Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-17
AN ALADDIN'S CAVE
Discovered by q Mining Syndicate in
FrOutenac County, Ont.
THE WALLS OF DELICATE MARBLE,
And rarrels of Gold and Silver Strewn
About in flain View.
ARABIAy NIGHTS TALES NOT IN IT

WINDSOR, ONT. Jan. 16.-A story which
would make Rider Haggard turn pale with
envy is being circulated in Windsor by
Harry NJ. Poussett, well-known business
man of Sarnia Mr.. Poussett's romantic
tale, which is well substantiated, goes back
into the dim vistas of the past, long before
the British conquest Of Canada, when From
tenac and other French military pioneers
ascended the st. Lawrence and founded the
fort and settlement of Frontenac at its
source.
They found the wild and mountainous
country lying back from the river swarm
ing with Indians and no Indian So poor
that he could not show ornaments of gold
and silver enough to make white mans
mouth water
The Frenchmcn were dazzled with the
display and made every effort to ascertain
the source of so much wealth, but beyond
vague hints about mammoth cave, lined
and rooted with precious metals, they we're
unable to learn anything. Some of the SOL
diery, tradition says. went so far as to seize
all Indian, carry him to lonely ravine, and
put him to torture, but no cruelty could
drag the secret from him.
Tradition Among the Indians.
With the advance of civilization the In
dians grew more tenacious of their secret,
and to younger generations of red men it
was not confided for fear that the willy
whites might force or cajole it from them
In the course of wears it became only q
memory, told q. camp fires by old men, to-
gether with the tales Of the Werdigo and
legends of old wars and conquests when the
world was young.
The story that is exciting Windsor at
present is that the cave has been found. On
the Monday following last Christmas
miner ran vein of silver up against u
cleft in the side of a rocky hill on farm
recently purchased by Il syndicate headed
by A. P. Poussett, Q. c., which was choked
with brush and overgrown by raspberry
bushes. Forcing his way through the
opening the miner found himself in mar
row passage, walled with Jagged rocks and
descending at an angle Of 45o. He climbed
down for about Is feet, and then the dark
ness became so dense that he returned.
The engineer in charge of the works was
Immediately informed, and. together with
the foreman and the discoverer, proceeded
to investigate. The passage, which grew
wider as it progressed, extended downward
about 100 feet into the bowels of the EARTH
In the sleeper places steps had been rudely
cut out of the rock. Toward the end the
incline became more easy, and ended in a
species of flat vestibule, leading through an
arch into much larger chamber The
safety lamns borne by the explorers scarcely
served to illurine the pitchv darkness, and
so it was found necessary to procure an
electric lamp of great power, which was oc-
casionally used at the works.
A Brilliant, Dazzling Spectacle.
When this was lighted an extraordinary
sight met the eyes of the miners. They
found themselves standing upon floor of
rock, about 10 feet in all directions, from
which boulders and debris had been re-
latter were of pink and white marble, of
most exquisite quality On one panel, cut
into the marble, were the names: c. P
Mevers, John Smith, 1860.
Strewed upon the floor were several min
ing tools, a smelling pot and some worn out
molds for counterfeiting. Here and there
lay some stone spear and axheads, and other
Indian instruments. In one corner was q
skeleton robedi in skins and feathers Around
The walls rude chiaks were cut, and the
remnants of pine torches in some of them
showed that they had been used for lighting
But it was not until the lamp was turned
upward that the riches of the cave became
apparent. The light shone on myriads of
small stalactites elistening with silver,
while between them veins of gold and
copper and patches of mica and iron pyrites
threw back dazzling combinations Of color
that rvaled the cave of Aladdin in their
Voyage on a Subterrnnean Lake.
About 80 feet from the entrance was
sheet of limpid water, extending as far as
the eye could see. A dugout, made of an
oak tree, lay upon shelf of rock. Satisfy |
ing themselves that it was seaworthy, the |
explorers entered it and punted their way
across this subtrrranean lake for a |
distance of over 800 feet There they
found another platform, leading into a |
second chamber fully 800 feet in circumfer-
ence. Here the roof was not more than 20 |
feet high, and Ike the high chamber, was |
covered with stalactites about nine inches |
long. In one place the miners were able to |
reach the roof. They picked off about 10 i
pounds of the ore, which on being assaved |
was found to contain S11 |
worth of pure metal.
From this chamber low passages branched |
off in various directions, but whether they |
lead to similar chambers is not vet known.
An effort was made to keep the discovery
secret until the whole cave could be ex-
olored and surveyed and more land acquired, |
put the story leaked out through indscre- |
ion and farm lands in the vicinity have
;prung up to fabulous prices The cave is
a; doJ h,re