The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-03-09
! ...IN... !
sAnAfriCan Cavern. /?
BY David Slocum.


1t would make curious book if the
adventures of the volunteers who went
to South Africa to fight for the Beers
could be collected and published. The
cases Of some of these men were real
1y pathetic. Many Of them were left
without means to return to America.
A considerable number went to
Lourenco Marques in Portuguese terri
tory, a miserably poor, unprogresslve
colony. A. good many made their way
northward into German East Africa,
where some settled as colonists, and
others roved about for while as hunt
ers and explorers.
Among the latter was a young
Scotch-Irishman, Norval Mcclure by
name, who hailed from New Jersey,
near Newark. In company with
German botanist, named Ludwig
Preuss, and an Arab rails (captain) OF
q dhow, or coasting vessel, Mcclure
went prospecting in the Livingstone
mountains, where they one day dis
covered vast cave.
To reach the entrance of the cavern.
they scaled the smooth face of cliff,
by means of a rude ladder thirty feet
long, which they improvised from
poles and tough vines.
The opening was a nearly circular
hole, seven or eight feet in diameter,
and led back into solid rock for about
sixty feet. At the farther end of this
singular natural corridor they came to
q vast, dark room, which gave back
portentous echoes to their voices. Nc
.Cure, who had brought up a few
splints of dry, resinous wood, now
made use Of them as torches. The
first large room was fifty-one PAGES
in length by twenty-five in width; and
the roof was so lofty as not to be
visible by the light of the smoky
torches.
The most interesting feature here
was the presence, nearly midway, OF
two enormous carved stones which
may once have served as altars for
prehistoric religious rites. Pottery
:shards were also found scattered about
the floor, which was so uniformly
smooth as to suggest that it had been
made so by human labor.
Passing on from Us room by an
'arched aperture at the farther end,
.tney came into a succession OF three
smaller low rooms, nearly filed with
recently formed stalactites hanging
like marble icicles from the roof. 1t
was with difficulty that they were
able to creep through them and pass
When he had gone the little party
on to a drier and more open portion
of the cave. Here they went through
two other large halls. one of which
had eleven enormous staiactites in a
row like large Doric columns, all
stained dark red; the lime-water was
probably impregnated with oxide OF
iron.
Next beyond this hall Of the col
umns, they came into the largest
apartmen. of all, ascending to 1t by
curious stairway, which, beyond doubt,
had been fashioned by human hands.
Here the explorers felt warmth in
marked contrast to the chill Of the
other portions Of the cavern. AS to
the size or extent of this apartment
they were unable to judge, except
from the echoes; for the torches which
Mcclure had brought were now all
burned but two, which he held in re-
serve, for finding the way out.
The Arab rails, however, proposed
that they should remain where they
were, while he sent his servant, a
black Zanzibar sailor, named Cute.
back to the entrance to bring more
splints; this being agreed on, one OF
the remaining torches was lighted and
the black despatched on his errand.
OF three sat down to wait; but as
their eyes grew accustomed to the
darkness, Mcclure discerned a falnr
CLEAN of pale light, apparently far
away toward the othr end OF the
cave. He was SO sure at last that
there was a hole leading out to day
light in that direction that they began
moving cautiously toward it. Several
cracks in the floor gave them trouble,
but they crept forward, one behind an
other, for three hundred feet or more,
and came to a narrow passage that
Led steeply down for fifty or sixty
feet to a hole where bright daylight
appeared.
This or;fce, when they had descend
ed to it, was found to open through
the well-nigh perpendicular side OF
the mountain, fronting a ravine,
where, at a great depth below, lay
narrow lake of sea-green water.
Crawling down to the brink, first
Mcclure, then Preuss and the Arab
rails peeped fearfully out. Concluding
that it would ,be impossible to de-
scend into the ravine, they started to
creep back up the steep approach to
the cave. which was here no wider