St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-12
ICE-CAVEs OF MAINE.

ICE-CAVES OF MAINE.
Weird Caverns Where Water Re,
mains Frozen All the Year
Around.
/ Lewiston Journal
A party of Norway and Oxford ladies'
and gentlemen visited the ice-cayes of
Greenwich Wednesday of last week.
These natural curiosities are about a
dozen in number, and are situated some
three miles from the little village known
as Greenwood City. 1t is good road
from Norway to within quarter OF
mile of the cave, and we enjoyed every
part of the way.
The cayerns are on land owned by
Eben Wentworth, and the entrace to
them is about twe-thirds of the way up
Mount Split, as he named this elevation.
1t is rather a suggestive, if not appro=
pirate, designation. The path to them
from Mr.. Wentworth's is through a
heayily-wooded tract of land where
there is no opportunity Of seeing the
surrounding country. and had it not
been for MI. Wentworth, who acted as
a guide, it would have been difficult to
have followed the trail.
Having arrived in the vicinity of the
caves our guides conducted us little
way toward the left and took us out on
Observation rock, so named by Mrs. w.
ID. Trlpp. where fine view Of the
country south and east, is to be had.
Here in sight are Mounts Patch, Crys-
tai, Abram, Overset, Perham. Bald,
Zircon, Pine and Streaked. There are
also several pretty little lakes which
beautify the landscape. Norway, Paris
Hill and West Summer are the villages
in view. This view alone is worth a
journey there to see.
Having rested and refreshed olrsel-
yes with alunch, we again moved on up
the mount and soon reached the mouth
of Valleys cave, one of the largest in
the whole lot. 1t is double-storled
cavern, the lower chambers being 400
OF 500 feet in length, and about dozen
feet in width. The upper chamber is
very much smaller and is connected
with the first by a passage large enough
named by the late DR.. True. of Bethel,
for Mr.. Valley, of Boston, whose
daughter was the first lady to pass
through the entire length of the cavern.
Passing again to the left we next eX-
plored cave No. 2, which the enthusias-
tic doctor named Cellar cavern, on &C;
count of its size and shape.
No. is shaped like well, and is
from twenty to thirty feet in depth.J
There are regular steps which wind
around the sides to the bottom. Here
are two chambers running III opposite
directions. one of which leads nearly to
Observation Rock. 1t is called the
Snake passage, and to pass through it
one is obliged to crawl on hands and
knees. The other chamber leads into
No. 4, which is large and somewhat
triangular cave, which Mrs. Pike
named Horseshoe cavern. Here are
several caverns. one of which connects
with Well cave. The walls of this
chamber rise upward some seyenty-fye.
feet Or more. co. 81
Here we spent fome time in exploring
the different chambers and passages
with torches.
No. 5is one Of the most interesting Of
all the caves. 1t is one of the largest,
and here ice is to be seen all the year
round. Our torches produced beauti-
full effect upon the CLASSY surface of the
ice and the cavern walls, enhanced by
the total darkness but short distance
from our lights. There is an exit to
the cavern on the other side of the
mountain, and one into Amphitheater
cave.
No. 6, or Cathedral cavern, has but
one entrance, and for its whole length
it is a continual descent for 200 feet or
more into the bowels Of the earth. The
sides have been blackened by the torches
of visitors, making the descent very I'M
inviting and disagreeable.
Amphitheater cave is the last one that
needs mentioning. 1t is entirely open,
except by the overhanging arch of table
rock. The walls rise to height of some
hundred feet.
There are two great riffs in the
mountain, one running northerly,
ana the other in an opposite direction.
These are great curiosities. and attract
the attention of all who visit the caves,
and probably these riffs gave the name
to the mount.
Table Rock is the highest of series
of lodges OF shelving rock that reach
nearly to the foot of the mountain. The
view from here is magnificent, and is
Only eXcelled by that at the summit.
While few of the party were extended
at full length up il, looking down from
the rock into the great amphitheater
below, we were startled by the exciama-
ton of S. $. Smith, who was seated in the
''pulpit," a small circular place i'll the
ledge.
'.Get off from there. You don't know
where you are. You are way out over
creation.7
We drew back to investigate, and
found we had been hanging out some
fifty or sixty feet in mid air, upon
shelf Of rock only five OF six feet in
thickness
Our descent down thp mouDtain v,-oc
without incident until we reached the
fields, where our guide showed us
rock which had the appearance of
petrified bear. The head, neck, body
and legs were almost perfect, and the
figure had every appearance that bear
had once lain down there, and, by some
process unknown to the magicians of
to-day, had been turned into stone.