The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-07-30

Special Correspondence of IntolllEsncsr
BEVERLY, VIVA, July 21,-The fact
10 proven 90 far as II can DO proved
without actual discovery, that q subter-
rAnean cavern Of vast proportions exists
under the headwaters of Elk river near
the common corner of Pocahoutas RAN
dOlph and Webster counties. ] recently
spent a week in that region searching
for an opening into the cavern. and al
though not successful. yet / saw enough
to convince me that the cave is there
and that some one mora fortunate than
myself will some time discover an open
ing leading to II. II Il Is ever explored.
II Will probably be found to surpass the
Mammoth Cave OF Kentucky. Ny at
tontIon was called to the subject by
George W. Printz. who had observed
that over an urea Of about twenty
square miles there IRE no streams OF
water which do not disappear in sink
holes. and that all these slnk-holes ap-
pear to lead in the direction of Eik river.
which also sinks.
AT a point in PoGlhontas county. on
che Elk, thirty miles above Addison, I
saw crcvice IN the mountain side into
which the entire river flows except in
time of a freshet. But 1t 10 impossible
10 md n passage Into the slbterranean
channel OF the river Mt tirGt place. l
followed down the dry channel Of the
river six miles, In Randolph courtyard
saw the river burst out Of the mountain.
Its course underground was through the
Greenbrier limestone; and any one ac-
quainted with the effoct OF running
water on limestone Will not doubt that
vast caverns exist beneath the ground.
A stream one-hftleth as large as Elk
river has cut caverns thousands OF feet
IN extent.
A disappearing River
A citizen OF that county whose word
have no reason 20 doubt. told me that
two years ago the bottom dropped out Of
the river. forming an opening large
lnougA to admit a small cabin. and that
ME whole river plunged into II and dis
appeared in cavern, the extent OF
which could be judged only from tho
tact that no bottom was visible This
opening was n mile above the one where
the river now disappears. A subsequent
hood illed It with powders and the river
flowed over Il.
Inasmuch rs all the sink-holes In the
vicinity seemed 70 lead to the under
ground passage, there seemed n posSl-
6lllty Of reaching the cave By descend
ing one Of them. The largest In The Well
nifty OF the river was selected. a turbu-
lent stream, flowing probably a barrel
uf water minute comea down the
mountain, and within a quarter OF a
mile of the river pOurs into 4 hole and
Is seen no more. The opening is a near
" Circular one. In limestone. and Is
eighty feet In diameter. After descend
inr ffty feet che bottom Is filled with
bowlderR and rubbish. but passage
leads under the mountain. nearly large
enough 60 walk In erect, II dcScends vt
q grade OF nearly twenty degrees. Never
but once IN the history Of the country,
a. the cIti1enO told me, had 50 much
water come down that mountain stream
that the sinlS-hole could not carry II on.
That time Il Wns a waferSpout. and the
pIt into which the water poured, over
flowed, and the surplus water reached
toe river, driving powders before It that
would weigh tons
I Wentinto the pit few rods and saw
that the way was open: but having no
lantern, I did not venture far. Thar AZ
tqrnoon procured lantern from a
fRrmeF, and he and his son went with
me. hut the boy Wpuld not so into the
cave under any consideration. and tho
old man OAid he once had gone In 800
yards and found the passage closed up
by q rock which had fallen trom above,
was R0le 20 crawl under the rock, and
found the passage open beyond. But
She farmers courage failed and he
would 20 no further. II Is unsafe to e
in 4 strange cavern alone. so returned
also. and waited for the arrival % my
brother, c. ]. Maxwell. and my nephew
q W, Maxwell who had arranged 70
sneet me there. hui had not yet come.
Three Heal Danger.
Tho person who explores caves mus'
f,ce several imaginary dangers hut
only few real ones The people Of that
vicinity arc AZ rnuch afraid % caves as
AZ they were tfe gates Of hadcs; and yei
they cunnot tell you wh1t they are
ofrSfti OF. The chief dangers are three
ana they pre real. and should be careful
az FuaFded against. They are, ro1ks
fniiinP from above; ehNsms and preci-
oic-S BENEATH into which one may fan
"a the danger OK becoming NedEcd IN
parroW paaaHes and drowning. There
ig ~ danger OF frelamp 10 any OF tht
caves IN that REGION. for a current OF
6ir blows ont Of ah 81 them.
The next afternoon uy brother and
nephew came. and the following morn
ine we went OWN ip;o the slnk-hole. we
provided lanterns extra oil Ia bottle
n cnee we should exhaust what was 81
me lanterns: ropes for descending prtci'
rdsfI. a measuring line % take the dis
tanre. and chalk 20 mark the piesdg'
10 rIiiAe M upon our return. We found
ana. the rock witch bad closed the farm
er'a advance was only 10 feet down. In
stead OF 500 yards n ne said, i.arg'
uttanuties q drIff timber. logo thirty 81
forty geet long. were found IN ,hc cav
EN-. having been carried IN by Hoods
They were sometimes wciSed IN the gal
ierisa twenty fert above the floor
sornralrnes we Descended nearly perpen
dieplarly. aEin the passage was hori
E0nani. but the general descent wa
ntout twenty feet In 100 For the mos
art We could walk erect, ana We lld nol
have 90 wade much water until w
rad zone down 1000 feet fheTe M
paurlge grew narrow and crooked an,
1Urnstinles We had trouol- IN KEEPING on
lnntorno above water ~ We criwlse
fhro,rh the low galleries EXCEPT t1l
~. water che cavern was not partsc1'
80 ft.urerrrta or iNEflreathia M