The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-05-20
AN EXTENSIVE CAVERN
Within Half an Hours Ride Of
Wheeling, Is.
EXPLORED BY REPORTERS.
Its Existence Revealed by Il Chance
Blnst-A Tour Of 1t Attended by
Danger and DIillculty-lts
Extent Uncertain.

Two 1STgLLldENCgE reporters bad a
novel experience yesterday, and though
they would not care 10 repeat 1t under
tho zane circumstances, they do not
regret 1t. At least, speaking for one Of
them, his only regret is TINT he did not
wear rubber boots and ovcralls, aud 30
avoid well.nigh running very decent
pair OF trousers. The others main scr.
row seemed to be that he had missed his
dinner.
But the adventure was In the interest
OF science, and In the interest Of science
Everything goes" In this instance the
two venturesome reporters came near
"goinp' 10 thatbourne Of which Hamlet
mused.
The two reporters explored a cave in
Ohio county, only few miles from
Wheeling. The existence OF the cavern
was but recently suspected. Its
exact character cannot yet be told,
az will appear little later, but
the reporters who were the first 10 ex.
plore 1t with anything like thorough.
ness consider their labor amply repaid
by their discoveries. r'- IA
FIRST SIGNS OF A CAVE. .
Saturday m ISrELLloEScgn man wen,
out over the new extension OF the Elm
Grove road. On the return trip Harry
Haden, who had charge OF the building
OF the extension and is now superin
tending the repairs on the road. took Q
seat beside the reporter, and just aftel
the train had passed the beautiful ravine
OF pryor's run. lIaden said:
Right here is where we found thai
cave"
This interested the reporter, and jus>
then he noticed hole In The grount
close beside the track. It. seemed five
or six feet in diameter on the slight view
OF it from the moving car. In answer t
inquiries, Mr.. Haden said that the las
blast fired OH on the extension, TO remove
a iutting mass OF limestone. had openet
this hole. 4 huge mass OF rock disap
peared il it, plainly indicating TO hi!
mind that there was considerable va
cant space somewhere below.
He thought about it n good deal, .ant
one day he took torch and went dowr
into the hole. He found roomy space
and at the other end another hole open
ing into the ground. He crawled fa
enough into this to ascertain that tn,
room beyond was apparently larger thu,
the first. Being alone, he pursued BIZ
investigation no further.
ONE OTHER VISITOR.
Mr.. Haden's story led the reporter t,
think that hole was worth investigat
ing. By further inquiries it was Learned
that Paul Schoen, IN engineer on tn,
road, had also crawled into the hole
short distance. Some OF the people VIII,
had heard Of its existence advanced ID,
theory that the hole was IN abandoned
coal bank, or an air passage to mine
This idea Mr.. Schoen said was prepos
ferrous; that there was no coal in tha
hill; that the shape OF the cavity pre-
Guided the possibility OF its having beef
dug by man; that there was no openin
into it until one was created by chanc
blast,
Ills curiosity whetted by these reports
the newspaper man again sought Nj
Haden, and questioned him as 10 tn
coal bank theory. He Ind inquired, an,
found that no coal bank had ever cx
listed in the vicinity-not nearer tina,
the Hnsus farm, adjoining, and thi
bank runs in en- opposite direction irou
that in which the cave lies.
"Eesides," said Mir. Haden, "the cays
is nothing like Goa! mine. The frs
room is much the shape Of a big bake
oven. The second seemed to open gu
| like this" T
And he took piece OF paper and
pencil and drew a rough diagram, thus
Passage, g.