Middletown transcript., 1900-03-10
GRAND GULF CAVERN
A GREAT CAVE THAT IS IN SOUTH
WESTERN MISSOURI.

Its Mysterious Depths Were First
Explored by Two Men of More Than
ordtnary COurnge-The Story of
Their Perilous Journey.
Southwest Missouri is full of strange
earth formations that are called "nat-
uraP' curiosities in spite of their un-
naturalness. The earth is full of caves
and sink holes. One of the most cele-
brated of these is the Grand Gulf, in
Oregon county, about four miles from
Koshkcnong. 1t is a sort of canyon,
In shape not unlike a horseshoe and
serves the purpose Of a drainage bed
in the wet season for II mile area of
hills. The canyon is 220 feet deep, with
q natural bridge In one place and a
subterranean lake and river that opens
at one eRd. 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-
ranean river and lake, had never been
explored to the end till the summer Of
1885, when Pat Foley, saloon keeper
from Thayer, with companion per-
formed the exploit. Foley had made
two trips before into the cave, but had
not been able to secure q 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
deep. The bed is of broken stones, over
which trickles tiny stream of water
in the dry season. A hundred feet in
side the cave the entrance suddenly
narrows into q hole so small that
man must get on hands and knees to
pass through. Beyond this narrow hole
the entrance widens into large grotto.
There is steep hill to climb; next the
hill descends sharply into a lake. To
penetrate to the end Of this lake it was
necessary to have boat so small that
it could be dragged through the narrow
passage into the grotto.
Foley and his companion built a boat
of suitable size and hauled it through
the narrow entrance. They took with
them also long coil Of rope, quanti-
ty of matches, some railroad lanterns
and four torches with cotton wadding
on the ends soaked in kerosene. The
cave of course is perfectly dark. The
men used G!eir lanterns till they got
through the narrow place, but to their
amazament 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 in each hand they made
their way down the slope to the lake
and stood the torches up between the
rocks. The torches smoldered like hot
Goals, giving out very little flame. The
boat was dragged down to the lake, the
torches fastened at the PROV and stern,
one end of the rope tied to q bowlder
and the rest of the coil thrown in the
boat. When the two men sat down in
the frail craft they found the water
rose to within three inches of the gun
wales. 1t was impossible to use oars
without tipping the boat far enough to
sink it, so the men were forced to pad
die cautiously with their hands.
They forced the little craft into the
unknown lake, the smoldering torches
lighting up the blackness for only
few feet around them. Outside it was
q warm summer day, they knew, but
inside it was like a closed refrigerator,
all blackncss and dampness 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 CT any side-noth-
ing but darkness. No sound could
penetrate tie cavern. If the boat
should capsiZe-as 1t WAS likely to do
with the slightest disturbance-they
would be cramped in a minute in the
cold water without chance of help
from the outside.
After long and tedious padding the
boats PROV was suddenly buried i'll
bank CT 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 a sharply inclined wall
of rock rose before him. The saloon
keeper climbed UP the wall about 40
feet above the lake searching for a
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 Gbout the cave are that 1t
was a subterranean waterway much
used at one time by boatmen, who
used to carry provisions in boats to the
Arkansas valley. If this be true, the
river must have been stopped up many
years ago by some convulsion of ma
ture and the lake formed then.-Kan-
sas City Star.