The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-04
WIND GAVE I'm SOUTH DAKOTA.
Subterranean Passage Said to BE 90
Miles Long-Seven Miles Open TO
Public


From the Philadelphia Record.
For years one of the greatest glories OF
the United States has been exploited as
private enterprise. and its beauties,
therefore, only meagerly made known
to the world at large. The magnificent
Wind Cave. IL miles from Hot Springs
8. D., is no longer under control of the
two men who discovered it, closed over
| its entrance and made from it fortune
by charging am admission fee to those
who wished TO make the journey through
it's succession of corridors, chambers and
causeways. The United States govern
| ment has secured control of the cave.
the majestic extent and wonderful forma-
tions of which have been but little de-
scribed and seldom pictured. A deputa-
ton of officials, as told in the press dis
patches a few days ago, has been placed
in charge of the cave and will modern
lie. the methods of handling 1t. create
more facilities for seeing it's startiingly
| beautiful formations and for gaining an
| entrance to its lower depths.
The Record correspondent recently made
a visit to Wind Cave, passing through
| the first seven miles Of it's corridors ana
auditoriums, each mile presenting more
beauty and more of unique formations
than the preceding. AS at present man
aged, but seven miles Of the 80 miles OF
| passageways and chambers which have
been invaded by discoveries are open to
| sightseers. Many of the most gorgeously
attared and tesselated- rooms are Access
sible only after considerable exertion.
but under the handiwork of the govern
ments agents these viii have passage
ways opened or bridges thrown across
the narrow chasms so that the trip can
be made not only with safety but COM
fort.
Each person in the party was attired In
rough clothing and wore small cape OF
rubber cloth, for while there is but lit
tie dripping water in the cave that which
is met with is very cold. There exist but
| few spots where thel footing is not dry
and hard, and complete rubber outfit,
such as is required in Mammoth Cave,
| is unnecessary. Equipped with large
supply of candles, the party entered the
small log cabin at the base of the slope,
at which point the cave opens at the sur
face Of the ground. Immediately upon
entering the cabin one is struck by the
roaring noise at the rear, the sound APP
preaching that of high wind soughing
through tree tops. 1t is this prevalent
wind which has given the cave its name.
The power of it is such that without
covering for the. mouth Of the dave one
would find difficulty in forcing himself
| into the entrance. A remarkable fact is
that once inside the cave the wind is not
| felt.
The outer door was carefully closed
and then, one at time, the members of
the party were passed through an inner
door on large platform, the combined
strength of two men being required to
scIose the door after each person entered
The most intense darkness prevailed UNI
| til all were inside and standing upon the
| platform. Then matches were struck and
| applied 10 the candles, The entire abb
sence of wind caused by the shutting off
of its outlet was Immediately noticed in
the steady flare of the small lights. These
also disclosed an aperture at the end of
} the platform, about the width of an Or
binary we'll A rude ladder led down.
| ward inso the stygian blackness. About
| 40 rounds brought the party to the end,
| and then a slight slope led still further
| downward, at the end of which I'M
| couth fight of steps still maintained the
downward course. Nearly 100 steps were
| thus taken, when what might be called
| the level OF the cave was reached. for
| from this point the slope toward the in
| terror Of the earth is gradual, and so
| slight as to not require exertion either in
| descending or ascending.
The first of the peculiar formations to
| be found in this wonderful work OF ma
| ture is a room about % by 30 feet in size,
but its appearance at once strikes one
| from the character OF the forma ton of
| IT'S walls. The entire side walls and CELL
| ing is OF "boxwork," consisting of small
squares, from two to four inches In d.
ameter, and about the same in DEPTH
| opening outward and possessing the gen.
| eral appearance of the tiers of boxes in
| a postoffice. The formation is the first
| process of crystalization, the crystals be-
| ing very fine and Of a reddish brown,
| similar to the color of the surface soil
and rock. From fits appearance this room
has been called the "postoffice," and in
the boxes re.ose the cards of thousands
| of persons who have visited the cave.
Two other chambers next to this pos
sess the box-like formation, each showing
a greater antiquity than the preceding by
| the growing wilderness OF the crystaliza-
ton Then comes odd Fellows Hall. $50
| feet below the surface and a much larg-
| er room than the proceeding chambers,
| but with the capitalization still In for
native state. Beyond this the real beau
ties OF the place begin to be seen. The
| first change I'm formation noticeable Is
that the crystals are growing "crummy
| in size and whiteness, In each succeed
| ing chamber becoming harder in appear
| ance and larger In size, until the pop
| corn" formation Is met. This Is the
first indication OF staiacute and staiAg.
mite, and II has been named "DriDstone
| Paradise" In several Of the chambers
in which this formation Is found the
crystals. have been formed In balls, Civ
ing an exact representation Of the pop
corn balls which so delight the chill
drens eyes when laughing from the
Christmas tree. A mixture OF coloring.
due to the mixed character OF soil and
rock above. adds 20 the impression.
From this point the immense chambers
succeed each other a. the route descends.
showing an increased antiquity, and each
possessing moro OF brllliancy OF reflection
and design Of natures carvings than the
preceding. Cayerns OF gigantic proper
lions arc trayersed, one Of the smallest
being sixty feet IN width and over 300 In
length, but no iiRht produced IN those
oaYernn has yet been strong enough 70
reach the d0meE. only rejecting lights
occasionally brinF into tranaifive view
ahaf, angles. huge staiactltea and an I'M
precision that fhe yauited ceilings must
be- = wonder % architecture and marvel
" beauty.