San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-07-13

,.,. That Is Greater Than Its More
ih'' V..,ou. Rlvai--wsird and Fascinating
subterranean Scenery.
pi,tsburg Dispatch.


pi,tsburg Dispatch.
s,rz GAVE, KY, June O.-The
o ~ all caves. the Mammoth"
81 kentucky, has received Tor many
o. % much attention from those trav-
ysn rs who have penchant for the dark
s snd mysterious" and to enumerate the
MI '-.i,les regarding its merits, mysteries
hoouties would be impossible. Few
an know that within three miles OF
iss Mammoth, down in deep and
' hollow in the midst OF a
' w." field, lies gloomy and forbiding-
Liking hole. soy about five feet high
~ civ or seven wide. An ice'cold
a,,oom of water dashes down the rocky
"a If the sink, and throws feathery
snroy over the entrance OF the cave
rsndering the gloom still more impene'
trable and forbiding.
AN INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE.
One bright morning not long ago
our marty. consisting of three, all from
pittsburg, conceived the idea OF explor-
INC this almost unknown cave, and Tor
this purpose we procured six lanterns,
in shape most unique, if not pleasing.
These necessary articles were supple
mented by most tempting lunch and
a most ferocious looking guide, who
;nbabits a log shanty near the cave.
Mr.. Francis Lett, manager OF the Nam
moth Gave Hotel, kindly gave US two
horse wagon and all the information
necessary, Nine o'clock q. m. saw us
iolting slowly over the stony road TO-
ward the mouth CT the cave, and about
10 o'clock we left the wagon, land climb
inc the rail fence, tramped laboriously
through the aforesaid corn.field, and
were met on the edge Of the sink by
our piratical- looking guide, whose ap'
pearance was rendered absolutely ter
rible by an old red wooden skull cap.
He greeted us with "Mornin'. We'll,
here you air." We promptly gathered
up our lamps and slowly picked our
way down the slippery rocks to the
caves mouth. Here we halted, Lit our
lamps, took one lingering look at the
sun and stepped carefully through the
veil of spray. 1 signalized my entry
by striking my head a most resoundlng
blow against the roof, and then sat
down in the mud. Having consigned
the roof to it's proper.place in burning
words, we proceeded. The cave be-
came much larger after
A DESCENT OF SIXTY or SEVENTY FEET,
and the water which entered at the
mouth disappeared into the subterran.
can fssure, leaving the floor dry ana
hard. About 300 feet further on the
ftful glare from the lamps revealed
cavern of much remarkable size. The
rocky sides were lost in the gloom be-
yond and the roof was only to be seen
when our guide lit his blue fire. AS
far as the eye could reach the DIM
solemn aisle wound on and filed us
with nameless dread, finally dispelled
by our matter. of-fact guide with his
swell, gentleman, let us move on.
We followed him down steep rocks,
over piles of dry clay, between slabs OF
lime and soap.stone reaching high above
our heads. This cave differs from the
Mammoth in it's more weird and grand
scenery. The appearance Of desolatlon
and disorder pervading the parts OF
the cavern we passed through were abso
lutely indescribable. The man who
guided us, and, by the way, the only
one who knows the cave, led us up the
hills of limestone.
TWO AND THREE HUNDRED FEET HIGH
and pointed at rocks large enough to
crush a house, which had fallen from
the roof. Climbing painfully along and
Illuminating the different caverns from
time to time, we reached a point where
the cave branched in two directions
Here was deep hole eighty or ninety
feet in diameter and forty-five feet deep
which received steady stream OF water
from a hole in the roof. This hole
gives forth the same volume of water
the year round, but where 1t comes