Okolona messenger., 1902-06-11
THROUGHMAMMOUTHCA CAVE

very Interesting tAApfnnu NuAhAAne
perhaps it may be Of some interest
to you and your readers, I viii en-
deavOr to note some Of the many
wonders Of this, one Of the grand
est productions of natures won
derworks.
On Friday morning last with a
party Of twenty-five ameDg whom
were Mrs. Gillian, Misses Lou
Ella and Irene Gillian, Mary
Ezell, and myself Of OkOlona.
Leaving Louisville at s O'Clock,
we arrived at Mammoth cave
about noon, and after partaking Of
a hearty luncheon, Immediately
prepared to enter the cave. A
iollier, livelier, party never was
seen, and the greatest gOOd-humOr
prevailed from beginning to end.
Before entering we passed
through a b autiful garden at the
rear Of the hotel, down one hill
after another, winding around un-
til reaching the mouth of the cave
On entering, the cool draught
Of the bracing atmosphere, and
the sound of the dripping waters
almost persuaded one to believe
they had reached the long sought
for spring the elixir of life. We
first came to a huge gate which
the guide unlocked, passing
through in couples of two each
bearing a torch, into a broad cor
ridOr, which we traversed for a
mile or so, then coming to the
"Valley of humility" through
which we went in single file, and
bending almost to the ground, af-
ter passing through for some dis
tance. We then came to the
"Hall of Relief" which is very
rightly named, where we all sat
for some minutes on the rocks and
rested before going into the "Gre-
clan bend," which is very similar
to the former, only differing in a
sideward bend. From there, we
began descending and ascending
huge steep rocks, passing through
''Fat Mans Misery, ,""Shin Alley"
and "Turkey Lane The most
wonderful feature being unexpect-
ed and intricate turns we con-
stantly were taking, After cover
ing some distance in this way and
crossing the river "Styx" by
means Of bridge, we came to the
most wonderful and mysterious
feature of the cave, which is the
"EchO River" which makes a dis
tinct separation in the cave, and
by which means only one can
pass from one part of the cave to
another. Where we were rOwed
for some distance in utter dark
ness, only the dim light OF Onr
torches lighting up our boat. One
cannot conceive of the awe which
you are filled with on this body
Of water, parts of which being
rOwed under immense rocks where
you are compelled to fatten your
self in the boat to pass under.
Notwithstanding the fact that you
are struck with awe, there is the
grandeur Of it, that amounts to
the sublime. One single sound is
reproduced seventeen times. Our
guide requested us to sing some
familiar air and we all Joined
in "Take me home" No music
to us has ever sounded as that
the echos over the water, made
one believe that some grand Cath.
edral chimes in the distance had
burst forth and could scarcely be-
lieve that it was only our own
voices, roechOing, again and again.
The guide caught some of the
curious fish and insects and
showed them to us. After pass.
ing over this wonderful specie of
nature and feeling very thankful
for our safety, we soon came to
"WashingtOn's Dining Hall''
where we were surprised with a
most elegant supper in readiness
for us, (and you've heard of hun.
cry people, but that was the place
to see them.) After spending an
hour in feasting and drinking OF
the cold delightful spring water,
we felt greatly refreshed and were
eager to pursue our journey on
ward.
The next notable feature was
s'Martha's Vineyard" where the
grapes hung in clusters, and one
coRld hardly resist reaching up
and trying to pluck them. I will
not attempt to mention all OF the
numerous wonders on what is
known as the long route, but will |
only nots some of the most inter
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