The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-02-12
in shape something like an amphora,


in shape something like an amphora,
aud covered with beautifully carved
flowers and leaves. Suspended from
the room, and directly over the head
of the recumbent figure. is a copper
lamp, OF unique design, elegantly
chased, and kept in position by rods
of the same metal. At each corner of
the mausoIeum rises covered pyra-
midal column, surmOunted by caps
that are Enthusiastically Doric.
On two sides of the room are tombs
of humbler design. They are side by
side, uniform size, and twenty in mum.
Der, ten on a side. Like the mausoIeum,
they are carved out of the solid rock
and embellished with bas-reliefs. On
the front of each is raised scroll, COW
cred with written characters, similar
to those on the panels of the mausol-
cum. On the wall of the room, oppo-
site to the entrance, are painted twen-
ty-five faces. They are faded and
blurred, but still distinct enough to be
deciphered. The colors used are red,
yellow, black, and white, and wero
mixed with oil. The portraits are ex-
ecuted in a superior manner. and the
anatomical proportion Of the features
is preserved to an exact degree,
The explorers opened one of the
smaller tombs. 1t contained q splen-
didly preserved mummy, swathed in
cloth covered with q thick vsrnish,
which emits a pleasant aromatic odor,
not unlike balsam fir. The mummy
measures nine feet one inch in length,
and the cloth with which it Is wrapped,
although of coarse texture, is skillful-
ly woven. One of the party cut the
wrappings from the face, but did it
so clumsily that the head crumbled
toto dust. Portions of the hair re-
mained sticking to the cloth, and your
correspondent has some of it before
him while this article is being written.
1t is black, curly, and of fine texture.
Besides the body OF the giant, the
tomb contained spear head, hatch
ct, two lances, three mattocks, or hoes,
a spade, cup, two plates, and small
urn, all of copper. The smallest cup
and one of the lances have been shown
your correspondent. These wonder
full people understand the secret of
hardening copper, for an ordinary
file will barely scratch the lance, and
the edge of a cold chisel turns up like
lead when struck against it. The cup
is of softer metal, and beautifully en-
graved with trailing vines and wreaths.
A square package at the head of the
tomb, wrapped in the vanished cloth
contained a book of one hundred
leaves of thin copper, fastened loosely
at the top, and crowded with finely
engraved characters similar to those
already described. =-I
The Sun representative visited tho
cave and examined it thoroughly. The
upper cave was evidently the cellar of
a house above ground, and used for
domestic purposes, or as place of re-
treat in case of an attack by an enemy.
In the first two cham bers and in the
last five are many curious blocks of
stone shaped like tables, and bricks
which have heretofore been thought
of natural origin. The marks of chis-
ell and pick are found on them, how
eyer, and these artificial agents form
ed the whole cavern. The irregulari-
ty of the limestone chamber is due to
natural causes. In all probability this
room was dry when the wonderful
people who designed and built it were
alive. The stalactites and stalagmites
have formed since. I measured one
of the largest of the former. It was
five feet six and one half inches from
base to apex. Allowing that it length
ened at the rate of one inch every
fifty years, which a geological friend
tells me is a very rapid growth, it
would have been 1926 years reaching
it's present length. Conjecture alone
can fix the date of the last occupancy
of the cave. It must have been years
before the stalactites began to form.
The owner Of the farm on which the
cave is situated has associated with
himself several gentlemen of capital,
and they intend opening the tombs
and the big mausoleum, putting stair
ways, and then advertising the curi-
osities and throwing the cave open to
the general public. Mr.. Grooms Is
anxious to have the cave examined by
an expert, and an account of the dis
coveries, together with the engraved
book and the tools found in>the tomb,
will be at once forwarded to the
Smithsonian Institution.
ABOUT EDITORS. ,fhu5
Every editor loves to have his friends
and particularly his readers, call on
him. They belong to the same family
as it were. But when you call to see
~,