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

49,. ao,,,o, d,soovorv TINT n su1y.er-
$50 oa,,o,1 ~ We, r,or,ortIon, exIstv
- .to ,,so,r,,,ors n Ir1,e river near
t..s.-,,.,, ,,,,.,,o. =, p,c,tnnt,s ram
". ''--- 49,. .-...,,.- .,.,,,,,.
uoiph ana WeOster cOunues' Feseil''S
spent q week in that region searching
Hor nm opening into the cavern, and ul-
tr.,,,., -, ,,,o,...r,,, got s,u, eno,Cb
'"'Ne" ''O' 'Nes'',' 80
to convince me that inc cave ID there
and that some one mora fortunate than
ynvpaIf will some time discover an OPEN
=. ys., a, 49,. o,.,,,s.,.5
ING IeAu'hs " It, 10 e's4 S'HP''- w.
It VIII PROBABLY De iouha 70 surt'asS the
Mammoth Gave OF Kentucky. Ny at
tention WIS called to the subject by
George W. Priutz. who had observed
that over an urea of about twenty
square miles there are no streams of
water which do not disappear in sink
holes, and that all these sink-holes APP
pear to lead in the direction OF Elk river.
which also sinks.
At a point In Pocahontas county. on
the Elk, thirty miles above Addison,
.. oro,,jco q, tho maintain side into
90" - -, a,
winch 'He e''''fe i've t.O"S :"
time OF freshet. But 1t 10 impossible
IN find a. massage INFO the sfbterranean
channel Of the river at ttet place. l
foIIowed down She dry channel of the
river ar miles. In Randolph countyand
saw the river burst out OF the mountain.
Tts eotrrse underground was through the
GTeenbrfer limestone: and any one ac-
o,aInfed with the effect OF running
water on limestone Will not doubt that
vast Governs exist beneath the ground.
A stream one-fftIeth as large as Elk
vJver bos emf cayerns thousands OF feet
n sx+ent
y,,..,,..ri,,,, nicer
.ts. -, 49,, ,,.,,.5
"A citlzeh OF that Souii'S' "HNs W.
have no reason to DOUBT told me that
two years ago the bottom dropped out OF
~ go, t,-,,,,n,, an onanlng large
VIC ."e'' -,
lnough to ADMIT snaIl caplh' anu 'i''At
:he whole river plunged into Il and dis
onneo rad In n cavern. the extent OF
,,,,-.I IL. 49,, 10
winch coulu DC 'uuseu U'''' 1tN'''
tact that no Oottom was VlslOss' ms
openinR was n mile above the one where
the river nnw disappears. A subsequent
Aood filled IL with bowlders and the river
flowed over II.
Inasmuch as all the sink-holes in the
vicinity seemed to lead TO the under
ground passage, there seemed n posi-
SIlity Of reaching the cave by descend
ing one Of them. The largest in the vlci-
nfty Of the river was selected. A turbu-
lent stream, flowing probably a barrel
az water minute. comes down the
mountain. and within Il quarter of
,njIs ~ the river pours into 4 hole and
is seen NO more. The opening IS q. near
Iy circular one, i'm limestone, and Is
eighty Rect In diameter. After descend
Inc ffty feet the bottom Is filed with
bowiders and rubbish, but passage
leads under the mountain. nearly large
enough to walk in erect. II descends at
grade o. nearly twensy 9e &c MevsF
out ,S one c,t ~ M tniS me had 80 much
water come down that mountain stream
that the sink-hole could not carry It on.
mat time II Wps a wnterspout, and the
nit into which the water poured. over
flowed. and the surplus water reached
the river. driving powders before It that
would weigh tons.
I went into the pit few rods and saw
that the way was open; but having no
lantern. I did not venture far Thai az
tsruoon / procured a lantern from a
farmer. and he md his son went with
me: but the boy would not so into the
cave under any consideration, and the
Old man said he once had gone in 300
Yards and found the passage closed up
fyy a rock which had fallen from above.
was able 10 crawl under the rock, and
found the passage open beyond. But
the farmers courage failed and he
yYo,tl5 60 no further. II Is unsafe TO go
An a strange cavern alone, 80 returned
nIso and waited for the arrival OF my
brother. C. ]. Maxwell, and my nephew,
q NJ Maxwell. who had arranged to
yneet me there. but had not yet come.
Three Real Dangers.
-. ,,ri,,-o. c,,,es Vn,tSl
Inc Pe'e'' "'' -, -.
face several imaginary ul"sei'' pN'
only few real ones. The people OF that
,,,I,i,v ore os much afraid OF caYes as
- -, ,,ors y5e l-atcs u hadc4. and vel
80. .nnno4 teii Won what they are
SFrS,3 m Ths chief dangers are three
- no. ,re reai and should be cureiul-
5000 against They are, rocks
y, is,- Sro1, obove. cbasms and preci.
49, 5,,.nSSS "A, INTO which one may fall
"a ,be danger az becoming Wedged ir
49, ~, nosSa9es ard drowning. Their,
a. ~ dancer ~ iretamp In any OF The
r.,,S, n INIT region, for a current Of
n. t,irs,,s an n All OF them.
~ rsTt Afternoon my brother and
-. cnyne. ana the following morn
~ ~. ,,eTt AVN ln,o the slnk-hole W.
s,,,Ss'i lanterns. extra oil in n bottle