The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-01-14
A Mammoth Cave IN Nevada

A CORRESPONDENT Of the Winnemucca
New SLIDER State writes to that journal
a description Of mammoth cave which
has recently been discovered in the Hum
boldt range of mountains.
The entrance to the cavern il located
about three miles northeast from Star
City, and ABOUT 1900 feet higher than
the town, in the Humboldt range, eight
miles from the Central Pacific Railroad.
1t has been known to the Indians per-
haps for ages, and they say that many
years ago it afforded passage through
the mountain to a point opposite where
the Humboldt House now stands. A
Piute legend says that it has been the
home of the evil spirit for many genera
tions, and the bravest warrior of the
tribe will not venture near its mouth for
any purpose whatever. They say that be-
fore the whites came among them they
put bad Indians in the cave to appease
the wrath and hunger of the spirit that
inhabited it. The last Indian put in
there was not as bad as represented, and
was guided to the opening ON the other
side by the spirit. The cave was par
TALLY explored in 1868 by Capt. Prescott,
James A. Banks (who was since killed
by the Indians near Camp Scott), and A..
j. Simmons NOW an Indian Agent in
Montana Territory. Some time ago q
party Of four, Of which your CORE
spondent was one, proceeded to explore
the cave. We had heard great deal
about it, and were anxious to see little
of it ourselves. On arriving at the place
we discovered, to our surprise, that the
entrance was fifteen feet above the
ground rock on which we stood
The rock rises almost perpcndicu-
larly $50 feet above the mouth and
for several hundred feet on each side.
Having been provided with ropes, one
was thrown over point of rock which
projects over the mouth of the cavern,
by means of which the entrance was
gained. Lighting our pitch-pine torches
we proceeded cautiously in single file
about 100 feet in what appeared like a
large mining tunnel. The ceiling was
from ten to fifteen feet high in this dis
lance, after which it narrowed down to a
crack just large enough to get through.
Suddenly We came to a square jump-sff
or perpendicular drop of thirty feet
Again the rope was brought into requi-
sition, and by means of it the bottom
was reached. Immediately under the
road we had traversed we found large
chambers, the largest of which should
judge to be forty feet square and sixty
feet high, the entrance to which was
scarcely large enough to crawl through.
Here in this chamber we noticed a verifi
cation of the adage that constant drop.
ping will wear away stone" In several
places drops of water from the ceiling
which continually fell in one place-there
being no air current to change their
course-had worn holes in the solid flinty
floor from five to seven inches deep. We
explored the cave to distance of mile
from the entrance, and our lights burn
ing well showed that the cavern is well
ventilated. We did not find a passage
through though we travelled for three
hours and half by the watch, and ar
rXfds a hsd f5ass erE Il pn a5oat three
fourths Of mile from the entrance, and
they screamed like wildcats when they
saw our lights.