Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-28
THE FINISHING TOUCHES.

Ger and plastic surgery for mending de-
formites caused by the disease. That
is. he transplants skin and builds up new
noses and lips and eyelids.
Outside of these institutions there are
today at Hot Springs. according to the
census of the board of trade. 10 in
valid visitors. mostly from Nebraska and
South Dakota. stopping at the hotels and
boarding houses and taking hot baths for
rheumatism and similar diseases. There
are all kinds of baths including some of
the finest swimming pools in the country.
and the water is charged with chemicals
which give il high curative properties
The Divorce Colony.
In addition to the invalids. and this is
strictly confidential, there are several at
tractive personages who have found Hot
Springs a more agreeable residence than
Sioux Falls. while acquiring the citizen
ship that is necessary to obtain di-
yorce. Formerly ninety days residence
in South Dakota entitled a person to all
the privileges of citizenship, right TO
the ballot as well as to divorce de-
cree But last winter the law was
amended. making one years actual resi-
dence necessary. and | can recommend
Hot Springs as a delightful place to spend
that time of probation because of the
good hotels. the agreeable society ana
One hears funny stories about candi-
dates for divorce. and the subterfuses
that are adopted to strengthen their
claims to liberty. Men who have APP
plications pending in the courts are said
to bride the sheriffs to summon them for
jury duty in order to emphasize their
cit izenship: women buy residences and
leave their children in them in charge OF
servants while they spend most of their
time in New York. Chicago and st. Paul.
Tct l.
Vorce center. however. Sious Falls has
had the largest trade. but the people
here say sarcastically that Sioux Falls is
likely to lose this lucrative business I'M
be willing to live there one year even
to get a divorce.
Discovery Of Hot Springs.
The springs were used by the Indians
for centuries but first became known to
the whites in 1879, when Col. w. J.
Thornby of Deadwood discovered them
while prospecting in this neighborhood
for gold. Realizing their value he filed
an entry on the gulch. He afterward
sold it to a syndicate, consisting of Dr.
lev of Deadwood. and they interested the
late Fred T. Evans. capitalist from
Sioux City. who made a fortune in
freighting goods between the Black Hills
and the Missouri river. Evans hauled
the first machinery to the Home Stake
mine at Deadwood. and was one of the
most important and influential of the
pioneers in this part of the country.
With characteristic enterprise Mr..
Evans built a hotel and lighthouses and
this place. He practically made the
town. and through his influence the
Northwestern Railway Company eX-
tended its tracks from Buffalo Gap.
taken over by the Iowa Land Company
a London corporation, which owns the
greater part of the town. There are
several groups of springs developed and
several still undeveloped Two of them
are owned by the land company. one
an Omaha corporation. which intends to
use the water for light and power. and q
fifth by Representative Martin of Dead
wood who has large bathhouse.
The town has an altitude of $500 feet.
which means pure air. and it is situated
in a canyon between lofty hills, which
means protection from the winds. and
the surrounding country is very attrac-
tive.
The Wind Caves.
The Wind Caves. one of the most puz-
zlng mysteries of nature, are situated
twelve miles from Hot Springs upon a
government reservation of 10000 or more
acres and are reached by stages which
start out every morning from the hotels
here and return at night, carrying tour
lists from all parts Of the world and
"trippers" from the surrounding coun-
try. The caves were discovered by John
Well, one of the earliest ranchmen in
this part of the country. He heard a
mysterious sound while he was herding
a bunch of cattle and thought it came
Ind ,,I-~ l..
and secuted around until he discovered
that the noise came from a small hole
in the ground. This so puzzled him that
he got some dynamite and blasted the
hole larger to Its present size. which is
about six feet in diameter Then. with
a neighbor named Bingham, Wells made
an exploration which convinced them
that they had fallen upon one of the
wonders of the world. and everybody
agrees with them who has made an in
vestigation.
1t is necessary to climb down natu-
raj shaft about hundred feet deep.
which has been made easy by chiseling
a flight of 150 steps in the rock. Reach
ing the bottom, a corridor may be fol-
lowed into a great chamber which ma
ture has embellshed with fantastic
formations upon the ceiling and the
walls, with crystal cornces and stalac-
tites and stalagmites of the rarest beau
ty, which the guides make luminous by
the use of Bengal lights
Every chamber of wonders leads to an
other sometimes directly through
small aperture, and sometimes through
a corridor between. More than 100 miles
of corridors and 1000 different rooms
have already been discovered and re-
corded upon plot. They vary in size
from few feet in diameter to the larg-
est. which covers about three acres E-x-
plorers have gone down .;l, feet from the
surface of the earth-the exact height of
the Washington monument and have
discovered three distinct strata of cav
ems. one underlying the other. 1t is be-
lieved that there are still other and SINH
lar strata farther down, even so far as
thousand feet. but no one has ever gone
to the bottom. The former superintend-
ent. Mr.. Rankin, spent several days and
nights at a time in exploration, carry
ing rations and water with him. He al
ways found plenty of fresh air. but took
the precaution to uureel ball Of stout
Irvine as he went along. so that he might
have no difficulty in tracing his way
back. But really very little is known
about the caves. and they offer a fas-
cinating study for biologists and much
opportunity for adventure.
The new superintendent. Joseph F..
Pitcher of Custer City. who took charge
May I. is organizing for IA thorough
exploration. but is handicapped by the
fact that Congress appropriates oni;
20,