The Mt. Sterling advocate., 1900-05-29
IN THE HEART
OF THE EARTH
BON Williams Finds a Race Of
People.
Who Never Saw sunliaht-Rich
Field For Archologlsts.
(Bv L. T. HovERMALE.l

fEying South and East of French
burg for many miles the great plateau
Aabove the red sandstone extends. AS
y Is plateau nesrs the central part of
'(<he state, it is broken by the streams
and brooks, and the decent from the
plateau above the sandstone to the
t'beuchesn of the Limestone is abrupt
and in many places the plateau is
bounded by perpindicular precipices
more than one hundred feet in height.
Near Frenchburg these sandstone
asAiffs form the "divide" between the
Various streams. Immediately below
the sandstone is the deep strata OF
xoiavernous limestone and is North and
vvWest of here, the highest strata.
Y About one and one-half miles from
Ffenchburg, on the top of the divide,
V6etween Beaver and Indian Greeks,
email stream has it's source. 1t is
called Big Amos. The limpid water
fof this stream purls lsziiy along for
about half mile and falls perpindic-
ularly for about eighty feet. Its
course is then tortuous gorge for
about mile between the steep hill
sides that surround the stream. 1t is
proper to say surrounded, foI al a
point midway of the valley, iftural
dam extends across from one hillside
to the other, as though hill hsdbeen
picked up bodily and jsmmed lown
for the purpose. 1t was Ben Will
liam's love of fishing that lead tol the
great discovery that is here accouted.
AT the base of the hill that dams the
valley, the stream enters tissure in
the limestsne and disappears fpm
view. This fssure is sufficiently l$ge
to allow a person to walk for sfne
distance, wheu it gradually grws
smaller and smaller. Ben concei ed
the idea of cementing ,his entra zee
and forming large lake. To sbp
the stream from going through te
hill and force it over the dam, wodd
form lake of twenty or thirty acI IS
land from ten to sixty feet in dept.
Ben had received a twenty wear LEAF
from Judge B. F. Day and on last Sd
ulday set out to investigate the opel
ing. He lighted small miners lam
and boldly plunged into the openinl
For some two or three hundred fet
he was abe to walk erect, but as h
proceeded he was compelled to craw
and finally to get down on his stom
ach and drag himself along. He pro
ceeded this way for about six huu
dred yards when he discovered al
opening or passage. leadingl to tn
right. A little beyond this, the pas
sage that he was traversing, droppeI
perpindicularly into the earth. Ben
curiosity being now thoroughly aroui
ed, he determined to explore the nev
~ paasway. After he had proceeded
short distance he found that the pas
sage grew larger and that he coul
walk erect again. On and on int
the inky blackness this bold spiri
went, the light from the lamp in hi
cap only extending few feet sroun
him. So dense was the gloom tbs
the "snake bite antidote" in Ben's bot
tie refused to run out, and it was onl
possible for him to sample it close {
his light After going for somethin
like mile, the explorers progrei
was stopped by what seemed to be
solid rock. Thinking that he was 8
his journeys end, Ben turned to II
trieve his steps, when his ear csugl
the sounds of music in the distance
The sound family rose and fell an
appeared to come from the solid rocl
Ben's hair stood out on ends lik
the quills of porcupine and it wa
only after copious draughts from tn
"anti-snake bite" flask that he calme
down so as TO investigate. An exam
ination revealed that the wall in fror
of him was not natural, but made b
man. This was too much for Ben
COURAGE and he fled, and after whi
seemed to him an age he reache
town, hstless, coatless, breathless an
wild with excitement. The excil,
ment in town was scarcely less tina
Ben's when he had told his tale, fC
no one thought of doubling his woit
An expedition was formed and it ws
decided to start next morning, Sunds
though it was. Judge L. T. Caude
II. N. Gose, j. B. Ponder, Robt Hol
ermale, Ben and the writer stsrte
out to make thorough exploration