Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-03
One of Americas Seven Won
derS-Grand and Inspiring.
ANCIENT, YET INTERESTING
Natures Handwork ExceIIing Human Art in
Subterranean Neutrality-suspicious.
of Nearly Every Object in Life.


day of fast schedules, when you are af-
forded the delightful service of the Ell
len-N," there is hardly an excuse for you
to forego such instructive, inyigorat.ng
and joyous a pleasure.
Leaving Birmingham at midn ght, our
party arrived at Glasgow junction,
distance of eight miles from our destina-
ton. at II o'clock the next day. We
boarded a dummy very like our Birming
ham institutions, and of the same name,
but very unlike them in the matter of
fare, inasmuch as the conductor informed
us that $3.50 was the fare for the round
trip. We were electrified, and some of
the party were not frightened, but want
ed to go home then and there The con-
ductor was accustomed to the ejacua-
tions of surprise and Indignation of his
passengers, and coolly waited for the de-
manded amount to be handed over. He
went his way rejoicing, al any rate, how
ever much the passengers may have been
appalled, at the prospect of impoverished
purses. We arrived at the Mammoth
cave hotel at noon, and here delightful
dinner was served, our party somewhat
recovering from the affair of the dummy
ride.
And such a hotel What a paradise
for people with that tired feeling char
acter.stic of so many in this busy, bust
ling Birmingham. Just fancy 500 feet of
chairs innumerabIe, where you could sit
for hours undisturbed by any sound save
that of an occasional bird note; grassy
lawn in 'front.' dotted with giant oaks,
and perfect April sun above it all. But
the cave had to be DONE and at l
O'Clock the ladies of our party donned the
regulation costume "a bathing suit,
boomers and AID and fearfully and with
that most curious feeling caused from
treading unknown paths entered that
6pGnpthp
that wonderful cave? 1t seems pre-
posterous undertaking for one so insig-
niicant as l to attempt a description of
such a masterpiece of the Creators hand
iwork. We were shown the appurte-
nances for the manufacturer of salt
petre used by the miners in 1872; the
wooden pipes, in perfect state of preser-
walton, for in that atmosphere nothing
decays. The tempera ture IS So degrees
at all times, and there is something won
derfully invlgorating in the air of the
cave, and one feels refreshed and able to
endure the fatigues of climbing ladders
and scaling rocks-two of the prominent
features of a cave exploration.
There is a correct representation of al
most every object in life to be found in
the different formation of rocks, stalac
tiles and stalagmtes The smoke house,
where, in the form of rocks hang the
hams and pieces Of "side meat" of the
ante-bellum farmer the arm chair,
where, the guide told us, once sat Jenny
Lind; the elephants heads, the giants
coffin. in which we could bury all our an
imosities, so large are its proportions;
the bridal chamber, where twenty-nine
couples have stood to be united in mar
riage, but which the guide did not APP
prove, as it was running matrimony
into the ground" There is a cavern av-
eraging so feet in height, 40 feet in width
and four miles in length, the roof in
places as smooth as plastered wall. One
n difference
the color of the plasterlike surface as a
line divides the old and the new section,
"when the white washers went out on a.
strike" the guide explained. An immense
cavern was the Methodist church, and
when asked why not Baptist the guide
replied, TOO dry for the Baptists" Near
this another similar apartment was
shown as the theatei, where high above
our heads projected several galleries for
the spectators, and at one end rose a
perfect stage for the actors; at the other
end an open paSsageway led back into
the church, 1.-The back entrance used by
the Methodists to come to the theater,"
SO our guide informed us. These are a
few points of interest we took in on the
short route, a distance covering seven
miles. The guides are pleasant accom-
modating and strictly up to date with the
jokes they get off for the diversion and
entertainment for possibly nervous Wis
itor. We finished the short route on that
toll. 1t Is "a certain conviction of mine
that our contingent of that cave party
had not in all their lives performed such
hard labor and should never be excused
from work on the plea of physical disa-
bility.
The next forenoon was devoted to re-
cuperation, rubbing down and bracing
up for the long route; and just here the
glorles of that galleried hotel and those
arm chairs should have been sung for
m a xxrn oct e. ,1lx
appreciated rest and quietude. At
o'clock we donned our picturesque Co.'S
tunes, took our lives into our hands and
descended into the regions of darkness
Echo river and the river StyX being the
objective points on this trip The de-
scent was painful but gradual for a dis
tance of $50 feet. the lowest point yet ex-
plored in the cave. Some of the pas
traversed We're difficult and well merited
the names of Fat Mans Misery" Gre
clan Bend" Tall Mans Misery" etc, !;
but a ride of half a mile on the river
with its wonderful echo repaid us for
our discomfort. The ride was weird and
uncanny, and made one feel creepy in
ones bones; but the party. however,
struck up Way Down Upon the Sc
vance River and as we had some par
ticularly fine voices in our contingent
peculiarly adapted to this song, we be-
came somewhat treasured. Someone in
the crowd attempted to sing You Can't
Play in Our Back Yard" but that was
failure, as the distance to her back yard
was very remote and the suggestion pain
full / think her voice died in fearful
gurgle, or 1t might have been the drop
ping of the water that deceived me- At
the end of this boat ride our party sepa-
rated, and those who were unable to pro-
coed further returned with one lone boat
man to terra firma 1t was very i'm
pressive scene. suggestive of the POSSIBLE
tiles of an eternal separation at the last
day and calculated to cause one to think
of very serious things. The return in
cludes an ascent of 240 feet through the
"Corkscrew," and there's the rub truly
and must be experienced to be appreci-
ated. An immense pile of rocks one on
the other, with no possible exit, seeming
ly; ladders to climb, more rocks, more
ladders; an interminable, GREATNESS, hor-
rid climb, and you sit half dead, painting
and wondering If ever anyone died on
the hands of the guide after doing the
"Corkscrew" This question was asked
by one of the ladies of our party, as, half
faintng, she rested on the ground after
her ascent through this awful place.