The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-03
MAKES PARK OF SELKIRK CAVES


If you look for the cause you will
/ find crack in the rock through which
| comes a draught of air like that pro-
duced by an electric fan, but much
stronger The air comes from the in
terror of the mountain. These air cur
rents gave the first intimatiOn OF the
existence of the caves.
/ The streams of water for many ages
/ dug into the limestone and wore it
slowly away till the great excavations
became the caves of today. The floors
of some of the caves are $50 feet be-
low the surface.
Here and there the waters, swinging
from side TO side for centuries, wore
away broad surfaces, so that the caves
are wide; then something caused them
to flow along in one narrow track till
they dug ont very deep beds for them
selves, and today they roar along.
scores of feet below the general level
! Of the floor
Scattered here and there over the
floor are enormous blocks of rock that
in the opinion of Mining Engineer
Ayres fell from the roof, but Mr..
Wheeler is of the opinion that some
thing as potent as an earthquake
must have been necessary TO detach
them from the rock wall.
GAcdNdICU
side channels making connections
with other underground passages, and
some of these lateral openings are
SO low that they can be traversed
only by crawling. Nature did not
have the comfort of the tourist in
mind when she dug these caVerns.
and a great deal must yet be done
before they can be comfortably trav-
ersed. One thing that will not be
permitted is the use of explosives to
enlarge passages or remove ObstrUc-
tons, for the effect upon the walls
might be serious
These caVeTns are very different
from the great show caves of the
United States. The decorations that
make the glory of Luray are wanting.
A few stalactites are found, pure
white in color, but the largest is only
eighteen inches long.
The spectacular effects in some of
the large underground openings OF
rooms are very fine and they have a
wonderful beauty OF their own. Wide
surfaces of the walls. have been
turned to marble, now pure white and
again beautiful with varicolored min
eral stains.
But the finest effects were pro-
duce@ by carbonate of lime accumu-
lauOns on the walls. AS you look up
at the dome" you see an arched roof
about forty feet above you lav,shiy
decorated in this manner.
In the art gallery" the lime accu-
mutations are white or creamy or
pinlish, resembling heads of cauli-
flower set close together and very
beautiful in the mass Another ceau-
tiful room is the bridal CHAMBER
with creamy white decorations which
are described as very dainty.
Then there is the Canyon" deep in
the ground. where ice is found al The
summer, and there are dozens OF
other curious and attractive places
and things. Many openings and pas
sages seen in the caves have not vet
been explored, and Mr.. Ayres says
there are great possibilities in the
coming explorations of the still I'M
known parts of the mysterious
neither world.
Biologists estimate that it has
taken the water over $4,000 years to
dig these caverns. The explorations
will be continued and a great deal
viii be done in the next few years 70
make this under world accessible to
the public. Then all who cannot
climb the mountains may dive into
the subterranean regions