The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1883-03-04
The Mammoth Gave.

MAMMOTH tANE, N.Y., ftD IL. 1861
The Mammoth Cave permeates, honey
rombs, you may say. bun on Green River, in Ed
monson County. The bluff is about feet above the
river, and the ground floor of the Cave is below the
surface Of the river, so that from this ground floor to
The top OF the bluT there Is for the enormous
vaults and domes and pits, for which the Cave Is
celebrated. The river enters and leaves the Cave
by suberranean channels, and there are number of
springs and waterfalls, that appear and disappear In
the mysterious manner. when the river is up, as
Mt present, you can't make the long route. The
country around is plateau between seven and eight
hundred above sea-level, ntersected by deep water
courses of which the bed Of Green River Is one.
The land IL mostly out, but the timber
In the bottoms has never been cut very large show
Ing that the land is naturally strong. The land and
climate are naturally adapted TO fruit culture, but
thore Is not much done on account Of the want Of
roiis to get crops out and fertilizers In. These
only summer roads. The Cave had 2, 900 visitors
last year. If n Darrow-gauge railroad could he
built from the nearest station To the Cave IL could be
reached In twenty minutes from the Louisville and
Nashville Railroad, aud the number OF visitors would
no doubt he ten times as many as II Is now or VIII
lie rs long the means Of getting to the Cave is the
same II is now. At this season IL takes two and
half or three hours to make the nine miles between
the while. People from abroad think IL Is hardly
worth while to come to the South at AL unless they go
to the Cave. Niagara, the Cave, and Yosemite Val
10y tho three great curiOsities of America. So
they here all the year round, though the sum
among tho visitors have been the Chickering's, from
boston, and Mrs. Daniel Holmes. the authoress II
stay here VIII drop you line occasionally to let
you know what Washington parties are here.
should he surprised Ia Mrs Langtry here this
week, but she may look upon the Mammoth Cave as
rival, they are both In tho show line, and not care
To patr0nize the opposition. Tho ouliville Courier
JourHdL man looked at her more critically, and de-
scrlbed her than has vet been done
In this country respects hur physical character
lsCs. lie says she Is bOnel, long waised, has
large foot and low insep. You can see all OF that
IIaFn
tour reminds me of John llecnan. Vulgar people
VIII think that Is vulgar way TO speak of beautiful
women. But the fact Is lIeenan was superb speci-
men OF classical symmetry, ana SO Is Mrs. Langtry'
| and herein lies the obvious resemblance.
In your last number | read the obituary OF Mr..
Kingman, done gently aud well. lie was, sup
pose, about the last OF the old class OF Washington
correspondents, who remembered and associated on
equal terms with such men as John Randolph, +. ;.
Key. and william Plnckncy, lie succeeded my IA
ther. ", IL. Cummns, who died In 1895, AS tho cor
respondent Of the New York Journal Commerce and
the Charleston Mercury. Tho ATcleln your papersays
that the Journal gf Commerce was unable To pay MIR.
Kingman salary. The two papers have named
paid my father six hundred dollars per annum.
Frank Porieus COrbin, sou Of the MIR. CUrbln mem
toned In the kingmau obituary. married MISS Mary
Sims, Of Philadelphia. lie died not very long since
In Parts, where hr lived most NJ hisfe. Ills daugh-
/ ter married the Nicompte de Dampierrc
II lisa fact not generally known that the elder Cor
hin waE the disappointed Governor Of Virginia by
| royal authority, When James Murray C.ord Dur-
mOrel ran away the appointment was offered Mr.
/ Curhiu but declined. Then edward Jennings,
Secretary OF state, for brief period exercised
ocullye functions IN his Naicsty's name which was
/ the last of the English rule In virginia.
Mr.. ~, OGlu 'layOe IN his Interesting volume Ol
Tcmnsceuces, printed for private circulation speaks
NJ meeting with pleasure In Europe both Edmund
jennings and Frank Curbln, And Ia an admirably
/ wTltiun obituary NJ Gen. Dick Taylor which read,
think, In the New York lOrid, It was said he was
the hest received American who had ever lived In
I Parlg, with the exception OF Frank CUrhln.
A new industry Is about TO be lnauguraed at tho
Cave; indeed has been In part commenced II Is the
/ cultivation NJ mushrooms. Experiments have been
made. and II has been shown that all the conditions
exist In the Gave for the most uurishing growth aud
! bOundlesS production uf mushrooms These delicious
vegetables require darkness aud even Temperatures
which Is exactly what they have In the cave 1he
experimental culture produced mushrooms Of the
largest size and finest quality. II H. only then a
question Of the quantity HAT can he raised and tho
cost Of getting them Ia market, Mushrooms sell In
New York about seventy i've reuts the pound, aud
ought tu hrng as much anywhere else, where civil.
lied appetiles prevail Au arclnOf such value ought
10 hear railroad transportation 10 any point Ia thr
country aud have handsome pront, luminous,
quantities Of mushrooms are raised IN tho qnarIlri
! which have been worked ont and abandoned uOai
Paris. aud they shpped all over Europe forminl
In important aud lucrative Industry. And tho sam,
thiug can be done here aud II the scale o the
prise be propOrtiuned Ia the AREA available In th'
| Mammoth Cave, there must he millions la It,
n. II. CuMMlNf,