San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1881-12-15
Letter From Kentucky-The Mammoth
Cave.

mAChViLLf, M. Doc' - 1901
EDrroR FREE PREss;
The Mammoth Cave il situated in Ednon
son county, about ono hundred miles from
Louisville and tho same from Nashville, ac-
cessible by rail from both places. The Cave
hotel il large and first class in all its appoint
ments, containing large ball room, and
every thing calculated to enhance the pleas
ure of visitors; the grounds are magnificent,
from which can be be seen Green rivers
towering cliffs and unsurpassed scenery.
But we, for awhile, are done with the out
side world, and make ready for the cave.
Mr.. Editor, I am sure had you seen the
feminine portion of our company dressed in
bloomer costume, heavy shoes and flannel
caps. you would have laughed, imagining
us to be q regular party of woman's Rights
suffrage seekers just from Massachusetts. or
a band of Temperance crusaders from Ohio.
The guides are polite and intelligent. and 1
think, must be pocket editions of those
great celebrities of Bible fame, Moses and
Job, for they are rare combinations OF
me ekness and patience.
The entrance to the cave is 200 feet
above Green river and about twenty-five
feet high and thirty feet wide, over which
mist constantly hangs, produced by condens-
ed moisture, from the outside air, being eth
or colder or warmer than that, in the cave.
The temperature of the cave is always the
same, the dir pure and bracing, which
accounts for our being able to walk SO far
without suffering excessive fatigue.
Passing over the chemical and mechanical
agencies which formed this mighty wonder,
I will speak of those places and objects that
interested me most.
Entering the narrow archway, we passed
into large room which is called the Rotunda
and is said to be under the hotel dining room
Here we find watts, water pipes and other
things used by saltpetre miners more than
sixty years ago, but are in n perfect state of
preservation. From this we traversed
Audubon's avenue. There are small stone
cottages built for the residence of consumpt-
ives, under the impression that they
would be benefited by the uniform temper
allure. lis useless to say that the expert
ment was total failure. We now pass
high cliffs and come to the Methodist church,
where years ago the gospel was preached
from this unique pulpit. Apropos to the
church, Tlltell you of on incident which
occurred there several years ago. A young
lady was forced, by her stern and crue
father to take an oath that she would never
on the face of the earth, marry certain
gentleman. The damsel seemed bent OF
wedding that certain gentleman, for she
with yankee cuteness, went Immediately tt
that church under the ground and married
the man of her choice
The Giants coffin is huge detached
rock forty feet long and twenty wide, and
when viewed from a certain point, yer.
much resembles covered coffin. Nea
this is the figure of an ant-eater, it is blacl
gypsum on u WuiVe p'keh 81 ouhu' 'o WIZ VI
feet is quite striking. Farther on is tn
noted group of the Giants wife and child
We now pass over many places and come tt
the Star chamber. The walls and ceilin,
are covered with black gypsum upon which
CLEAN white points very much like the stars
they are produced by an ef1oresence o
| IL pfr,
it to scale off, leaving the points exposed.
From this chamber the guide descends b
hind ledge of rock, moving his light in s.
as to produce the appearance of clou'
passing over the star studded ceiling. Again
he disappeared leaving us in total darkness
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