Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-02-19
A Gave Of Giants.

THE WONDERFUL DISCOVERY THAT Is EXCIT-
ING THE OHIO vALLEY-A sUBTERRANEAS
MAUsoLEUM DECORATED WITH PAINTINGS
AND SCULPTURE.
\ correspondent of the Philadelphia
Times writes from Manchester, Adams coun-
~. Ohio. as follows:
The Ohio Valley, and this immediate sec
ton in particular, is rich in remains Of that
wonderful prehistoric race, the evidences
of whose civilization have been perpetuated
in those curious pieces of engineering from
which is derived the euphonious name
Mound Builders given them by archrol-
ogists. Within the past few days wonderful
discoveries have been made in this vicinity,
which open up new chapter in the history
of this remarkable race and throw much
light upon their manner of living. their
character. their social habits and their phys
ical nature. In different sections Of the
world. and at divers time, there have been
found the remains of gigantic fauna and
fora. and of human kind Of enormous size.
So rare and far apart have been these dis
co,eries, however that We have looked up
on historical accounts of them clearly
constructed pieces of fiction. and been 10th
to do battle with a fierce mastodon or the
savage megatherium. 1t remain. for Adams
county to come forward with a startling CON
irmaiion of the text And there were
giants in those days" For in Adams coun-
~ has been found not only the bones Of
gigantic race of men. but their implements
of warfare and husbandry, and excellently
preserved specimens of their art in sculp-
ture, painting. engraving and writing
Whether these prehistoric giants had
hand in the creation of those splendidly de-
signed and durably constructed pieces of
engineering which stretch across the country
from the headquarters of the Ohio to the
mouth of the Rio Grande, there to COM
mlngle with similar chain of roads, mounds
and Notifications coming down the Pacific
slope, and continuing on through Mexico,
Central America and the South American
States, TO be finally lost in the unexplorcd
barrens of Patagonia, will be left for The
solution of wiser head than your cores
pondcnt possesses He simply relates the
facts the scientists NAV build thereon the
theories.
In conversation with some of the oldest
citizens OF this county. have been unable
TO learn the date of the discovery of a cave
on the old Smith farm, in Titfn township
For wears it has been a place Of resort for
the curious, and was always regarded a great
natural curiosity. The old Smith farm is on
the Portsmouth pike, between fifteen and
sixteen miles northeast of this place. 1t is
now owned by Mr.. Samuel Grooms and is a
fertile. well-cultivated body Of land. About
a quarter of mile from the house is a level
field Of two hundred acres, occupying a
plateau. surrounded BY lofty hills. In the
center of this field is the entrance to the
cave. As YOU near the mouth of the cave
there is gradual depression of the ground
on all sides. forming what in the local no.
menclature is denominated a sink hole"
At the bottom Of this circular basin is n hole
three feet in diameter and about twenty five
feet i'll depth, AT which distance from the
surface YOU strike the floor of the first cham
her in the cave, dry cavern, twenty By
thirty feet, with smooth, even floor, roof and
walls of irecstonc. Crossing the room YOU
enter a corridor six feet in width, which con
meets with another chamber smaller than
the first, and tins in turn Is connected with
a third chamber by similar corridor. The
third room j. about the size Of the first, but
il has a lofty arched dome and the walls,
floor and roof are Of limestone. Through
the rock the water has oozed for countless
ages and formed thousands of glistening
stalactItes. Nowhere else in the cave do
you Ind these slow growing formations, and
nowhere else do YOU find the limestone
cropping out To gain access to the fourth
chamber it is necessary 10 climb a steep, wet
bank and squeeze through narrow issure
in the rock, which was once a corridor like
those connecting the other rooms. Some
CONFUSION of nature has forced the sides to-
gether. In one corner of this fourth cham |
Der is an elevation which, when once sur
mounted, discloses yawning well, with |
mouth ten feet in diameter and of unknown |
depth. Apply your ear to the edge of the |
well and YOU hear the hollow roaring of an |
underground stream hundreds of feet below. |
Beyond this fourth chamber are five others, |
connected by narrow galleries. The cave
comes to an end against a perpendicular |
wall Of solid rock in the ninth chamber and |
about five hundred Yards from its mouth. |
The floor of all the chambers except the
third one, where the limestone crops out, are
dry. All are mathematically regular in
shape except this one. They are of different
lengths, but all are of the same width and
height. 1t is romantic place for picnic
and has been given up to such rural festiyi
ties for years. Every corner Of the cave has
been thoroughly explored thousand times,
and the walls Of the limestone chamber are
covered with the names of visitors and the
date of their visit One high upon the wall
reads "Non Brady, 1889" Won Brady
vas pioneer Indian fighter and hunter who
came here in advance Of the Ohio com
pany," in l1S6. lie was daring man, and
sent many of the red men to the "happy
hunting grounds.
\ few days ago party of gentlemen Of
this county, interested in archaeological re-
searches, visited the cave, well provided
with ropes. lanterns and tools, bent on ex-
ploring the mysterious well in the fourth
chamber. An improvised rope ladder sixty
feet in length was lowered down the well.
Then one OF the party descended, whilst the
others watched above. Ten feet from the
top of the well the wall was uneven, and,
BY placing his feet on the convenient lodges,
no difficulty was experienced in making the
descent. About fifty feet down the explor-
er found the entrance TO another cavern
The gallery at its mouth is ten feet six
inches high and five feet four inches in
width. The gallery is straight and fifty feet
in length, where it enters large room two
hundred and twenty feet long, one hundred
and ten feet wide and twenty -four feet high.
The gallery widens gradually, and where it
enters the chamber measures twenty-five
feet across. The roof, floor and walls are
smooth and even. In the center of this
apartment is a sarcophagus and mausoleum
combined. The mausoleum, at its base,
measures ffty-fve BY thirty-fye feet. 1t is
simple, though beautiful in design, and
carved out of the solid rock. Its base is
paneled on all sides, these panels containing
which are supposed to represent
the four seasons in mans life-childhood,
youth, manhood and old age. At the ends
Of the bas-reliefs are tablets full Of written
characters, in shape something like the He
braic, presumed to be memoriams of the
person or persons in whose honor the mau-
,oleum is erected. The carving on the bas-
'eliefs is of the most delicate description
and fully equal to the Grecian school of
,culpture. The limits of a newspaper article
xill not suffice fitly to describe them. From