The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-05-30
wXONIENG,S MA M MOTH CAVE.
Table Mountain IKOney.COmb be d
with Subterranean Passages-
GrOtesque GrandeMr-l In.
terestinR Findings.

I with EdSSaSeS-
GrOtesque GrandeMr-1n
teresting Findings.
Correspondence of the Grand Rapids Eagle.
TABLE MOUNTAIN RAECH, Wy. T..
May Z, lS7S-Last week herder dis.
covered cave of a peculiar nature
The entrance, instead of being hori-
zantal, is perpendicular. Having S
lariat of so feet, he let it down with
out touching bottom. He then drop.
ped down a stone or two, and from the
reverberations concluded it was of i'm
mcnse depth. Last Sunday dozen OF
US got together with ropes, windlass,
lanterns. ETC., and proceeded to exam
inc and explore it. Having fixed a
strong windlass and attached a stout
rope, man descended with a lantern,
his feet in n loop in the rope, and hold
ing OH with his hands. 1t ia sheer
descent Of eighty-two feet perpendic-
ular, to where an incline of forty-five
degrees commences, that upon going
down about one hundred feet more
becomes nearly level, and branches off
into various rooms, vaults and apart
ments. The sensation of descending
is novel as we'll as hazardous for your
humble servant was twirled and spun
around hundred times q guess) be.
fore reaching the bottom and l was
then SO dazed and dizzy that it was full
ten minutes before l could preserve an
equilibrium. On feeling sure that L
had reached terra .frma under my feet
| speedily assumed the undignified at
titude of lobster in Mysteries, or 4
turtle on his back, vainly clawing and
scratching gravel to gain foOtbold.
At last l succeeded, only to nearly
butt ont ;, h-aine egeinet- -oonoe and
stalagmites before getting "steady.'
Proceeding into one of the vaults
about three hundred yards, came to
what supposed to be the end. But
on a closer examination I discovered
an aperture large enough to admit me,
and, through a partition six feet in
thickness, emerged into a vault of i'm
mense dimensions. Here the ceiling
Is fully 60 feet from the floor, and was
studded with countless stalactites Of
all sizes, from that Of small icicle to
a foot in diameter, and from a few
inches TO fifteen feet in length. The
floor is also studded with cones and
like inverted icicles, and
presented wierd and picturesque per-
spectiye. In many places the stalac-
tites are joined together, having thu
of huge hour-glasses, and
forming number of pillars from floor
to ceiling, adding to the grotesque
grandeur of the scene. l penetrated
about 400 yards into this vault, from
which other vaults and apartments led
off on either side but fearful of getting
lost, proceeded no further in that di
rection, and can only conjecture its
length. Members OF our party eX-
piored other vaults and passages in
different directions, and from their
descriptions l conclude that the great
er part of the Table Mountain is fairly
honeycombed by this cave and it's nu-
merous ramifications. All the pass
ages radiate from where the incline
commences, eighty-two feet down.
Tho aperture at the surface is only
eight feet long and four feet wide. but
enlarges as one dcscends, being bell
shaped. 1t put me in mind of entering
the cnpola or dome Of the Capitol at
Washington, at the top, and descend
ing to the floor below. One would
get this impression on looking upward
it being nearly circular, and gradually
from the floor to the apex.
Bones of large variety of animals are
strewn around, which probably stum-
bled into this fearful pit years and
ages ago. Buffalo heads and those of
elk, deer and antelope are numerous !;
while bones of smaller ruminants car
nivora and rodents are strewn around,
Bones were also found supposed to be
those of human beings, but in frag
mentary sections. The formation
the interior of the cave is
creiaceous or lime rock but near and
at the surface the formation is granite,
gneiss, conglomerate and sandstone.
The stalacities are opaque crystaliza-
tions, some of them being dense and
off metallic sound. Others are soft
and chalky, and at the pendant ex-
tremities of the consistency of moist
ened gypsum.