Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-04
FAMOUS "WIND CAVE"
seventy-seven Miles of Passage Ex-
plOred and the End Not Reached.

plOred and the End Not Reached.
From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
This wonderful cave was discovered by .
cowboy in 1884, and was named Wind
Cave, from the rear of an outrushing cur
rent Of air at the entrance. The original
opening was an oval-shaped hole about by
II inches across. Soon after its discovery
the hole was enlarged to IS by 80 inches
Nothing further in the line Of development
was done until the spring Of 1890. when its
present owner made an entrance easy by
Lasting out the solid rock. Since that date
explorations have been made until at this
time about 2,1OO subterranean chambers Of
various sizes and shapes have been found.
connected by seventy :seven miles of pas
sageS.
Enough has been learned to justify the
popular verdict that Wind Cave is the larg-
est and most wonderful In the world. 1t is
situated about twelve miles north of Hot
springs, 5. d., and about fourteen miles
northwest Of Buffalo Gap.
i he entrance to the cave Is covered by a
small pine shanty. When within % or 80
yards OF this the outrushing current Of air
SOUNDS ike the roar of large waterfall.
Before entering the cave the guide fitted
me out with rubber suit and hat. These
SUITS are worn to prevent the grease from
the candles spelling ones clothes AS soon
as the door was opened my candle was
blown out ard my hat sailed out into the
LII was impossible to carry a lighted candle,
so we held on to the guides coat. and We
lett our way downstairs. At the bottom of
to the left
This passage was dark, but still the wind
dies
After following this passage 300 or 400
feet. We passed into a small chamber /
found the wind had ceased blowing and we
NJ our candles. Strange to say, after this
small chamber is reached there is no more
WIND In any part of the cave.
A walk of about five minutes brought us
TO the large chamber called the post office I"
Inns chamber Is most remarkable freak
OF nature. The sides and top of it are COW
cred with hundreds of stone boxes about the
size or ordinary post office boxes. Almost
every tourist who has visited the cave has
le1t card or envelope in one of the boxes.
until the chamber looks like a real post
Office. After leaving the post office" we
passed many passages leading off in all d.
rections. The guide informed me that these
passages were several miles long. Again we
came 10 stairway leading downward. We
ascended to find ourselves on another floor
or passage above US. This is floor No >"
SAID my guide Again We descended by
another stairway down. down. until floors
NOS. 3. and . We're passed.
ms. said the guide, lis floor No. @.
and tine bottom of the cave. $50 feet below
the surface of the earth"
looked aronud me, and what q sight.
Large passages leadi * off In all directions;
mammoth chambers with snow-white walls;
huge banks OF snow lay all around us; but
wren l touched them l found that instead
of snow they were solid rock. Myriads of
miniature stalactites sparkied and glttered
IKE so many diamonds as the light fell upon
uem Enormous stadctites, as large around
as my be dy hung above us. Looking up /
could see large black holes, but l could not
see the end of them; locking down around
me, l coulG see deep. dark holes, some of
mem ~ feet wide. Gi,os,ly shadows were
TO be seen everywhere. and a death-lika
stiffness prevailed here that made the cold
cfills creep over Incz- The ghcstly shadows.
hitting here andl there as we moved about
with our lights. would almost lead one to
believe that this weird and wonderful! cavern
was once TIE homie OF a multitude of ghosts
hobgobiins. demons and fairies.
Wind Cave Is Surety one of the grandest
sights 10 be seen in this strange and curious
old world.