The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-10-24

Ond tunnel, which narrowed so much that the boat could not get through to the end, and the explorers, laden with the limelight, photographic apparatus, etc, had to wade the rest through sev- eral feet of water and mud. A series of vaults and corridors, with a branch leading to big swallow, was then ex- plored. But the most unexpected find was ap roof that these forgotten cav- erns had actually had human visitors at some remote period. It was wood en sled with iron runners, water logged, and full of gravel, evidently used for carrying ore. The local his tories are replete with information about the mining industries of the past, but no reference can be found as to mining here or as to any knowledge that this series of caves existed. The sled is now lying at the cave-mouth, but ought certainly to be placed in the museum of local town, after expert i opinion has been obtained upon it's date and origin.
 In the series of caves opened up by the Blue John Mine also we penetrated further than any earlier explorers. i MartePs conjecture that a certain steep l tunnel formed a communication be- tween the upper and the lower series of caves was found to be theoretically correct. Also, a large cave, of compli- cated structure, that lies below the deepest point shown on his chart, was reached by wriggling through a hole like a rabbit burrow, 70 feet long and 40 feet deep. It had ben reached by a daring explorer in 1857, but was not found again for nearly half century. A watery tunnel and a vertical rift, magnificently adorned with curtains and pendant masses of stalactite, were explored here; and observations were carried out in the upper series of caves. There several members made a dangerous climb of 1S0 feet up a chasn in the roof, where the finest display of stalactite and stalagnite ever yet seen in the caverns of the Peak was found encrusting the walls of the rift for nearly 100 feet. The Bagshawe cavern is not connect ed, theoretically or actually with the other four caverns. Its qualifications extend for miles inside a hill overlook ing Bradwell Dale, and were discovered through lead-mining. The parts shown to visitors have the reputation of ex- ceiling all the other caves in their wealth of natural beauty, and passing wonders were said to be concealed in it's further recesses. Martel explored an upper series of caves beyond the dungeon, where the ordinary visitor stops Below this deep chasnn a lower series was discovered last year; and in the course of several explorations in- volving prodigious labor, and no small risk a number of extensive passages and their communications with the tunnel traversed by the Bradwell Riv- CT, have been tarced to their end.5 Two or three caves, exceptionally, rich in stalactites, were found in the line of these passages. but as it is necessary to go through a chain of small lakes, and to crawl on ones face through stretches of rocky clefts, few people are likely to see their beauty There, as in the other caverns, our researches were the means of dispeIling an accumulation of myths; but, on the other hand, the stories based on our adventures, and discov- cries that have appeared in several publications show that myths grow now quite as marvellously and swiftly as in days gone by.-London Times.