Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1911-05-18
EXPLORES THE KuNA GAVE
Thinks That kuna Cave should BE
Held by Government as Nat
ural Curiosity.

mammoth cave near Kuna by United
States Surveyor General d. A. Utter
and other prominent engineers of the
state on Wednesday. 1t is probable
that the cave. which is said to be one
of rare beauty in it's formation. will
be set aside by the government for
the public usee. This is the recon-
mendation which will be made by Mr..
Utter
1t is General Utter's belief that the 1
cave may extend a distance of about /
six miles underground. in which ev-
ent it would be by far the largest in
the western country, and one of the
largest in the entire United States. /
General Utter will likewise recon-
mend to the Shriners that they hold
their next big meeting in the cave.
The investigation Of General Utter
and Frank Spafford. c. Il. Harston
and J. Stephenson, Jr., who accom-
panied him, lead General Utter to be-
lieve that the cave was the scene of
an early day tragedy, that a white
man was either thrown or fell into
the cave, and that while trying to dig
his way out fell exhausted and died.
The entrance to the cave is an open
ing of about two and half by four
feet. and drops into the earth for a
distance of 80 feet A wire ladder
leads down onto the floor of the cave
from the opening, and there would be
no way possible for a man to have
made his way out of the cave. once
finding himself in there, because of
the vaulted roofing of the cave
There is a popular belief in the dis
trict that the Indians used the cave
as a burial place, but Investigations
made by the party of engineers which
went from here established the more
probable theory that the body found
on the shelf of one of the seven apart
ments of the cave was that of a white
man who had climed the shelf, after
having vainly tried to find other
means of escape. and who failed to
dig himself out of the place and died
there.
The cave is located seven miles
southwest of Kuna. The party of
Boise engineers left Boise Wednesday
morning, and was piloted by man
who claimed to have been in the Ku-
ma country for AZ years. but who fail
ed to locate the mouth of the cave
by a mile. and it was only after a
study of a diagram of the country
that they found a landmark which
they used to direct themselves.
In speaking of the huge cave Cen
eral Utter said:
"The entrance to the cave is a hole
which drops down through a level
plain, and down which a wire ladder
has been placed. The cave is ser.
les of apartments, about seven in all
The first room in which we found our.
selves was about 80 feet wide and
some 20 feet high To the north OF
this there is a tunnel about three feet
high opening into an apartment 15C
feet long and about 40 feet high, anC
with a long shelf or balcony running
about it. 1t was on this balcony thai
the body Of the man was found some
time ago, and it is apparent that he
Il had climbed to the top of it and was
e working to dig out through the tot
+ when death overcame him.
g "The most beautiful formation il
il the cave is an arched hallway, al
y finely and smoothly constructed al
!. though human hands had been a
'- work there. and which runs forward
+ about $50 feet. 1t is 20 feet high ans
= about 80 feet wide. The flooring o
the archway is covered with fin
n coating of sand and is as level as on
could wish. We named this apart
IS ment banquet hail."
r At one end of the hall the part,
r came upon an opening Of about foo
IL by 8 inches. and General Utter mad
an attempt to pass through the open
IL ing. but got caught half way, and I
e took the combined efforts Of the res
u of the party to get him out. Mr.. Har
ston was the only one of the party o
sufficiently small stature to get thr
the opening, and he went ahea
k about 1000 yards, when he came T.
IS a point where the passageway wa
r clogged with sand. Mr.. Harston the
n came out and the party started t
IS explore southwark toward the rive
r. They had gone about a hundred fee
Is when a strong breeze of wet, dam
ID air was felt. and the candles wer