The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1884-04-26
Fifteen Days WnhSut Food.
chattanooga Democrat. |

Chattanooga DemoeraL
A Democrat reporter had an in
terview with Mr.. Charles Cover,
one OF the men who we're rescued
from Lookout cave Sunday, March
30th, and found him to be a gentle
man of fine culture. The follow
ing is the history of the affair as
gwen to-day.
THE ADVENTURE IN LOOKOUT /
MOUNTAIN CAVE.
We entered the cave at 0 o'clock
a. m, March 10Th, to satisfy a Gu.
riosity. When | say we, l mean
myself and Mr.. Chris. Sehmitzen.
We had glass lantern and a bottle
of oil, with which to replenish.
When we had advanced about
three and half miles we came to
o creyice about a foot wide. and
my companion, who was carrying
the lantern, in holding II over the
crevice to examine the depth, ac-
eidently let it fall, and it went
about fifty feet and struck water.
We were in total darkness then, in
cave we had never visited before.
We knew to return we would have
to pass pits of great and unknown
depth that lay Immediately along
the path. We knew there were
many byways that would lead us
of, but where we did not know.
We knew that to stay was death,
and any effort to return was haz-
ardous. In this dilemma we
thought of the bottle Of oil. We
instantly set to work and prepared
q wick by twisting handkerchief
and inserting itin the bottle. Our
minds were filed with anxiety.
Both life and death hung on an un-
certainty. The match was struck
and applied, the blaze flashed up
and q shout resounded from the
walls Of the cavern. We could not
wait; our anxiety was to get out
before the oil was consumed. We
started and in our hurry took the
wrong course and wandered
around for some tine and found
ourselves at the place where we
started. This bnt added to our
confusion. Our oil was nearly
gone, the bottle was getting hot.
We started again but had not pro.
ceeded fay when 1t exploded. We
we're almost in despair, for we had
but two matches left, and nothing
l
to burn. To add to our miseries
we were thirsty, aud knew no
place but the one where we had
lost our lantern to get water. We
lay down on our face and crawled
along till we reached that point.
We tore the lining from our coats
and made a rope, and cut holes IN
the brim of my hat and let 1t down
and drew up water and quenched
our thirst; but In drawing It up
one time the string broke, the hal
was unluckily lost. My comrades
would not hold water. We knew
we had to mako an effort to es
cape. We knew the direction W.
: had to 20, but were fearful that W.
might fall into one Of the by-ways
and get into a part of the cav'
that had never been visited. W.
: still had O hope that some ont
/, might enter the cave, and W.
= would be rescued. We commenced
our dark and hazardous j0urne'
/. by crawling and feeling our wa,
: along. Sometimes we would cas-
|. stones in front of us to deternin
!. when we we're nearing h pi'
!. Sometimes they would fall to
l. great depth and then we woul'
i know there was apit. Very oftel
j. we would find the splinter fror
d O torch that would tell us that W
}, we're right. At last my companio
|. fell several feet and was caugl
II by q projecting shelf, which PR
II vented his falling to q great dept
He was considerably hurt, and a,
ter this 1t was very difficult to ge
him to proceed. We slept perhar
one-half of the time we were in th
"a cave which very much refreshe
d us. We took nothing to eat wit
.. us into the cave, but as strange Q
n it may seem, we did not sumo
n. much with hunger. Our anxiet
a was probably too great tor that
r. all our time while awake was sper
10 in trying to get out. At last "
r. heard voices and tried to max
# ourselves heard. The party cam
n. to our rescue and we were take
il out and found we had been in th
,r cave over fiften days.
70 CIaIbornc's History or MlssIssIpp