Tombstone weekly epitaph., 1882-10-07
A COCHISE COUNTY CUR-
 IOSITY.
A Wonderful Cave Disc"verdd I'm the Mule Ouniains-A Great Natural turiO-ity Wtll ne Thorough y ExplOred in a Few Days

EXpIOrcU LII IT V" Duyo
 Colonel Gordon, all old tune prospsctor and very intelligent man arrived in town
 few days ago. from the Mule mountains,
 where he had been prospecting for several
 months past The Colonel is keen ub- server, and can dete mine the nature of d
 natural curiosity, or ledge of mineral
 with equal facility. Yesterday he gave an
 EPlTApH representative particulars of the discovery of an extensive cavern near the
 foo hills of the Mule mountains, about Il
 mile and \ half from Sneldon's ranch. It
 is about GO0 yards southwest of the main
 trail between here and Bisbee, and
 not more than twelve miles from the latter place. and sixteen from here. The cave
 was accidentally discovered by two young
 men named John Hilton and Bob Nelson,
 who were prospecting. The mouth of the cavern is about three feet and half wide by foot and half long, and continues down fifteen feet about that size. It is not he handiwork of man, as there is not tue slightest indication that a pick, bar or drill
 was ever used in opening it. It has every indication of being Water form ,tion.
 and is uLquestlonably work of nature. On one side of the aperture vein of high
 ly 'mineralized rock several inch es wide is plainly visible. The vein
 is crystalized and copper stained and glves indications of amounting tD something handsome as il g"es down. The cavern was discovered last Saturday, and the ledge immediately located. The men secured the picket ropes attached to their saddles and attemptei to explore the cave b, descending by m, ans of d rope, but hav- ing no candles it was determined so aban
 don the idea until the day after Sunday Messrs Hit 'n and Nelson, accompanied by William Banning and Colonel Gordon. visited the cave, and Hilton was lowered by means of rope. The cave runs down
 it an incline of forly.tlve degrees, and is uniform in size for fifteen feet It then opens out several feet and continues unl. orm to depth of twenty-five feet, when t opens into an immense cavern, the di. | mensions of wnich are at present unknown | The foot wall continues uniform all the
 way down. apparently, but the opposite side of the cavern could not be penetrated
 A long carcjo pole was let down to Mir
 Hilton and he tied lighted candle on the
 end of it, anl by that means tried ta gszc ! ,n the other side, but could not saiiate his
 curiosity There was nol lose rock on
 he wall, and every thing seemed perfect He was lowered down l., depth of lorIy t,et, and there found another cave'n branching of behind the main chamber
 Exploring t with his light he found it lc l consist of solitary chamber about sixteen feet square, with perpendicular walls That being the extent of his rope, he
 was hauled to the t,p. He reported seeing frequent signs of mlnelal, while | below, but could not determine the eXtenl It was decided tn lower Mr. Nelson, with
 his pockets loaded with stones, which he W IS directed to drop when he reached the end of the ro.e, and listen, in order t
 d,t rrnIne he depth of the cavern by the sound. H.. dropped several of the stones successively, and heard tnem roll down wards until he could hear no longer They certainly had not struck bo tom for seven | " or eighty feet, or he would have heard them. He next tried to fling Il stone against he opposite wall, and was in degree successful, and thinks so far as he could | regulate the d stance by sound, that 1t was
 not les, than sixIy feet away. Col. Gordon
 says that a party are preparing to
 thoroughly explore the cave on the 18th ol | tn month. The shaft fbr the first fifteen feet where it is narrow will be opened "u'
 so as to admit bucket, wIndlass will be
 erected, and a couple of men lowered Calcium lights will also be St cured in ol
 der to throw lurid light on the extensive | subteairanean chambers. The discovery
 caused much exct meut in Bsbce and il
 is more than probable than an eXtens vt
 crowd will be on hand on the sixteenth. The Ceiest al Visitor.
 TI,n ,,,l, to,I ittcf