The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1894-02-10
MYSTERY OF THE PAST.
FRANCES MARVELLOUS CAVE
AND tTs OCCUPANTS.

4 F#g4* A##X#%% #AE %&
Twelve Ikuds Rsds ID the Depths Of ths
Earth walis Or Crystal In the Homs
OF Myrisds Of b ,ts, Spiders, and
F~iies-rwsiys skeletons.
The causes, or high limestone
table lands in the department of Lot,
In France, are pierced with grottoes
and swallow-pits, and have in them
at the depth OF several hundreds OF
feet subterranean rivers that may be
followed in courses for some two or
three miles.
One of the grottoes-La Crouzatte.
near Reilhac-has been partially
explored in the last two years, but
has quite recently revealed features
of extraordinary and mysterious IN
terest. The entrance TO the cave
lies close to the high road from
Gramat to Reilhac. 1t opens out OF
a cup-lfke hollow in the surface OF
the cause, caused by the falling in
OF the roof OF q cave. z.S$
n. Raymond Pons, q young and
adventurous gentleman resident at
Reilhac. has made several excursions
underground in exploration of this
cave, and recently it has been ex-
amined by Mr.. George Young, but its
interest is perhaps hardly yet ex-
hausted. After a rapid descent of
some $50 feet into the side OF the
mountain, the passage has its floor
broken first by a depression and then
by q funnel-like opening, descent
into which reveals q chamber about
eighteen feet deep, with q small
chamber at n lower level opening
out OF 1t. When explored, poles
placed across the opening admitted
OF further advantage. but another
hollow ensued, which was descended
into by a ladder.
Then the horizontal passage came
to an abrupt termination in a ire
mendous chasm descending about
eighty feet into the bowels of the
earth. By means of a rope N. Pons
aud Mr.. Young reached the bottom,
to find that they had reached q
terrace OF ledge above another well.
or shallow-hole. On the first oc-
casion NJ. Pons descended this also
eighty feet without reaching the
bottom. :
"At ninety-five feet I found it i'm.
possible to get further without q ropo.
ladder. The walls of the gulf were
perfectly vertical, but several frag-
ments were liable to fall at the least
touch. put my foot against it and
it went down. filling the abyss with
q terrible crashing roar
Rather more than half way down
l managed to find a ledge on which
] could seat myself, so as to rest the
hands and arms of those who held
the rope. During my rest there /
made a singular observation. / saw
that in the casing of carbonate of
lime there were little holes about the
size of walnuts, and in these holes
were small red spiders, with heads
larger than their bodies. They had
spun their webs over these holes, and
in them caught CHASTITY flies, as white
as snow, with wings out of all pro-
portion to their bodies, which were,
however, larger than those of the
spiders. / tried to catch some of
these moths. or flies, but found them
so delicate that they seemed to dis
solve between ones fingers" !
We come now to the most curious
particulars connected with the cave
OF La Crouzatte. Above the mouth
of this we'll, which is nearly 12o feet
deep. a bridge Of poles was dis
covered. This was most perplexing.
Who could have found their way
over the first chasm and down the
second to lay those oak poles across
the third abyssP On the first two
visits made by NJ, Pons he concluded
that it had been done by persons in
quest of water, and that they had let
down buckets from these poles into
the well. When, however, he found
that there was no water in the abyss
as far a. could be reached, he was
still further perplexed, and resolved
to make a third ex%ploratio. of the
cave, to determine ii possible the
purpose of this bridge over the gulf.
Hitherto he had not ventured over
it, not knowing how old and rotten
the wood might be. On the second
expedition he placed a ladder across
the mouth Of the gulf, with a rope
around his waist held by men to sus:
tain him in the event Of the bridge
poles giving way under his feet.
+ Beyond it he discovered a slight
ascent. up which he scrambled and
penetrated into q cavern, or chamber,
that was nearly circular and which
had a lateral chamber opening out of
it. Here M. Pons lighted his mag
nesium lamp. In a moment the
whole ave was brilliantly illumin-
ated, and, to his unspeakable aston
ishment. he found himself standing
in a vault with twelve rude beds
ranged around him against the walls,
like behring's in 9 barrel.
The beds were OF poles and sticks
laid across them. Not being pro-
vided with a ladder, Mr.. Young, on
the occasion Of his visit, was unable,
to verify this singular account. He,
however, made the interesting dis.
covery Of an ingenious apparatus,
by means Of which the jewellers in
this cave must have hauled them
selves up and been let down by cords
OF twisted clematis, which also were
found. u
Who could have occupied this
cave? At what periodp We seem to
be on an incident in one Of Rider
Haggard's stories. It is hard TO con-
ceive who could have dared to live
In such q place; access to It is sur
rounded by dangers, egress from IT.
in the event Of the extinction Of
Hght-so impossible. What il the
! light had gone ont In the cave whila