The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1896-11-04
WYANDOTTE CAVE.E
A PARTIAL DESCRIPTION OF THIS
WONDERFUL "GRouND HOLE"

e.
Among the Many Curious Things the
Greatest Is the Pillar Of the Constitu.
t.on-It Is $4,000 Years Old or Many
Thousand Times That Age.
Wyandottc cave ia inferior to Nam.
moth in length, and yet walk through
its 20 miles of avenues and chambers
conyinces the visitor that there is enough
and to spare. OF course he usually takes
only tho three routes-12 miles-and is
satisfied. As is the case with all other
caves that are in business. bear bears
tho, credit OF discovering this natural
wonder. It was In this way: In the
early days of this state o hunter one
day saw bear and shot but did not kill
it, whereupon he gave chase and was in
close pursuit, when, 10 and behold, it
disappearad! This much puzzled tho
seasoned hunter, and he stood in amaze
nsnt, but finally summoning his reso-
luton he went to the spot where the
animal had vanished. There was large
opening in the aide of the hill. Invcsti-
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 1919 it
l,x,a Sx,f,t h0 NJ II.
cred saltpetcr in its chambers and made
gunpowder-a precious article In the
backwoods. The early settlers worked
the cave that way for years, going far
thcr 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 tho
cave abandoned it, and the land revert
cd to the general government. In 1880
CT 1850 a man 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 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 he had bonanza
The new find brought the cave into no.
tice, and subsequent discoveries have
placed it among the wonders of America
1t was 40 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 mover 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 candle and
awaited results. Almost so years have
elapsed, and he returns today to tho
stone timekceper and measures the
growth-thrae-s ixteenths Of all 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
Observation-Disclosures aud stalactites
that form from floor and ceiling, grow.
ing scarcely 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 Q
chamber Of imposing dimensions, the
lofty ceiling supported by these divine
~ wrought pillars, the concave wall.
veneercd with coating of sparkling
diamonds. the delusive glitter of gold
and silver in boundlcss wealth, and you
have Aladdin's cave. as ricn as the ava
ricious vision of the Arabian dreamer.
The new routes reveal the beauties Of
crystal, the old route presents the tn
multuous. the grand. The passages and
chambers are rough, broken, the barren
ruggedness that turns ones thoughts tc
grandeur. This route terminates in the
climax OF attractions. This is the senate
chamber, and from its center, seeming
" ont Of boiling caldron Of molten
lava that had been chilled and left i'm.
movable. rises the pillar Of the consti
tuition. It stands alone, the grandes'
column ever erected by man or his mas
ter. Thirty feet in height, 20 feet ir
circumference, with futed surface and
unbroken body. it stands in perpetual
darkness, no roy of light ever gliding
its sparkling exterior save that from /
Pickering candle.
Let us take out our notebook and cal
culate the age of this venerable pile. Tht
gray bearded guide has told US that TIT
fragile finger of stone grew three-six
teenths of an inch in nearly 80 years
one inch in GAO years. This pillar is 81
feet high, 800 inches-two centuries
and 45 years to one single inch. Blu
then it forms from floor and ceiling, 81
that 2 inches are formed in that time
According to our calculation, it ha
been 44,l00 years since the foundation
Of this column was laid. But we have
omitted one factor. The stone fingel
would have formed in that time, bu
this is 600 lines as great in diameter
Our pencils and books again-but thi
is bewildering. We cannot conceive O
the lapse of time contained in the "A, 00'
years. Why 60 Oh piling ages upol
ages? Who is brave enough to say tina
! America lacks age? Why, compared
with this. the Rameses were but squat
tiers upon the homestead Of antiquity.
Before leaving found small piec'