The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1876-04-20

a.
To thy fathers side. thou art welcome there
That mothers smile is ever for thee,
That father gives thee his warmest prayer,
And thou shalt rest in slumber sweet,
Pillowed beneath the raitered caves,
! While the summer rain drops gently beat
And the night wind stirs tiic woodbine leaves
There's poetry. boy. iu that form Of thine,
And the sazer covets thy painless life;
Would That Thy stormless lot were mine
q Passionless, careless, and free from strife.
t-' ANOTHER KENTUCKY CAVE
A Party of Hunters Stumble Upon u Mann
moth Gave-They Find the Skeleton of a
Giant with Copper Helmet and Sword.
Maysville (ky.l Cor. New York sun
An exceedingly interesting discov-
cry was made few days ago by q
party ofyoung men while out hunting
near the town of Augusta, some four
teen or fifteen miles from this city,
While beating about for game upon
the lands S. X. Veach, well known
farmer of the neighborhood, in dense
ohiehSt VI SihiS, dPOh tuC OluC
of one of the hills, their dogs suddenly
disappeared through an opening some
three or four feet in diameter, which
proved upon examination to be the eu-
trance to a cavern that promises to
rival in magnificence and grandeur the
worid-renowned Mammoth Cave of
Southern Kentucky.
The mouth of this cavern appears to
have been covered with a large, flat
rock that slipped away from the OPEN
ng,together with large mass Of earth,
and this accidentally indicated the ex-
istence of the cave. This stone, which
evidently answered for front door to
dwelling of some of the mysterious
people who lived and had their being
in the Ohio Valley anterior to the ad-
vent of the modern Indian, was near
ly overgrown with moss, and measur-
ed five feet or more one way and lit
tie less than four feet the other. Under
meath the moss has been traced HERO
glyphical inscription, which it is not
improbable to suppose may have been
made for the purpose of signifying to
the passer-by, as our modern door
plates do, the names of the dwellers
inside.
The characters occurring most fire.
quently in this symbol writing are a
circle divided by perpendicular line
a representation of a double-lodge,
and irregular, wavy lines, supposed to
indicate water. Some of our local an
tiquarians have deciphered the oircu-
lar figure to signify utility, or the
union of two branches of the same
family. The idea appears to be
strengthened by the rude drawing of
the united lodges. From this inter.
lies, possibly connected by ties of con-
sanguinity, lived together in this pre-
historic dwelling. The lines that are
supposed to represent water are SINH
lar to those given by Mr.. Schoolcraft,
in hisAntiquities of America, as mean
ing fluids. 1T is not unlikely that the
figures may have some associationwith
the Ohio River, which is distant from
the spot not more than half mile.
INTERIOR OF THE CAVERN.
The young men, who stumbled, as it
were, upon knowledge of the exist
ence of this underground wonder.
were too much startled and awe-strick-
ell to attempt at that time the explora-
tion of the unknown regions, to the
brink of which accident had led them.
But on the following morning they
procured q supply Of candles, ropes
and other articles used in cave en-
plorations, and headed by an intrepid
young fellow named Stephen Wyatt,
repaired to the entrance and began the
descent At the beginning the avenue
entrance dropped perpendicularly four
feet, when it sloped gradually at an
angle of forty-fiye degrees, varying in
width from four to twelve feet, for a
distance estimated at about one hun
dred yards, terminating abruptly in a
chamber about eighty feet square and
thirty feet or more in height.
The appearance of this room is de-
scribed as being peculiarly grand and
impressive Immense stalactities
dropped from the ceiling and glisten-
ed in the light of the candles like mas
ses of solid silver. The floor was COW
cred with a clean white sand, such as
is found upon the sea-shore, to the
deptl, of ten or twelve inches. The
young men, who had never witnessed
such sight as the interior of this cav
ern presented, were lost in wonder
and amaZement, and were eager to re-
turn to the surface, but one more bold
than the rest urged further explora-
ton, to which the others reluctantly
consented. An examination of the
chamber revealed the fact that there
was no mode of continuing the jour-
ney except through small opening
near the floor, that required the party
to proceed on their hands and knees.
y