Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-01-17
MAMMOTH CAVE.
INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF A RE-
CENT VISIT TO 1T.
Description of the Leading Features
of Interest Seen at this Won
der of Nature.


During a rec, Mt visit to Mammoth Cave, |
Kentucky, ! was in from o'clock at night
t;II 9 O'Clock in the morning, and then
again, without rest, from $50 till 1850. As
our party marched along lamp in hand,
was reminded of tourist professions through
the Roman Catacombs, and still more OF a
tourney through the London dock Wine
vaults, the fungus on this occasion beng
represented by staIactite. was also re-
minded of the curving banks OF rock
through which the water rushes at Mont
morency Steppes of st. AIMS Rock; OF
pictures of coal mines; Of Gustave Dore's
pictures of the Internal regions; of scenes
described by Milton and Dante; of tunnels
and entertainments; of Walpurgis-Night
pictures of Egyptian tombs in the Brit
ish Museum of roofs and crypts OF ca
thedrals; of scenes in "Gay Mannerlng."
There are roads as wide as cathedrals, pits
200 feet deep domes 200 feet high-that is
as high as the Bunker Hill or London
monument-very grand when Lighted by
Bengal fires. There are chasms, abysses,
Dead sea. Lethe river, Echo river, with
the roof of the cave and the water of the
river about two feet apart, terribly grand
when dozen pistol-shots
REvERBERATE FOR MILES AROUND,
And very musical when four notes of a
chord are sung and allowed to die away, as
at the Baptistery at Pisa. Sometimes the
walls curve and sometimes descend, and
then the sensation of the mysterious world
beyond and to come is dismal in the ex-
IRENE even with party of ten noisy peo-
ple. AT 1880, midnight lady wanted to
leave the cave, and those who wished to
remain waited till 80 for the return OF
the guide and party, who escorted the lady
out. During these three hours my party
wandered about in couples for hundred
wards. and at times the terror of darkness
and danger increased the sublimity. A
lunch basket, and a lamp near 1t, were
spoken of during these three hours as
home. and certainly there was a sense Of
safety at that one spot-a delusion, foolish
as it NAV SEEM we all shared in. We've
in reality an hour and half's journey
and without a boat, and with a river COM
pletely
CUTTING OFF ALL HOPE OF EMIT,
At this time it was very interesting to OBJ
serve that the strata at our feet, twenty feet
thick. had once formed part of the roof.
Another LAYER might come at any moment.
This then. must have been the guides
cheerful thought when he warned our party
that the dozen pistol shots might shake
down some of the roof of the cave. There
are stalactite and stalagmite formations as
at Fingal's Cave and Giants Causeway,
and gypsum rosettes and figures like the
ornaments on bridal cake. Some of the
rocks are semi-transparent: the walls and
roofs are often like thick plaster, but of
tener of solid masonry, without joint or
flaw. Sometimes the roof Is black, and
then it appears like the armament, and
the passageway seems open to the heavens
By certain effects Of light the roof may be
made to represent stars, and then the star
chamber is the most perfect illusion IN
scenery | have ever witnessed. The guide,
\ colored man, is an excellent ventrilo-
quist and imitator of cock-crowing and
sheep-bleating In an artistic way he
made the change from
STARLIGHT TO ROSY SUNRISE
By the effect of light and rural sounds.
There is no sense of fatigue in the Jour
nev. the impression all the time being that
YOU are passing from hall to hall Of ever
yarvinc character. The difference be
tween the frosted roofs Of gypsum and the
black roofs of oxide Of iron cannot certain
" be called repetitions OF the same picture
The walking is easy when compared with
usual rock climbing, and the footing is
chalk.
The most fascinating view from the in
terror is that Of the sunlight and trees out
side the cave. after the eve has been ac-
customed to the light Of the oil lamps the
gray rocks, and the darkness for thirteen
hours. Why such glory? Why this
glimpse of Paradise Why these golden
cheerful beams and that lovely foliage? IS
it holiday of heavenly beauty on earth,
or merely the usual aspect of the earth
which we do not appreciate at It's full
value ? A similar scene was produced at
Bavreuth. in Wagners Ring DIES Nib
elungen,n when Spring enters Hundlng' ;
hut and greets the loves OF Siegmund and
Sieglende. To
THE GEoLoGIsT AND CHEMIST,
This cave is as interesting as to the painter
and the lover of dramatic and poetical
effects. The guide-books give interesting
descriptions of the changes worked by
water and carbonic acid upon the lime
stone easily understood by The amateur in
geology and chemistry. First, the suiphuric
acid in the water dissolves the limestone,
or carbonate of lime and solution Of BIZ
carbonate OF lime is formed. As this drops
the sulphuric acid weakens and the com
position then begins to form a stalactite. If
instead Of falling like an icicle it oozcs out
of the rock, it forms a stalagmite. If the
limestone contain iron, it forms 4 deposit
either black or the color of iron-rust Gvp-
sum, selenite, alabaster, plaSter-of-paris,
and other forms of sulphate of lime every
where abound: but the presence of inter
has been the most valuable, since II ls
owing to this fact that We are indebted for
the opening out and exploration of the
cave. commenced in 1912 10y the Searchers
for saltpeter TO be used against the Eng
lish The rocks existed ages before Adam
and Eve, as can be proved by the time re-
quired for the growth of the several for
nations. From the surface Of the earth to
the lowest river is between 800 and 400
feet, and the length Of the explored ave
MUGS, 100 miles. - Henry Carter, in
Lcslic's Sunday Magazine for January.