The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-05-07
a NATURAL TOMB.
For Ages a Death Trap for Wild
Animals.
A Montana Cave That Has Caused tho
Disappearance of Many Buffaloes
"A Curious Subterranean
Charnel House.

to be the center Of attraction to all in.
terested in the wonderful and phenom-
email freaks of nature, says the White
Sulphur Springs Husbandlnan. The
cave is located in the dry range, twenty:
five miles northwest from town, in the
vicinity of the Len Lewis and John
Moore ranches.
The mouth of the cave is from two to
three feet wide and six feet long, To-
Gated on the southeast side near the top
of pocket in the mountain. The cave
is almost the shape of a flask. thirty
four feet deep, and the bottom being
sixty-two feet long and thirty feet wide.
We speak of the bottom of the cave but
mean the top of the debris and vast
amount of bones of animals which fills
the space of what may be called the
bottom.
BE it known that the cave, instead OF
being adorned with crystals and stalac-
tite and stalagmite, is a regular charnel
house, and evidently has been death
trap for ages to the unsuspecting beasts
of plain and forest. The opening of
the cave is peculiarly constructed for
the purpose of relentlessly swallowing
any living thing that ven-ared near its
brink. The mouth of this destroyer OF
the living is composed of livestock
rock somewhat on an incline, the de-
preston being at it's widest part.
Along the upper side is an old animal
trail. It is easy to see how the buffalo
OR elk passing this way when the trail
was slippery with ice or snow would
easily lose their foothold and be pre-
cipitated into the cave 1t is also a
plausible theory to believe that at times
during the winter the mouth of the cave
is entirely covered with snow, SO that
the unsuspecting animal passing over
the familiar trail would at this point,
if diverging few inches to the south,
slide through the snow and be swal-
lowed alive.
Many animals, doubtless, were killed
by being suspended by the head and
fore part of the body, as the buffalo, or
by the antlers, as the elk, while many
were evidently directly mangled and
killed by the fall. But there are also
evidences that some landed at the bot
tom of the pit with sufficient powers re-
naming TO drag their bodies to remote
corners of the cave and there perish
from wounds and starvation. Some Of
the largest skulls and skeletons Of buff
falo were thus found.
We could not determine the depth of
the bones in the bottom of the cave, as
we did not have the necessary tools for
making such exploration. but we cOun ted
in sight twenty-nine buffalo skulls, sew
eral elk, bear, wolf, etc. have brought
with me specimen skull of the buffalo,
bear and wolf, which is ON exhibition
at the office of the Husband1nan. 1t is
probable that for entrries this wonder
full cave has been performing the ghast-
ly office of swallowing these living
creatures.
Old hunters, who have gathered their
information from the Indians, say shat
it is at least half q century since the
buffalo Was last seen upon the Dry
range. 1t would not be surprising that
when Further explorations are made hui
man bones should be found. For should
the lonely hunter prospector, or Indian
chance to break through when the cave
was covered with snow he would be
doomed to certain death, for there are
no visible means at present whereby a
man could extricate himself from that
horrible pit. The discoverer has Sc
curely constructed ladder into the
cave whereby ladies and gentlemen can
enter with safety.