The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1888-01-28
LEHMAN'S WONDERFUL CAVE
4 Great Subterranean Wonder Of East
orn Nevada.
A Com pstitor OF the Famous Mammoth
Cave. as Described by J. w. Free
Sacramento Record. d.U nion Dec. alth

iSacramento Rseord.Union Dec. 2ith.l
Eds. Record Union While every
body conceives that Nevada can pro-
duce more sagebrush, better "spuds, =
finer beef and healthier children .han
any other portion of earth, all are not
aware OF the tact that in It's extreme
eastern border, and under the highest
peak ia the State, namely, jeff Davis
Peak, is the most marvellous cave vet
discovered on the continent. Tie en-
trance to il was discovered some fifteen
years ago by Mr.. A. Lehman while
hunting catrle, and but for the timely
notice of lns horse both rider anu
steed might have been buried alive.
Mr.. Lehman then went down the sup
posed sink hole by the aid of ropes,
aud while clearing away brush and
other rubbish discovered strong
current of air which caused him To re-
double his eXcrliuns. lie laboFionsly
rolled away huge stones until he was
enabled "a descend further down and
make explorations.
The present entrance to the cave i
through an aperature eight feet in
diameter, aud de~u fignt of Wind
ing stairs To. over 100 feet where tie
first chamber is reached, aud is named
the "Teluple of Ancient Gods Tnis
room is 2O0 feet IN circumference and
10 fset high, and aside from the stall
aetitc recommendations overhead, il Is
literally filled with large and tail col
umns and pillars representing all sorts
of architectural style in base ana cap.
ital, all In harmonv. The slow aud
tedious growth and commiogling OF
these stalaciites and cfysiallization
lend to many odd designs and fantas-
tic embellishments.
Whenever the proper conditions are
present stalactites and stalagmites will
form. Drops of water trickling down
through the minute crevices in the
rocks is sure to deposit some lime
stone. This deposition takes on the
surface of the drop rather than In its
center, and we have a ring of lime
stone. This ring becomes the sup
port of other drops, and the process is
continued until tube from one inch
to three feet Is formed, when il begins
to fill up and the water trickles down
cxteri0rly and enlarges the column.
The process is analogous to the form
alton of al idicle, except that one is
formed by solidification, the other by
deposition. They are generally larger
ut the top, as the larger part of the
lime Is deposited before the end is
reached. Often more water flows
iewn a stalactite then can be evapor-
ated and drops upon the floor, forming
stalagmite, which continually en-
dcavors to meet its mother above. In
tine the upward reaching of one and
the downward course of the other may
unite them both into one column, thick
or slender, single or double, and ex-
tending from roof to ceiling, seemingly
to support the roof, and varying in
size from that of fishing rod to col
umns ten feet in diameter.
And here we are taught lesson of
patience. Scientific men saw it re-
quires $500 years to form one inch of
these stalactites and columns. and
there are many twenty and thirty feet
high, and with the exception of one
room there Is scarcely yard not or
namented by these stalactitic displays.
The old formation is yellow brown or
red, and lis layers show grain like
gnarled wood. The new stalactitic
arc usually white or snowy, and often