The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-15

no evidence of an ending has been dis
covered
The guides have laid off the cave in
routes, there being fourteen different
ones, only three of which are open to
the public. Of the three the trip to the
Garden is the shortest. requiring lit
tie over two hours: the Fair Ground
route is the next, and can be made in
about three and a half hours: the
Pearly Gates route is the longest, in
attempting which one must prepare for
jaunt of five hours. All of these trips
can be made without inconvenience,
the management having expended a
large sum of money in making paths,
enlarging the narrow and low places
bridging the chasms and making the
climbs easier by a liberal use of stairs.
How It Was Discovered.
There is some tradition of the cave
having. been first discovered in 1877 by
Lame" Johnny, one of the early stage
robbers and outlaws of the Black Hills,
who was subsequently the central fig
ure in a necktie party. In the fall of
1881 John Wells, a granger located in
Cold Brook canyon just outside the
present limits of Hot Springs, followed
the canyon in search of deer. About
thirteen miles from home his attention
was attracted. by noise that sounded
like an intensified whistling of the wind
through the pines, and upon investi-
eating found, 100 yards away in the
bottom of the canyon, a hole about
eight inches in diameter out of which
heavy wind was rushing. Wells did
nothing toward further investigation
but in the spTing$of the following year
two men, Tom and Jess Bingham, i'm
PEELED by a spirit of curiosity blasted
out the hole until it was large enough
to crawl into. They went in a little
distance, when their further progress
was stopped by deep we'll, and this
ended their explorations.
In the fall of 1882 Joe Petty, Henry
Marty and Joe Carr drove out from
Hot Springs ethen called Minnekahta)
properly equipped with ropes, lights
and provisions. They spent two days
and night at the cave and descended
the we'll which had stopped the Bling
hams, and crawled along the bottom
some distance, when they were
stopped by the passage becoming too
small for them to get through.
In 1888. during the Worlds fair, the
| largest chamber in the cave was dis
covered and named the Fair Grounds.
This room covers an area of little
over three acres. and is in shape some
| thing like a mosque. with. a high CEN
trail dome and numerous wings radiat-
! ing from it. The dome is about sixty
| feet in height the average height of
the whole room being about twelve or
fifteen feet.
Chambers Named BY Visitors.
The cavaew will eventually be thorough
1y developed. lighted with electricity.
and an electric railway from the cave
| to Hot Springs constructed. A large
number of the chambers have been
named by the visitors. Various social,
I fraternaI and religious organizations
have rooms, which have been properly
dedicated. Among these are Odd Fell
/ lows hall, q. Ar. hall, w. G. r. u.
hall, Eastern Star room, Woodmen
hall, T.. r. A. headquarters. A. o. U. w.
/ named and dedicated last August, and
all the religious organizations. The
/ ODD Fellows hall is perhaps the most
| fitfing1y named. In it are two goats, a
| large and. al small one. which are won
derfully lifelike. the three links. the
/ a1l-seeirg eye and a number of little
| things which an Odd Fellow would
| readily see. In the ceiling of the Monte
/ Crfstois palace are his diamonds; they
are two open goodies six or seven
/ inchess across and connected. In enc is
al pure .caIcite crystal formation, and
| in the other pure quartz crystal. Ge-
lobbyists always stop here and look and
i wonder. for the two formations belong
Ito periods that are separated by thou
sands of years.
Found a Pin Head.
The most remarkable thing that has
! ty-two minutes. Arrived at the cave