Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-10-15

among the sIany Curious Things the
Greatest Is the Pillar Of the Constitu-
tion-It Is $4,000 Years Old or Many
Thousand Times That Age,
Wyandotte cave is inferior to Nam
moth in length, and yet walk through
its 90 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 is
satisfied. As is the case with all other
caves that are in business, a bear bears
the credit of discovering this natural
wonder. 1t was in this way: In the
early days of this state hunter one
day saw q bear and shot but did not kill
1t, whereupOn he gave chase and was Ill
close pursuit, when, 10 and behold, it
disappeared. This much puzzled the
seasoned hunter, and he stood in amaze
ment, but finally summOning his reso-
luton he went TO the spot where the
animal had vanished. There was large
opening i'll 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 as 1912 it
was owned by Is white man who gath
cred saltpeter i'll its chambers and made
gunpowder-a precious article i'll the
backwoOds. The early settlers worked
the cave that way for years, going far
81,
search of this mineral. Finally it ceased
10 be necessary or profitable to make
their own powder, and the owner of the
cave abandoned il, and the land revert
ed to the general government. In 1919
or 1880 a7nan named Rothrock bought
the land and explored the cave. At that
time only four miles were known, but
by chance small opening was noticed,
and an investigation revealed the fact
that il 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 he had bonanza
The new find brought the cave into no
tice, and subsequent discoveries have
placed II among the wonders of America.
1t was AZ years ago that Mr.. Roth
rock, then 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 90 years have
elapsed, and lie returns today to the
stone timekeeper and measures the
grOwth-three-s xteenths Of an inch
There are columns here seven feet high
formed by the constant drop of water.
Only few feet from the top you pass
from the known to the prehistoric.
WyandOtte is beautiful in sediment
formation-stalagmit and stalactites
that form from floor and ceiling, grow
ing scarcely a hairbreadth i'll year,
hut 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 wrought pillars, the concave walls
veneered with Il coating of sparkling
diamonds. the delusive glitter of gold
and silver i'll bou,idless wealth. and you
have Aladdin's cave, rs rich as the ava
ricious vision 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 he 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 or his mas
ter. Thirty feet i'll height, 80 feet in
circumference. with fluted surface and
unbrokcn body, it stands in perpetual
darkness. no ray of light ever gliding
its sparkling exterior save that from u
Pickering candle.
Let us take out our notebook and cal
culate the age of TINS venerable pile The
gray bearded guide has told us that the
fragile finger of stone grew three six
teenths of an inch i'll nearly 90 years
one inch III gas years. This pillar is 80
feet high, $50 inches-two centuries
and 40 years 10 one single inch. But
then il forms from floor and ceiling. so
that inches are formed i'll that time
According to our calculation, it has
been 400 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, 900
years. Why go on piling ages upon
ages? Who is brave enough to say that
America lacks age? Why, compared
with this, the Rameses were but squat
tiers upon the homestead Of antiquity.
Before leaving I found q, small n,cco