The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-11-15
TOM SAWYER'S CAVE
Is AT LAST DOOMED.


Place That Every One Has Read
About VIII he Made "a Clement Mine.
Hannibal (Mo.) Cor. Kansas City Star.
In 1896. when the people of Missouri
We're so engrossed with the money
question that nothing else was observ-
ed or considered, a small party of pros
pectors quietly camped near the Mis-
sissippi river and began drilling holes
in the mountains In which is Tom
Sawyer's cave. After each hole was
drilled a certain depth II was securely
plugged. The prospectors were quiet
peaceable lot, and none of the inhabl-
tants gathered any information from
them. Somebody said they were hunt
ing soapstone to make slate pencils,
and the people let it go at that, and
concentrated their minds on the more
important subject of Is to /. The cleo
tion over the soapstone hunters calm-
ly pursued their wonted way of dig
ing holes and plugging them.
The land was considered worthless
for any purpose except to make pyra-
mids for sphinxes, and, as Missourians
didn't care TO erect any such monu-
ments after the disaster to free silver,
they were glad to part with such re-
sources at from 81 to 81 an acre to
the slate-pencil men.
One morning farmer galloped ex-
citedly around to his neighbors and
urged them to not sell their rocks as
sets at any figure, because the pretend
ed soapstone hunters were simply dis
gulsed copper miners, and they had
struck some wonderfully rich lodes.
But, alas, by then 800 broad acres had
been sold for the pitiful sum of 50
an acre But the farmer who made the
discovery had not sold his, and when
one of the smooth prospectors APP
preached he was ready for him.
you've got 100 Of rock down the
river" said the prospector. lis 1t for
sale?"
yes" said the owner, warily.
"Give you 50 an acre for it,"
Guess again"
"Three?"
Nope"
five-ten-twenty7"
"See here. my friend" said the lord
of the rocky hill, Il know your little
game, and I've been laying for you.
If you want my land you'll pay ME
5000 an acre for It, and O. royalty on
every ton of ore produced"
The prospector smiled.
Got gold mine on your farm" he
asked.
Never you mind what I've got.
Them's the figures, and you don't get
IT a cent less. And the option only
runs this week. Next Monday the
price will be doubled"
The rock buyer didn't come back, and
the farmer decided to work his hold
ings himself. He sent East for an ex-
pert, who came along with his drills
and made holes all over the face of
the cliff, down in the valley, and on
the hilltops, until that 100 looked like
ta.k. 4.A IL mn
The expert reported nothing but a pc
culiar soft stone. known as "unripe
limestone" He suggested, however,
that ne would keep on down In the
earth if the farmer would make a ST.
multaneous descent in his pockets. But
the farmert had had enough. He dis
charged HIS expert and sought the man
had had insulted him with an offer
OF 500 an acre, but the prospector was
not in a buying mood that day, and
no deal was made He had gathered
in more than 800 acres. and that was
enough to last a few generations.
A plant costing more than $1,000,000
was put up in 1901, and people found
out the Significance Of the geological
study begun the five years before. The
rock composing Tom Sawyer's cave and
the noun tains below IL is of a peculiar
soft formation and make the best ce-
ment In the world. There are only two
or three such places In the United
States, and as the demand for Port
land cement is increasing rapidly such
rock Is fast becoming valuable. In the
course of a few years the beautiful
cave immortalized by Mark Twain will
be spread over the face of the earth
in the shape Of viaducts, retaining
walls, bridge pillars, granitoid walks,
monuments, houses, breakwaters and
the many thousands OF uses to which
this pliable material Is adapted.
One cement works just below Hanni-
bal win produce 9,400 barrels OF ce-
ment day as soon as all It's ma
chinery Is ready.
The romantic spot that has been
doomed to ruin to satisfy the demands
Of commercialism Is thus described by
Mark Twain;
hillside--an opening shaped like a let
ter A. It's massive oaken door stood
unbarred. Within was a small cham
Der, chilly as an Ice house. and walled
by nature with solid limestone that
was dewy with cold sweat. IL was
romantic and mysterious to stand here
IN the deep gloom and look out upon
the green valley shining In the sun.
The cave was vast labyrinth OF
crooked. aislcs that ran into each other
and out again, and led nowhere. II
was said that one might wander days
and nights together through It's intri-
cate tangle Of riffs and chasms and
never ind the end Of the cave. and
that he might 80 down. and down, and
still down. into the earth, and Il WAS
Just the Hame--labyrinth underneath
labyrinth. and no end 20 any OF them.
No man knew the cave. That was
an impossible thing"
And now the cave whera Tom Saw
yer and Becky Thatcher were lost and
whore "lnjun Joe" starved 10 death, IA
about 20 b. Destroyed.