The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1896-02-01
Lost in Mammoth Cave.

Lost in. Mammoth Cave.
TO be lost anywhere, and under
any circumstances, is an unenviable
sensation, but to be lost in a subter-
ranean cavern seventy feet in depth,
with fourteen miles of impenetrable
blackness ahead of one, comprehends
adegree of terror calculated to freeze
the blood in the veins. -
A merry party of twelve entered
Mammoth Cave, determined to see
all OF it's weird and wonderful attrac-
tions. Like the "wise virgins we
had our lamps trimmed and burning
After advancing some distance in
the gloom, picking our way along
the narrow path which shelved over
an abyss, the guide said, eff you
want to experience a queer sensa-
tion just put out your lights for a
moment, but take care to know
where to find your matches.
The lights were extinguished and
in the silence and gloom OF these few
minutes we could hear the beating
of our hearts as distinctly as the
ticking of a clock. Relighting the
lamps we marched forward in single
file, when a gentleman of the party
becoming detached from the others
determined to try the experiment of
again extinguishing his light in order
to hear his heart beat. He did so
and remained behind while the party
went ahead some distance, thinking
it would be an easy mattertO follow.
He then attempted to relight his
lamp; match after match was struck
but the lamp only emitted a sickly
fame for a second and then died out.
He held his last match in his
hand, carefully pulled the wick, shook
the lamp and with a prayer struck the
match and held it to the wick. 1t
blazed up for a moment sufficiently
for him to see the danger of his at
tempting to take a step without a
light, and then went out. By this
time the lights of the party had dis
appeared and were hidden from view
by the gigantic figures which stood
like mocking spectres barring his
way. His halo was only answered
by the hollow echo of the cavern. He
Thought of the terrible stories he had
heard ofpersons who had been lost
in the cave, of the man who was lost
for three hours and when found was
a raving maniac, of the lady who be-
came separated from her party and
when discovered it was found that in
two hours of agonizine suspense her
hair had turned as white as snow.
All these passed through his mind in
as rapid succession as the events of
a life pass through the mind of a
drowning man. He prostrated him
self upon the ground and attempted
to crawl along the pathway, and
as the earth and the pebbles tumbled
into the river Styx, flowing at the
base of the mighty chasm, they seem
ed to presage his awful doom. The
cold sweat stood in great beads up
on his hands and forehead, minutes
seemed hours. Again he uttered the
cry of ''lost! lost!' but only mock
ing echo came back in return. The
cave seemed haunted with demons,
each trying to pull him down into
the fathomless stream below, where
he would become the companion of
the eyeless fish and the hundreds of
strange creatures that peopled those
inky waters. Another cry! and then
the faint glimmer of a light was seen.
Nearer and nearer it came and louder
and louder sounded the call for help.
Perhaps, thought he, that light
comes from the fiery eyes of one of
those monsters that inhabit subter-
ranean abodes, and | shall be food
for him; but soon the echo of a hu-
man voice was heard. Hope sprung
in his heart, and the welcome form of
one of the guides appeared. Weak
from exhaustion he raised himself,
saying chow many hours have been
here?' The guide consulted his watch
and found that just twelve minutes
had elapsed since he became sepa-
rated from the party.
"Twelve minute said he. "Impos-
sible, it seems a lifetime In those
twelve minutes, I have suffered the
tortures Of the damned. have been
dashed to pieces by the roaring cat
aract, devoured by wild beasts, be-
come a raving maniac, and had my
hair bleached to snowy whiteness.
When he rejoined our party he
looked as if he had passed through a
severe spell of sickness, and to this
day he says that the memory of that
dreadful occurrence haunts him like
terrible nightmare.
jim. jam Valley.