The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-02-06
WONDERFUL CAvERNs.
Pre- historic Remafns Lately Fouud
IN H1ssourf nnd ohio
n1ssoURr cAvE-rFarLR.


Gently explored in Monroe comfy, Mis-
souri,. It is in limestone ridge at the
head waters of Salt river, which emptles
into the Mississippi. This ridge is
known in the locality as the "Narrows,
and itsrocky tluffs, rising the ighf
of 20o feet present = bold and pfctnr-
esdue scene. It has had local fame on
account of tine many Indian curiosities
found there. Indian mounds are nu-
merous on the rocky ledge, and Indian
skulls. arrow heads, flint hammers, and
iron and stone hatchets have been found
in considerable numbers A recent dis
coyery there caused correspondent to
visit Mr.. Waldron, the owner of the
land. and this account is given o. an
exploration:
Without much difficulty fonnd Mr.. Wat
dron. the discoverer Of the temple, on whose
land it is situated. He proposed, as II was
late that / shonId remain with him quf1nc
the hight. and walk over ann see the tempIe
in the morning j assented, and after sup
Der Mr. WaIdron brcs1,sht cut some articles
that he had found in Che temple for my IN
specfion. They were bronze natchet OF
hammer having an eye and heavy KNOB
on the hammer portion rude bronze lance
! or arrow head more than six inches In length;
/ a piece of deer or elk horn. about nine inches
! in length, from which small branches were
given of, and an ilipticaf piece of bronze, on
which was cut in rude manner an Imitation
of the sun and some alphabetical characters
| CLOSELY resembling the Phenician.
The next morning, with Mr.. Naldron and
| his two so1Is, set out TO visit the temple.
| Our way lay through low bottom covered
! with dense growth of timber. We soon
/ found ourselves before rbe cleft in the rock,
and after lighting torch we entered The
arch Is eilipticaI, and for gracefulness OF
curve and beauty of finish Is not exceiied uy
any of the works OF the present day Each
l i - rlif Ia TVuli n
| smooth as glass, and they sent back refiee-
! tions of our torches, like polished steel. Ihe
/ springer rests on an entablature, which IS
! placed on the capital of beautiful column.
also hewn from the granite. The Keystone
! of the arch projects from the inferior stones.
1 and seems to have been finished with the
view of placing an inscription thereon, but
this was never done. Passing under the
arch we found ourselves in n room hewn out
/ of solid limestone, 35 feet wide, so feet long,
80 feet high, and vaulted to the centre, the
I ceiling being As feet from the floor TO the
middle of the room. At intervals of ten feet
( are graceful, slender columns of granite,
l with square base Enthusiastically carved in imi-
/, tation of some unknown plant.
! The shafts, like the shaft supporting the
] arch, are supported by a capital Upon
this rests heavy entaoiature on mag
nesian limestone, which is closely fitted ufI-
der the roof. and gives the columns the ap-
pearance of supporting the ceiling. The
| acoustic properties of the temple are remark
! able n
( of the room to the other. There are twelve
| columns in the temple, six on each side
| Between the columns on each side OF the
temple, and on each side of the arch or en-
! trance to the temple, are set into the wall
blocks of polished gray and black granite 4;
but there Is no inscription on any of them.
| No sculpture OF any KIND, except the plants
I mentioned above, has been discovered At
the western portion of the room Is dais, or
raised platform of polished lime stone, which
supports huge block of granite feet long
and "a inches thick. On this Is laid a slab
Of polished, and bevelied granite, smoother
than marble. This slab projects over the
block beneath it about six inches on every
side, and is feet long and wide. Evil
IDENTIFY this was an altar, for there are ashes
scattered around What was the character
of the sacrifice To the right of the altar IS
small ante-room, which yon enter through
an arched doorway, evidently Intended foi
the priest who attended 20 the duties Of tbs
altar. About this there Is nothing destruct
i've. It is not even certain by what means i
was shut off from the auditorium. The
place is wonderfully dry. The ravages oi
time have not in the least impaired H. an6
every portion retains the freshness and GLOW
that it had when it came from the hands o.
! the workmen.
1t is undoubtedly one of the great curiosi
ties of the age, and is attracting the atten
tion OF archaologists. An exhaustive repor
is now being prepared by committee, which
: is to be presented to the Historical Society o
the State of Missouri That !. Will add fresl
interest to the study OF the civilization tina
preceded the present Indian tribes of thi
country seems probable.
TABLETS. CARVING AND 3fUSIsFIEs l.
AN OHIO CAVE.
Adams county, O., is rich in remain
of prehistoric mounds and fortifications
and is the Mecca of enthusiastic arch
biologists Most of the mounds are ol
alliiylal bottom lands of the Ohio River
Seventeen miles northeast OF Mancbeste c
is prehistoric cavern, in which wonder
full discoveries have lately been mad
J of great interest to the scientific world
They throw much light on the cfiara
ter aud habits of this remarkable people
/ evidences of whose high ciyilizafin
, have been preserved TO us. A CORE
spondent of the New York Sun iai ell
visited this cavern, and gives this de
scrfption of recent discoveries:
The entrance to the cave is cisolxetf a
l. with the debris of ages, but traces of fiiml
OF steps are to be seen. The entrance is .
the bottom of ''sink hole" which is neari
: in the centre of n level field. This field
200 acres in extent, and Is bounded on a
sides by lofty hills. 1t Is about twenty.fiy
. feet from the surface of the ground to ii
bottom of the cave. / have been unable
J learn when this cave was first discovered 1
was known to the earliest settlefs, and the,
Indians. 1t contains nine chambers,
:. rooms. These apartments are connected b
narrow galleries. All but the third one fro
y the entrance are mathematicaliy regular
;. shape, being each about thirty feet in lengt
twenty feet in wi1 Rnd fifteen in heigh
The galleries are D. he same height as ii
main rooms, bnt are only six feet wide. I'll
/, excavation passes through a solid ledge
freestonc, which is bisected about one hu
dred feet from the mouth by vein of finn
stone The chamber where the limestol
I crops out Is OF Irregular shape. The wat.
, has oozed through the limestone rock f
> ages, and formed thousands Of beautif
e stalactites aud staiagmites The cave
much visited by picnic parties, and eve
y corner OF it has been thoroughly explored
. thousand times
The fourth chamber has deep well in OF
corner, at the bottom of which is stream
o water. The depth of the well is unknow
but 1t must be several hundred feet A fe
days ago party of gentlemen paid a visit
- this cave, equipped to explore this mysterio
well. Forty-6ve feet from the top of t
well, they found the entrance to seco
/. cavern, which proved to be the family ton
of race of gigantic men. narrow gale
- which expanded as they left the well behil
them opened into a lofty chamber 225 fs
long, and 11o feet wide. The walls, foe
and roof OF this immense room are smooth
4 finisbed.1 inthe centre Of the apartment is
a, sarcopbaFas and niansoleum combined t
= fnauSoieusn at its base measures ffty-five
thirty-fiv feet. 1t is of simple thou
beautiful, design, and carved out Of the sa
rock. Its base is parallel on all sides, tn,
panels ccntaiUng bas reiiefs which are ST
N posed TO Illustrate tie four seasons in maj
life Childhood, Youth, Manhood, and {
m Age Al the ends Of the has reiiefs !
ef- tables full of written cha racffsrS rps..rhIi