Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-11-20

1 ShAo sANAAo" RA0SdACy LIE SlSltU1 Col1sCa
to a literal lake of watsr. Projectiles
i thrown In any direction save directl,
behind will not strike anything tul
water.
The research made on the day of oul
i visit was by two men in this boat
Aided by lights left at the place OF en-.
trance by which to retnrn, and taking
lights with them, they started in on 4
voyage that but few men would hav {
the nerve to make, for as it is certain
that immense volumes OF wat r find
their way into this cave, it Is equally
certain that there is somewhere an
outlet and of course a current leading
to it. Reside this danger of being
drawn imperceptibly away, there Is
| the additional risk of meeting with
whiri-pools. where the waters may
descend to caves of greater depth, and
OF sudden falls OF water. In fact the
sound of falling water is heard, seem
| ingiy coming from great distance,
Cautiously proceeding the explorers
at distance they judged to be 200
yards, came to bank or high ridge,
| projecting above the surface of the
| water. Through this they were not
| able f1nd an opening, but clambering
over it, one of them came to the shore
on the opposite side and there found q
continuation OF wa ter and an expanse
| SO great that with all his efforts he
could project stone only to hear 1t
plunge into the watery depths. From
indications it was believed that they
had only entered a side chamber of the
cavern and that the great main cham
ber lays in different direction
Passing out from this immense re-
gion of gloom, we ascend again to the
tfnF fsff hn
to reflect upon still another remarka-
BILE fact. It is estimated that these
three canyons drain fourteen square
miles OF country. Whether so or not,
1t is certain that immense quantities of
water, as the heavy rains come on,
rush down their narrow beds, pass
into the cave through the narrow pas
sage above described, and which is SO
small as to be enrirely insufficient to
conduct the Hood away, thus causing
all the canyons to fill until there will
be frequently over 100 feet of water in
them at their junction. Now comes
the remarkable feature of this accumu-
lation; sticks of timber, huge in size,
stumps, rails, even whole trees, coming
from wide scope of country. altogether
too large to be passed through the
narrow passage entire, come floating
down with the tide. first blocking up
the passage aud later floating III large
quantities upon the surface of the
water in the canyons. Timber and
rubbish enough has thus fioated into
this terrible abyss to more than fill It
in all it's various branches, and yet
upon our visit not stick-even SO |
much as chip-remained to be seen
either in tho cave, in the passage, or in
either of the canyons. The floods of
centuries-perhaps ages have not
been able to cause an accumulation of /
drift as yet 10 be found. It has all
been broken and ground mp by the ter
rible pressure of water, and in small
pieces passed into the great lake below,
the magnitude of which is sufficient to
receive and distribute upon its shores
and islands of rock this drift.
Now as to the cause of this phenom-
enon of the Grand Gulf, there can be
but one conclusion, which is this: All
through Howell and parts of Oregon
Mo-, are great depressions in
the earth in rm like the interior of a
kettle. and of varying sizes and depths
some, acres in extent. Water from
adjacent s,opes and shallow ravines
finds its way out of them as fast as it
through crevices i'm the
'ock. Howell, Peace, Hutton, and nu-
other valleys having all the
iepth, length and favorable surround
ngs to create living and large streams
If water, are yet dry, and after the
heaviest rains but little water remains
o be seen in them inside fter the lapseI
If few hours. All this water sinks,
md it must sink into vast receptables
md be conducted away in underground
treams. The general course of these
Try valleys is in the direction of the
Grand Gulf and Mammoth Spring.
upon the brink of the Gulf
md surveying the walls of the canyons,
he conclusion is irresistible that at
ome period what is now the bottom
# the earth now 25O feet above. and
hat these immenss assures were form
d by snme convulsion of nature-some :
caused what is the roof of ,
he present cavern to crack, spread /
part, and allow the narrow detached ,
,ortion to drop until it reached the
,ottom of the cavern, thus forming the
1ulf with cave opening, and that the
laturai bridge is simply portion of
he rock thstremained intact. No one
amiliar with the country described !
hat sees the Gulf and enters its cave,
will come away with other convictions !
han that Howell county is the roof of /
ca vern more vast in extent than the
Mammoth Cave Of
kentucky held in place by the walls
f finnumerable chambers, and that it
} filled, or largely filled will, water.
The seen ry at the Grand Gulf is {
Wild and picturesque, yet NO more 9
cugh than at numerous other places
n the vicinity. Improved farms, that !,
must rest over the cave, are In the near !
'icinity, and it is to be reached easily 4
With carriages. Fl
The Gulf is but seven miles from
Mayer, the Division of the Kansas
,ity, Springfield and Memphis rail-
DAD, and the drive to il is over good
eati, through an attractive country. ,
f capital were only invested in beauti-
wing the surroundings-in the erec-
ion of a good hotel and family cottages, ]
nd any way could be devised by which
he water could be made to pass off |
eadily so that the canyons could be
ept most of the time free from it, the
iuIf would soon be made a summer re- {
ort of no mean character. This is one
( the objects Of the exploration of Mr..
Norman. Whether his efforts are
rowned with success or otherwise. the {
brand Cult will always be q place of
esort for the student uf nature, the
ecker of wonders and the tourist. 8
'ruiy South Missouri, with its myriads
caves and its marvellous subterrazt
can rivers, is a region Of ofsubterranean
,onders. the like of which cannot be
HAT II. zoffo l.