Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-24
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ihVo rOck temples, and the sculpture
tFIkRQt Is something wonderful
EX49 In Africa there are numerous caves
j. and many of them are of enormous
size. Livingstone tells how some of the natives
are are accustomed to take refuge in caves, with
their hooks and herds, reminding us of the
Aquitani, who fled from Caesar TO the caves
9f Auvergne, OF Of the Agerine Arabs who
hed from the French to the caves of Dahra,
where they were suffocated by smoke by
Pelissier in 1886. t.f
h.la In Europe the caves are smaller, but they
nave been more thoroughly explored and
are more interesting from their associations
N early historical times they were the tabled
abode OF sibyls and nymphs; and the oraces,
such S, as those at Delphi and Corinth, were
delivered in them
haunts of wild beasts and the homes Of early
man. Much has been gathered from them.
:, In the Gibraltar caves have been found
the bones of the spotted hyena, of the serval
anna and hsr ssnd. cat Of the horse and grizzly Esar
cent to prove that the land was once con-
tinuous across the straits to Africa. e,
In the Siciian caves the same story is told
for in them are the bones of the hippopota.
mus, OF the spotted hyena and the African
the bones of the pigmy elephonts, the donkey
elephant-only four and half feet high when
fuil grown-and another elephant whose height
at the withers could not have exceeded that
OF St Bernard dog
At the Grotto del Colombo, in the island of
Palmaria, in 1873, there was found abnnd-
ant evidence to prove that the legend Of the
cannibal race that once inhabited the shores
OF the Mediterranean was no fiction.
But the great cave district of the world is
IN tins country. In Edmondson county, Ken
lucky, there are four thousand sink-holes and
hve hundred open caverns!
:, Ihe Mammoth Cave is in this county, where
it was discoyered in 1909 by hunter Who was
pursuing bear. Since his time the roof has
fallen in and cut off the way by which he
entered, SO that it forms a separate cave
known as Dixon's Cave.
Ihe Mammoth Cave is supposed to cover
two thousand acres, but doubtless is much
larger. The reason the area is not known
refuses to allow a survey to be made. He
bought the cave for forty dollars, and it Is
now worth quarter of million, and if II
should turn out that a portion Of the cave
might open another entrance.
In the war of 1872, when our coasts were
blockaded, the American forces obtained near
iy all the saltpetre needed for gunpowder from
TINS Sa cave, The ruts OF cartwheels and thu
the hrst things shown to visitors.
Ihe Mammoth Cave has over 22O avenues
and their united length amounts to close OF
70 ~ niles. The main road runs under
miles, like deserted nver-bed.
Often in the gloom comes the loud tickint
Of the falling water as it drops into the basin,
There is a story of blind boy who ram
bled about with his violin In the cave h,
lost his way, and was found asleep by one O
these basins, which has ever since been called
Wandering Wilhe's Spring. =
Every now and then the visitor comes acros
monument to some celebrated man, to whicl
it is the custom to add stone as attribute O
respect, and to clear the path.
On the walls no writing is permitted. /
card, and thousands of these cards have ac
cumulated from all parts of the world