The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1911-11-16
An Interesting Letter from
Judge ]. II. Newton.

l
Ed. SENTINEL left Louis
vile, Ky, on the 26th ult. Lou
isville is on the Ohio river;
population 225,O0O. Came on
the L. & N. R. R. to Elizabeth
town, and transferred to a
branch railroad and went 10
miles to Hodgensville, county
seat of Laru. Small place: popu-
lation 1000.
After attending church at
Hodgensville on the 29th ult.,
walked out three miles to the
Log Cabin Farm, where Pres
ident Abraham Lincoln was
born. Collier & Co., publishers
Of New York, bought the Lin
coli, farm, which was sold for
taxes, and by public contribu-
tion, by people of all America
erected a memorial house On the
site of the log cabin. You enter
the grounds to the hall through
gate, and 60 300 yards on a
gravel road out into the farm.
and come to a small park, in a
fat place, about 300 yards from
the hall. The latter is on a
small hill, reached from the
park by granite steps, 30 feet
wide. The hall or house is
built over and around the log
cabin, and entirely encloses it
by being 36 feet wide, 40 feet
long and about IS high. 1t is
built of granite, and four gran
ite colonial columns support the
front porch. The hall resembles
a courthouse more than a
dwelling. It is not designed to
be used for the latter, however.
It cost 100000. A family reside
on the place in a neat log house,
daubed with mud. President
Roosevelt laid the cornerstone
of the hall about three years
ago; President Taft will dedi.
cate it on the 9th inst.
Coming on toward Nashville
1 stopped at Glasgow Junction,
KY, and went out on the Mann
moth Cave R. R. eight miles to
Mammoth Cave. one of the
seven wonders Of the world.
There is a very large old hotel
about 800 yards from the cave.
Language is inadequate to at
tempt a description of the cave.
tits grand and wonderful. 1t
must be seen to be appreciated.
The entrance is on an incline OF
about 40 degrees. The sides
and overhead are rock (lime)
and the opening is from 20 to 40
feet wide, and from 4 to 200 feet
high. There are four routes
l, 2, 8, 4. It takes four hours
to make one of these routes.
One man. two ladies, "a dog),
the guide and myself took route
No. 1. The guide hands you a
lantern, for it is very dark in
the cave. You go down grad
ually till you reach $50 feet below
the surface. Following are the
chief points of interest on route
No. l, which is three miles long:
Mammoth Dome, ." Cork
screw" Fat Mans Misery" "
a narrow place. I Idoubt if 7. D.
Harris or Mr.. Rampey could
make it. Echo river, at the bot
tom of the cave, you get into a
row-boat and ride a short dis
tance. The reverberation here
is charming. We sang Nearer
My God to Thee The echo
can be heard for two or three
minutes. Overhead is arch
shaped, and the eddy water in
the river makes the resound.
There are blind white fish in
this river. Next points of inter
est are the "Grecian Bend
"Bottomless Pit, +" the Devils
Sounding Board,'' Indians
Ball Grounds, ''Vanderbilt's
Faculty" and Students Hall. y
The theory as to the cause of
this rock cave is that at some
age of the world the cave was a
river, cutting through the cal
careous rock, and thus made
the river.
This place is visited by people
of Europe, and strange to say,
l 1,bo I;ra u-itbi,o