The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1876-02-09
The PREHISTORIC lAGE.
Discovery of Another Mammoth
Cave Near Columbia.
Kentucky.
Three Human Skeletons OF rExraordi-
nary Proportions Found ina
SubtcrrancOnS Vault.
A CURIOUS NARRATIVE.

COLUMBIA, Jan. 80, 1876.
About the middle of the past week,
two young men named White, while
idly wandering in large tract of wild,
dense forest, IN the southeastern part
of our county, discovered what they
supposed to be a sink-hole or fox den,
and with that idea proceeded to ex-
plore it. After little trouble in max
ing their way through the entrance,
the cave (for such it proved to beg be.
came large enough to admit of their
walking upright. They had proceed.
ed thus in this passage probably one
hundred and fifty yards, when they
emerged into large and picturesque
gallery, the beauty and grandeur of
which will rival that of the old Man,
moth itself. The room, according to
their calculations, Is about $50 by 100
feet, and abOunds III all the varieties of
the stalactites and stalagmites. But
It's not the things that We naturally
expect to find in caves that | wish to
mention particularly, but the curious
remains that were discovered therein.
In the northeast corner of the first gal
lery, (for there are five, of which | will
hereafter speak,, about five feet from
the ground, they noticed some strange
characters, Or hieroglyphics, neatly
carved in the wall, which, upon close
examination, proved to be the head
rock of vault. A few minutes priz>
ing served to loosen this and disclose to
view the interior of an Enclosure in the
solid rock of about five by ten feet,
which contained the remaing of three
human skeletons, which measure eight
feet seven and a half inches, eight feet
five inches, and eight feet four and
three-quarter inches in length respect
ively. The heads were laying towards
the east, each body parallel to the 9th
er. Beside them lay three huge
what look to be-swOrtls, but were so
decayed that upon being touched im-
mediately crumbled to dust. After
examining the remains closely, but
finding nothing that would serve to
throw any light on the question as to
who and from whence they are, they
closed the vault, but, in doing so,
knocked their torch cut which they had
cOntrived before entering, leaving them
in anything buta pleasantpredicament.
After searching some time for their
lost treasure, they concluded to try to
escape by feeling their way out, but in
this they made the matter worse. They
stated that after leaving the first large
room they struck a good-sized branch,
and continued following it until forced
to turn into another passage-the
stream disappearing suddenly in huge
perpendicular gulch--which lead them
into another spacious hall, the size of
which they believe to be quite as great
as the first. Out of this second opens
ing, and through what they conceive
to be three others similar at least in
size, their way seemed to gradually as
cend, until their hearts were made glad
by the discovery of light ahead, and
finally emerged from their ugly con-
finement through a hole about midway
the cliff of RusselPs creek, having
been confined in their subterranean dis
covery over thirty>eight hours. The
whole country thereabout is rife with
speculatiOns concerning the interesting
discovery, and numbers of citizens will
visit it as soon as the Messrs. White
finish their work of rendering the en-
trance less difficult to pass.
The above is correct account and
may be relied on, as tho young men are
of unimpeachable veracity. With a
party from town, your correspondent
will start in the morning to further ex-
plore, and, should new curiosities pre-
sent themselves, will give you the then
account of an eyewitness. ALEX.