The record-union., 1896-11-09

our guide. From this great chamber
there extend immense galleries leading
to other chambers with equal and in
some instances surprising loveiiness.
From an opening off to one side there
trickles tiny stream of water, so cold
that it is as if it came from an iceberg.
Following this little stream to its source
We reach the spring room, the walls of
which are white as pure jasper can
make them. Here the temperature was
at ~ degrees, and the moisture which is
in the air of the large rooms and pas
sagewayS condenSes on the alabaSter
walls and trickles constantly down in
streams, forming a tiny rivulet. This
condensation of itself is one of the many
curioslties of this wondrous cave. So
great is the supply that we estimated
that twenty gallons per minute pour off
the walls of the small, barrel-shaped
niche called the shower bath room. This
water Is SO pure that it leaves no sedi
ment whatever, and is really distilled
| by nature just as by science above the
ground This shower bathroom and
spring rivals in beauty of design any
chamber decorated by all In the world
] known. Leading off into another direc-
| is lofty passageway, with succeed
room and arched entrance. Following
| this the throne room is reached and here
| in solitude is a grander throne than was
ever built by man or designed by human
| brain. The great white throne stands
alone in the middle of a most magnifi
cent chamber with lofty ceilings 300 feet
above, while from side to side the floor
e. 70
579 feet The great white throne, a
majestic oval stalagamite, stands in the
center formed of pure onyx and jasper
with markings of chaleaydong and
beryl. 1t is SO feet across, and 20 feet
from front to back. 1t rises in gran
deur to the hight of 20 feet and is II
| feet in diameter at the top. 1t looks
| like the crystaliZed idea Of perfection in
| the way of building and Is perfect pic
tUre of stately elegance and beauty. An
immense niche faces the entrance to this
room and here is the imaginary seat OF
come prehistoric diety. The structure
is hollow in it's formation and beneath
the seat are three beautiful rooms of
alabaster whitenesS. No work of art
can compare with 1t and words are ut
terly inadequate to describe it's beauties
and wonderful construction.
To the right of this throne room rises
to the ceiling a pure white fiuted pillar,
three feet in diameter, resting on a
pedestal or base followed out into a
beautiful room. The walls are of solid
onyx, in color of red, yellow and white.
Still there is more to be found by fol-
lowing the various passages leading in
all directions from the central portion.
Rooms spread out at the end of beauti-
full arched pasSageWayS. All are
adorned with the same colored and
white carvings. One passage has been
traced for a distance of twelve miles in
southwest direction, and there is a
current of air coming from the interior.
1t is thought that there are connections
with the famous Barry County cave,
thirty-five miles away. That there are
some other openings to the outer world
is evidenced by the presence of the re-
mains of many animals which have un-
doubtedly wandered into the deep re-
| cesses and died.
Nor is this immense cavern uninhab-
tied. 1t has a fora and fauna peculiar
to itself, and like the walls and plants
the animals are pure white. In the
grand amphitheater is to be found a
plant or fungus, blanched white by the
darkness In the long passageways
leading toward the Barry County en-
trance are found bats that have evil
IDENTIFY found their way in from the out
side world. Some of these are enormous
in size and have the appearance of the
South American vampires In body of
ron-stained clay which almost chokes
up one of these passages, we found an
accumulation of bones of wild animals
There are bones of bear, wolves. deer
raccoons, foxes and numerous Others
showing that at some remote time it
was retreat for wild animals.
DIR. G. Hart Meriman and Professor
Holms of the Agricultural Department
at Washington, have made examina-
tions of this clay sent them, and are of
the opinion that valuable discoveries
are in store for some scientist who has
the time and money to devote to the
excavation and exhuming Of skeletons
there buried This clay bed extends