The daily news., 1900-03-31
GRAND GULF CAVERN
A GREAT CAVE THAT is IN SOUTH
WESTERN MISSOURI.

It's myaterlOuA DeptuA were FlEAN
Explored by Two Men of More Than
Ordinary COuraGe-The story Of
Their PerIIOus Journey.
Southwest Missouri is full Of strange
earth formations that arc called nat
ural' curiosities in spite Of their IN
naturalness. The earth is fun Of caves
and sink holes. One of the most cele.
brated OF these Is the Grand Gulf, in
Oregon county. about four miles from
in shape not unlike 4 horseshoe and
serves the purpose OF drainage bed
in the wet season for a u mile area Of
hills. The canyon is 30 feet deep. with
a natural bridge in one place and a
subterranean lake and river that opens
at one end. The river only exists dur
ing the wet season. for the earth at
the bottom Of the canyon is porous
and abSOrbs the water. The lake, how
ever. is full the whole year round.
This cave, containing the subter-
rauean river and lake. had never been
explored TO the end till the summer Of
1885. when Pat Foley. a saloon keeper
from Thayer. with companion per
formed the exploit. Foley had made
two trips before into the cave. Lat had
not been able TO secure a companion
courageous enough To perSevere in the
enterprise. Each man had weakened
and returned before the end OF the
cave was reached. ON the third trip,
however. Foley had with him man
Of courage.
The entrance TO the cave is wide and
deem. The bed is OF broken stones over
which trickleS a tiny stream Of water
in the dry season. \ hundred feet in
side the cave the entrance suddenly
narrowS into a hole 50 small that a
man must get on hands and knees to
pass through. Beyond this narrow hole
the entrance widens into 4 large grOttO.
There is a steep hill to CLIMB; next the
hill deScendS sharply into lake. To
penetrate 20 the end Of this lake il was
necessary To have 4 boat 50 small that
it could be dragged through the narrow
passage into the ErOtto.
Foley and his companion built boat
OF suitable size and hauled it through
the narrow entrance. They took with
them also a long coil Of rope. n quant-
ty of matches. some railroad lanterns
and four torches with cotton vadding
on the ends soaked i'm Kerosene. The
cave Of course is perfectly dark. The
men used their lanterns till they got
through the narrow place. but TO their
amaZement the lantern flames inside
the grottO slowly grew dim and finally
went out They tried To light them
again. but the sulphur of the matches
would fare up only TO be eXtinguished
immediately. The reason Of this was
that the atmosphere was exceedingly
damp and heavy.
The men succeeded in lighting the
four kerosene torches. and graSping
one OF them i'm each hand they made
their way down the slope 10 the lake
and stood the torches up between the
rocks. The torches SmOlderCd like hot
Goals. giving out very little fame. The
boat was dragged down to the lake. the
torches fastened at the prov and stern,
one end Of the rope tied 10 bOwlder
and the rest Of the coil thrown in the
boat. Wher th> TWO men sat down in
the fral craft t!.ey found the water
rose To within three inches Of the gun
wales IL was impossible TO use oars
without tipping the boat far enough TO
sink il. so the men were forced TO pad
die cautiously with their hands.
They forced the little craft into the
unknown lake the smOlderiig torches
lighting up the blackncsS for only n
few feet around them. Outside il was
4 warm summer day. they knew. but
inside il was like Il closed refrigerator,
all blackness and dampnegs and cold.
The water OF the lake was ice cold,
and at every few dips they had TO stop
and warm their hands. There was
nothing to be seen on any side-noth-
ing but darkness. No sound could
penetrate the cavern. If the boat
should capsize-as IL was likely to DO
with the slightest disturbance-they
would be cramped in a minute in the
cold water without n chance Of help
from the outside.
After n long and tedious padding the
boats prov was suddenly buried in
bank OF mud and gravel Foley took
A torch and stepped out cautiously in
his rubber boots into the mud. He
found he had come TO the end Of the
lake and that 4 sharply inclined wall
Of rock rose before him. The saloon
keeper climbed up the wall about 40
feet above the lake searching for
continuance of the cavern. But he
could find none. Apparently the cav
ern ended there. He returned to the
boat. where his companion sat. The
two men made their way across the
lake and out through the narrow place
in safety. They had been gone an
hour. and their friends outside had be-
gun TO fear an accident had happened
TO them.
So far as people know, the cave in the
Grand Gulf has no outlet. The Indian
traditions about the cave are that il
was a subtcrranean waterway much
used at one time by bOatmen. who
used TO carry provisions in boats 20 the
IL