The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1906-07-10

the niiie hole IN tse rock root carved
ont the tiniest biz of rock aud thus
speck By spcok through hui sreds and
even thousands OF years tie work went
on until now domes Of considerable size
cause US 20 stop ana gaze up in won-
der.
Nc+ only the domes but the whole
cave was carved out Of The solid gyp
rock through the agency OF running
water a slight crcMce. no doubt. at
nrst afforded the only passage for the
water The tiny channel was eaduaiiy
enlarged and cut deeper. Tho same
process was going ON in nelehborlng
crevices They united and tine volume
OF water thus increased chiseled out the
rocS the faster. The outlet was by de-
srees worn down In the soft gyp rock
to lower level, and more underground
streams ematied their waters into the
deeper channel. In the course Of long
period Of time, no one knows how long
the erosion extended clear through the
layer Of gyp rock in places and cut int
the uderlying clay.
Careful observation indicates that
something like one Thousand acres are
drained into sink -hoies and blind can-
yons that are connected 10y underground
channels thus collecting and carrying an
the surface water into and through this
cave. The bones Of a large animal found
IN this cave give additional evidence Of
this fact. he luckiess beast no doubt
slid down into a smk-hole with sides
too steep To climb. or simply fell in
with portion Of the cave roos There
IL perished and the strong current OF
the brushing water carried is carcass
into the channel Of the large cave One
end of a mrge bone we examined was
badly decayed SO the unfortunate beast
must have met its doom many years
ago.
when about Thousand feet from the
entrance we read a notice on the wall.
Register farther on We soon found
ourselves in large room beneath a ONE
fifteen feet high on the smooth walls
were many names obiced there by
means Of pencil chalk knife. or torch
smoke Many local celebrities had ev-
Identity passed that way Panther Pete"
the terror Of Cedar Canyon had left
his autograph. so had "Bloody JoeS. the
villain Of the cave" for whose capture
dead or alive It is claimed a reward is
offered OF $1,000 Here and there are
names linked together the owners Of
which have sinve been Joined together BY
the formula of the law. C.. l.. Klinger-
man enrolled here IN 1900. Nlr IIlinger-
man was the man who removed several
car loads OF guano from the cave IN the
summer Of 1900. lie got nine, ten and
eleven dollars per ton for the fertilizer
at Curtis and it was shipped to san
Francisco.
There are many singularly beautiful
scenes in the cave. Colors of the rock
vary from gray, white ana pink to green
and almost black. The rocks in places
have taken forms curiously resembling
| familiar objects a good representation
( Of the front half OF a ship may he seen,
an inverted pyramid a crane for rais-
/ ing weights perfectly smooth niche
/ with "a drinking fountain rounded ont In
| the wall by liquid fingers a fne likeness
Of a torpedo boat a hollow cylinder a
marble seat, etc.
The latter half Of the pas age was
traversed with comparative ease. much
OF the time the path lying along the bank
| Of the underground stream. In several
places the stream expands into small
LAKES twenty feet or So across. When
within about ten rods Of the exit We
leave the stream and our path ascends
As we emerge through "A small openiua
into the light the brightness Of the sun
| hurts our eyes and the heat ana streiaf
odor of vegetation oppress our senses
Thetime In the cave was exactly tw'
hours and four minutes, we having mad'
two slight pauses to take fash ligh
pictures. The distance through has beei
variously estimated az from three
fourths Of a mile 10 one and cne-hal
mile. Mr. Jones who has made th'
trip many times thinks the route w
followed s. fully a mile In length, and
although Mr., Jones has been in the rea
estate business the writer is not dis
posed to dispute his word in this I'm
stance
The fascination this underground
world has for most people who hav
once SEED SIS beauty may be imagine
from the fact that most Of them Inn
prove pery opportunity TO visit it, Of
ten travelling many miles and spendia
the whole day IN the expedition.
r. V. BROCK.