The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-05-17
CATTLE MAKE A CAVE.
they Consume the salt of Mine and
Construct IL Wonderful Interior.

"Speaking of caves" said the thin
man with Il large mouth and ears that
jutted far out over his shoulders, Il
seen a cave once that beat any cave
ever heard Of"
The drummer, who had himself told
n very fair cave story or at least one
that he thought was very fair, nodded
TO the thin man not to wait but to 90
right on with his narrative, which, ac-
cording to the Detroit Free Press, he
did as follows:
1T was in range of mountains ris-
ing sharp out of the level" continued
the thin man earnestly, "and opened
in the face of u cliff pretty much as
you may have seen doors opening into
rock spring houses. We had camped
near the place, and we fixed torches
and proceeded to 90 on an exploring
expedition. Just before getting to the
opening, that is, about quarter of a
mile away, | noticed a couple of cattle
going in, and thought it was mighty
strange, and we went ahead fast TO see
what it meant. When we got well in
side and had our torches burning we
found the finest white roof over our
heads | ever saw, but no cattle. 1t
was like polished crystal and only
about six feet high. The place spread
out big very close TO the entrance, and
while the roof was white nearly every
where the sides were mostly rocky
and brown. Running off from the
main room of the cave were dozens of
rooms or halls, and into a number of
thnt1 yrn fnt, lGnC IiStonaoC +i,I
inc the roof always white and shiny
and the walls dark and rocky. About
a mile in we ran into another big room
and in that we found two cattle we
saw come in and there were forty or
fifty more, all of them licking away at
the walls in front, which here were
not rocky but white. We were in a
narrow place and far enough away
from the cattle not to scare them, and
we hustled out of there in a hurry, for
we didn't want "A stampede and u walk
over for the cattle. Them cattle in
there made us study awhile when we
got to Il safe place, and Clipped off
piece of what | thought was white
quartz and tested it, 1t wasn't quartz,
but it was salt, and about as nice salt
that cave some more" BY gum, Bill
said | to my partner, this is salt
cave, and them cattle are here for
salt
Bill was college graduate and
knowed good deal
Yes said he, Il know it. and |
know from the geological formation
that this ant a natural cave, but an
artificial one, and has been licked out
under this mountain ard run off into
all these rooms and halls, miles and
miles of them, by countless cattle in
countless years coming here to salt
themselves. Don't YOU see that the
roof is only high enough to be out of
reach of their tongues, and how slick
they have licked it, and how they've
kept going ahead where the rock don't
cut the salt out as it does al the sides
of the cave?
by gum, Bill said !, you're right;
but how many years do you calculate
it took 10 do the iob?"
The thin man gazed around on his
auditors inquiringly.
That was n poser for Bill" resumed
the thin man, land if any of you gem
tlemen can answer it I'll be obliged to
you"
In the midst of profound silence
the drummer got up and walked out
on the platform for more air. and the
thin man waited for somebody 10 an.
swer his question.