Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1896-11-05
WTANDOTTE CAVE.
A PARTIAL DESCRIPTION or THIS
WONDERFUL "GROUND HOLE"

WONDERFUL "GROUND HOLE"
Among the Many Curious Things the
Greatest j. the PIiar ~ the constitu-
tion-It l. 44,oco Years Ola Or Many
Thousand Times That Age.
Wyandotte cave j. inferior to Nam
moth in length, and yet a walk through
its % miles Of avenues and chambers
convinces the visitor that there is enough
and to spare. Of course he usually takes
only the three routes--12 miles-and III
satisfied. AS is the case with all other
caves that are IL business, a bear bears
the credit Of discovering this natural
wonder. 1t was i'll this way: In the
early days Of this state q hunter one
day saw bear and shot but did not kill
it. whereupon be gave chase and was in
close pursuit, when, 10 and behold, it
disappeared! This much puzzled the
seasoned hunter, and he stood in amaze
ment, but finally summnning his reso-
luton be went to the spot where the
animal had vanished. There was large
opening in the side of the hill. Investi-
CATION revealed the existence of this
vast underground possession. SO much
for tradition. The same thing occurred
with every other cave, and why not
with this?
The existence Of this cave has been
known for years. AS early az 1912 it
was owned by white man who gath
cred saltpeter in its chambers and made
gunpowder-a precious article in the
backwoods. The early settlers worked
the cave that way for years, going far
ther and farther from the entrance in
search Of this mineral Finally it ceased
to be necessary or profitable to make
their own powder, and the owner Of the
cave abandoned it, and the land revert
ed to the general government. In 1849
or 1850 man named Rothrock bought
the land and explored the cave. At that
time only four miles were known, but
by chance a small opening was noticed,
and an investigation revealed the fact
that a new and greater portion had been
discovered. This unknown route was
explored, six miles more Of cave came
into possession Of the owner, and it first
occurred to him that be had a bonanza.
The new find brought the cave into no
tice, and subsequent discoveries have
placed it among the wonders Of America.
1t was AS years ago that Mr.. Roth
rock, then a young man, commenced
acting as guide among the labyrinth of
passageways under the hill. Now comes
one Of the most interesting features Of
the cave. When he began his visits here,
he heard the drip, drip of the waters
that never cease and saw the stalactites
little fingers Of stone which had been
made by the dripping waters. To test
the growth of the stone stems he mark
ed one with the smoke of a candle and
awaited results. Almost 80 years have
elapsed, and he returns today to the
stone timekeeper and measures the
growth-three-six of an inch
There are columns here seven feet high
formed by the constant drop Of water.
Only a few feet from the top you pass
from the known to the prehistoric.
Wyandotte j. beautiful in sediment
ormation-stalagmite and stalactites
that form from floor and ceiling, grow
ing scarcely a hairbreadth in year,
but gradually lessening the distance be-
tween their crystal points until in time
they meet and form columns Of translu-
cent stone, beautiful and chaste in de-
sign, the despair Of architects. Fancy a
chamber Of imposing dimensions, the
lofty ceiling supported by these divine
ly wr at pillars, the concave walls
vene ed with a coating of sparkling
diamonds, the delusive glitter Of gold
and silver i'll boundless wealth, and You
have Aladdin's cave, as rich as the ava
ricious visios of the Arabian dreamer.
The new routes reveal the beauties Of
crystal, the old route presents the tu-
multuous, the grand. The passages and
chambers are rough, broken, the barren
ruggedness that turns ones thoughts to
grandeur This route terminates in the
climax Of attractions This is the senate
chamber, and from its center, seeming
ly out Of boiling caldron Of molten
lava that had been chilled and left i'm
movable, rises the pillar Of the consti-
tuition 1t stands alone, the grandest
column ever erected BY man OF his mas
ter. Thirty feet i'll height, rs feet in
circumference, with fluted surface and
unbroken body, it stands in perpetual
darkness, no ray Of light ever gliding
its sparkling exterior save that from q
Pickering candle.
%oI- r,nNobo.alr ar1H naI-
culate the age of this venerable pile. The
gray bearded guide has told Us that the
fragile finger Of stone grew three-six-
teenths of an inch in nearly so years
one inch in 245 years. This pillar is 30
feet high, $50 inches-two centuries
and As years to one single inch. But
then it forms from floor and ceiling, so
that 2 inches are formed in that time.
According to our calculation, it has
been IA, 100 years since the foundation
of this column was laid. But we have
omitted one factor The stone finger
would have formed in that time, but
this is 600 times as great in diameter.
Our pencils and books again-but this
is bewildering We cannot conceive Of
the lapse Of time contained in the "A, 600
years Why 20 On piling ages upon
ages? Who is brave enough to say that
America lacks age? Why, compared
with this, the Rameses were but squat
ters upon the homestead Of antiquity.
Before leaving | found small piece
of rock the Indians had dug from the
pillar. 1t had been ZOO years since the
redskins had made ornaments from this
beautiful stone, and / carried it away
with me as relic (as ancient as an
American can well stand up under) Of
the column whose foundation was laid
in the eternity Of tile past.-Indianapo-
lis Journal.
Solomon was called BY the Jews Of
his time the White King, from the
color Of the robes be wore. The allusion
made in the New Testament to the lily
Of the field, a white flower, in connec-
ton with Solomon, j. thus made clearer.