The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-07-04
From Our spseial Correspondent.
QUIZ SOUTHERN LETTER.

.Ioi:s 18th IL ancient and modcrI
Dimes, md the legendary history i
Interesting aud romantic. Right il
ibis region De Soto is said to hav,
passed months, and from somewher,
near he took immense treasures o
silver which he transported in gal
Icons to Spain. The great Cave o
Itichvona bears some resemblance t
the traditional mines where he work
ed and found such treasures. A
practical miner has just made an ex
ploraiion Of this cave and be gives i
as bis opinion that it has never bee.
worked as a mine in the ages past
This cave is about O mile in length
and has numberless side avern and
wells and chambers which have
never been explored. Millions o
bushels OF guano have been deposited
there by the bats. The entrance is
narrow and low, and n man cannot
stand upright for some distance.
The descent commences Immediately
on entering the first passage and j;
gradual for full half q mile where il
is arrested by another cave, or more
properly speaking, a well of unknown
depth and about twenty feet across
The passage egrows wider and in
many places there are lateral caverns,
and many small openings which evi-
lead into other chambers
which have never been Explored.
There are not many s~talactites though
you fad them occasionally, though
none are very beautiful. The cave
has an outlet fail two miles from the
opening. ! would like to explore it
thoroughly, but owing 20 the narrow
Of the passages in some parts
and the inclines made dangerous for
me by the humidity, l am afraid |
shall have TO forego it. "Twas ever
thus from c%hildhood's hour" you
know the rest
am trying now to End an old
woman who is well versed in all the
ancient lore and legends and shall
some day astonish you with their
recital.
But, with the search for traces for
| succeeded in finding other
things unlocked for at the time, and
some that ! did not know the exist
ence OF.
Within about TWO miles from the
is q lead mine Of unbounded
richness. | have forwarded some of
the ore which is 50 rich tsat may be
cut with a knife, to Philadelphia to
be assayed.
Inside the Cave is a bed of clay
about sixty feet from the entrance.
1t is of the richest and most plastic
kind such as is used for statuary and
it will also make the best kind Of
The quantity is UNLIMITED.
There is a marble qua ~ also, about
8 mile and a half from here where
marble of the purest aud widest kind
IS found.
A lew Yeas ago o Californian was
here, and after making an excursion
over these bills and mountains said
hat if there was not gold and silver
ncre, then all the signs that indicate
heir presence in California failed in
,his place. There is plenty of the
rystallized quartz emong the rocks
IN the mountains, but | have seen
very little of anything resembling
quartz rock. There is plenty Of
but the prevailing rock is
| have found any quantity
ii petrifcations here, the most part
being of shells and wood. There
ire also quantities Of Indian relics
and distinct trace OF worked
in rocks which have had the
precious metals extracted by fire,
but the mines we cannot Cad or at
east have not yet.
Since my last letter | have been
about the country and ! have
been made sad by the signs OF ne
glect and oarelessness in manage
ment of farms, and without wishing
20 give ofeLce | am going to tell some
hing OF how the most Of the people
i've here. Other people a see at q
what a %ruinous system it is,
and also / wish that new corners
may MT be disappointed IN any
way.
In the first place they all live in
cabins with one or two excep-
ions. This building will have gen.
orally but one room to it, though
sometimes there are two or even
.hree, but they are always built
separate as the legs will generally
,ot run longer than enough for one
DOM. The logs are laid criss GROSS,
eaving just the width of q log be-
.weep each, to be filed with clay
md sticks. There is al ways q CHM
ley most often made of sticks crossed
lnd plastered with mud than any
though there are many made
If stone and cement These build
ngs are low ceilinged, and never
have any windows, therefore you
IAN imagine how cheerful they must
,eem. Some of the people have
stoves, but the most part cook oyer
he open fires. | have never seen
,ut two carpets since | have been
here.
Everything in the houses Is Of
be simplest kind, and SO few that a
northern housekeeper would die of
despair yet habit makes them sufficient
Or their necessities.
Farming implements are very liz.
lie 10 advance of the household uten-
ills in variety or quantity. They
lever use subsoil plows, they usually
,low with only one horse. and rarely
,low over six inches deep. They
urn the soil six inches deep and
Iow o. bushel of wheat to the acre.
and harvest from twenty
o thirty bushels. The same rule is
deserved in sowing oats. rye and
'orn.
The orchards are planted and then
eft to bear fruit or not. just as it
Suckers grow out from
be roots and become nearly as large
s the trees. grass and hrambles
row around the roots and branches
plit of and hang by little strip of