San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-07-25

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Mo delegation numbered nine
people. Eight of the party consist.
ing of George +. Lupton, of the
San Antonio and Arkansas Pass
Joe Mcmillan, commercial agent
of the Southern Pacific, Jessie
Mcmillan, II. Breusing, |. \.
Turner, baggage agent of the San
Antonio and Arkansas Pass, w. NJ.
Watkins, photographer for a.
Braack, Herman Heuermann
president of the Mission Athletic
club, w. d. Hornaday, Of the Daily
Express and reporter OF the SAN
ANTONIO DAILY LIGHT, left on the
regular north bound mixed train
at 40 a. m. yesterday, with full
cave exploring paraphernalia, such
as ropes, lanterns, torches, etc. AT
Van Raub the party was received
by Byron Van Raub, Won Van
Raub, John l.. Moreau, Herman
and Rudolph Aue, r. ID. knight,
Paul NOgt and two sons, Sylvester
Simon, A. Sharff and Hen
ny Krause, of Leon Springs,
and Van Raub stations. W. A.
Polling, San Antonio and Ara nsas
Pass agent at Kerrville, and Ed
ward Smallwood, editor of the
Kerrville Paper, together with w.
w. Jackson, of Boerne, had come
down on the morning train and
joined the party. At Van Raub
the baggage, refreshments and
lunch were placed on wagons and
the party was driven in five hacks
to the opening of the cave, which,
though only half mile from the
station in a bee line, was reached
at the end of circuituous route
over two miles long. Here the para
phernalia was unpacked aud the
explorers prepared for the descent
into "The Great Python"
THE CAVE DESCRIBED.
The Great Python still has it's
two openings, one being the blast
ed well-like shaft and the other
tortuous, choking subterra mean
trail very appropriately christened
Corkscrew Alley. This narrow
passage leads to a clay rock land
ing which extended around the
wide well shaft like a gallery and
which had a capacity of perhaps
thirty people. At the northwest
corner of the first landing called
"The Gallery" was a hole large
enough to permit the passage Of a
fair sized man, called also very
appropriately "Fat Mans Squeeze"
and through which the explorers
had to pass by sliding down a rope
to the Second Landing" This
landing stands but three inches
over the pool OF water, from which
Sylvester Simon pumped his sup
ply for the stock during the
drouth. The second landing is
also of rock and conveniently holds
six persons at time. The pool is
octagonal in shape, with again as
much surface as the second land.
ing. 1t is shallow at the sides,
but in the center over head
and hands of tall man.
Out of this pool, which, from the
GOODNESS of the water and the
weird darkness that surrounds it,
was given the name of "The DEVILS
Ice Chest" leads an apparently
endless subterranean passage. This
passage, the body of the Great
Python, winds and crooks in
most amazing way for fully two
miles under the soil. The depth
from the surface Of the soil to the
first gallery is forty feet and from
the first gallery to the second land
ing around the DEVILS Ice Chest
another twenty feet, making the
beginning of the long channel full
ly sixty feet under the soil. This
channel, in its tOrtuous course
of two miles, which every
body agreed, ran in an east
erly and southeasterly course,
has steady, slight decline. Some
times the cavern is perfectly level,
but never uphill. This channel
has an average height from bottom
TO ceiling, of eight feet, and an aver
age width of perhaps six feet. The
ceiling and sides are usually of
limestone and have been neatly
rounded out by the flow of the
water. The channel, except in
very few places, is filed with cool,
sUagnant water, which reached, in
many places, up to the arm pits.
At the end OF two miles. the cham