The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-01-09
WYANDOTTE CAVE.
A PARTIAL DESCRIPTION OF THIS
WONDERFUL "oRoUND HOLE"

, Thousand Times That Age.
Wyandotts cave is inferior to Man,
moth in length, and yet walk through
its 23 miles of avenues and chambers
convinces the visitor that there is enough
and to spare. OF course he usually takes
only the three routes-1s miles-and is
satisfied. AS is the case with all other
caves that are in business. bear bears
the credit of discovering this natural
wonder. 1t was in this way: In the
early days of this state a hunter one
day saw a bear and shot but did not kill
it, whereupon he gave chase and was in
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 in 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 1919 it
was owned by white man who gath
cred saltpeter in its chambers and made
gunpowder-a precious article in the
backwoods. The early settlers worked
the cave that way for years, going far
Their 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 the
cave abandoned it, and the land revert
ed to the general government In lS49
or 1850 man named Rothrock bought
the land and explored the cave. At that
time only four miles were known, but
by chance a small opening was noticed,
and an investigation revealed the fact
that 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
tlce, and subsequent discoveries have
placed it among the wonders Of America.
1t was 46 years ago that Mr. Roth |
rock. then young man, commenced |
acting as guide among the labyrinth Of |
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 stalaotites
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 90 years have
elapsed, and he returns today to the
stone timekeeper and measures the
yrowth-three-sixteen 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
rom the known to the prehistoric.
Wyandotte is beautiful in sediment
ormation-stalagmites and stalactites
hat form from floor and ceiling, grow
ng scarcely hairbreadth in year.
nut gradually lessening the distance be-
ween their crystal points until in time
hey meet and form columns of translu-
ent stone, beautiful and chaste in de-
ign, the despair of architects. Fancy a
hamber OF imposing dimensions, the
ofty ceiling supported by these divine.
wrought pillars, the concave walls
eneered with coating of sparkling
iamonds, the delusive glitter of gold
nd silver in boundless wealth, and Won
ave Aladdin's cave, as rich as the ava
lcious vision of the Arabian dreamer.
The new routes reveal the beauties of
rystal, the old route presents the tu-
iultuous, the grand. ~he passages and
hambers are rough, broken, the barren
nggedness that turns ones thoughts to
This route terminates in the
limax OF attractions. This is the senate
hamber, and from its center, seeming
out OF a boiling caldron of molten
IVA that had been chilled and left i'm
lovable, rises the pillar Of the consti
ltion. 1t stands alone, the grandest
olumn ever erected by man or his mas.
r. Thirty feet in height, rs feet in 7
with fluted surface and 8
nbroken body, it stands in perpetual
arkness, no ray of light ever gliding
$ sparkling exterior save that from a
lckering candle.
Let us take out our notebook and cal
ilate the age of this venerable pile. The
ray bearded guide has told us that the
agile finger of stone grew three.six.
enths of an inch in nearly 90 Years
he inch in 245 years. This pillar is 20 =
ct high, 800 inches-two centuries
ID 40 years to one single inch. But
len 1T forms from floor and ceiling. SO
lat inches are formed in that time.
ccording to our calculation, it has
en 44,10O years since the foundation 4
this column was laid. But we have
nitted one factor. The stone finger
ould have formed in that time. but ~
is is 600 times as great in diameter. :
1r pencils and books again-but this
bewildering. We cannot conceive of z.
lapse of time contained in the "a. 600
airs. Why go on piling ages upon
es? Who is brave enough to say that
nerica lacks ageP Why, compared
tn this, the Rameses were but SQUAT.
rs upon the homestead of antiquity
Before leaving found small niece
rock the Indians had dug from the