The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-08-27
A KANSAS CAVE.
Discovery OF Cave that Rivals the Ken.
lucky Mammoth.

Discovery OF u Cave that Rivals the Ken
lucky Mammoth.
A western hunter, while shooting In Thomas
county, Kan, followed wounded wolf in
what he supposed was a VOLTS den. He dis.
covered il To be a large cave, and, procuring
assistance, he started to explore it. The par.
~, crawling through the narrow entrance,
found themselves in IN irregular shaped room,
ITS ceiling slOping upward and out of sight.
The place was intensely dark, only few rays
of sunlight penetrating through the entrance.
They found that the floor of the room was GOV.
cred with human skeletOns and bones entirely
denuded Of flesh placed in every ,nceivahle
position; some stood upright against the walls,
Others were IN sitting posture, but the great
er part lay scattered on the floor in confused
Eiasses. The room is somewhat triangular in
shape, its longest side hcing upward of 40 feet.
and the others about 20 inches. Hung On It's
walls or resting against them, and lying on the
floor among the skeletons, were numerous
shields and spears, and other implements OF Il
savage race. The party next clambered over
the skeletons To M aperaturc IN the wall. They
entered 1t, and found themselves in passage
way about tour feet high and ten feet wide
and arChPd over head the walls were of solid
white rock, and covered with moisture. The
floor of the hallway sloped downward. The
hallway WIS about twenty feet long, and ap-
peared To have been cut IN the solid rock by
SIX illrd wOrkmen. At the further extremity it
opened into Another chamber, on the ihresh
hon of which The party was halted by poisps
resembling The movement IF animals within.
Pcering into The darkness, and thinking that
they had found a VOLTS abode, one of them
fired lis pistol. and their ears we're astounded
with succession of reports as from a dozen
pistols, repeated from al! parts of the room
After their nstonlshment had subsidized, they
were convinced that they had discovered u
verible echo gallery. Leaving a light at The
entrance to mark its locality. they proceeded
to explore il, and found il to be nearly circu
lar III form and nearly 100 feet in diameter
The walls were perpendicular and rising to n
great height, and having numerous arches
some apparently being openings into other
chambers; the lights were nuf 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 Il
platform Of solid rock abont 20 feet square.
rising abruptly from the floor 10 height Of
about four feet; otherwise the room WAS quite
empty. On the other side Of the platform
were found two openings IN the walls one OF
which rcsembled the hallway between the two
chambers, hut with Its floor INSTRUCTED with
masses If rock. The other was an arched
way about 20 feet high, the arch extending to
the floor. Passing through the arch q short
distance, they came IN stream of water about
= foot in depth, passing over bed OF white
sand. The water was very clear and cold, and
though evidently flowing, had but little vc.
lrty. The width Of the stream could not be
but rs far as the lights could pene-
tra,e 1t WAS arched over by solid walls of rock
approaching very near its surface.