Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-10-07
A LEADVILLE CAVE.


A Palace in a Mountains Heart-Ths Dis
covery of a Wonderful subterranean Gal
lsry Near The silver City-Minerai Wealth
Glittering Along Its Walks-Exploring
the Cavern-A Fren chman's Fall
lLeadville Chronicle.
Caverns only exist in limestone formation,
and as this is the principal geology of the
country surrounding Leadville it is but reason
able to suppose that numberless caverns exist
In the ground beneath US. Several have been
struck. perhaps the best known that on Young
and Derry's hill. but by all odds the most won
derful discovery of this kind was made yester-
day, in Tennessee Gulch. Alex Clusman is
the owner of claim known as tie Water
town lode," located up the gulcb,
nine or ten miles from the city, On this
he had shaft some fifty feet deep, passing
through huge gslena deposit. and has been
actively engaged in sinking it deeper, in the
hope. from the Indications, of striking richer
mineral. Yesterday French miner by the
name of John Nell was in the bottom of the
shaft, preparing to put IN blast, but while
cutting the hole the hollow sound that re-
sponded to the blows of his pick gave warning
that ne was nearing rome subterranean paas-
age. He kept on, however, and actively
cleared away the earth. In an instant later,
with great crash, the bottom of the shaft fell
in. and the unlucky miner disappeared into
black and yawning pit. His terrified compan-
ion at the windlass above peered down the
gloomy shaft, but was soon treasured by hear
ing from out of the darkness a voice exclaim:
'Helps not half mile off p
It was Nell. He had only fallen four or five
feet and stood then upon the bottom OF sort
OF natural tunnel that pitched abrup tedly into
the heart of the mountain. He was uninjnred
and called out to the man above:
Come down and listen"
Hastily descending the rope the two stood
| upon the cavern floor and what seemed to be an
iuexpEcabls phenomenon smote upon their
ears. 1t was rumbiiug, rolling sound, like c
| cart pulled along or heavy man running deep
in the darkness of the great mountain. They
listened with superstitious awe, but presently
the cause of the strange sounds made itself
known. stone lying at their feet
became loosensd and with bound started
to roll down the steep declivity of the
floor. In an instant the granite traveller
was beyond the feeble rays of their
| candles, but they could hear it rolling and
falling fainter and yet fainter in the cavern
| GUS depths beyond. A little distance beyond
| the tunnel enlarged into q huge gallery. but
into this they did not penetrate, Fearful of
pits and trapfalls the miners walked but few
| steps and, returning to the upper air, lost no
| time in informing MIR. Clusman of their dis
coverY, Preparations were then made to, if
| possible, thoroughly explore the cave. and in
the course of an hour or two the three,
equipped with ropes and lanterns. again de-
scended the shaft. They soon stood upon the
| shelving floor of the tunnel and looked about
| them. The passage had been pierced some
| where In Its length and on either hand
a gallery extended at an
angle of twenty degrees up
and down. Knowing that the upward passage
must soon, at that rate, terminate in the outer
air, the miners concluded to explore it first and
| clambered up it's declivity. The tunnel was
roughly rounded in shape, and some eight or
ten feet high by rs many broad. 1t was ap
parently some huge assure in the face OF q
| rock pressed together by the mighty convnl.
| sions Of nature. 1t showed no sign OF en-
| larging, and after the men had scram bled
over shout hundred feet of the rocky floor
| their further progress was suddenly stopped
| by huge granite boulder that lay directly
| in their path. There was plainly an end
| TO exploration, and reluctantly they re-
| traced their steps, and soon stood again
below the bottom of the shaft. The
other extremity, however, stretched dark,
yawning and unknown before them. Before
venturing into this and fearful of pits and
precipices they linked Themselves together by
strands of rope-like Alpine climbers. When
this was done, and holding their lamps high
above their heads, they slowly proceeded in. at
| distance of about twenty-five feet the passage
suddenly enlarged and the roof arched higher
| and higher above their heads. Lost in won
derment the men journeyed on and presently
| entered splendid gallery. Here they paused
and seated themselves on the granite bouders
| with which the floor was streWn. Meantime
| the light of their lamps slowly permeating the
| darkness revealed q scene of surprising beauty.
e. e.
| ceiling bent from wall to wall. Pendant from
| it and moulded in shapes fantastic beyond all
Imagery were the icicles of nature, the stalac-
| titles. The whole roof seemed dotted and
| starred by q million diamonds and the strug-
Cling rays were reproduced in all the myriad
| colors of the rainbow. The scene was gorgeous
| past all description. It was natures palace,
and there solitude reigned supreme. For
q long time the explorers paused,
| wrapped i'll admiration, and then taking
| up their lanterns, journeyed on AS they
| proceeded the gallery grew rather than dimin-
| ished il beauty and dimensions. In this way
| they traversed upwards of 800 feet of the cav
ern, but finding it finally dive1ge into several
passages they retraced their steps. at the
| termination or breaking up of the large cavern
was downward shaft of unknown depth. A
| stone dropped in the mouth could be heard
| falling for many seconds and finally FLASHED in
| water. As the miners were leaving the cave
| their attention was attracted by the
formation of the stone that composed the
| sides. To their surprise they found it rich in
galena and bearing heavy copper stain. 1t
seems identical with the mineral found in the
shaft, which assays S7S IS in silver Last even
| ing Mr. Clusman and his partner, D. 4. Viii
iiams. and joey McClennan were in the city
| and reported their wonderful discovery. They
| brought with them specimens of the ORE which
| will be at once assayed. 1t is certainly in the
range of possibility that tho luckv njner.
| may have pierced a treasure house OF nature
| were wealth lies lavish for the finders hand.
REBEL CLAIMS.
The Republicans are the Ones Who PROPOSE