The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-07

the doorkcepcr of this neither world paradise.
Once more tho valleys and ravincs of the
ChickasHw ridge were invaded 10y an army OF
explorers; but the Chcrokees had recovered tho
key Of their national secret. and their subsc-
qunnt Punishment To Texas cNtinRushe d the
last hope OF Aliens acquaintance. who mad
still visited the wigwams from time To tmc. in
tho hope oi brhng or iiattering one OF the chief
tains into u compromise.
The -civizcd descendants Of the taciurn
old snvnggs have hecome more communicative I;
hut their knowledge has dwindled into tradi-
tions that can hardly furnish any additional
clcw, Long years before Boone crossed the
Cumberland mountains. Cherokee hunter
discovered marvellous cave in the heart OF tho
Juniper hills tthe Chicknsaw ridge nent Russell
villcl. and when j Is tribe explored the intermin
able vaults. they found n lake. and NJ the west
ern extremity ~ 1t big river that flowed in a
westerly direction, and appeared quite naviga-
bic with It's great depth and the height Of the
overnrching vaults. The tribe. alter holding u
council in the cave. introduced canoe and
made n number OF expert paddlcrs. draw lots /;
bag of provisions. and was ordered 20 commit
himself TO the current and never to return until
he had found the mouth OF the river. They
waited n long while. but at the end Of Y month
anu !: nhli Young warrior OF the ShuWnrc
tribe from the lower ohio came 10 thor village
AMI told them thata week ago Shawnee fish
erman had found n sick stranger. who was
floating down the stream ON II log and was too
weak To swim ashore. He brought MIN To the
next camp. whore he died, but before his end
he revealed himself to one Of the chicitains
and made him promise 10 send nm account Of
his adventures to his native hills.
The current of the lake river carried him into
utter darkness. no said aud often the rush Of
tho waters told him that he was travelling with
the rapidity Of the wind but he managed to
steady hs canoe. and nltor voyage OF about
throc days and three nights he reached place
where there was again glimpse of daylight
from above. ANA whore he saw that another
lnrge river joined his own: but after that the
channel bernfne narrower. and so low that he
had often to fintten himself 60 the bottom Of his
canOe Ia avoid being scraped OIL 10y the over
hanging rocks Wherever tho river ran slow
and the tunnel was wide enough To trust him
tn has
and the noise Of the water commonly awakened
him before he reached one Of the numerous
He had kept his provisions dry. and would
have reached daylight IN good condition. but on
the NTH day when he had Just stretched him
SELF Tor little nap. his boat rupsizrd aud he
went over waterfall Of about sixteen feet. MS
near rs he could guess il from the violence OF
tho shock. and he would nave been drowned il
h" had not grabbed lOg Of wood thnt was spin
ming around in m eddy below the fall. He felt
around Tor his canoe but could not find IT, and
WIS glad when he managed 10 push his log out
o, me Whirlpool mo tho current.
For two days and two nights he iioated on this
log without shutting his eyes for u single mo-
n"nt. ana without ilnding anything To- cnt but
Just u week after his departure from the shore
9l the subtrrrnnean lake he saw II light ahead
like the brightness of u sunrise driited down
between cliffs and mighty bouldera that became
more visibl" from minute TO minute. and finally
found himself on u largo and unknown river.
thlckcts on either shore. The current OF the
cave stream carried him into the middle Of the
the water being too exhausted to swim aud
had already resigned himself to his fate when
he WIS seen by the Shawnee fisherman. who
procured him n grave on terra ilrma. and en-
dhrd MN To- preserve the record oil his. after
al, successful trip.
The shore where he hailed lnylight was on
the eastern bank-not OF the Green river but
Of the ONO. forty miles below Henderson, and
about hnlf way between ShawneetOwn and the
mouth OF the Cumberland river This tradition
Is preserved in many records Of the Kentucky
pioneers. and is still FAM liar 10 tho old settlers
n liar M9nr2edi M, ma f3san conntlcs aad
remained the best explanations OF otherwise
unaccountaoe phenolnenn; II Is certainly IA
suggestive fact that the StyX aud the large
stream at the end OF " Proctor's arcade are
twenty and twenty-eight Yards below the level
OF Green river, and are flowing straight west
instead OF north. mud also that the numerous
scaled bottles and marked corks that were
launched on their currents have never turned
NJ above Evansville, hut frequently between
Paducuh and Smithand. on the OHIO
The lust discovery 81 viii IN ~ grossly eNag-
gernlcd report wac published IN tho Louisville
'OWfnercidi and different Cincinnati papers 10
only significant inasmuch ~ II makes il almost
certain that the great cave streams Of Edmond
son county are not tributaries ~ tho Green
river On the 1914 int. June. 1881 farmer
Kelly, the proprietor ot the Saltpetre Cave
near Cave city. lnot Glasgow Junction. ~ tho
special correspondent had it, was AT work IN
q recess uf his cAtern. whore he had oitcn
found deposits OF nitrous limestone. when he
1sGgyer"d that lateral tunnel 81 The main
had formerly regarded ~ inaccessible. He
made his way to the bottom and found that tho
supposed VOL WAS part Of u swit-iiOwing river
sixty feet wide. and ten to fifteen yards deep.
running through II grand tunnel Of it's own,
which inersccts that Of the " sink" at n sharp
angle. about forty feet below the floor Of
the main cave. THIS tunnel. which has been ex-
plorud down stream for two or three miles Ia
distance which rumor and the Louisville Conc
mefcidi Increased 10 twenty-threa nilcsl on
hrs"S every now and then into domeliks
vaults. sing steep and slippery from the dark
food. which seems colder Iy several degrees
llan the wHtcr VI the Echo river. and carries "A
hidden lax" " the Chcrukces.
The junction of such a body ~ water with that
OF Green river would surely bctray itself by The
switcr current or the increased breadth Of their
united stream. and the absence Of such indica-
lions argues strongly in favor of Go. Hrnder-
sons theory: the existence Of a subterruncan
conduit from the Cumberland mouniains Ia ths
lower Ohio. The tunnel OF the hgW cave river
contracts as II dcscends. but uhoNe the cavern
"a" channel is wider aud higher. aud though
the current Is very swift. tho proprietor intends
to attempt the up-rlycr navigation by means Of
narrow canoe. aud If lac should surcerd Lewis
Alien words Will probably be- confirmed: that
traveller who have VISITED Niagara Falls have
not yet seen the greatest wonder OF our Cont
ncnt.'