Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-07-28
100 FEET IN LENGTH,

1
we hear the inurmur of running water. A
short search In the uucel tain light discov-
ers little stream no larger than a mar 8
finger winding in serpentine curves along
the left of the room. We trace it up and
| find its source. 1t bursts out of the wall
about three feet from the floor, and running
down In a sheet over the side insinuates
itself into q well-worn channel and hurries
on for perhaps the distance of so feet where
it disappears in small crevice in the rock.
| The bed through which this little stream
runs is chiselled out and polished smooth as
| glass. AT places 1t is worn down about q
foot, while at others it Is only two inches.
This room is not excelled In grandeur By
any In the great Mammoth Cave In Ed
mondsen county. The sides are rough and
jagged, and are covered with a dark eolcred
incrlstation of iron ard manganese. In
terspersed with this are shining crystals Of
gypsum, and the effect Is grand and beauti-
full. The ceiling, which is rather concaye,
is pictured in the same fantastic manner
and we gaze upon it In wonder and admir-
alton. Hanging pendant from the ceiling
and from protruding rocks in the walls are
beautiful stalactites- that have doubtless
been ages In forming. Here we found pill
lars reaching from the floor be the ceiling,
distance of fifteen feet. Mammoth Cave
has them thirty feet in height. By the
light of our Pickering lamps we continue
our examinations, meeting with natures
greatest handiwork at every turn.
RELICS OF PAST AGES
are scattered here and there, showing that
the cave vas known by earlier races. 1t
was doubtless resort of the Indians, as
numerous arrow-heads and stones bearing
the rude carving of the red men have been
picked up, A kind of tomahawk, carved
QUO of the solid rock, was found near the
entrance of the cave by DR.. g. Sutton. 1t
is curiously modelled affair, and has rude
characters scratched upon the side. The
party continued its explorations, ever meet
ing with something that filed them with |
awe and wonder. No actual measurement |
has yet been made, but it is believed the |
cave is two miles in length, It abounds in |
immense chambers, and has nine side cav
ems starting out at different points. The
pit discovered is about midway in, and at |
the top is perhaps eight feet in diameter,
Its sides, so far as seen, are rough and |
irregular, Water can be herd within it.. |
A paper lighted and thrown down was ex-
about twenty feet from the top. |
A stone dropped down gave back hollow
and sepulchral sounds, and il was thought 20
have dropped at leas tfoTty feet before strik-
ing the bottom. In one Of the small
caverns were found two of the skeletons
above spoken of. How came they there?
Many are the conjsctures INDUCED in. The
general belief is that they are the remains
of the
SURVIVORS OF THE LAUGHERY MASSACRE,
u l. ~
secreted themselves and perished. This
massacre took place in The year
1871. A company of Virginia soldiers, un-
der command of Colonel Septimus Laugh
Try, were passing down in boat 10 join a
command at Louisville, when they were
iecoyed ashore here by Indians and all
we're killed by the treacherous savages. At
his time a stream of excited people are
passing in and out of this newly discovered
calm Of darkness, and further discoveries
will doubtless be made.