Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1882-08-13
UNDERGROUND.
v,u,os Into the Depth Of Nam
moth Cave.
sigb,s Seen Seventeen Miles from
|SHaI Sss.SgSt-OId Matt, the Guide
Who spenta Lifetime in
Darkness,
-.....,.ne. Kansas TSaes.

-.,,ondsnce Kansas Tt|es.
.,hv TWO small torches, shut In oy
il' - in front, to the right, IN rear
'Oii ~, ,' equally solid darkness to the LETT
anu ' = distance of pit when
many who in vain have sought
nS S, - 10 its depth, been believed TO
To- ,ssJ the way to some lowe
:" lam sitting on a piece ofgrans
SOi'o' md Of the longest passage IN
AZ I ", Cave-the only place IN
h'l nnnwn world from which q letleS
the NJ, ~ lated. From a Jotting SIone
~ ~ nv right elbow one torcn EFT.
a aUJ rad OF paper on when "m ns;ng
anu Old Matt, the guide, Is us uSit -
my. I,rtIe strength age has ielt h'Ll -
VIA , , nther torch in an effective pos.
orne a ,nsi the terminating wall %
tloh so,a rs that is done SnSii
rceh' ~, into a conversation Whicn II
dra" ~ ;,,,ontion 10 take down IN snort
Is ID . n"d which, il it partakes IN the
manu- ",'V dsgrre of the singularity vi
silghS'sa iS which it is reported, VIII
the pace ,o ~ NO usual reading. Though
d. l ~ what il will be know as iitI'e
PretII'w Who above ground by dayllght
-es5 what / am writing Os'o tbe
rroT,nd where no smallest ray VI o 80
snU has penetrated for 40 Oo,VVV e thSf
sun 80, wen at the end perhaps oI S Sua'
noe ,t ~ infinite stirring OF tune. rs
SOOEI - 81 the lowest estimate, the SUI
Tau 'r,lan room from which you are re- re-
lei .lI -, The news is aged 4O,OOO,OVO
CelrI"7 enough time, no doubt, TO take
S Yea Sronm from a girlish cheek or MAKE
1I' IA IA man Young again, or turn tue
a Ii ~ neaks of the Himalayas INTO
~ i"a,IisSt valleys on the bottom oL
the i. Wben each moment IS 50 rest
IeSs 10 eager to be OF, can one conhI &c
in figures even, 80 great tnIO 0nS 600
nanfnries as are cOntalRed III 4O'OVV'OoO
years: ~ r,,rvp-
c,xoxE CALCULATE so NEAR ErER-
NITY"3
Worry easily. indeed! \ time-defylng
o,5 German observer has supplied the
means and all that is necessary LOT
, ,.lS rsa5ers and TO make use OFF, Is
Gin of paper, together with a we'll
t,inrmed Mcneil, and both these L nave
with me on this piece Of granite, when
!, will soon be seen may not lmpoSSloIy
have afforded a reSting-place throne
the most enterprising?-among the
special correspondents sent down oy
the great planetary dailies 10 report tue
creation Of the world, and who having
prepared his magnificent tack, had yet
IinTered awhile to write up the curloSI-
tirs of the newly-formed orb, describing
il may be, after this labyrinthine man
sion underground, the giant ice6ergS
that then were drifting about where
now circulates the genial warmth oil
the Times, The circulation, l say, Is
easy. Il requires now but a moment
10 determine with unerring certainty
the tremendous age of this rocky cham
her, whose roof, at places of whitest ala
baster, seems in its cleanliness as oI
Yesterday. But the calculation.
Ten feet of hangs an icle OF rock
called technically SUalactate, in this
instance know rs CleOpatra's Needle,
the largest, | have been told, in the
world. For a
"Whv, bless me, Matt! / had COM
pletely forgotten you. You must excuse
me. That torch make fine ettec t.
"Nou are perfectly eXcusable, sir,
don't blame any one for forgetting eitn-
ar his old guide or himself among such
wonders as these. have been intimate
with them TOT fifty years, and they are
greater wonders to-day than ever. You
asked what those stone houses little
distance back were built for. Shall |
tell you nOw??'
"Wait Just a moment. There is a
seat right opposite. Granite Is rather
rough; out III not keep you long. |
have rntaugled myself in
TRYING To EXPLAIN \ CALCULATION.
to a hard-headed reader, and I'll have
To untangle myself. That is all. "
Very we'll; I'll light up the bottom
less pit, though, instead OF taking the
seat, RI you can get good peep when
you're through"
Let me than, readers take you by the
button IA gain. For a stalactite to form
requ res an adjustment of circumstances
as delicate rs it is to the many uu-
known. Water is the prime requisite.
What an alchemiSt is nature to make
the inverted pyrmids seen hanging
from roofs of caves wherever found,
hard as the pyrmids of Egypt which up
side down they miniature, out of such
water rs they every drink! Behold
now the tenfOld more marvellous deli
|cacy, She water by some means must
make its way to the under surface of the
roof But il must not run-it must not
even tickle. One drop alone must ap-
pear, must cling to the rocky ceiling
|chng as man would cling for life
cling until it dries away and deposits
Is visible, its weightless, its more than
Infinitely small speeks Of sediment.
Another drop in like manner must
then appear, cling faithfully, and at
length lay down its burdens burden,
however, that would not weight the
wing ola Lilliputian flea! Thus, drop
|aiter drop, and before each drop an in
interval, with intermiSsion in summer,
when dryness drinks up the moisture
RS9sn. its exceeding thirst demands
Even this down of butterfly amounts
|sith inlefmeston also in winter when
|ssn, N tstcrn, swelis tAo DOSING drop
|nto q gayly tEipping streams thus does
|hA snaii-like process continue. and
slus must 10 have contained while,
Faces OF men perished, while Eaen
PloOmed Is 8 Garden and wlthAred IA
he home of serpents.s while e0a2-heds
hat now are the bowels OF ths solid
|earth were growing as forest tres.
|"hlle the everlasting Andes, perhaps,
were
|NACGHr ELSE THAN LITTLE CORAL IN
SECrS
ilSpOrting in the Ocean-thus IOnp
must the process have continued TO
orm the seven-fOOt staltcite nearly
within arms reach, Reader, YOU your-
Eef may figure too, and with both of
Is al work correctness will be assured
Inc tlme-defying German Observer
forget his heatheAiSh name-has esti-
mated by observations prosecuted in
ne caves Of the fatherland for nearly
twenty years-quite short time sta
liStic' but quite long humanity, con-
|SiueTed-that for the thickness of a hun
|Ireuth OF milimeter to form requires a
|lnOuSand years, BY what clock. then.
snail We measure how long seven feet
WI DE IN forming? 1t is no leSs-sub-
|stahIlate 1t for yOuTself-then 1000, 900
EeSs; Is your conception large enough
70 hold it? Mine is not.
Matt, standing on the edge of tho
|OotIOnIeSs pit, iS,at nv desire dropnino