Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1897-03-13
TVYANDOTTE CAVE.
A PARTIAL DESCRIPTION OF THIS
WONDERFUL "GROUND HOLE.'

Among the Many Curious Things the
Greatest Is the Pillar Of the CoDstitu-
Thousaud Times That Age.
Wyandotte cave is inferior to Nam
moth ill iongth, and yet a walk through
its 90 miles of avenues and chambers
COnvinces the visitor that there is enough
and to spare. OF course ne usually takes
only the three lOutes--l2 miles-and is
satisfied. AS is the case with all other
raves that are III bus ness, il bear bears
TIC credit OF discovering this natural
wonder. il was i'll this way In the
carly days of this state hunter one
day saw bear and shot but did not kill
it, WEcreUpon he gave chase and was i'll
close pursuit., when, 10 and behold, 1t
disappeared! This mHch puzzled the
seasoned hunter, ana ne stood i'll amaze
mont, but finally summming his rrso-
iGtIon he went to the spot where the
animal had vanished There was u large
olauing in the side OF the hill Investi-
CATION revealed tie existence Of this
WASH uiltElI1IUuIiti loSN'HSi'ii. h'o i2iuNii
for tradition. The same thing occurred
with every other cave, and why not
with this?
The existence of this cave has been
lsuuwD for years. As carly as 1872 1t
was owned by white man who gath
cred saltnetcr in its chambers and made
guupoWdcr-tl precious article i'll the
hackwoods. TIE early settlers worked
the cave that way for years, going far
Tier and father from the entrance in
search of this mineral FINALLY it ceased
to be necessary CT profitable to make
their own powder, and the owner of the
cave abandoned il, and the land revert
ed to the general government. In 1919
Cr 1880 Il man named ROthrock bought
the land and explored TIE cave. AT that
timC only four miles We're known, but
by chance a small opening was noticed,
and an inVCsti cation revealed the fact
that Il new ard 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 hnu that he had It bonanza.
/ he new find brought the cave into no.
ticc, and subsequent discoveries have
placed it among the wonders Of America.
1t was 46 years ago that Mr.. Roth
rock, then a young man, commenced
acting as guide among the labyrinth OF
l:,ssagcways 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 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 a candle and
awaited results. Almost so years have
elapsed, and he returns today to the
stone timekeeper and measures the
grOWtl--throc- sixteenths of an inch.
There are columns here seven feet high
rmed by the constant drop of water.
Only Il few feet from the top you pass
from the known to the prehistoric.
WyandOtte is beautiful in sediment
Observation-Disclosures and Stalactites
that form from floor and ceiling, grow
ing scarcely Il hairbreadth i'll II year,
but gradually Jessening the distance be-
tween their crystal points until i'll time
they meet and form columns OF translu
cent stone, beautiful and chaste III de-
sign, the despair of architects. Fancy IL
chamber OF imposing dimensions, the
lofty ceiling supported by these divine
" wrought pillars, the concave walls
Veneered with Il coating of sparkling
diamonds, the delusive glitter of gold
and silver i'll EOundlcsS wealth. and you
have Aladdin's cave, as rich as the ava.
lIcious vision of the Arabian dreamer.
The new routes reveal the beauties of
crystal, the old route presents the tu-
multuous, the grand. The passages and
ChamherS are rough, broken, the barren
ruggedness that turns ones thoughts to
grandeur. This route terminates in the
climax Of attractions This is the senate
chamber, and from its center, seeming
ly out Of ii 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 grandest
column ever erected by man OF his mas
ter. Thirty feet i'll height, IS feet in
circumference, with flutcd surface and
uMbroIlen BODY, it stands i'll perpetual
darkness, DO ray of light ever gliding
its Spa king exterior save that from IL
Pickering candle.
Let US take out our notebook and cal
culate the age OF this venerable pile. The
gray bearded guide has told us that the
fragile finger of stone grew three SIX
teenths OF an inch III nearly 80 years
one inch i'll 2I5 years. This pillar is 80
feet high, 800 inChes-two centuries
aud 10 years to one single inch But
then il form from floor and ceiling, so
that inches are formed i'll that time.
According TO our calculation, it has
been II, 100 years since the foundation
of this column was laid. But we have
omitted one factor The stone finger
would have tC1mCd i'll that time, but
this is 800 times as great i'll diameter.
Our pencils and books again---but this
is beWiluering We cannot conceive of
the lapse OF time contained i'll the A, 600
years. Why go on piling ages upon
ages: Who is brave enough to say that
America lacks age? Why, compared
with this, The Ramcses We're but squat
tcrs upon the homestead Of antiquity.
Before leaving | found IL small piece
Of rock the Indians had dug from the
pillar. 1t had been 700 years since the
redskins had made ornaments from this
lruutituI stone and I carried if AWAY