Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-01-29
THE OLD DEVILS CAVE.
Az Object of Curiosity Which is N"gleat'
cd by Tie u rsidents of newton. Nd.

AN DDtpCI oi NNFIvSitS ihAS'a ~ ~ S'shp
cd by tte II ,sidents of Newton. N. j..
A Newton, n. j., correspondent
writes as follows to the New York
star: A few small boys have revived
interest in the old Devils cave, neal
this town. lhe queer old cavern had
faded out of the public mind pretty
muck of late years. The mouth of the
cave had been covered with under
brush, and no longer gaDed ut the pc
destrian who occasionally cut across
lots ard encountered ii. The working
Of q slate-quarry just beyond seems tc
have buried the whole business. There
fore, but for the small boys in question,
one of the most interesting in
the land might have been forgotten fol
II generation or so, and then been dis
covered and offered us a new wonder.
The boys had never heard of the cave,
and when they explored q few feet OF
it recently they were astonished and
supposed they had struck something
entirely new. Their parents soon sat.
isiied them'to the contrary, however,
and cautioned them against penetrat-
ing too far into the mysteries OF the
place.
The Devils cave is really a wonder,
and were it near some famous resort it
would be down in the books as a great
feature. Red arrows would mark the
path to it from the hotels, and admis-
sion would be charged the pilgrim dar-
ing to enter. 1t it were near Il resort,
however, the mouth of the cave would
be considerably enlarged. for at pres
ent it is barely large enough to admit
the body OF q man entering by lying on
his back and sliding in feet irst. For
that reason those who have entered are
not numerous, and this may account
for the statement that the cavern has
never been thoroughly explored. The
darkness, Just rs soon us the little
light at the mouth vanishes, is Egyp-
tam, and candles or lanterns are need
ed. Alter the entrance is made, the
explorer finds himself il a good-sized
apartment. The sides are Slate and
moist. The bottom OF the cavern is
even and also of slate.
The few who have explored it have
divided the cave into rooms. Sol far as
explored there are six OF these rooms.
The first, us already described, simply
consists OF a big slate-iined apartment.
The second room is directly Off the
first, and is entered by Il well-deiined
doorway. This doorway is most com
plete. 1t simply needs II door and
hinges to perfect it. The second room
is much the same us the first, but ralll-
er smaller. The third room is decid-
eddy mysterious, aud has terrified many
Il visitor and prevented any further in.
v%esligution. 1T is entered in II queer
manner You step oyera rock lying
ut the entrance, and then lower your
SELF three or four Ieet. In other words,
the third room is below the other Two
1t is hard to lind Il firm toothold, rs .;
stream PUSHES through the apartment
ut q terrific rate. The appearance, Il.
revealed by the rays of Il lantern, lie.
the Mammoth cave in Kentucky. There
is Il ledge along this stream to the end
OF the room. The apartment is very
large-three times the size of the otnel
TWO rooms combined. The stream is
three or four feet deep, and disappears
under the corner OF The apartment,
just wher: it disappears it is very mar
row, and the explorer steps across i
in order to enter the next apartment
lie c:osses&Hhal sounds like Il Young
macJstr1m.
The fourth room is more like a hall.
It's long and quite narrow. Two PEG.
,sple can not pass without difficulty, and
the walls Oh either side are damp. Wa.
ter can be heard dripping down tho
walls, but it must disappear through
some creVice, for the floor seems 10 be
perfectly dry and hard. Iu this room
begin traces of u gas that become:
more and more perceptible rs one adj.
vanccs, and finally is uncomfortable.
Otherwise there is nothing noteworthy
in this room. The fifth room is the
largest OF all SO lar accounted for, anC
from it shoot off passageways, one O.
which is believed TO lead into the ad.
;acent slate quarry. At any rate,
miners in the quarry some weeks &C.
struck an opening that is supposed |,
be the end OF this pa>sageway. Their
are SO many holes in the place, how
ever, that no one has venturcd far int
it. There is another dark passagewa,
from the fifth Don that is said TO hay,
contained IN animal OF some sort a
one time. At any rate, stories 20 tina
effect are current. 1t is said that
party exploring the room one day wer
Mortified at a 9rowl issuing from thi
passage. One OF the party is positiv
he saw white, glazing eyes. But al
the explorers made such u hasty cxi
that it is doubtful whether much reli
ance a be placed Oh their state
ments.
The sixth room is really u mystery
1t has never been explored TO any ex
tent. The entrance TO it from the iiftl
room is down and over two or tire
stones. The rush OF. gas is so stron.
and overpowering that no one has We
entered more than Il few feet. III
odor is very penetrating, and induce
almost instant dizziness. Candles ar,
eXlinguished at once, and it is c,aimet
lhat-even The light i'll u tight lalterl
soon 1licNers and dies out. AT least
venturesome explorer, being almos
overcome with The gas, left his lanterl
in The room. y companion went afte
ii q minute or SO later and found ll
light cNlin9uisled. 1t is supposed tina
this sixth apartment is the last becaus
the cases are so confined. There i
some talk OF forming Il regular cxplor