The weekly Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1872-1887, 1884-01-13

OOUDPIuss
[N3oNGS Aits mar nsA. his
6asxHS10 VGary. u c.pe. from
vA6eA ~s ~ VaAss a IL AseAm
vAksA Z noe nowdN cata crsak xA
discovered Until pov IL las always
lsA nyteT5; Apd parties Who have
hifh-rto att<mpsea % sIplors il have
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. undertaking BY
hs great dspth Of the water.
The RECENT explorers Vho were three
"a number. eoam need op1naens on
Ia. 9Th day Of December 1883. Al the
entrance Of the Cave. we constructed .
nit Of aAAcieut dhnsnSionG. to Goat one
p:rson nicely and With safety; bat with
twoIit voold slowly sink and sink until
hAnhSaS sAtrsty submerged. With
hair parted in ne middle 10 prevent our
fniI rsh from capsizing. sc. not brins
: AFRAID Of spints especially when in the
hqnid Eonn. boldly entered the hnt
cavern.
With lanterns hsld Aloft. Va looked
Aroundin. amargmsnt at the beautiful
spectacle. The reof OF this tavern is
thickly studded With staiActites and d.
rsctly opposite on the door are hase
stalAgmikes ~endsaEQing to meet their
ume n-Ns--~Iy 49, 49, s~..ELuon OF ons
or these cnriosities. Sci ntihc n<sn in
form US that q period CT 5Go years must
slapse. before a Et,iAgmite can increase
one inch in Length Upon this basis our
specimen was 1900 years in forming.
Nearly al spdAes or rain water is more
or less imssregnated with carbonic acid.
and in - passage through the earth, the
rHterthus charged has the power to dis
so're the lime With which 1t comes in
contact; vhen il reaches the roof Of the
cave. evaporation takes place. and the
drop Of sater. losing lbs solvent power,
dimiuishssin size and deposits a thin
layer OF solid carbonate Of lime, which
gradually forms itsIf into stalaetits,
the. droppinss from which form the
stlagmiies.
The first chamber is 225 feetin length,
co feet in width aud about 40 or 50 feet
high; along the south side OF this cham
er Is o bar composed Of ~deeomposed rock
and deposits Lett by receding waters in
the fall Of the year. From this beach or
bar in q north westerly direction is q
PARTON wall separating the first from the
second chamber The space between
the bottom OF the wall and the surface Of
the water is about one foot.
HnvinS a rope fastened to each end of
the raft, one of our party sailed under
the wall and landed on another beach
similar TO the hrst; it was then an easy
matter for the others 10 follow his exam
pie. Every hundred feet or more is an
island or beach npon which We could
make an examination OF the sides; and
while intpnlly examining the differ
ent formations. We suddenly were start
-ledby o loud report resembling the boom
Of Q cannon IN Eths distance; it was q
snseLe made by n Of the party and We
Immediately 'chTistend the spot Thunder
chamber Continuing our researches
farther wefnaily finished the task which
~e had st before rs, and upon q soft
limestone in the extreme end Of the last
chamber. v~eengraved our names togeth-
er with the date of our visit
This cave extends into the mountain
1900 feet. We made a careful eramina-
ton Of the various rocks and found Gran
ito, Gneiss, Mica plate, Chrys,aIine
limestone. Quartz, Feldspar and Granu-
lar lin stone and also q veino Carbon
Ates, similar in looks 10 those at Lead
vile. This vein is In a wGl defined
ledge having q bearing, a few points
west of north. We Sc ,ured the place by
the notice usually employed by pros
Psctors and miners.
All rocks are continually subject 10
decomposition through the influence O
chemical affinity continually acting
against the attraction of cohesion: in
other words, the forces which strive to
separate the particles OF rocks are su.
perior to those which tent - bind them
together: the consequence is silent
hut sure and rapil decay NJ the solid
par. Of the earth. II is through cham
teal action that this care WAS formed.
Rocks which contain potash and soda
are erposedt 10 decomposition from the
fact that theae substances have a strong
afnnity for. water and carboiic acids:
while those that contain iron are no less
perishable from IFS strong attraction for
oxygen. MAoIsTLs.