St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-15

bats fluttered around me, brushing
my face with their leathern wings. 1t
was much as though l were in a hive
of bees. Astride OH my short stick,
suspended in the chasm. descended
still further. What scene was re-
vealed! Imagine mighty cylinder of
crystal red as iron, glowing in the fur
mace. The facets of the crystals gilt
tered In the light of my MAGNETISM m
wire like sparks in the molten mass.
II never before saw an aven so COM
pletely incased in stalagmite. The
aven descends some 100 feet, and, as far
as l could Judge, the Subterranean river
is double that distance below the SPOT
where / hung. The gour, or opening,
descending to it Is but three feet in
diameter-how far down could only
Judge by the rebounds of stones cast
in. They made five leaps before they
splashed into the water.
"Rather more than half way down 1
managed to iud ledge on which 1
could seat myself, so as to rest the
hands and arms of those who held the
rope. During nay rest there 1 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 spi-
ders, 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 proportion 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 deli
cate that they seemed to dissolve be-
tween ones fingers.
lat the depth Of eighty-five feet OBJ
served the opening Of a recess, the
| opening not much larger than the pal m.
l tried to sound it. but at my tou Oh
something's know not what-seemed
| to run away with the sound of rat
| scamperlng over walnuts. l then let
down candle, but could see nothing"
Recently Mr.. Young made the same
descent and found the antler of stag
sealed against the wall of the we'll in
| this Stalagmlte, and the bones of oxen
| and of bear.
We come now to the most curious par
F! ticulars connected with the Cave of La
! Crouzatte. Above the mouth of this
! well, which is nearly 120 feet deep, a
| bridge of poles was discovered. This
was most perplexing. Who could have
| found their way over the first chasm
j and down the second to lay those oak
| poles across the the third abyss? On
| the first two visits made by M. POns he
concluded THAT III ilau Oeen done by per-
| sons in quest of water. and that they had
J let down buckets from these poles into
| the well. When. however. he found
that there was no water in the abyss as
i far as could be reached. he was still
! further perylexed,an resolved to make
! third exploration of the cave. to de-
| tcrmine, if possible, the purpose Of
this bridge over the gulf. Hitherto
he had not ventured over it. not know
ing how old and rotten the wood might
be. On the second expedition he placed
J ladder across the Iia3uth Of the gulf,
| with rope around his waist held by
men to sustain him in the event of the
| bridge poles giving away under his feet.
| Beyond it he discovered slight as
| cent, up which he scrambled and pene-
trated into cavern, or chamber, that
was nearly circular and which had a
lateral chamber opening out of it. Here
NJ. Pons lighted his magnesium lamp.
In a moment the whole cave was BRILL
antly illuminated, and, to his unspeak-
| able astOniShment, he found himself
| standing In vault with twelve rude
beds arranged around him against the
walls, like behring's in barrel.
81 never.o said he to the writer, .sfelt
| more startled In my life. / seemed to
| have penetrated into mystery / was