Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-10-26
Water Story.

The Detroit Free Press has one of the
beet liars on its staff that has recently ap-
peared. BE would be valuable acquisi-
ton to Chairman Harrity's literary bureau.
Read this:
One evening we made ourselves comfort
able in a cave about 200 yards deep and al
most as smooth inside as gun barrel. 1t
was about ten feet in diameter, clean and
dry, but we never thought of the rain.
Down there, under the equator, when it
rains 1t rains all over and comes down in
such quantities that before you know 1t
rivulets are rivers and dry beds are raging
torrents. About the time we turned in the
sky became overcast, and shortly after it
began to rain. But we felt snug and new
er thought of anything else but our own
comfort, when suddenly we heard strange,
wild roar above the tumult of the storm.
whats thati" asked my partner quick
ly.
"Some popularity of this COMPOUNDED
country" said. "We are all right; let
her 60.
THE roar grew, however, and my part
ner went to the entrance of the cave to see
what it was.
GOOD Lord, old man" he exclaimed in
terror as he rushed back, 1--WE are lost
Drowned like pair of rats in hole"
"Whst is it," asked. 1.-THE rain can't
get in here"
"But the river can," he fairly screamed.
Then thought of the river, too-and /
started out, but the roar and the water was
on us and we fed back to the end of the
cave. There wasn't any good in that, now
that we think of 1t, for the hole was as
tight as drum, but we went just the same,
and huddled up against the smooth, white
face of the stone and waited How long /
don't know, but the water didn't come to
us, though its awful roar desfened us. We
had matches and two pocket lamps, and
when the terror left us little we lighted
these to see where we were. The floor of
the cave was level and about ten feet shove
the river bed, and why the water had not
caught us was beyond my comprehension
until we had our lights on 1t; then the mys-
terry was explained.
Not twenty feet from us was a solid wall
across the cave. blocking our way out. II
was of a reddish yellow mud color, and j
went forward and put my hands against 1t.
The cave by this time was quite still, and
l noticed that the air was difficult to
breathe.
Here" said to my partner, 1--WE are
blocked in. Come and see what this wall
is."
He came up with a stick In his hand and
tried to shove 1t in the obstruction. but
could not. Then we put both lights on Il
and began to investigat-, our breathing be-
coming more difficult all the time.
by thunder, have itl' exclaimed my
partner all at once. That wall is water.
Solid water This cave Ia air tight, and the
river came up so quickly that II covered the
mouth of the hol- before the air could get
out, and here we are in nothing more or lees
than a compressed air chamber. The weight
of the water outside pr. ssss in cn tine air.
and the water IN here il blocked against IL.
A hole in the wall behind IL no bigger
than your thumb. aud, old fellow, we'd be
squeezed out a.t before We could drown" "
And it was true. For many hours We
stayed In there, and then with q roar the
wall disappeared ard We followed IL out TO
the mouth of the cave and stood in the
broad daylight and looked upon the turbu-
lent river dropping ont of the gorge as
as quickly as it had filed IL.
We found our boat fast in the rocks,
500 feet above the mouth of the cave, and
getting it down as best we could we went
on our way, glad to have escaped 60 cas-
ily