Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1905-11-16

imagine himself gong along IN the
bed of river, for the walls were
bluffs. such as are seen on many a
Tennessee stream, and at times the
roof was higher thau at others, and it
seemed like a clouded sky, but on
close observation he was made to rea-
lie that a solid rock ceiling W
above him.
Sometimes the floor would be hard,
smoothe rock, so clean that it looked
like it had been swept, and we would
pass from that onto a sandy pathway,
which we would travel for a long dis
lance. then we would come to rocky,
rough places, sometimes quite diff
cult to walk over. La such a hurried
trip one does not have time to take in
the full majesty of this wonderful
Cave, for meditation on it isioue Of
the chief pleasures to be derived rom
the trip, but one is kept so busy try
iug to keep up with the guide, and
in looking out his route before him,
that he often misses wonders that a
more leisureiy trip would admit of
| was somewhat disappointed in the
beauty of the cave, when beauty in
its strict sense is considered, for there
is a sameness about the rocks whic h
grows little monotonous. faueied
there would be rocks of every shape
and hue and all kinds of oddities but
such is not the case. Then | had
heard so much about the stalactites,
and stalagmites of the Mammoth
Cave that was sure they would be
beauty within themselves. But
found the report somewhat exaggera-
ted The stalactites are the rocks
which come down from the top of the
cave in the form Of icicles, and the
stalagmites are the ones that are built
up from the floor; sometimes they
meet and form an immense pillar the
largest of which is called Simpson 5
Pillar, and this must be six or eight
feet in diameter. The Bridal Altar.
three immense rocks, are formed in
the same way. | imagined that they
were almost numberless and that they
were white, but in this | was disap-
pointed These formations Iare said
be caused by water which will gather
at one place and would finally drop,
and this being great limestone coun.
try, there is sediment of carbonate
of lime in the water, so these little
particles would cling to the roof and
the drop Of water would fall onto the
floor, and then would dry away, and
there would be another sediment and
in this way these pillows were form
ed, and how many countless ages il
took to do this no one will ever find
out. There are many of these sta
lagmites that seem to have started
, and then stopped; | do not know
what hitch in nature stopped them,
J There are many places in the Cav,
) where the water is still trickliug int
, the cave, and drops hang from thu
t ceiling, but in many instances the
a heads of tourists catch these drops
and they can never form new stalag
. mites.
In many places the Imagination i
Q heavily drawn upon, where will b
, dark outlines of forms on the side
and ceiling, which would be unnoti
= ced unless attention were called to il
v This is the case of the old hen AM
C little chick, which the guide point
3 out. Whether this is the work O
o nature or of man, we can not say
8 as the form was too far away to de
$ termine. But it is interesting to sa
| the least and some of them are ex
= tremely plain. There is one Iarg'
II rock called The Giants Coffin, which
n is good imitation of a coffin, about
|, twenty or thirty feet long. But tn,
'e Starry Chamber is decidedly the sta
st attraction of the short route: Thi
Is is large lock room where the guild
k seats the crowd on the rocks, and re
1T quests that everything be perfect
|, quiet but with lot Of mischeivoui