The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-10-02
MAMMOTH CAVE
HAS BIG RIVAL
Giant Cavern in This County May
Eclipse Kentucky Wonder
When Explored.
WAS FIRST VISITED IN 1880
Local Men Travel in Enormous Cav
ern for More Than
Mile.

Still another wonder for Nevada,
A cave that rivals the great Man,
moth cave of Kentucky has been
found about fifty miles south of Ely
me location of the cave has been
known to the Indians and few OF
the old timers of this section for
many years, but SO little information
mas ever been given out about 1T that
it's existence was considered by many
as mythical. Nothing definite could
be learned of the formation or ex-
tent of the cavern from the few white
men who have run across 1T while
prospecting in that region and it was
not until TEX" Rickard and party
of friends returning recently from
the newly discovered Fountain of
Youth, located in the southern part
of the state that an adequate de-
scription of the wonders of this great
cave have been given to the public.
One of the motorists gave the fol-
lowing account of their exploration
of the cave to The News:
I'VE were first told of the cave by
J. L. Robinson, at whose ranch we
stopped while at the spring. Rob-
inson is an old timer in that part OF
the country and he has known OF the
existence of the cave for good many
years. He invited us to take trip
through while we were in the vicin-
ity and we accepted, though we had
no idea at that time of the magni-
tude of the cavern.
Go Into Mountain Side.
1--WE were supplied with candles
and after two mile walk along the
side of mountain Robinson stopped
before small wooden door that had
been placed in solid wall of lime
stone and opening it told us to go
inside.
1--WE had to stoop to get in the
low doorway but after taking few
steps in that position we were able
to stand upright and take look
around To say that we were un-
prepared for the sight that met our
eyes would be putting it too mildly
There before us loomed chamber
cut out of the solid rock that was
large enough to put the largest
building in Ely into without crowd
ing.
Floor Perfectly Smooth.
1--WE advanced over floor of per-
fectly smooth rock until we reached
the center of this large apartment
and from there we saw by the light
of our candles that there were sew
eral passageways leading in different
directions from this main room
Robinson led us to one of these
which he had explored before and
after taking the precaution to de-
posit one of a bundle of small sticks
that he carried with him for the pur-
pose of leaving a trail that we could
follow out we walked several hun
dred feet down a lofty corridor
which led us into another chamber
similar to the one we first entered.
''From this there were passages in
every direction, and after marking
the one we had come in by dropping
another stick we proceeded down an.
other corridor in the opposite direc.
tiOn.. In this manner we passed
through several rooms of varying
size until we reached what he termed
the main chamber This was ever
larger than any of the others and
by holding our candles above oul
neads we could see places where the
water trickled from crevices in the
rock overhead.
First Explored i'm 1880.
"While in this large hall our at
tentiOn was called to number O
names that had been carved on the
walls and on holding our candle!
near them we made out the names o.
several men and the dates which fol
lowed There were none later thar
1850 That we could make out, though
most of them were '4S and '49
There was one name carved deel
into the rock and the date given wal
1850. From here we passed on tt
many other chambers of lesser size
and after walking until our candles
were half burned out we started ol
the return. We picked up the small
sticks we left to mark the passage
ways and tunnels we had traverset
and in this way we arrived at ou
starting point without any mishap.
Is 1t Ancient Mine?
1.-THE mountain in which this cav
Is located is highly mineralized ant
the first suggestion that entered ou
minds, was that the cave had beel
an old mine that was worked ou
and had been abandoned, but the alb
sence of any tools or other parapher
MALTA that is used in working min
together with the fact that min
of such large proportions would b
known to have existed in that vicin
ity did away with the suggestion an
we came to the conclusion that
was natural cavern that had proba
bly, been cut into the rock by sub
terranean stream that had sine
dried up.
Robinson told us that he had pen
etrated into the cave for a distanc
of one mile but encountered mas
of dirt that had fallen from the roo
and was afraid to go further.
Den of Mountain Lion.
ION one of his explorations he dis
covered the tracks of large mour
tain lion, but owing to the cond
tion of the soil that forms the foo
he could not tell If 1t had been mad
recently or had been there for years
No flow of water has been found a
yet in the cave except the little ths
trickles through the ceiling, but g