The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-02-15
ICE CAVES OF JAPAN.


ICE CAVES OF JAPAN.
Located In Lava Beds. They Presens .
Beautiful Appearance.
Some eight or nine miles from
Shoji, in the woods, is the entrance
to the great ice a v we had come
so far to see, a natural circular de-
preston or basin in the ground in
the middle of the forest, some 80
Yards across and about 40 feet deep.
At the foot of one of the sides is a
dark opening in the lava, a few feet
down which may be een the top of
a wooden ladder. This is about 20
feet long, and at the foot of it are a
heap of blocks of lava, down which
we scrambled for some 80 or 40 feet
more, till floor of solid ice more or
less fiat was reached. Very careful
progress along this had to be made
to avoid slipping down and extln-
gushing the torches. For the first
so yards frequent blocks of lava rise
through the ice of the floor, while
farther on there is nothing but ice.
The lava roof is sometimes 80 OF 40
feet above ones head, sometimes
only / or 5 feet from the floor.
The light of the torches glanced con-
tinually on icicles many feet long
pendant from the roof. Presently
we passed some large blocks Of ice,
which had been cut by the country
people for sale at Kofu, some miles
off. At nearly 400 yards from the
entrance about 20 wonderful ice
stalagmites, from 2 to 5 feet in
height, rose from the floor close to a
lava wall forming apparently the
end of the cave, to meet icioles hang
ing from the roof, from which water
at this time Of the year continually
drops on to them. The tops of these
stalagmites form hollow bell shaped
cylinders, giving out a faint note
like a gong when struck. They are
partly filled with the water which
drips on to them from the icicles
above.
Soon by the side of them, on the
left, a low arch in the lava on the
level of the floor about 3 feet high
may be seen. Down this is a strong
current of air, there is a rapid de
scent for some IS feet, and thence
the course Of the cave has been fol
lowed for another 200 yards or SO;
but, owing to the strong current Of
; -, u,b;ob oonotap+1v oyfipu1iShoS
the torches, and the smallness Of the
passage, which slopes down rapidly
from the entrance, 10 detailed de-
scription of it can be given, but un-
s doubtedly the cave runs on for some
| distance, perhaps to another outlet,
+ for the current of air is very strong
E ut the extreme point to which any
one has yet penetrated.
The ice has probably remained
frozen in the cave from the winter
Il months, the action of the higher
d summer temperature being INSULT
C Gent to do more than affect the sur
e face of the ice floor, form a few pools
h of water and melt part of the ice
It s~talactites and stalagmites. The
temperature of the ave in summer
seldom exceeds IS degrees F., and
that in the declivity Or basin in the
ground at the entrance some 10 de-
q grees or II degrees higher. On 60
ing up from the latter to the level
Of the ground in the wood a rise Of
some 20 degrees on a warm day is a
once experienced.
Here we staid the night at the
town of Kajika .zawa and next day
e made the exciting descent of thu
d rapids of tho Kujikawa, which neee
no description here, as an excellen1
70 one is given by Messrs. Chamberlain
& Mason in their guide, referred t.
above. At Iwabuohi, As miles from
g Kajika. Java, reached in a little ovel
y six house, I entered the train for XII
p OTTO, in which I spent a most wretch
re ed night, in company with a numbe.
of mosquitoes, whose powers of pen
l. etration I believe are unequaled else
,e where, clothes forming no protection
. whatever-a somewhat unpleasant
termination to an enjoyable trip
London Field.