Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-18
MULHATToN's LATEST.
Kentucky, aud a Now Fish Story.
Fron the Courisr-.T otrnal.

ff0n tAs Courier dONrnGI.
COLUMBIA, KY, Aug. l3-Traveling
through the picturesque county of Clin-
ton, short time ago-where ''peach and
honey" sits sublime on the side-board be-
fore each meal, pleasant reminder OF an
almost obsolete hospitality-in company
with native, to whom the geography OF
the county was as familiar as the streets
OF one's native town, 1 was very much
pleased when he remarked to me that we
would take a new cut road and go by the
''ice cave" and slake our thirst, which by
that time had become almost intolerable
from the excessive heat and long ride.
| An ice cavel Like everybody TO whom
have related my strange experience,
could not credit my ears at first, but
| turned my horses head and followed,
asking such questions as this strange an
nouncement naturally prompted After
travelling two or two and half miles from
the main road, we reached the foot of a
mountain, up which my guide turned his
| course. Reaching the very summit, he
dismounted, and, remarking that
ICE WATER FURNISHED ny NATURE
was as good as any, babe me follow. Down
circuitOus and rather hazardous path
we descended into what had the appear
ance Of aminiature crater, and at depth
| OF perhaps 70 feet began to realize sem
| sation of intense cold. and making a sud-
| den turn round the elbow of our path, be-
held what must puzzle the scientist, and
what has already enlisted the wonder of
numbers of people--a huge block of ice,
| shaped like the staiagmite and stalactite
| formations of the more common caves.
Water dropping from the projecting cell
| ings slowly, but constantly, on this for
nation, froZe and added it's mite to the
| huge bulk that, but for the curious fact
that it seemed to melt just about as fast
at the base as it formed at the top, must
soon have filled the entire cavity. My
guide had by accident discovered it some
! time before, and seemed not TO have real
lied that he had unearthed one of the
strangest phenomena ever pointed out to
the public.
After thorough examination OF the in
! terror of this wonder, except that we did
not continue our descent much further
down into the bowels of the mountain
! for there seemed no bottom to the narrow
passage way-and after vainly trying to
lind some clew that would tend to explain
the why's and wherefores Of the produc-
ton Of this ton or so of ice-this perpetual
natural manufacture Of the cooling solid
! we resumed our journey. This strange
! phenomenon is located in the mountain
on the farm of a Mr.. Kelsey, prominent
and prosperous farmer of that county,
and to him and many other credible citi-
zens l can refer all doubling Thomases,
who are prone to pronounce everything
a hoax that they have not beheld with
their incredulous orbs.
CATFISH STORY.
| We had started from Albany, a beauti-
| fully picturesque though painfully quiet
| little village, that delights in the dignity
| of being known as the county seat, to in
dulge in the pleasant pastime Of that sport
so fOndly INDUCED in by profounder phi
| losophers than we-an old.fashioned fish,
! At least up until we had reached the
| farm OF Mr.. Wash Hurt l had supposed
| the time-honOred pole and line with the
usual bait would be the modus operandi
that would be followed on this occasion.
! NV surprise can only be imagined when
! upon reaching the lake a chicken was pro-
cured, killed and an opening made into its
intestines large enough to admit of the
insertion of the fingers Of one baud, and
having by this time reached near the mid
| die of the lake my partner thrust his
hands, one after the other INTO the carcass,
and, commanding me TO do likewise the
fun began. Not minute elapsed after
! placing our hands In the water, drippiRg
with the gore of the dead chicken. before
each finger was seized by what afterward
proved to be a good-sized catfish, and at
each raising Of the finger just as many of
the finny tribe was landed in our frail ca
noe as our hands contained fingers. was
amazed, but yet had no time to spare in
wonder or idle questionable sport was
| too novel and demanded too much care In
order not to upset our boat, part of the
discipline being that / should never at
tempttO withdraw
A HAND LOADED WITH FISH
from that side of the boat that my partner
had just drawn from his side. This TO
guard against upsetting the bark. The
character Of the fish caught is nearly all
Of the ''cat' species, having mouths large
enough TO take in a good part OF your
finger, 20 which they mold with such de-
termination that you have only to make
one grand effort and land them in your
boat. They range from TO Is inches in
/ length, and are delicious food. 1t is best
to have a third party along, whose bust
ness will not be to engage in making a trot
line of his fingers, but whose time wilt be
entirely consumed by relieving the fisher
mans fingers of their unusual prey. The
| fish seem TO exist in such vast numbers
I that hunger forces such holiness on them
and renders them such easy prey, though
! they contain the usual amount of flesh
/ and taste splendidly. After enjoying an
| Old-fashioned ''fish-fry,' which was in
! dulged in by some 200 or more people, we
| babe the good people of these strange
/ surroundings adieu, leaving huge piles Of
| the flouncing creatures on the bank of the
! lake-the remnants of what we had
| caught In / hour and II minutes, and
! xrhgoh xvora uof naadad IN npdar that tho