The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-04
VAST CAVES IN ILLINOIS.
NEAR RED Bud is A RIVAL TO THE
MAMMOTH CAVE OF KENTUCKY.

of Curious and Beautiful Rock
Formations. Both stnlagmite and
staIactite-More Than Twenty
Miles of the Cavern Thus Far EN-
pIored and Experts Believe That
When the Explorations Are COM
pleted the Cave VIII BE Found to
BE the Largest In theWorld-Lake
of Unknown Extent Bars Travel on
the south, and IN Brook Guides IL
10 the North-Story of One of the
Pioneer Explorers.
Copyright, 1901. by w. H. Durham.
st. Louis, Aug. 2.-An expedition
from st. Louis has recently made an
exploration of the great cave at Red
Bud, ILL.,, and, while less than half of
the cavern was traversed. enough was
found to indicate that this series of
subterranean galleries constitutes the
most WONDERFUL cave i'm the world.
Prof r. N. Harper of Chicago, an en-
inent geologist. who was a member of
the exploring party, expressed the
opinion that when the explorations
were concluded, the Red Bud Cave
would prove to be not only the larg
est, but also the most beautiful and
interesting in point of geologic forma-
ton of any yet entered by man.
When the cave was first entered is
a matter of some dout. In one of the
chambers are some very interesting
mural characters which are so unlike
any chance geologic formation that
they are. believed to be carvings made
by some aboriginal visitors. The first
entrance of which any certain records
exist however, is that in 1876 by two
resident of Red Bud, who have made
the most thorough exploration UP to
date. In the intervening years other
excursions have been made by various
persons, but the impediments to sub
terranean travel, in the form of lakes
and streams of unknown extent and
of obstructing rocks, together with
that timidity which affects the bold
est when they descend into the chill
darkness beneath the earth's surface,
set a short and sure limit to their ex-
plorations. Fourteen miles to the north
of the entrance, and five miles to the
south, is the extent of travel thus far.
Now, however, a project n under way
to fit out the cave with electric lights,
and to make an exhibit of 1t, so that
doubtless it's entire extent will soon
be ascertained.
This remarkable freak of nature was
formed ages ago by the action of
subterranean river heavily charged
with lime, which flowed in a north
westerly direction to some outlet as
yet unknown. but supposed to be the
Mississippi river. The cavern's top,
bottom and sides are of limestone for
nation, forming many vast and lofty
chambers. Stalactites and sIalagmites
of gigantic proportions, numbers of
them being twice and even three times
as large as any in Kentucky Mammoth
Cave, hang pendant from the roof and
stand upright from the floor. while
the composition of the walls is merely
stalactites and stalagmites in combi-
| nation. In the centers of the halls and
chambers there are also combined pen
dants and pillars suggesting that ma
ture in forming them, had in view the
support of weak part of the roof. In
one of the chambers, called the grand
room, there is one of these huge COM
| binations at least one hundred and fif-
| ty feet high. the end of which, it is
estimated, are more than fifty feet In
| diameter, while at the middle of the
| smallest part, where the joint of the
Stalactite and the Stalagmie was form
| ed, the circumference is more than for
| ty feet. Some idea of the magnificent
| size of this chamber can be gained by
| comparing it to an ordinary room.
For instance take a bedroom 16 by Is
| feet, which is a fair size. Now, IF
YOU will put a man in that room he
will appear to occupy more space in
! proportion than does this great monu-
ment in the grand room. Accurate
measurements of anything but the base
of the pile could not be taken, because
no lamp that could be carried would
dispel the gloom of the upper part of
the chamber. Hence, the room itself
| has never been measured, but, from
| the proportion of the many columns
supporting the roof, it is conjectured
that it must be of colossal size.
All of the remarkable spectacles to
be met with in the great Kentucky
cave have here been reproduced, and
many of them surpassed, even to a
narrow hallway extending into the
earth some 200 yards, which has been
dubbed Fat Mans Misery" Stone
tables. big and little, life-like heads of
men and animals, chairs, dishes, books
castles, and, it would seem, images of
every object on earth are strewn about
in confusion, and a man with cam
era will begin to make pictures at the
very entrance, only to become angry
when he finds he has consumed all his
material before he has gone two miles,
because ne Is CohiiAS III
contact with better subjects.
One of the most impressive sights In
the entire explored portion of the cave,
which is by far the lesser part, is call
ed the Castle. 1t is diminutfve when
compared with some of the other show
places, but at that it is forty feet wide
at the base, and the highest tower is
ffty-five feet Turrets, gates. watch
towers, sentry boxes, port holes, outer
wall and all, the other architectural
work, which went to make strong
post in the days of the feudal barons,
are here reproduced so truly that
United States engineer officer said, on
beholding this creation of water, lime
and time, that nowhere on earth had
there ever been built castle so strong
and so symmetrical from contem-
poraneous military point of view.
Just at the Castle the hall becomes
narrow and makes a sharp turn and
from the other side, as one goes in
ward, the great fortress appears to be
guarding the approach. When the Wis
itor has taken his eyes from this point
he finds himself in a room quite large
enough to allow a hundred-foot ship
to turn about and under ceiling that
could not be discovered with the rays
of a powerful acetylene lamp, so high
is It.
Here is a curious stalagmite forma-
a.. ooIIod @Ia Family RihIa a Y1artir-