Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-08-28
A Day on Shore.--No. 8.

1t was the middle watch-as we lief
the ships side and Is minutes later W,
were gathered on the peach-29 Of us al
t"ld-waiting the order to push off
Ihere was III governor and guide, thu
captains of an English and a Frenci
hlercnahtman lying at anchor here
Two men on an excursion from Port
LOUIS, thfee captains of whale ships
beside our own, and two boats crews
the objective point being q recently
cave as yet almost unex-
plored.
A steady white ash" breeze. fur
nished by the selected muscle from
TOUR whale ships, brought us to the
nearest iandlng to the cave, a distance
OF Is mics, IN four hours-includine
certain stops for uncertain purposes
SO that just as the sun rose out of the
ocean we were making a hearty lunch
OF nam and cold hoiIed
tifds eggs, with semi-occasional an
piicatlonS to a suspicious looking
Hagen, the contents Of which were SIM
posed to brace a fellow up for the
tramp ahead.
A quarter of a mile from the beach
was an opening in the bluff 20 feet
wide by seven in height, divided nv a
rough pillar six feet in diameter. thus
forming two irregularly arched on
frances to the mammoth ave of Rod
rique. Lighting our torches of old
hempen rigging, the ends of which had
been UNFINISHED and saturated with oil
we scrambled dow a rocky descent Of
a hundred feet to find ourselves on j,
smooth, gradually descending sand rock
Al feet in width pthila On fa.f ,,,l,t.
was a roof finely ornamented with
numerous stalactitcs of pleasing tints
and hueS.
Thus far Il underground road had
been straight as an arrow, but now
turned to the left. shutting out the
last glimpse of daylight at the en-
trance, and but for II torches the
darkness woul nave been total. Here
We entered a huge domed room. the
floor piled up with immense fragments
that had fallen from the roof, the com
hined light Of our torches failing to
show us the place from which they had
fallen. When we had gone a mile into
the earth a series of calculations
showed us to be rather more thar an
hundred feet below the level of the sea,
and $50 feet below the surface Of the
mountain directly overhead.
Openings were visible on every side.
ard a. former explorations had ter
minated here, it was decided to go on
for an hour. dividing our forces and
proceeding in different directions. Our
party turned to the eastward. passed
through a magnificcntly decorated
corridor, the walls on either side being
ornamented with tens of thousands OF
~spindles no larger than pipe stems;
some OF them more than ten feet in
length-translucent in the light Of our
torches and indcscribahly beautiful.
These spinJles were formed by the con-
tinual dropping of water that carried
in solution lime and other substances
that gradually hardened into the shape
mentioned. Upon examination these
stems Wer" found to have n hole run
ming the entire length. q thing | can
not account for. SO brittle were these
beautiful gems of the cave that |
failed 10 save a specimen.
At the further end Of this corridor
az abrupt perpendicular wall stopped
Il progress for a momcnt but exam
ination showed us an openinu
close to the floor IS inches in height. |
through which we worked our way.
creeping along lying fiat upon our
faces. Working ahead in this way for
~ feet or more. we emerged into a
large. irregular room at least 30 feet
in diameter and as many feet to the
rocks overhead. Through the center of
this room ran a tiny brook of purest
fresh water. its echoes as it ran re-
scmbling the tones of n music box in
The Distance IIara ,Ca "a, al I,o~4i
$50 feet below the level OF the sea.
The question is. where did the water
so?
We now turned more to the southland
found our a through narrow
passages. over rough lodges of lime
rock. around sharp angles, until at
last seating ourselves to rest. we We're
clarified by n sullen roar which seemed
to make the whole island tremble. We
decided that this was the surf break
ing on the southern reef. but it was
an uncomfortable sound to ears two
miles from air and sunlight.
Slowly we found our way back by
land marks that we left for that pur-
noticing man openings that UNI
douhtcdiy led to more magnificent
scenes than any yet discovered, the
larger passages seeming to lead toward
the center of the island. giving one the
idea that the Whole island is q mere
bubble.
We Joined the other wing of our ex-
petition at the same place where we
parted. They, too. had discovered
openings that seemed to lead in all
directions, but. like ourselves, were
obliged to leave to some future visitor
the task Of discovering other wonders.
Half a mile from the mouth of the cave
our torches went out for want of oil.
of us volunteered to fine our way
and return with new material for
lights. Taking hold of hands We
pluckily faced the Egyptian
darkness, and after many a
stumble with the usual ac-
compartment of plain English, las she
is spoke thrown in, we saw the glim-
of welcome light and heard the
shouts of our shipmates as they made
merry while they waited.
We were quickly supplied with the
necessary beacons, and our impatient
We're piloted to the open air,
On u way home we landed several
times-shot a guinea fowl as large as a
sized turkpv-apd made c,,cb |