New-York tribune., 1906-12-16
a REMARKABLE CAVE.
Was It Hewn Out by Smith for a sn1ithya

was IL dcWu Out ny d DuItn 1oi o. SiuA1i4J
To the majority of residents In Edinburgh and
the vicinity the remarkable Gilmerton Cave Is
unknown and unvfsited even IL known by hear
say We are not. however, the first TO notice
the cave. for IN 1882 the Rsv Thomas Whyts'
then minister OF Libsrtous has the following
story on record Here Is famous cave dug
out OF a rock by one George Paterson smfth-
1t was finished IL 1924. after five years hard
labor, appears from the inscription on one
OF the chimney heads In this cave are several
apartments, several beds. spacious table, with
g large punch bowl all cut out of the rock in
the incest manner Here there was a forge. with
a we'll and washing house Here there were sew
eral windows, which communicated light from
above. The author of this extraordinary piece or
workmanship lived in 1t for a long time with
his wife and family, and prosecuted his bush
ness as a smith He died IN IL about the year
1875. He was a feuar, or feodary. and conse-
Quently the cave he formed and embellished
so much, and the garden above II, We're his own
property and his posterity enjoyed It for some
time after his deoease. His cave for many years
was deemed a great curiosity. and visited by
all the people Of fashion.
Having procured the gate key and couple
OF oil lamps, unlock the door, and descend
at once by a flight OF twelve steps 70 the be-
ginning OF long passage. ON the r1gnt is tne
forge, iTdisputably enough, ON the left the JaInb
of the first doorway. The main passage, which
Is about six feet high and three feet broad
roughly, westward for a distance of forty-one
feet It then turns abruptly to the northwest.
and after expanding into three rounded cham
bers ends in Il low passage, eighteen feet long
and very narrow, which is said TO be the begin
ming of an underground communication with
Craigmillar. At the foot of the entrance steps
the doorway the left leads into partly
straight sided chamber, which expands into two
curved inner rooms, ledge OF the rock being
left in each about eighteen inches TO as
seats or beds All the hewn work throughout
these chambers and passages has been done
with an implement OF iron, not chisel-shaped
but sharp pointed. The question arises-Is the
story of George Paterson likely to be true? Can
we And him In any records local or other?
Where was he buried? So remarkable a feat
as the hewing out Of q series of chambers In
solid rock and the dwelling therein of black
smith and his family would surely help to keep
green the record of the man who performed it
fut the parish records silent, and locally
nothing more Is known OF Paterson than what IS
contained IN the statement by the parish min
lister Of 11S2.
Computing very roughly the amount of rock
actually hewn and removed from the cave be-
fore The chambers and passages in a fit
state for habitation, confronted with the
result that rock TO the extent of over half a
million cubical feet has been thus displaced
nrobably an underestimate Is IL credible that
this n11arrying was the work OF one pair OF arms
even tf those arms drove the pick for several
veers? Judging the work from the standpoint
NJ archaeology also, we find that the GIlmerton
Cave Is only OF large number OF cham
herad and recessed hollows in similar rock hewn
I'm the same style. and with similar entrances
door lambs ana bar hoies.-Ednburgh Scots
man. =