The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-08-03

special fungus grows near the river "Styx;''
there are blind, wingless grasshoppers;
blind, colorless c~raytish, and blind fishes,
from one to six inches long.
1t seems they have now discovered in the
state of Oregon another such weird and aw-
full cavern which NAV eclipse the wonders
even of the pride of Kentucky. A San Fran
cisco newspaper announces the discovery of
an enormous cave in Josephine county, Ore,
at a point twelve miles north of California
and forty from the coast. 1t has two OPEN
lngs, and contains many passages of great
beauty. There are numbers of semi-trans-
parent stalaotltes, several giant milk-white
pillars, and a chain of pools and streams of
clear, cool water. A week was spent in ex-
ploring the cavern, and innumerable pass
ages and chambers were discovered. On
penetrating one of these passages for a dis
lance of several miles the exploring party
came across a large lake Of clear water and
a waterfall thirNy feet high. All kinds of
grotesque figures were found in the various
chambers, but the only signs of animal
life were discovered a short distance from
the entrance, where a few bones were
found, indicating that bears had carried
their prey there. The cavern appears to be
fully as large as the Mammoth cave in
Kentucky. 1t IS evident that even the
grizzly bears were terrified at the tre-
mendous gloom which they had
entered, and did not dare to explore it
NSS SbNoot uo wv hnNS 5tllV, u III
canny. The deadly silence, the cold air.
the strange effects of light and shadow. the
BLACK recesses opening on either hand.
the fantastic architecture, as if silence and
fear had built the place for themselves to
dwell In. Cypress with awe the strongest
mind. In the Kentucky cave thele were
found. near the entrance some h~alf-charred
torches of cane and two skeletons, which
might be 1000 or 100000 years old, for
any change that would happen to them in
the eternal stiffness OF that seclusion.
None but bears, it would appear, nave found
out the Oregon cave before the recent dis
covery, which IL a pity from the point of
view of our ancestors, who might have
found ample accommodation in the place,
and might have left to us more interesting
relics of their daily life. A whole chapter
OF the history of man has been already
gathered from caverns by Buckland,
Pengelly, Lartet, Dawkins and others;
and 1T has been proved that onr resp acted
foretathers were fellow-countrymen with
the hyena and tine rhinoceros in the British
Islands. The mammoth and the bison
were certainly hunted in England by them
as Tar north as Derbyshire, and m~usk-sheep
graZed where SouthdoWns now Wander, In
truth. we learned as much about the flint
man. from the caves of Perlgord and Dor
dogne as Herculaneum and Pompeil have
told us of ancient Italy III the first century,
Strangest of all, surely, is hat artistic i'm
tuLso VI early humanity. our museums
possess pictures of an OK in outline. of Il
reindeer kneeling down. of "A man standing
by a horses head, and of a mammoth with
spiral tusk and long name, which would do
credit to any advanced class at South Ken
slngton The British caves show that after
the hyenhs had done with them and finished
eating their rhlnoceroSes, reindeer and
bears, the neolithlc men took a lease of the
premises. and left on the gray clay mar
r~oW-bones, broken pottery, personal orna-
ments and fragments of woven grass gar
ments.
Still one feels that, at best, caverns must
nave been unsatisfactory places of resi-
dence. they would generally have so large
a front door That 1T was impossible to keen
ont wild animals or human enemies looking
for shelter. They were full of drafts and
damp and weird noises, due TO the under
ground cont actions and the etel nal drip
ping OF the water through tho roof, 1t ia
to TINS last cause that they show their one
charm OF wild and splendid architecture.
FOR tine ram, taking up carbonic acid in the
air. and still further charged with il in per-
cola.lnG through the soil md rock, IL
always building III these subterranenn pal
aces structures OF faIryland. Bicag donate
OF lime IA formed, when covers the sides of
the cavern with Il stony drapsrv like satin.
Where the up er water, charged with the
same material, drops persistentiy through
a chlnk or hole, it creates n long icicle of
rock, and beneath 1t a boss or mound of
the same G aracter, and these ut last unite
and form n fantastic and beautiful column.
such NAV be seen at Cheddar, in Somerset,
anu IN FOOTE'S Cavern, ut Buxton. The
larry architects. however, wo k with an
exasperatlng sloWness. Measurement
made In the lngleborough Cavern showed