The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-02-25
A WONDERFUL CAVE.

A Monster Cavern in the Humboldt Range,
Nevada Underground Chambers That
Measure Forty by Srty Feei-Bats That
Scream Like Wildcdts-me Gaze En-
plored the Distance Of a Mile.
The entrance to the cave is located
about three miles northeast from Star
City, and about 1000 feet higher than the
town, in the Humboldt range, eight miles
from the Central Pacific Railroad. 1t has
been known to the Indians perhaps for
for ages, and they say that many years
ago It afforded a passage through the
mountains to a point ~here the Hum
boldt House now stands. APiute legend
says that it has been the home of the evil
spirit for many generations, and the
bravest warriors of the tribe will not ven
ture near its mouth for any purpose
whatever. They say that before the
whites came among them they put bad
Indians in the cave to appease the wrath
anu 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 partially explored
in 1865 by Captain Prescott, James A.
Banks, who was since killed by the In
dians near Camp Scott, and A. j. Sim
mors, now an agent in Montana Terri
tory. Some time ago party of four, of
which your correspondent was one, pro-
ceeded to explore the cave, We had
heard great deal about it, and were
anxious to see little about it ourselves.
On arriving at the place we discov-
cred, to our surprise, that the entrance
was fifteen feet above the ground rock
on which we stood. The rock rises al
most perpendicularly $50 feet above the
mouth, and for several hundred feet on
each side. Having been provided with
ropes, one was thrown over a point of
rock which projects over the mouth of
the cavern, by means of which the en-
trance was gained.
Lighting the pitch-pine torches, we
proceeded cautiously in single file about
one hundred feet in what appeared like
large mining tunnel. The ceiling was
from ten to fifteen feet high in the dis
lance, after which it narrowed down to
crack just large enough to get through.
Suddenly we came to Il square jump-oH
or perpendicular drop of thirty feet.
Again the rope was brought into re-
QUESTION, 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 of which was
scarcely large enough to crawl through.
Here in this chamber we noticed veri-
tiCation of the adage that constant drop
ping will wear away stone" In sew
eral places drops of water from the cell
ing, which continually fell in one place
there being no air current to change
their course-had worn holes in the solid
finty foor from five to seven inches
deep. We explored the cave to the dis
tance of a mile from the entrance, and
our lights burning well showed that the
cavern is well ventilated. We did not
find passage thro 'gh, though we trav-
eled for three hours and half by the
watch, and arrived at the entrance very
much fatigued. We started two bats at
about three-fourths of mile from the
entrance, and they screamed like Wild
cats when they saw our Lights [SttOer
State