times were SO I'M
settled that beyond 4 careless,
superficial examipatibn Of the
more accessible portion Of it, no
general explorations have as
yet been made,
Mr.. G. G. Carpentdr a gen
tleman residing JIM Pineyille,
gives the following as the re-
suit Of an expedition made in
company with one or two of
his friends in search of the
wonderful: q
The location Of this new
subterranean wonder is sixteen
miles southeast of Pineville,
McDonal county; the entrance
is on Sugar Creek, in ravine
bearing the suggestive title of
"Bar Hollow You make
your entrance into the bowels
of the earth through volcanic
fissure seven feet wide by
twenty in length; you soon
loose sight Of daylight and
find yourself in a long ent rance
hall fully one hundred yalhs in
length, which terminates ip the
bathroom, SO named by the ex-
plorers from the thousands Of
bats that swarmed within its
dark and hidden recesses; they
flew about in swarms, mailing
a terrible noise in the arcAed
roof above. This room has
three sides, each with an
aperture leading into small ler
caverns or side rooms. The
dimensions of the room were
taken by Mr.. Carpenter, and
said to be fifty by one hundred
feet, the ceiling about twenty
feet from the floor.
Passing from this room, a
walk of about four hundred
yards, through a spacious hall,
and we find ourselves in the
museum, so called from the
number Of strangely shaped
stalactites found there. This
room is in the shape Of a horse
shoe. Nature most certainly
intended this room for a
church, since the roof is arch-
ed in purely Gothic style, with
dome and columns, and to fin
lsh off and make it complete, a
pulpit near the centre. The
walls of this magnificent cavern
are one hundred feet high, hut
one of the most remarkable
features about it is a fountain
Of pure water, four feet in di-
ameter. Turning northward
we find a room sixty feet wide
and filed almost full of a glist.
ening formation Of stalactites,
which hang in curiously form
ed pendants from the roof.
To the south Of this is a
room which should be named
the bottomless pit, since it ap-
parently has neither bottom,
sides, nor roof. The darkness
within the place is appalling
Turning to the east the party
walked a distance Of about q
quarter of a mile, when they
came 10 a fight Of natural
steps, forty or fifty in number,
terminating in wide platform
which formed the entrance to
a mammoth hall, supported by
Corinthian pillars of various
thickness, and endless in num-
Der, all as white as snow, and
glistening as though studded
with millions of diamonds. This
hall is probably two hundred
feet in width, and communi-
Gates with a number of pass
ages leading in various direc-
tions, none Of which have been.
explored.
Proceeding on their way, the
explorers found a river of runs
ming water, coming, no one
knows from where. 1t is.about
fifty feet wide and three feet
deep. The party followed its
course down stream to falls,
where the water goes roaring
over a precipice into the dark
ness below.
The party retraced their way
to the mammoth hall, crossed
Az .,,sxo., - .ol II