Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1904-04-07
Mysterious Caverns'
Subterranean Passages That no
One Can Explain.
From Parsons Weekly.

ersed from end TO end by party 81
the British Archaeological Associa-
ton. but the exploratiopa are said Il
have thrown no new light on the
puzzle these wonderful excavations
present to the antiquarian.
Who constructed them. intact, no
body knows nor for what purpose,
nor when.
Altogether there are about four
miles Of passages, varying 10 height
from Six feet to ten, and Enwidth be
tween one yard and four.
They have been cut out Of the
solid chalk, al an enormous expen.
diture Of time and labor. the walls
showing everywhere marks Of the
workmeu's picks.
An even greater mystery attaches
TO the Dene Holes 81 Essex and Kent,
ancient artificial caverns In the
chalk, having deep. narrow, vertical
entrances.
Many Of these entrances are fifty.
eighty, or even one hundred feet ID
depth. and three or four feet in al.
ameter. They pass straight down
through the everything sands and
grayels into the chalk. beneath, IL
which are excagaied several large
nddofty chambers. arranged sym
metfically round tho bottom Of the
shaft.
All sorts ofexplanations have been
advanced 10 account for thc exist.
ence Of Dene Holes. Some auihorI.
ties say they are merely prehistoric
chalk pits. But this Is obviously
ridiculous. For there Is plenty Of
surface chalk 10 be had ln tho neigh.
borhood without sinking shafts Tor
Il
Others assert that they were used
as places u refuge when al invader
sailed np The Thames blit against
this may be urged The fact that the
boilgn Of q Dcne Hole would be
about The last place 10 the world ii
which a man would care 70 be found
by his enemy.
Another Eavorite theory with some
archaeologisis Is that they cousti
tuted the habItaiion Of our foretathers
10 days before the ART 81 building
was known 10 this country. Butno
trace Of permanent habilatiop has
been found in any o. them. and Il Is
much TO be feared that any race
dwelling IN the Dene Holes would
quickly succumb TO aguc and rheu
matism.
Others have hazarded tho theory
that they were prisons, snbterran
can chapeis, places Of sculpture, and
even silos for the storage Of green
fodder. But all these explanations
are mere guess. work.
Two facts about them only are
certain. Ono IS thai they are very
ancient. So long ago as the reign
OF Henry ~, people knew nothing
OF the race that exeavated them, and
attributed them 70 The magic arts Of
the British King Cunobeline. An.
other is that the labor Of construct
ing them must have been enormous.
Il is estimated that from one single
group Of Dene Holes in Hangman :
Wood, Essex, no fewer than 10000
tons OF chalk we're quarried and rails
cd.
AT Trelowarren, in Cornwall, are
some very remarkable subterranean
chambers and galleries, the original
use Of which Is quite unknown.
Some Of the galleries are more
than ninety feet long. and. though
high enough inside 10 allow 81 aman
stapding upright, are approached
only by very low doorways, through
whichanyone desiring ingress would
have tocreep on his hands aud knees.
Chambers and galleries alike are
lined throughout with hewn stones,
many Of which are Of immense size.
Other similar but smaller under
ground structures have also been
discovered at Boliat and pendeen ID
the East End district. as well as Ia
the parish Of st, Constantine. and at
Sancreed, near Penzance.
It's well known also that subter-
ranean galleries Of precisely the
same character have been found be.
meath the old forts or raths Of Ire
land, and from this circumstances
some authorities are inclined to be-
lieye that they were intended as
storehouses for reserve warlike
stores, arms and provisions.
These Irish galleries, however,
must III nowise DO confounded with