Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1894-03-10
MYSTERY OF THE PAST.
FRANCES MARVELLOUS CAVE
AND ITS OCCUPANTS.
Tuslse Rads Reds in the Depths e The
E4rth-wzlls % Crystal In ths Home
OF Myrlads OF Hats. spiders aud
PILES Twelve skeletons.

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feet snbterranean rivecs that may be
followed in courses for some tWo or
three miles.
One Of the grottoes LA Croazatte.
near Reilhac has been partially
explored in the last two years, but
has quite receatly revealed features
Of extraordinary and mysterious m
tercst The entrance % the cave
lies close 70 the high road FROM
Grsmat 70 Reilhsc Il opens ont Of
a cuP-like hollow in the surface OF
the cause, caused by the failing in
OF the roof OF a cave.
NJ Raymond POns, a Young and
adventurous gentleman resident -
Reilhac. has made several excursions
underground in exploration Of this
cave, and recently il has been exc
amined b. Mr.. George Young, but Its
interest is perhaps hardly yet ex-
hausted After a rapid descent q
some $50 feet into the side Of The
mountain. the passage has its toor
broken first by a depression ana then
by . funnel-hke opening, descent
7 into which reveals a chamber about
I eighteen feet deep. with a small
chamber At lower level opening
out Of IT, When explored. poles
/ placed across the opening admitted
Of further advantage, bat aaother
hollow cnsued, which vas descended
F into by ladder
Then the horizontal passage came
/ to an abrupt termination Ia a ire
/ mendous chasm descending about
. eighty feet into the bowels Of the
earth b. means % rope 81 Pous
and Mr.. Young reached the bottom.
10 find that they hal reached 3
4 terrace or ledge above another we'll,
or shallow-holc On the first oc.
/ casion II. POns descended this also
+ eighty feet without reaching the
+ bottom
AT ninety-fve feet / found II i'm.
! possible 70 get further without q rope
ladder. The walls Of the gulf were
/ perfectly vertical, but several frag-
ments were liable TO fall az the least
touch put nv foot against il and
I it went down. filling the abyss with
a terrible crashing roar.
Rather more than half way down
managed 70 find a ledge on which
could seat myself. 20 as to rest the
hands and arms OF those who held
the rope. During ms rest there
made a singular observation ! saw
that in the casing Of carbonate Of
lime there were little holes about the
size o! waluuts. 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 ghastly flies, as white
as snow. with wings out % all pro-
portion 70 their bodies. which were.
however. larger than those o. tho
spiders l tried to catch some Of
these moths. or iies. but found them
so delicate that they seemed 70 dis
solve between ones fingers"
We come now 10 the most curious
particulars connected with the cave
OF La Crouzatte. Above the mouth
Of this well. which Is nearly 121 feet
deep. a bridge Of poles was dis
covered This Was most perplexing.
Who could have found their way
" CT AtAG AAHE AheA1AAA NtAAA AHMN htAE
second TO lay those oak poles across
the third abyss2 On the first two
visits made by VI. 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 we'll When. however. he found
that there was no water in the ably ~
as far as could be reached. he was
still further perplcxed. and resolved
TO make a third exploration. of the
cave. to determine II possible the
purpose Of this bridge over the gulf.
Hitherto he bad not yentured 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 70 sus-
tain him in the event 81 the bridge
poles giving way under his feet
Beyond IL he discovered q slight
ascent, up which he scrambled and
penetrated into a cavern. or chamber.
that was nearly circular and which
had lateral chamber opening out Of
it. Here NJ. Pons lighted his mag
nesium lamp. In a moment the
whole cave was brilliantly illumin
ated. and. to his unspcakable aston
ishment. he found himself standing
in a vault with twelve rude bed.
ranged around him against the walls
like herrings in barrel
The beds were Of poles and sticks
laid across them Not being pro
yided with a ladder. Mr.. Young. OF
the occasion Of his visit. was unable
70 verify this singular account He
however, made the interesting dis,
covery Of an ingenious apparatus
by means Of which the jewellers il
this cave must have hauled them
selves up and been let down by cords
Of twisted clematis. which also wer,
found.
Who could have occupied thi
caye2 At what period2 We seem :,
be on an incident in ono Of Ride
Hagpard's stories. Il T. hard to con