Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-09-09
THE sEVILR COUNTY BLOWING
GAVE.
a Gave "a NIL ana Half Long New
wonders Explored.
YELLOW SPRINGS, SEWER Co.,
August 81, 1874.

August 81, 1874.
EDITORS CHRONICLE: One of the
most curious wonders of nature, near
these Spings, is IA cave, remarkable
from the fact that very cold current
of air issues or blows out, for six
months of tie year, and for the re-
manning six months is drawn in, hence
it Is known ~ the Blowing Cave.
With a parry of ladies and gentle
men, | visited it the other day, and
hearing that the feat of exploring it
had never been attempted, determin-
ed to get up an expedition for that pur
pose, acting as pioneer; so on the
morning of the oath of August, feeling
ready for au adventure. and having
desire 20 see some of the hidden mys-
trrl,~ "f The under world. l proceeded
to organize party All being in read
iucss, aud supplied with the necessary
candles, matches, &c, we started on
our wal6 over the mountains for the
cave, and arrived a little before s
O'Clock ia The morning.
The mouth Of the cave is situated in
a lIule glen in the woods it Is a small
dark hole, about three feet square, in a
large blue limestone rock, from which,
at this time of the year, the usual cold
stream Of air PUSHES, Directly in front
Of the mouth, grows q beautiful little
tree, whose branches are waved to and
fro by the unceasing current. The orgi-
nal party Of five had now dwindled to
three, two of the number having left,
one being detained by business, the
other, after proceeding about one hun
dred yards turned back his courage fail
/ ing. We were now ready to descend,
/ but here arose difficulty. On light
/ ing our candles, we found the current
! Of air exhausted them as soon as lit, we
had, therefore, to effect our entrance
! through the narrow passage in dark
npss The mouth descends about u
feet, AT an angle of IS degrees without
incr, asing in size; it then opens into
quite IL large apartment where, strange
Ia say, no current of air Was percepti.
biz Here we lit candles and brought
10 view several large arches and large
passages, all of which We explored
some ending abruptly and Que enter
ing the cave at Il point fur her on,
Advancing, our course lay through
: harrow tunnel, through which W.
had 10 crawl downward some eigh
! feet, which led TO a low, crooked apart
) ment, whose IloJr is covered with larg,
= uneven rocks, some round and other
: quite sharp. This turns abruptly u
the right. At the end another tunnel
1 round and Just large enough for maj
e to force himself through, some tifteeI
7 or twenty feet, gives entrance int
= quite large apartment, almost full o
a rocks, which appear to have been dis
/ lodged by some great CONFUSION u
,. nature, some weighing tons, and on
- holding another 80 that 10 move on
0 would he TO dislodge the whole.
a was impossible not TO experience
\ feeling of awe as we found We wer
T Obliged to crawl or rather drag our
D selves under some of these TO process
+ To the next apartment. IN this, "a il
q all the following rooms through which
D we passed, | noticed that the left wal
}, Of the cave was perpendicular, Will
e the floor formed n steep ascent TO TN
= right, toward the ceiling, and as tn
D floors were all covered with masses O
z loose, displaced rocks, which had fall
< en- from time 10 time. IL was with NJ
J., little danger and difficulty that w
e continued our progress.
!. Passing in succession a number O
D apartments, differing very little from
4 each other, we came TO halt at tn
e end OF long, low, broad avenue, hal
j full OF damp, grey rocks. Here Their
= was small space in the form Of lri
: angle. From this there were two open
y ings in the rock, large passage goin
e 10 the right and small hole near Tn
&, floor. On examination we found tn
p passage stopped abruptly at distanc
A" Of some two hundred feet. Oar wa
D then led down the hole, an almost pen
= pendicular descent Of twenty-five feel
This let US through the ceiling into
4 large tunnel, the bottom of which Ia
i. been the bed Of "a large creek. Their
!. was no running water but the san
n was wet and DOGGY, a. one Of the boy
At proved by stepping in. We now fir