The Hartford republican., 1906-08-03
MAMMOTH THE GREAT CAVE
~
Was Discovered BY Early
Hunters by Accident.
One Hundred and Fifty Miles OF
Underground Scenery
To Be Seen.

Almost century ago hunter
chased a wounded bear into a giant
hole in the ground and thus, simply.
was the Greatest Natural Wonder of
the World discovered Mammoth
Cave. Mammoth it is, indeed. be-
yond the widest conception of cred
ulity, and no one who enters this
cavernous continent. so to speak.
ever fails, upon his exit. to proclaim
il the grandest wonder of the uni
verse. History does not condescend
T. definite details. and the precisely
curious may never know just how
far the pioneer hunter followed old
bruin into the monster cave prob
ably not further than daylight pene-
trated il; but let US endeavor to i'm
agine something akin to his conster-
nation over the discovery, il we can.
No doubt. to the day of his demise.
he proclaimed his marvellous hnd.
and the visiting world has ever since
been endeavoring to impress upon
the incredulous the inconceiyable ex-
tent and weird grandeur Of the
Kentucky catacomb. For who that
lives through childhood does not
hear Of the Mammoth Cave in prose.
poetry or song? And yet. how i'm
perfectly Americans comprehend
that in it all the other wonders of
the world are combined. We have
anticipated 1t since our school days.
and yet what an ignoramus we are
upon the subject when asked what
we know about it! Can you grasp
that the Mammoth Cave is one hun
dred and fifty miles Of underground
scenery more varied and fantastic
than any on the outer earth. not
even excepting Niagara Falls. which
is a pigmy in comparison?
Such is the Cave seen by one of
the editors of THE REPUBLICAN last
week while out with the press gang.
An idea of the wide distribution Of
the people who visit the Cave willlbe
noted by referring to the crowd led
by Guide VIM. Bransford last Satur-
day morning. 1t was made up as
follows: Mr.. W. B. Cox, wife and
daughter, of Bowling Green. KY;
Miss Annie Belle Carroll, Atlanta,
Ga; Mrs. w. J. Couch. Miss Nellie
Couch. Misses Lena and Sarah Doug
las, Miss Belle Barten, Mrs. Jennie
Atkerson and C. Travelstead, Frank
lin. KY; Mr.. Z. l.. Ranney, Hills
dale, Michigan; Mr.. w. c. Gill, Gin
cinnati, Ohio; Mr.. A. E. Shaw,
Philadelphia, Pa; MIR. S. S. Weart,
Canton, Ohio; Messrs, Frank and
Myrtle Taught, Owensboro. KY;
Mr.. Walter Glaze. Birmingham
Ala; Mr.. Matthew H. Gaetz, Lou
isville, KY; Mr.. w. S. Hudson,
Barbourville, KY; Mr.. r. r. Perry,
Winchester, KY; Mr.. M. ]. McCar-
thy, Maysville. KY; Mr.. G. F. Friel
Ashland, KY; Miss Lettie Thomp-
son, Cincinnati, Ohio. and c. f.
Smith and wife, of Hartford, Ky.
Besides its almost inconceivable
immensity the following are the
most important features as pointed
out to the party by the guide, named
in the order in which we saw them:
Olives Bower, The Cork Screw,
which is winding passway from
one route to the other 260 feet long,
Pipes and vats used in making salt
peter in 1872. Room used for Meth
odist church by the saltpeter manu-
facturers in 1872, Ok and cart tracks
in the limest one rock made there in
1912 while making saltpeter, Booths
Theater, A splendid likeness of a
dressed turkey of stalactite rock,
Register Hall, Pillar of Hercules,
Bridal Altar where thirteen marri-
ages have been solomnized, Perfect
likeness Of hornet nests formed of
limestone rock, An exact resemblance
of a mans head formed of rock, Old
arm chair where Jennie Lynn rested
when she visited the Cave, Elephants
heads. Lovers Leap. Water clock,
which ticks with striking regularity,
.s.n