The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-04-25
The Mammoth Cave.


A correspondent of the Rural Home
thus describes this wonderful cave:
After passing what is called the mar
rows, we enter the main cave, which va
ries from fifty to one hundred feet in hight,
and about the same in width.
The Rotunda is the first place of inter-
est. Here the ceiling is one hundred feet
high, and one hundred and seventy feet
n diameter. This immense subterranean
hall was brilliantly Illuminated with cal
cium lights by our guide, and the effect
was grand and imposing. The floor is
covered with remains of watts, water pipes
and other materials used by the saltpetre
miners in 1912. Wood brought into the
cave seventy years ago is still in Il good
state of preservation. There are great
quantities of bats here, especially during
the winter, when there are said to be mil
lions in this hall Oar guide was Il jovi-
al, good, natured fellow, and disposed to
impose on the credulity of our party. He
pointed out little corn on the floor, with
the remark that il was "the remnants of
corn fed oxen, used by the miners in
1912" then turning to the writer with IA
y
all been carried off; it is about time |
brought IN, some mOre!' The nitrc found
in this cave is the nitrate of lime, and is
said to be formed in part from the de-
composition of animal life, bats, rats, &c.
Saltpetre was made 10y re-acting upon the
nitrate of lime with the carbonate of pot
ash, thus changing it into nitrate of pot
ash, or saltpetre.
From the Rotunda we enter Audubon
avenue, and after short walk we arrive
at two stone houses, or cottages, built some
thirty years ago, for the residences OF
persons afflicted with consumption. There
were dozen or more IN number, who
were under the impression that they
would be benefited by the bracing air
and uniform temperature of the cave.
The party remained in the cave some six
months without coming out, their food
being carried them from the hotel. The
effect they experienced was anything but
beneficial, as three of their number died
in the cave, and all the rest of the party
died soon after leaving it. The injurious
effect of the darkness and absence of sun
light was soon visible, but these people
could not be persuaded they were not
steadily improving in health. On leav-
ing the cave, it is said these parties pre-
sented frightful appearances; their faces
white and bloodless, eyes sunken, and the
pupils of their eyes so dilated the iris
could not be seen, 50 it mattered little
what the original color was, it soon APP
peared black.
And now we reach the Methodist
church. This is eighty feet in diameter
by forty feet high. Here, from the pull
pit, which consists of ledge of rocks
twenty feet high, the gospel was preached
more than fifty years ago, by some en-
thusiastic Methodist The pews consists
of logs, which remain in their original
| position.
Nearly every rod of the cave has some
object of special interest, but time and
space will only allow us to mention few
of the most striking and peculiar.
After passing the Grand Arch, which
is fifty feet high and sixty feet wide, We
arrive at the Giants Coffin. This is a
huge rock forty feet high, twenty feet
wide and eight feet thick. The aspect
/ in which it is first seen presents striking
resemblance to "a coffin. On the ceiling
| in many parts of the cave there are figures
that present very remarkable likeness
to different animals and on the ceiling
near the Giants Co9in there are several
of the most striking ones. These figures
are composed of black gypsum, which
rests on a white background