Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-09
IN VAST REDBUD CAVE
WONDERS Of A NEW ILLINOIS
CAVERN ARE REVEALED,
Huge Lake Inhabited by Blind Fish
Dangerous Subterranean Passages
StaIactites and Spacious Halls.


An exploration was made today of the
''Redbud'' cave, situated about ten miles
west of here, In what is known as the
''sinkhole'' district. 1t was found that the
cave contains two lakes, one of large size
and full of blind fish. Several of the fish
were caught and placed on exhibition here,
but they lived only few hours. They can
be caught in dip nets. The cave also con-
tains lofty halls and immense rooms, jew
eled with flashing stalactites and water
falls.
Great rocks, that have been carved into
a thousand fantastic shapes by water that
labored centuries to complete the work, are
scattered about the cave. Huge and beau
tiful stalagmites that have been built by
drops of water falling in the same place for
ages extend thirty feet from the floor to
the roof. In some rooms the stalactites
alone are to be seen; they hang from the
ceiling in great punches. There are narrow
passages In this subterranean wonder that
are nearly blocked with stalagmites, that
stand out like fungus growth on each side
of what was once large room.
At one time this cave was a Subterranean
river. This has resulted In making long
rooms. instead Of round and broad cham
bers. The entrance to this cave Is reached
by climbing up the crevices until a shelf is
reached about ten feet distant; then, by
the aid of ten-foot ladder, another shelf
is reached and lastly, by the aid of
tWenty-IOot LADDER, the bottom Is reached.
At the entrance of the cave the air is cool
and moist Within a few yards of the en-
trance the passage widens into room OF
large dimensions, but without ornament.
passage, slippery with mud and water,
leads from this chamber. After walking
for 200 yards along a narrow way an ante
room is reached. Here a likeness of an In
dian warriors head is found jutting from
the side of the wall. The strong nose the
high cheek bones and the deep eyes are
clearcut. The sculptor's knife might equal
but not excel this likeness. A trickling
stream of water was the agency that
wrought this marvel. The work was prob
ably started before the discovery of Amer
lea. Atom by atom the black increment
crystallized until the picture was complete.
Narrow Passage of Danger.
From the ante-room the passage is very
narrow and dangerous for go yards. At
the end chamber of white stalactites ex-
tending from either side of the room tempts
the eye. They appear to be fragile, but 1t
takes hard knock to dislodge them. From
this room the passage narrows again, and
the stream Of water that so Tar has caused
no trouble deepens and blocks the way, but
by dangerous route near the roof another
room is reached which contains a fiat rock
of great dimensions, which il used for
table would seat fifty or more people. Room
after room is encountered in this manner,
some without ornament, and again some
containing huge stalactiteS and stalagmites.
ABOUT TWO miles from the 10 inc
cave the roar of falling water Is heard, ana
upon examination it Is seen that assures
show that instead of one great waterfall a
hundred cascades have combined their mel
odies into one grand harmony. This room
is now known by the name of Cascade
Hail. The next room dScloses a rock
thirty feet high, from which spring thou
sands of sta1actites, thin and fragile, which
extend downward until the ledge of lime
stone near the floor is reached. This room
has been named the kings Arsenal" as
the stalagmites join the stalactites until
the resemblance of a great hall of stacked
muskets Is complete
The Star chamber Is next reached The
| roof is studded with innumerable white
points, which by a dim light resemble
stars, hence the name of the chamber. BY
way Of contrast the next chamber, 200 feet
long and so narrow that man might
touch either side as he walked, is damp
and forbidding and Uttered with long, cof-
fin-shaped boulders. which fact led it to be
christened Dead Mans Gulch."
Next the dripping room is reached. so
named because from every side can be
heard the steady drip of unseen springs At
the far end the waters narrow into a swift
little stream that guides one on. Again the
passage narrows and the stream yanishes
A crevice in the wall had swallowed the
brook. This condition occurs again and
again In this marvellous drain. A stream of
water that is knee-deep in one room will
vanish in the next chamber. You step from
pool to a dry rock, and again one plunges
from ory nall into pool waist deep.
In "Cascade Hail."
One passage onward from Cascade HalP'
10 marked with higher temperature and
| series of wider walls. capitol Dome"
Is the name given to mass Of crystal
rock In one Of these halls. A thousand
staiactites We're blended together before
| this huge mass was completed The long,
| fragile stems that Irvine like tendrils of
| hIlO i,,lf
| the manner In which IT was shaped To
guess the number of years that have
passed since its formation began staggers
| the Imagination.
| passage around the capitol Dome"
leads to the Queens Drawing Room"
| rms immense hall is as wide as State street
IN chicago and the roof is high. The dis
| lance covered by this trip was between
| five and six miles in a uortheastcrly di-
| rection. About eighteen years ago a narty
OF explorers from this city entered the
cave and started to make explorations in
| an opposite direction. After travelling for
about two miles their way was blocked
| by small lake, but a few days later the
| trip was again made, the explorers taking
| small boat with them. and with which
| they crossed the small lake. After going
| about two miles further their way was
again blocked by another lake. but of much
4 larger size They were afraid to venture
| on II IN their frail boat, as the lake con-
tains swift current. It is there ttat the
| blind fish can be caught
The distance between the entrance of
the cave and the Mississippi river bluffs
| Is nine miles. Last summer farmer Iiy-
ing In that vicinity was digging a we'll,
when the bottom fell out, showing that he
| had struck subterranean passage, which
was followed in northeasteriy direction
until lake was reached, now supposed to
be the Blind Fish lake, and in The oppo-
| site direction until an outlet was reached.
which was on the banks Of the Mississinni
river. thus making the cave fully sixteen
miles in length.
Another Cave is Found.
Near the Redbud cave is another enc of
smaller dimensions. It is about four miles
In length and contains tons Of g,iano de-
posit This cave has probably been the re-
sort OF millions Of bats for countless ages.
The gigantic mastodon, while feeding near
the mouth Of the cave, has no doubt been
alarmed by the swish Of the wings of .he
myrfads of bats as they entered or emerged
from their underground abode. From that
remote period down through the intervene
ing ages these nocturnal hybrids have been
depostting the valuable bed of guano which
has just been discovered.
Samples of the guano have been sent 70