The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-28
S~CH0HARtES MANY caves.
IT HAs MORE, PROBABLY, THAN AkY
OTHER COUNTY IN THE UNION.

- - AhENAFN-3NNeNhl hNhNe lIetu
Rest In InvestIEatinE Othsra = se,setIases
They Fn with water TIL They Overflow.
ALBANY, June 27.-It ia doubtful II there is
another county in the Union which possesses 30
many natural curiositles In the way of cav
erns as our own county, of Schoharie. The
geological composition of the county IL Of the
more recent formations. limestone strata pro-
dominating. These soft strata, having been
subjected for Rgcssto the disintegrating action
Of the numerous streams OF water that abound
in the region have entirely disappeared In
many localities, leaving in their places cav.
ems miles in extent, steep and narrow fumes
that lead ne one knows whittier. and curiously
formed and fathomless openings yRwning in
the ground. The beginnings and endings OF the
many streams that have hewn the cRverns in
the subterrAnean rocks are shrouded in impene.
trablo mystery.
There are probably a hundred Of these great
cavities In the county to explore which no at
tempt has ever been made, while there are
many others whososinteriors are familiar to the
more courageous and adventurous of the dwell.
os In their vicinity. Ono Of these, at least,
Howes Cave, In Schoharie township, has a
worldwide fame. Its orig inal name was OTIS.
garage Cavern, and since its first exploration
by Lester Howe, In 1912. entrance to 1t has
been made easy. Its depths have been lighted
by gas, andit is q favorite and always interest.
ing resort of the summer tourist.
"A moro wonderful cave than Howe's 10
Balls, called by some Gebhardt's Cave. II Is
four miles east Of Schoharie village, and was
discovered by Simeon Ball in 1881. 1t was not
explored until some months later. Descent to
II ID 80 difficult and dangerous that but COM
pArAtively few persons have ever visited its
depths. The entrance to Balls Cave Ia first by
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES seventy. five feet through
the rocks. Then q moro gradual descent of
thirty feet brings tho visitor to the shore of a
bluggish stream. The descent thus far Is made
by ropes. The remainder of the journey into
the cave Is by boat, on.a stream about four feet
wide and two feet deep at the start. Further
in the cave it widcns. forming lakes. some of
which are thirty feet wide, soundings showing
that in places they are fully as deep as they Rre
wide. There are fourteen of these lakes. They
are formed by the projection into the stream at
intervals OF circular dams or wallis of soft cal
caFious rock. The. water breaks over the dams
in falls that fill sthe chambers with weird
sounds. By q continuous and rapid descent
the stream leads a distance of two miles from
the entrance of tho cave. and to a depth of 200
feet from the surface.
The cavern is divlded.into small apartments,
the lofty ceilings of which are hung with mag.
nihcent s~talaotite specimens. These are espe.
clAlly beautiful in the amphitheatre, where the
explorablo portions of the cave terminate-R
largo apartment, the floors being depressed In
tho centre, and tho walls 100 feet high. The
stream continues from this amphitheRtre
through low, narrow passages. which no one
az yet has been bold enough 10 follow. The
firSt.persons whoever undertook to explore this
dangerous cavern were John Gebhardt, VIII
liam Hubbard. and John Branch. II being
found that thorough exploration could not be
made without boats two were provided for the
purpose, and John Gebhardt, accompan-
led by prominent citizens of the county, made
the trip to the unknown region. The walls of
the cave in its furthest depths were found to be
covered with q material resembling whitewash.
The. geological specimens brought back by the
explorers are said to be among the rarest known
to science. The experiences of the explorers
must have been less pleasant than interesting,
for few persons have visited this curious cav
ern since that pioneer expedition, nearly sew
enty years ago.
The towns of Schohar.c county especially
noted for the possession of these remarkable
oAverns arc Carlisle, Schoharie, and Cobleskin.
Not q few of the caves are natural. icehouses,
wherein ice has been preserved through all sea-
sons for centuries. One of these is the Ice Hole
near Grosvenor's Corners. This is an isolated
cavern, where the temperature never rises above
freezing point. The low temperature makes
extended exploration extremely inconvenient,
but venturesome persons have entered the cav
srn a long distance and discovered a frozen lake
with a surface. like glass, and deep, icy .chasms,
apparently fathomless. There are several of
these Ice caverns in Carlisle township.
Not far from Carlisle village, south of 1t, is
Q curious cave known as the Rock House. This
10 easy of access. 1t is about forty feet square.
A turbulent stream flows through it and disap-
pears in q number of dark openings which have
never been explored; The roof Of this cavern is
into the cave through several large assures in
II. Many stone implements, rude Oarthen Jars,
and NEarlika URAnDnA were fOnnd in the RnNH
House by. its early explorers. When the In
dams still hold possession Of this region this
icavo was @ favorite retreat of theirs, and long
after, the Revolution human skeletons were
found in It's depths;
named after a man who was the first to enter 1t,
many years ago. This, cavern is composed OF a
number of square chambers with very high walls
and jagged ceilings. These chambers are con
nected with each other by openings in the walls.
basin, and in rainy seasons this basin becomes
. pool of water. in places eight feet deep. The
ioE's Gave Is easily entered, and its exploration
10 attended with no danger.
FiaiTs Cave, near Carlisle Centre. This Is
rarely visited, owing to the peril OF it's explo.
explore 1t, in 1854, were followed by a tragedy.
Alexander, McFlail., a yenturesone Scotch
. jutting rock, on which he was creeping to get
round an obstruction In a chamber he was ex-
plorinH. He was alone In the cavern, and a
day and . night having passed since he entered
T. iSoS some me fSS1G m HIa d GSSnE Eo men n Vsn 1NmSd Into In to
on the edge of . pool of wRteIat the foot OF the
high ledge. One of the young mon was let
down with ropes and the body was hoisted from
tho pool. McFlail's Cave is a series OF narrow
passages opening into irregularly shaped cham,
bers and ooursed by rapid streams, with here
and there q small lake, f%athomless pits, and
steep. ragged descents. Not a few .Credulous
natives declare that the lake Is haunted, and
those who have ventured into its depths say
that the. weird responses a shout awakcns
among Its damp aisles ana openings might
easily be taken for unearthly voices.
Two miles from the village OF Schoharle is a
cave which was discovered by James Netheway
In 1885. 1t Is of large extent, and abounds in
streams and lakes and numerous apartments
but, as 1t cannot be reached except by a dan.
eerous perpendicular descent. very few per.
sons have ever visited 1t. 1t has never been
explored 10 any distance except once, and that
was soon after Its discovery, when John Geb-
hArdt,s the pioneer, OF Gebhardt's Cave. and
John g. Bonney followed its intricate and peri
lous tunnels and passaReways for nearly a
mile. Neither of these explorers ever mani