The New York herald., 1878-11-21

ment of peculiar usefulness. and may add. beauty
Toward the sides the walls slope down suddenly and
terminated at height of about four feet from the
floor by very remarkable formation Of continuous
staacte which looks like petrifed drapcry folded in
most intricate fashion. At the inner end
of the antechamber is immense column
like mass which divides the inlet to
the cavern from the first apartment into two pas
ssges. This is a mighty stalactite which has fallen
from the fiat ceiling. and buried its point points
or it must have had sevcral deep in the soft aoor
of the cave. in chasm that originally underlay
it. It's column like appearance is at the first glance
deceptive An examination reveals its real staacttc
character and the position it once occupied
when pendant is clearly defined above the compare
lively bare space it has left among the other roof for
nations. Its inamensity cannot fail to strike the
intelligent bcholder with astonishment, and call
attention TO it propose to measure it care
fully tomorrow when commence. my reg uar detail
examination of the Considering that this stu
pendous mass Of unknown length has been formed
by the gradual deposit of lime in solution. and that
the process has necessarily been very slow one.
calculation of its age halts before work Of nature
that must have commenced more than thousand
centuries ago. Standing before of these magnih
cent ruins. for many of them in this such.
one impressed with idea that they hold the same
relation to the duration of time that the morolith
monuments Of Baabec or Egypt do to that of civza-
ton perhaps Of mans habitation of the earth.
They are the work Of processes that have been in
silent operation steadily and long that the mind
cannot grasp although the eye beholds the results
Napoleon, pointing to the great Pyramids. told his
soldiers that forty centuries looked down upon their
valorous deeds Could this great stalactte speak to
it might tell that it growing old when some
Of the stone used in constructing the great Pyramids
were in process Of formation.
FREAKS NATURE a
But to proceed with my general inspection, and
leaving the fallen stsactte for future examination.
we commenced to descend from the antechamber into
agreat Depression whose ceiling however did not also
descend to corresponding level Here we found
bewdering collection of stalactites and staagmtes
of hues varying from white to brownish drab
ochre tint. Immense Masses for there is no other
term admissible of stalactite fallen from the roof
cut up the floor Of this second chamber into rugged
hills and holows, while the walls and large portions
Of the surface overhead covered with fantastic
shapes in stone semi-petrifed mud. Amid the
darker groups. OF what may call the strange mural
decorations, structures Of pure white. These,
with the shadows cast by the lights, heighten
the weird effect in surprising manner, and
assist tho imagination in conjurng up the strangcst
fances. Reflected light from the moist surfaces Of
softening tints and shadows that would otherwise be
hard and strong. Indeed, some Of tho strange fes-
toonings and traceries delicatcy formed that
they look like works Of syt carefully colored and
nished. On the whole however. the colors very
sombre and is this that brings out the pure white
objects in such strong relief Among the curiosties
Of this curious collection is a fringe Of continuous
stalacttic formation arranged along wall and pen
dsnt from shelf eight ten feet above the
foor. The first glance. and one at that,
shows lot of fish, fresh and glistening with moist
ure. hanging along in 1ine Closer ex-
animation explains the illusion. The varie-
gated colors from pure white to dun blu
ish slate color. the elongated rounded objects.
the peculiar arrangement of them in relation to each
other. give the whole formation such likeness to
string Of freshly caught Ash that could not help
telling the proprietor that 1t the finest "bass
lief ever regret to say that my compliment
tary remark WAS quite lost on him. Now climbing
stairway we found ourselves under . low fat roof.
extending in every direction immense distance
without any support This is called the Giants
HAIL. a whole hut is really divided by partitions Of
stsiagmtes and by chasms into number Of sections.
The roof tho greater part Of it is entirely bare Of
any staactites. Why Because from over this i'm
surface the original stalactitc formation has
fallen, and is buried in tho curious deposit Of chomi
ing the great chasm. found in it the ruins of what
must have been magnificent stalactitcs in enormous
masses, but which completely hidden from
view. except at few places. by the superintendent
earth and coating Of thick ana extremely sticky
mud. The surface Of the ceiling, which can be
touched by the visitors hand is covered by blush
efnoresccnce due to chemical action. In appearance
1t has the surface of recent limestone fracture. but
the detachment Of the staacites from it must have
taken place many years ago. Pushing rapidly
through many passages and into chambers, some Of
which really exqusitey beautiful in their natural
decorations. visited the then reacfable recesscs
where the explorer could stand upright. retraced
my steps and took another direction which led to
some immense caverns wherein the formations
colossal scale. One Of these fallen stalactite,
forms kind of horizontal bridge, under which one
must pass TO reach tho passages beyond. The root.
II may term 1t such, OF this great rests the
earthen Hoor while the point rests another great
piece Of stalactte twenty feet above. The re-
vcrsal in position OF the ends of structure that
must have fallen point downward is evidence Of the
depth OF the original cavern Aoor below the present
level. Tef. etA8
HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
In every part Of this remarkable cavern that 1
have visited found uninistahable evidence that
the whole has been subjected to great and instan
tancous shock. The throes Of an earthquake must
have brought these immense from their
places on the roof crashing into the depths below.
In many places where they have fallen groups they
have become wedged together before reaching the
ground and held now by their own weight and fnu
tual pressures. suspended over the visitors head
suggesting some awful catastrophe. It needs but a
glance. however 10 be assured that they have fallen
Ear they go. and that there is no more dan
ger from those that are really detached from the roof
There others. however that do not look 80 safc
and they hang like great groups Of knife blades.
thirty to fifty feet long. mcnacing the unhced-
ing visitor who loters below them adrairing their g
gantc proportions. ! made close inquiry among
the residents here about shocks of earthquake being
felt in this ncghborhood. Mrs. Young, the wife Of
the proprietor Of the hotel. informs me that about
twenty-one years ago very heavy shock was felt in