The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-09-02
KANSAS MAMMOTH CAVE.

Discovery 81 @ Mammoth Cave Contain.
Ing Many Aboriginal Remains.
TGaylord, Kansas, HsrAld.l
Thomas County being only sparsely
settled, the discovery of the caye was
accidental and made while following
wounded woh, who took refuge there,
and finding o human skull and other
bones, from which the flesh had long
since been removed, at its entrance.
The diseoYefeF, supposing it to be q
VOLTS den, obtained the assistance OF
Mr.. Hamilton, who happened to be IN
the vicinity, and the owner of the land,
end the three, we'll armed and carrying
lantern, proceeded to the spot at the
base of high bldff, and pushing aside
the underbrush found an opening in the
mound, irregular in shape and about
three feet in diameter. Into this opena
ing the party cautiously proceeded on
their hands and knees distance of three
or four feet, when the passage way,
charging in e7sry direction, permitted
them to assume an erect position, and
they found themselves In an irregular
shaped room, its ceiling sloping upward
and out of sight. The place was intense
~ dark, only few rays of sunlight
penetrating through the entrance, and
the light of the lantern seemed but to
make the darkness more perceptible.
Passing over the VOLTS body they found
that the fool of the room was covered
with human skeletons and bones entirely
denuded of flesh, placed in every con-
ceivable position some stood upright
against the walls, others were in a sit
ting posture, but the greater part lay
scattered on the floor in confused masses.
The room was somewhat triangular in
shape, its longest side being upward of
forty feet, and the. others about twenty
each. Hung on its walls or resting
against them, and lying on the floor
among the skeletons, were numerous
shields and spears and other implements
of warfare of a savage race.
On the next morning having procured
two additional lanterns and improvised
a torch, the explorers re-entered the
cave, and, clambering over the skeletons
to the aperture in the wall noticed the
day previous, they entered it and found
themselves in passage way about four
feet high and ten feet wide, and arched
overhead the walls were Of solid white
rock and covered with moisture. The
floor of the hallway sloped downward.
The hallway was about twenty feet
long, and appeared to have been cut in
the solid rock by skilled workmen. At
the further extremity it opened into
another chamber on the threshold of
which the party was halted by noises
resembling the movements of animals
within. Peering into the Egyptian dark
ness and discerning nothing, and think
ing that they had found the VOLTS
abode, one of them fired his pis-
tol, and their ears were astounded with
a succession of reports as from dozen
pistols, repeated from all parts of the
room. An involuntary exclamation OF
surprise escaped from one of the party,
and his words, 90 Great God 70 were in
like manner distinctly echoed and re-
echoed as by a dozen voices in as many
tones, finally dying out, apparently, in
the far distance.
After their establishment had subsidized
they were convinced that they had dis
covered veritable ECHO gallery. Leav-
ing light at the entrance TO mark
its locality, they proceeded to explore
it, and found it to be nearly circular in
form and nearly one hundred feet in di-
ameter. The walls were perpendicular
and rising to great height and having
numerous inches, some apparently being
openings into other chambers the
lights were not strong enough to reveal
the ceiling. The floor was solid rock
and quite level and smooth and very
damp. On one side of the room was
found platform of solid rock about
twenty feet square rising abruptly from
the floor to height of about four feet,
otherwise the room was quite empty.
Mr.. Hamilton here said emphatically ::
"Nature might have furnished the out
lines of the cave, but nature never uses
a square in its work and never makes
right angles and never chiseled that
platform nor the hallway through which
we entered the room-lt was the work OF
flesh and blood"
On the other side of the platform was
found two openings in the walls, one of
which resembled. the hallway between
the two chambers, but with its floor
INSTRUCTED with masses of roek. The
other was an arched way about twenty
feet high, the arch extending to the
floor. Passing through the arch short
distance, they came to stream of water
about foot in depth, passing over a
bed of white sand The water was very
clear and cold, and, though evidently
flowing, had but little velocity. The
width of the stream could not be deter.
mined, but as far as the lights could
penetrate it was arched over by solid
walls of rock, apparently very near its
surface.