Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-08-18
CAVE OF THE CATACOMBS.
A Newly-DIseOVeIcd Hole in the
Ground that Contains Bushels
. of Bones.
San Francisco Chronicle.l

DAh Il AduNlnNO ShtVhfOAosl
fearing that some remarkable eth
biological discoveries had recently
been made in Calaveras county and
that Henry g. Hanks, State Mineral
Ogist, had just returned from an ex-
ploration of the locality, reporter
called at Mr.. Hanks residence and
found that gentleman in his study
His story OF his researches was rs
follows:
The first intimatiOn we had Of the
remarkable discovery was from Hiram
Tubs, who had heard that this cave
had been discovered on the first OF
July, in the vicinity OF mine near
Cave City, in which heis interested.
Sunday morning we started
very early aud followed an
intricate and difficult path over an I'm
mense outcropping Of limestone, with
fine vein OF blue marble, in which
the caves are both situated. The alt-
tude Of the mouth Of the cave is 1915
feet above the sea level, measured by
an aneroid barometer. The open
ing is very narrow and could only be
entered by removing or breaking away
stones which had fallen down over the
entrance, and it was supposed to be
entirely unknown for many generations.
1t was discovered by Joseph Metich, a
Hungarian, who was looking for a set
ting hen and found her under the
rocks. In endeavoring to catch her
he perceived the entrance to the cave
1t required much breaking and remov-
al of rocks to gain access. We en-
tered the cave with candles and went
down narrow, descending passage
distance of perhaps thirty feet
By throwing the light from my
bull eye lantern about at the bottom
we could see a number of passages
like Railways leading off in different
directions. The usual stalactites
hung pendent from the roof, and
stalagmites rose from the floor. We
found the ground here literally full oil
bones, strewn over the surface, and as
far down as we dug in the loose, soft,
muddy soil, we still found the bones.
There were many broken skulls and
femurs of large persons and remains
OF children. The extreme fragility Of
these bones indicate great age, and
they are probably many centuries old.
The skulls seem to me to show an ad
vanced type, well developed with good
foreheads; some of them had immense
jaws. We made a considerable mum
Der Of excavations, but the most
thorough search failed to reveal any
thing but bones--pot a single imple-
ment, iewelry or any otner
evidence OF civilization. The
deductions which we draw
are yet mere surmlse. 1t may have
been a prehistoric burial place. but
the absence OF the usual relics and the
great disorder of the bones contradict
the supposition. 1t is possible that
the cave has been the scene of some
horrible atrocity and tribe of people
driven there to starve and die IN the
exigencies of barbarous warfare. We
have employed trustworthy men, in
the interest Of the Mining Bureau, to
thoroughly work over the ground and
search for historical records or relics.
We have christened the place the
Gave of the Catacombs." An inter.
estipg question arises as to the deriva-
ton of the name Of Calavaras, (which
is Spanish for skull FAe record tells
US that the country takes its name
fTQm the CalaVaras river, which runs
near the cave. Some forgotten his
tory may possibly be brought to light
in search far the origin of this name.