The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-08-28

.irIlulllil pa1ln
WEDN EspAY B. 50. GUST g s's.I
aussqaity ef aIan.
TuE TESTIMONY or Tbs OF MAitss.
sSDIoAgiosss THAT NAN has EXIST ~. foh
900, 600 YEARS.
rcorrespond ence ckicago TincsI
i, Z, ,,s,,,r al NORTH WE LEs, July B .--In
y,aS,,s,,,rc ON the shores OF Torbay, are
,.yo 'eeIehrstea caves, one situated in the
4 n,,,stirts Of the Village oil Brigham, the;
ntber sinsslaslv located Ia the beautiful town
$ of .Torcuay. In both cases these cayerns ex.
fena into the hills upon whose slopes they are
sltaate6i 500 20 600 feet. the chambers andgal
ieries being very large, tortno.is, and IRE.
gular. The: cave at Brigham, tine mouth OF
which was completely closed by DEBRIS " men
accideuta,.y discovered some years since,
was most carefully explored under the
auspices OF the ROYAL Geological Society,
which appointed the able geologist Sir.
{ PengcIly to personally supervise the opera
tson. The cavern at Torquay, EnoWn as
"Kent's Cavern" is now being similarly
explored by carefully removing It's con-
tents, amounting 70 many thousands OF tons,
unGer the same eminent management.
The similarity in the contents and revelar
tons of these cayefns is remarkable. Con-
fining our attention to that at Torquay,
which Is tie more recent and important In
Its disclosures, It's floors are found to be
composed, first, OF. layer from two to
twelve inches thick OF decayed leaves ana
other vegetable matter, commineied WIN
dust and fragments of limestone which nave
fallen from the sides and roof OF the cavern.
Under this stratum of black mold, and
sometimes pceriBy up through 1t, is an ex-
tensiye floor OF granular stalagmite, or
quite pure carbonate OF lime, varying In
thickness from few inches to over hve
feet. Beneath the granular stalasmite, and
at distance Of about forty feet from
the entrance to the cavern, occurs stra-
tum OF charcoal, ashes, bones, ana rag
ments Of wood. covering an area OF over
one hundred square feet. Below the CHAR
coal band. and where that does not occur,
immediately in contact with the floor OF the
staIaqmite, is q thick stratum OF red clay
mixed wish fragments OF limestone from
fine roof. scales OF stalagmite, &C., the whole
amounting to about four feet in depth, and
called The Z. cave EARTH" Beneath the cave
earth occtyrs another floor OF hard crystal
line carbonate OF lime, having thickness
in some places of over twelve feet, caiieo
the "ery stalline stalagmite." Below tne
latter lies deep stratum composed OF 1rag,
nents Of limestone, red grit, quartz, ana
sand, all more or less cemented togetner Dy
or Donate OF lime In the form OF stalagmltlc
deposit.
The interesting feature OF this matter,
which alone induced me to visit and inspect
these cayerns, is the fact that the relies o.
man are found imbedded In every stratum
of this cayernous floor, even to the last one
mentioned. These relics in the bottom
stratum consist of rude flint spear-points
aud. flint taggers or knives. Those imple-
ments found nearer the surface, as IN the
crystalline stalagmite, are better shaped,
while in The cave earth are found many
well-formed flint spears and arroW-points,
flint knives, bone daggers, bone needles
with eyes, &c. Nearer the surface the wea-
Dons are more numerous and elaborate, and
are associated with objects OF ornament.
Along with these implements OF man are
found very large number Of fragments OF
bones OF living and extinct animals. Among
the latter are the mammoth rbinoceres, itch
orinus, the gigantic Irish deer. cave bear.
cave lion, &c.
The question at once arises, How old are
these fossils? The problem is, to large
extent, ore Of chemistry. How long would
the formation OF such massive floors OF
stalagmtte, deposited from water which still
continues to drip from the ceiling Of the
cavern, require? In the calculation it must
be remem bered, first, that the drip must be
moderate, otherwise the deposit would be
washed away; and, secondly, that in these
cayerns evaporation, which SO much facill-
tates the deposition OF stalactites under
bridges, &C.. is wholly impossible. The
formation OF the stalagmitic depositi is wholly
due to the difference in temperature IN the
cave always $40 Fahrenheit) and that pre-
ya!ent without. When the temperature OF
Deyonshire was below this point water
slightly charged with carbonic acid in perco-
lating Though the everything limestone
rocks became charged with carbonate OF
lime. On entering the warmer cavern q
portion Of the carbonic-acid gas escaped,
and part OF the calcareous cargo was de-
positedas stalagmite.
Fortunately, in KeDfS cavern, we have at
. a point where the stalagmitlc floors are
thickest, kind OF time scale OF gauge. On
rather large knob or boss OF staIagmite, by
the aid OF tallow candle, easily read this |
inscription =" Robert Hedges, OF Ireland,
Feb. 90, 1885," the letters about an inch in
length, having been cut or scratched in
with a knife. Although the "hard water
still continues to drip on this name, 100
years have served to dim but not to etface |
the iRscri ption. The film over the letters
certainly does not exceed the one-sixteenth
OF On Incl, inthickness. Putting aside the
immense time requisite to the formation Of
all the other strata, it appears that the sta
lagmite floors alone, at this rate, would have
required over 100000 years for their deposit
ton. - s.,:s
Enormous as this time seems, the calcula-
ton is eorroborated in n remarkable man
ner by independent evidence. Although
these cayernS are situated more than seventy
feet above the small streams on whose hill
sides they are located, it is certain that the
bottom stratum in each case was washed In.
The PROOF OF this statement lies in the fact
that the bottom stratum contains large guam
titles OF fiints, red grit, and sand, which the
walls OF the caverns could not have supplied,
but OF which the supply Is found at the
heads OF the streams. AS water Will not
now, and probably never would, run up
hill, it follows that the beds OF these streams
were at or near the level OF the, caYerns
where these materials were washed IN. .;ss
The next, problem, therefore, is how long
has it taken tile rains OF Devonshlre TO ex,
cayate in solid limestone valleys seyerai
hundred feet deep? How much limestone
can the annual rainfall dissolve, and now
much can it mechanically carry ana push
into the ocean ? Professor Huxley mas esta-
mated that the Thames basin, Wmch con-