The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-03-15
RIVALS MAMMOTH CAVE
caVerns Found in Mountains Nea
Saranae Lake.

Sdranac Lake.
According TO Capt. Elmer E. Thorn
as. of Saranac Lake. N. Y, who has
reported the discovery of caves rival
ing the Kentucky Mammoth on w.
mountain, near Standish, it seems pro-
bable that the entire mountain is hon.
eycombed. Caves have been reported
from time to time in the past, but
Capt. Thomas has located the main
subterranean artery from which doz-
ems of other tunnels branch, each run
ming into great underground chambers
from which still other passages lead
off.
Besides being a geological freak, W.
Mountain seems to be the retreat of
many rare wild animals. In one of
the smaller caves elk signs were found
and one explorer brought back some
elk horns. Capt. Thomas who is a
hunter. of considerable reputation,
found frequent bear tracks In his re-
cent exploration of the caves. One
of the tracks, he says. was that of the
largest bear he has ever run across,
the paw print measuring ten inches
long by seven across the toes. Black
cat and sable were common while
deer tracks were remarkable.
w Mountain is right in the wilder
ness. the nearest settlements are at
Standish, village about two and a
half miles to the northeast and Twin
pond the same distance to the south
west. The w range is so called on
account OF its ragged sawlike forma-
ton
When seen at his home at Saranac
Lake Capt. Thomas said that he was
lumber cruising when he stumbled up
on the caves. There was nothing inn
posing or suggestive in the outward
! appearance of them. The mouth of
the great cave was merely a yawning
slit in the snowclad mountain. But
for the contrasting darkness he would
probably not have noticed it. He en-
Itered by lowering himself about fifty
feet. Then he found himself in a
tunnel, which he followed for about
100 feet, when he suddenly emerged
into an immense hall thirty feet high
and about fifty feet wide.
Capt Thomas was accompanied on
this occasion by former Superinten
dent of Woodlands A. w. Cooper
Their entrance to this hall carrying
lanterns disturbed thousands of bats
which shrieked and whirled about
them. The two men followed a fur
Their tunnel on decline of forty de
grees and presently found themselves
IN greater subterranean hall from
which shot a labyrinth of tunnels
their entrances naturally arched and
pillared. Capt Thomas and Mr.. Coo
per ate lunch on the second chamber
which they christened THE Dining
Hall" the first chamber being the
Hall of the Bats"
The two men penetrated about 100t
feet more or less when they halted
fetaring to lose themselves and aweC
by the strangeness of their surround
ings.
The temperature in the cave was
mild although it was bitterly colo
outside and Capt. Thomas reports thai
a thin, warm mist hung in the air anC
there was a distinct odor as of sulphur
springs. 1t was with a remark abou
being too near Hades that the explor
ers returned to the open air.
Later Capt. Thomas discovered three
other cave mouths about a quarter o
a mile apart. One of them he recog
nized as having been reported some
time before. Capt Thomas and Mr.
Cooper thoroughly explored the noun
tain and later made snapshots which
show vista of a hundred miles o
wood and water from the dim Vernon
shore on the other side of ChamplaiI
to beyond Upper Lake. The moutl
of the great cave looks down the Sar
anac valley for an immense distance