New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-01
BRITISH CAVE DWELLINGS
among the Most Marvellous Til
umph8 of Early Engineering.


c-sisslhurst. the little Kentish town eleven miles
out OF London. is very proud OF itself just now,
writes A. Il H. Mccartney IN "Tbe Scientific Amer
,ran" And with good reason It's long despised
chalk pits. OF which nobody took any account eX-
cept when from time to time somebody tel down
them. turn out TO be ancient British cave
dwellings which can vie in extent with the Breton
subterranean dwelling IN La Vendse o. which VIC
ror Hugo makes mention IN his great novel
.Oua ire Vingt- TreIze." The last summer was the
frst year that they have been recognized for what
they really are and therefore they have not as yet
been fully explored. But enough has already been
done 20 give the visitor good Idea OF the haunts
Of the ancient British troglodyte, and TO show that
these caves are among the most marvellous tri-
umphs OF early engineering.
From the Caiselhurst station 10 the caves is only
q few minutes walk. but even ia that short time
passed over historic ground for close 10 the caves
IS double rampant some twenty feet deep the sole
remains OF the old covered way which led into the
British camp portions OF which are still TO be seen
lust beyond is a Hill crowned with Woo-.anG which
eorms the extreme outskirt OF the mighty Anderida
Weaid. IN this ml lies the entrance 10 the caves.
As I stood for a moment peering into the inky
darkness. my guide switched on the electric light.
Fancy electric light being installed IN these old
caves! II was hopelessly homogeneous But the et-
gect was splendid. I looked down gallery
some $50 feet long y feet high and Is feet wide the
chalk walls OF which took the green and pink tints
OF the light in a way which would have been I'm
possible IN q cavern OF rock The whole scene re-
minded me Of a representation Of Aladoiu's cave
st Drury Lane pantOmime, but there were no
Ftalaemites and staactites. which are indispensa"
bic 10 the stage cavern. The walls Of this nrst
mart are roughly hewn with the pickaXe in very
different fashion TO the walls OF the Temple itseA'
which we afterward visited. We came almost I'M
mediately upon the first Of the many dene-hoies'
These dene-h0les are shafts. about feet ihcLes
In width coming straight through the thanet sand
into the chalk and were made BY the ancient
Britons during the Kettle or Iron. Age Inc shaIls
serve a t7yofold purpose The Britons not oh'y
shot their grain down them. but IN times OF DANGER
sEarmed down them themselves either by means
Of steps cut in the sides or by notched pole. AT
me. bottom OF each dene-hole were six or eight
compartments in which the people lived III the
danger had passed away. An attack on these ref-
uges must have been futile. for. as only one man
could possibly descend at a time. he must have
fallen an easy victim TO the Britons awaiting nm az
Ire bottom or again 10 try 10 smoke out tht
refugees must have been equally futile since I.-e
--itS tbeir I5ess llpon the soft walls TO make an
entrance into ghe next set OF chambers win @LStt
the ground is literally honeyconloed- 6uI to5-a22
these sets Of chambers are not ne seLl-cyi s
fats that they used 10 be, Tor WI!eh lne -tsss
captured Kent they cut passages lnteTsecl!As 100
-hsnbers i'm the hope Of thus destroying the power
~ tIe JorIt4s me 6ene-holes too are almost all
blocked up and built over. but was SHOWN one W
which looked the sunlight elghl! -IiNe L0eI
aVav IN a villa garden. II was Ike looking Up
BT ms time we had left behind the electric light
rad now come to the Druids' treasure chamber, the
size of which can be clearly traced upon the cen
ing. But though the chamber has oesn oI -S
down the passage leading from IL toward the rem
pie Is sim perfect And tiny niue liszas - 70 p
sage ii is. only wide enough 10 admit one man a.
time and not high enough % allow a Tan S-5e
man 10 stand upright on poth tGTIs u = s.iTei
by a chamber large enough 10 aLlon - - 80
20 swing The seat, too, on when me sen l,
try sat ana waited for something 70 turn " sI.1
remains, and seized the opportunity 20 81 O0 s
and make few hasty notes. The passage " - -
once Sun more secure me entrance Pel4s - - 20
bring his axe down the head OF the woulc-oe
Just a Ittie way beyond the end Of this passage
my guide suddenly stopped and turned bis lamp
aid In an aWe-nspred tone; there are the petTl-
fed remains OF az ilAthyosaurus when was causht
land" one great dark les IS al you see the bo9y
Of the creature being imbeoued IN the chaIh- Jay
Tistics pitched in the key OF emotion" based upon
Fbe fact that the sea takes 100 years 10 form
inch of Chalk but Notwithstanding we had now come
10 the well supplying the place. The present oeplh
Of the well is ffty-three feet iii piece Of paper
and dropped H. As It huttered down I could
see how carefully the sides had been limited lA,
Of its flame testified 10 the purity Of The air
We were now in the very Temple itself. punt ~
are eXqusitey made and sun bear the marks oI
the triangular iron pckaNes with which they were
fashioned over Two thousand years 9so nc
noors. too much harder fl this part than else
where. Apparently a cement was maze q oeIl55l
hints and chalk ana me Hoots were si-en ALooue-
There are six affairs still surviving, which seem 20
single affairs two double affairs. and Two have
priest chambers attached TO them. These priest
chambers also are beautifully made and are semi
circular In shape In one the natural understratum
OF the chalk has been washed by iron pyriteS
which has given the roof a lovely color rather Ike
that Of copper beech. II Is Significant tact tnaJ
these affairs follow the sun. being almost exactly
orientated which certainly seems 10 indicate solar
worship the religion Of the ancient Brtons. The
sltars themselves bear traces OF any Ornamental
ton il has been conjectured that they were used
for human sacrifice. The caves beyond the Temple
which were our furthest point Though my guide
1o had nj red gTlD lar
are curiously enough built in the rough sign Of d
cross. Whether this Is accidental or not IS IN
known The nave, as II were, has innumeraDle
dwelling rooms and passages opening on IT, Tina
part in fact IS a regular labyrinth ard may have
been designeGly made so. The part OF the MiuOtaur
was played by my guides pet dog which had
missed him and came tearing out Of the darkness
after IA a very eerie fashion. An interesting
point about these dwelling rooms is that they arc
never placed exactly opposite 10 one another, 50
that the inmates OF one could not have overlooked
able thing Is the extraordinary acoustics OF the
place; the whispering gallery OF St PauIs IS not
IN II. And back again through the Temple, and
the treasure room passage and the first great gal
lery, out into the bright sunshine. For me 70 al
tempt 10 criticse the various theories which have
been put forward about the place would be out Of
place here. I have Contented myself with jOtting
down the history told by the guide. one
thing may be confidently predicted: We do not as
we shall after further exploration. And experts
are now hard at work upon them.