The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-12-14
SCIENCE OF CAVE STUDY
GROWING INTER EST SHOWN IN UNDERGROUND EVAPORATION.

Itfs Mountain Climbing Reversed, Says
 M. Martc1, It's Foremost French Ex-
 poneut, and Is Much More Useful-
 PerIJs and Pleasures of spelcology-
 Practical Value.
 M. Martel is lawyer in Paris dur
 ing nine months of the ysar. During the
 remaining three he is an enthusiastic
 student of the comparatively new sci-
 ence of speleology Speleology, in it's
 scientific aspects, at least, has never
 received much attention in America, so
 it may be well to define the term at the
 outset. Briefly, it may be said to com
 prise the study of the natural recesses
 0f the earth's interior, of caves and un-
 derground streams and caverns. To use
 M. MartePs expression is a mountain
 climbing reversed, and in his opinion it Is a much more valuable and fasci-
 mating employment than the sealing of
 heights. M. Martel Is by no means the
 only exponent of the new science, al-
 though he~is perhaps the most promln-
 ent. Nl Paris he has interested a suffic-
 tent number of persons to lead to the
 formation of a society, the Society de
 Speleologie which has been in existence for some time. M. Martel is It's secre- tary. The society holds frequent ses- sions, publishes a review devoted to the subject of underground exploration and in summer sends out exploring parties. Tn Austria there are clubs or ganized for the purpose of cave expora- tions, and there are few underground explorers in every Continental country.
 No doubt the psychologists themselves would object to the description of their pursuit as a hobby. They insist that it should be regarded as dignified and important branch of human research, and point to the important results that 1t has achieved as well as to it's ad- ditions to the general human stock of scientific knowledge. One of the most important of these practical achieve ments was accomplished in Hungary two years ago under the direction of M Martel. An epidemic of typhoid fever was going on. It seemed impossible to detect the source of the pestilence though it was believed to be due to some hidden pollution of the water SUD- ply M. Martel undertook an investiga- ton. The region was one of limestone formation and contained many so-call- ed wells, circular pits extending to great depth in some instances. It was the custom among the farmers to throw the carcasses of dead animals and other refuse into these wells. AL though none of them existed at the i'm mediate source of the water supply of the fever-stricken village, M. Martel found a number on plateau some two or three nNles away, and by descending into them he established the fact that they communicated directly, with the underground streams and springs that furnished the water supply.
 This discovery led not only to the abatement of the fever in this particu- lar district, but also to the enactment of laws forbidding the dumping of dead animals into the limestone wells. The result has been a reduction of the death rate through large part of central Hungary
 M. Martel is h tipeneoerehaoouaol a |
 M. Martel is the uioneer among those who have taken up speleology as ser i ious study His interest in the subject 1 dates back to 1885, According to his own account, he was attracted to it l during visit to Causes, in southern | France, which is a district of wonder ful Assures and underground caverns. I This beginning interested him in the subject to such an extent that he has | devoted all his leisure time to 1t since | then, and has explored underground | regions in nearly every European coun- try. During the past summer he visit ed number of the submerged lakes and ! sreams of Ireland, which country is as remarkable for the variety of its under ground wonders as for the beauty Of its surface scenery.
 "The subject" said M. Martel in dis cussing his favorite occupation, 'is one that grows upon person It contains all the mystery and fascination of the completely unknown. One never can tell what he may find just before him. Dangerous? Well, sometimes. I have had some close calls, as you say But if one is ordinarily cautious it is not more dangerous than other kinds of ex ploration.
 "There is a general opinion that cave exploration mustbe very dirty and un- pleasant work. Of course we must ex- pect sometimes to get drenched or smearfc-, ,ill1cvoafC fCcihmv ?nnaffsohsqn smeared with mud or to meet offensive odors But on the other hand there are wonderful sights to behold. One finds remarke stalagmites and stalact
 remarkable grottoes with stalagmites stalactites that dazzle the eye under the reflection of the torches as a cave of dia- monds might do. Think of spreading ones table and taking luncheon in such a spot, perhaps by the side of clear, silent, unexplored underground lake. There are the wonderful and interesting forms of blind fauna and strange f1ow- CTS which one sometimes encounters. For instance, on my recent trip to Mich elstown, Ireland. in the great cave there . which is mile and quarter in extent, I found several new species. There is , the joy of floating swiftly along some 7 underground river far below the sur- i face on which no one knows no other human being has ever passed Al to- gether the psychologist need not lack for , delights to compensate his dangerous T or unpleasant experiences. The only 7 other pursuits to which this may be , compared are mountain climbing or the c exploring of unknown surface regions, and to my mind my work is more inter- :