The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1874-06-11
m. Water Gap and the Wind Cave.
rrrom the Carbondale Advanced
BY j. R. DURFEE.

rl,'+ think TO WTlte you "Soih tioih 'nls
ddl INIT Mt stopping awhile here with our son
place, PSi;s oxcellent wife, and yesterday being
ana anlldrotiou ",T Day we proposed to take ride
Deco'a, % what is termed the Delaware Water
da"" ,rbora nature has seemed to display
U'P, ofber grandest designs, and where we
soIlI ,I often rode through on the cars, but,
naa ~ U' 60 low down and so close under the
oSu5 +o;n one has no opportunity of view
MOUNT Inou"nTtbing of the sublimity of the scenery
ing Eya:;terday a.; being one of the loveliest days
cho whole year, and day set apart for
o. o. 'iI Jocoraticn of the graves of our fallen
Iy,os Ins r a party of us took private carriage,
H',S to take a general survey of the noun
50 scorerv. We took the most eligible
''n, for three miles, where we could have
ly1I frost views of the mountainous hills
'.iS L,So names are legion twice told, No
,pbsre ~ on the continent could be found their
VIZ, .aorior not even the Palisades or the
ITTi!rbIands of the noble Hudson.
We always supposed that J. L. Headley
-.. nossessed of an elastic imagination when
inc of the sacred mountains, but we
Wv Wv. much doubt of its equalling the reality
hars ss,9 where for mile and half the Della
,r.ra ,,s river bends its way in a serpentine
,,,rsn and the mountains on either side
W onlv bathing their feet in its moving
,.o+ors but towering above some six or eight
Inndred feet. 1t has always been the
,bnorv of biologists that all rocky forma-
lions were formed on a level basis. If so,
,Lore must have been some tremendous
,,rbpavals. as most of the rocks are what
ro T would say turned up edgeways. As we
,,sntioned in our last, the first settlers with
much difficulty worked a wagon road
through at great expense, partly in the
river and partly in the mountain on the
PENNSYLVANIA side, but when the railroad
was built through there the company took
that road and built the carriage road along
bicb ND on the side Of the mountain at great
orDcnsa On this road, and overlooking the
delaware. is built the Kittatinny House,
with its many beautiful surroundings, which
lime and space forbids me to mention. In
one Of the mountain gorges near by is a
new brick church belonging to the Presby-
terian order and opposite it is neat church
bp;lt of brick with beautiful steeple and
he'll. erected at the expense of the visitors
that congregated there through the hot
summer months, and dedicated to the
Methodist denomination, and whoever
should come there to enjoy the cool noun
tain air and healthy breezes as they rush
along, filtered through those gorges. 1t
would be taking up too much space in your
valuable paper to attempt anything like a
birds-eve view of the many interesting
scenes in and about these places, so much
admired by the denizens of city life, of
which we have already given a sketch. [
suffice it to say that over 5000 people
come into this neighborhood to spend their
summer months. But that is not what |
set down to write about. Probably many
Of your readers recollect an account given
in the columns of the Aduance last year of
an extraordinary cave, something ike the
following:
Two or three years ago Mr.. Frear
bought one hundred acres of land on the
Kittatinny Mountain, near the Delaware
Water Gap. One day last summer Mr..
Frear, while cutting wood on the mountain,
discovered near the base a wall ten or
twelve feet high laid up against a perpen-
dicular precipice of apparently solid rock.
He took down a portion of the wall and
came to an opening in the rock large enough
to permit the passage Of his body. The
instant the opening was uncovered strong
current Of air escaped. 1t was so cold that
Mr.. Frear was in very short time chilled
through and through.
determined to explore this singular
cavern, Mr.. Frear entered the opening. He
fround himself in a large chamber, the walls
being Of rough and Jagged rocks. The cold
was SO intense that he could not explore
the cave futher than fifty feet. Since then
no person has penetrated further than sixty
feet under the mountain. The draft of
air is so strong at the mouth that trees
thirty yards distant are kept in constant
motion One can stand but few minutes
In the mouth. A thermometer standing at
ninety degrees above zero viii in a short
time fall thirty in the current.
A piece Of pure lead, gun barrel and
collection of bones were found by Mr..
frear in the cavern. He threw the bones
IN the river before ascertaining whether
they were human remains or not.
"A dog accompanied him on his first ex-
Porlng tour. The dog logged on into the
cave, Since then it has never been seen.
Hundreds Of people have visited this re-
Markable cavern, and witnessed this mys-
ferrous phenomenon of the cold current of
ar No satisfactory explanation has as yet
oeen given as to It's cause There are a
number Of crevices in the rocks near the
opening from which the cold air also issues.
Mr., Frear erected temporary platform
n lront OF the cave. A person standing on
'lS i've minutes would experience sense
Gon OF almost complete numbness 1t was
tie owner 5 intention to excavate a passage
way and erect building over it for the ac-
yyognmodation yg Of inquiring visitors. He was
Aued on the railroad however before his
lIGlect was carried out. The cave is con-
%uered one of the greatest curiosities in