The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1908-09-03
The Pend Orielle Cave

Some seven or eight years ago
Two hunters by the names of Gard
ner and Howard, while hunting
for bear in Stevens county near the
boundary line between the state OF
Washington and British Columbia,
and some fourteen miles north OF
Metaline, were attracted by
steamlike vapor arising in the TIM
her a short distance from them,
and their curiosity to learn the
cause of the same lead them to an
opening into the earth some eight
feet in size on top of a small lime
hill. They reported their discovery
and later explored it to some ex-
tent.
To visit this cave the best start
ing point is from Metaline, some
IS miles down the Pend Orellle
river below Newport. From
the former place it is about
IA miles over a fairly good trail,
known as the Boundary trail, which
will bring you after some Is miles
travel to Mr.. Franske's place.
where it would be best to secure
the services of his son Edward,
witch can be done for small
consideration, as guide to and
through the cave, as the trail lead
ing to the cave leaves the Boundary
trail here, and is an old blazed
one, full of windfalls and brush,
and without a guide the cave would
be difficult to find Having re-
Gently paid hurried visit to it |
shall attempt to give only a brief
sketch of the same.
Originally the opening into this
cave was only some three or four
feet in size. but later about 50 feet
from this opening the roof, being
near the surface, gave way, forming
an opening of some eight by ten
feet, down which one must descend
on ladder for possibly ten feet,
which lands one in the vestibule,
as it were, of the cave. This room
is about IL by Is feet in size: and
seems to be the home of wOOdrats
by the odor, yet none were seen.
A gradual descent begins with this
room, which increases until quite
depth is reached by the time one
reaches the end of the cave, which
said to be about 1900 feet in length.
Leaving the vestibule one enters
a large long room or hallway some
IL feet wide and $50 feet long and
% feet high. Here lime ornaments
begin to appear. a passageway
from this hall leads one to the first
of series of three bathrooms. At
the entrance of the first stands a
magnificent white stalagmite pillar
Of lime, about p feet in diameter
and 10 or - feet in height, slightly
cone-shaped at the top where it
reaches the roof. 1t is a beautiful
column and looks as though it had
been carved and erected by the
hand of man. The first bathroom
is possibly 1Ox15 feet in size and
contains some lime stalactites, bnt
the floor space is given to number
of lime bath tubs, so to speak,
mostly of an oblong shape of differ
ent sizes and designs, from foot
to foot and half in depth. From
this room, through a descending
passageway, one is led into a larger
and possibly more elaborate bath
room and on through passage
way descends into the third and
last bathroom and .mewhat more
ornamented. We found no water
in any of these tubs, saving one
which might be termed a basin.
which held clear, cool and deli
cious water.
One leaves the last bath chamber
by small and almost secret mar
BILE hallway, some 2! feet wide bv
4 feet high at the beginning by $50
feet long, but which passagewav
will allow one to stand erect as one
anprOa nhoS tho ond wbo,, on, 49,