The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-16
seeps through from the surface into the

seeps through from the surface into the
upper chambers.
since 1891 Three thousand rooms, or
chambers, by actual count, have been
found. every one of which has been
named. No end has been reached and
no evidence of an ending mas 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 Gar
den is the shortest requiring little 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 a 1aunt of five
hours
There is some tradition of the cave hav-
ing 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 figure
in a necktie party. In the fail of 1881
John Wells, a granger, located in Cold
Brook canyon, just outside the present
limits of Hot Springs, followed the can
yon In search of deer. About thirteen
miles from home his attention was at
tracted by a noise that sounded like an
intensified whistling of the wind through
the pines, and upon investigating found,
100 yards away, in the bottom of the cam
yon, a hole about eight inches in diameter,
out of which>a heavy wind was rushing.
Wells did nothing toward further inVesti-
cation, but in the spring Of the following
year two men, Tom and Jess Bingham,
impelled by a spirit of curiosity blasted
out the hole until 1t was large enough to
crawl into. They went in a little dis
lance, when their progress was stopped
by deep well, and this ended their ex-
plorations.
In the fall of 1852 Joe Petty, Henry
Marty and Joe Carr drove out from Hot
Springs then called Minnekahta) proper
ly equipped with ropes, lights and pro-
visions. They spent two days and a night
at the cave and descended the well which
had stopped the Binghams, and crawled
along the bottom some distance, when
they were stopped by the passage becom-
ing too small for them to get through.
In 1893, during the Worlds fair, the
largest chamber In the cave was discov-
cred and named the Fair Grounds. This
rooms covers an area of little over three
acres and is In shape something like a
mosque, with a high central dome and nu-
merous wings radating from it. The
dome is about sixty feet in height, the
Oellg
about twelve or fifteen feet
The cave will eventually be thoroughly
developed, lighted with electricity, and an
electric railway from the cave to Hot
Springs constructed. large number of
the chambers have been named by Wis
itors. Various social fraternal and reli-
g1ous organizations have rooms which
have been properly dedicated Among
these are Odd Fellows hall, G. A. R. hall
11nn
Woodmen hall, T. P. A headquarters
A. o. U. W. hall, K P hall, Elk hall
which was named and dedicated last Au-
gust, and all the religious organiza tons
The Odd Fellows hall is perhaps the
most httingly named. In 1t are two goats,
large and a small one which are won
derruily life-like; the three-links, the all
seeing eye, and a number Of little things
Whlch an ODD Fellow would readily see
In the ceiling of the Monte Cristos pal
ace are his diamonds They are two open
geodes, six or seven inches across, and
conencted. In one is pure calcite crys-
tai formation, and in the other pure
quartz crystal. Biologists always stop
mere and look and wonder, for the two
formations belong to periods that are
separated by thousands of years.
Inc most remarkable thing that has
happened in the history of Wind Cave
"o INC oAploll oI tombstone, the mind
reader, In 1893, when he found a pin-head
which had been hidden in the Standing
ROCK chambers about ten miles from the
entrance. The thing was done by John
stone to advertise himself and he was
assisted by the people in charge of the
cave to advertise it. While Johnstone
remained in Hot Springs two citizens
carried pins head to the cave. Alva Nc
Donald, at that time the most expert Of
loAN
sages until they thought they had found
a suitable hiding place. They drove back
to Hot Springs, and the four, with John
stone standing behind the seat his ewes
bl1ndfolded and one hand on their wrists
grove to the cave at break-neck speed
making the twelve miles in forty-two
minutes. Arrived at the cave, there was
no delay. With the wrist of each of the
two men In his hands, his eyes still blind
folded, tombstone started in search Of the
pin-head- Mcdonald followed in their
rear. with provisions, water, candles. etc.
TO watch them and find them should they
become lost. At times the two commit
teemen would lose their bearing They
would see passage leading off some
where which looked familiar, and John
stone would Immediately pull them
through it. When they would stop, lost,
the mind-reader would groan and curse
l1ielH AoI NOT knowing now 10 go, ana
they would stand until Mcdonald could
reach them and start them off again.
During all this time tombstone was near
ly crazed. 1t was almost impossible to
make him stop to eat, and when they
wanted to rest they tied him to them
The whole party was in the cave seventy
two hours and twenty minutes before
tombstone found the pinhead where 1t had
been hidden under rock The man did
Nn% IT,
strain for some time, and it is thought
that the trip was the principal cause of
his death two years later.
The Wind Cave is destined to take its
place at the head of the cave wonders
of the world, both on account of its
size and its unusual and beautiful forma-
tons.