The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-16
A GREAT WIND CAVE
UNDERGROUND LABYRINTH MORE
WONDERFUL THAN MAMMOTH
CAVE
LOCATED IN SOUTH DAKOTA
Miles of Subterranean ROGds-The
Richest One Hundred Miles
Prof. Morrill, Says the Formation
of the Cave Is Unknown.


Square on the Face of the Earth
Prof. Morrill, Says the Formation
of the Cave Is Unknown.
HOT SPRINGS, S. D., Oct. 13.-Tne
Black Hills Of South Dakota, described
as the richest 100 miles square on the
face of the earth, possess in addition to
their mineral richness one of the great
est wonders of the world. This is Wind
Cave, in Custer county, twelve miles
ncrth of the City of Hot Springs, in the
southern portion of the Black Hills.
This cave is in an immense bed of lime
stone-a bewildering labyrinth of boxwork,
sta'actltes, stalagmites, popcorn geodes
and frost work of glistening wilderness so
delicate that at the slightest touch 1t
crumbles in pieces. fitting play ground
for the little people with whom the super
stition of the Indians peopled the Black
Hills in the days when they were afraid
of the somber mountains, before the pale
face came and the iron horse followed
after and the spirits of the hills were
driven out.
Prof Morrill,, of the Smithsonian insti-
tute, says the formation of the cave is
unknown. Other biologists incline to the
opinion that it is an extinct geyser-per-
haps, a former outlet for the warm min
eral waters which now come to the sur
face at Hot Springs and vicinity. Some
Of the formations show evidence of hav-
ing been formed by water-a warm min
eral water; and some, notably the frost
work, is so delicate that 1t could not owe
its existence to the action of water, but
must have been formed by gas or vapor
which CONCEALED as it struck the lime
stone.
The prevailing formation in the cave
is what the guides, for want of a scien-
tifie name, have called box-work.
The popcorn formation as its name
implies, looks very similar to lot or
well-popped corn fastened to the walls
AMI ceilings of the cave. In places the
balls are smaller than pea in others
they are several times as large. This
formation is unusually pure white with
out the brilliarcy that makes the frost
work dazzle the sight. Akin to the pop
corn work is the snow ball. In various
portions of the cave the walls and cell
ing: look as though a number OF boys
had been throwing snow balls at the walls
and the snow was just wet enough to
spatter and stick.
The frost work furnishes the chief
beauty of the cave. 1t is formed in the
softest rock and in the upper parts Of
the cave; 1t is suspended, or shoots up or
out. from the base of limestone, in clus-
tiers of tiny white needles formed OF in
finitesimal crystals, reminding one of pine
trees. The coarsest of this formation Is
not larger than a needle, and 1t decreases
in size until It looks like the finest cotton.
There is some, of it in the cave which Is
called mineral cotton that would deceive
any one if 1t were away from the cave.
There is some of it hanging to a stone
beyond the Pearly Gates, which the
guides have called Noah's Beard, that is
a bunch of fine-spun white wire several
feet long and white as snow. When the
calcium light is thrown on the frost work
1t flashes and scintillates like diamonds.
The cave Is formed of assures or crew
ices paralleling one another at distance
of from so to 300 feet apart. These f1s-
sures range in height from 80 to over 100
feet They are all connected by numer-
Gus side passages scarcely large enough
originally to permit an ordinary-siZed
man to get through; 1t has been neces-
sary to widen and deepen these connect
ing passages in order to make the cave
accessible to tourists. There are eight
tiers or layers of these assures, the low
est being 500 feet below the entrance.
The chambers have all been found in the
assures, and range in size from II feet
square to little more than three acres.
A recent survey of the cave disclosed
the fact that it covers an AREA two miles
square. BY simple arithmetical calcu
lation one can obtain some idea Of the
miles of cave there are to be yet ex-
plored. There are eight tiers Of assures;
each fissure is two miles long; In each
tier the assures are distant from 80 to 300
feet over space two miles wide; placing
all the assures 300 feet apart, there would
be hfty-five on each tier, or 10 miles;
then multiplying by the number of tiers,
the result will be $50 miles, without
counting the side or come citing passages
and the size of the chambers. There are
some openings which lead below the
eighth tier but these have not yet been
explored.
Wind Cave has been rightly named. In
every moment Of the year the wind is
rushing in and out of the entrance with
terrific force, it's direction being regulated
by the rise and fall of the barometer.
About 200 yards from the entrance, no
matter whether coming in or going out,
the current of the wind is always in, and
this inward rush prevails throughout the
entire explored portion of the cave, ex-
cept in a small side passage not far from
the entrance, out of the mouth OF which
the wind comes, seemingly to meet the
main current and go back into the cave
with it in an unending and unvarying
circle. For days the wind has rushed
out of the opening at the entrance, and
yet all the time there was no change in
the direction of its course In the cave.
In last March for fifteen days the wind
blew In continually, except for a period
of three hours one day. This was du ing
the bitter cold weather OF last winter.
Mr. Folsom, who lives in the house
above the entrance, said that during that
time he saw icicles on the bottom of the
passage leading to the entrance that
were two feet long and not larger than
a lead pencil They were formed in this
manner: the cold current OF wind as it
came into the cave followed the floor,
pushing the warmer air to the top. The
evaporation caused by the meeting of the
two currents was so great that stream
of vapor was formed which rose to the
top in the warm air. collected into tiny
drops of water which in turn fell back
to the floor in the cold current, freeing
instantly; the dropping was so SOW and
the drops so small that the icicles were
not given a chance to grow except in
length.
The steady current of wind may be
given credit for the perfect purity of the
air in the cave, it being dry, sweet and
invigorating, and, as stated unchang-
able in temperature. On a warm day the
explorer feels the chill first upon enter
ing, but in a few moments is comfort
able and need not worry about drafts
and colds until the trip is over and he
stems out into the warm air again; the