The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-08-22
FIND ANOTHER MAMMOTH GAVE.
One Discovered In the Olympic Noun
tains Said to Outrival the Man,
moth Cave of Kentucky.


cave has just been discovered by TIVE
woodsmen in the heart of the Olympic
range of mountains in the northwes
part of the state of Washington.
The woodsmen were cruising OF
measuring timber when they found
the entrance to the cave on the south
side of small mountain. Procuring
lanterns and supplies, they ventured
in and spent Ia hours wandering
from room to room, finally coming
out into daylight 20 miles further
south and about one mile lower in al
titude. They describe the cave as
being about 20 miles long and halt
mile wide in places, with large rooms
filled with amazing things. 1t has an
entrance and exit and lies in region
easy of access.
1t is probable they are correct in
claiming to be the first white men to
enter the cave, although Indians or
some of the ancient cave jewellers may
lave lived there, for there are num-
erous human skulls and bones in one
! com near the south entrance.
The entrance is high enough to
permit man to walk in direct Once
inside Gilgore and Reil found them
selves in a room with a law ceiling,
| but which glistened like glass, and
was cold and damp. They found the
room to be studded with stalactites,
ten to twenty feet, protruding from
the sides of the walls. The floor was
composed of damp red sand, and near
one side was a small stream worn out
Of the solid rock.
Fifty feet further the low room
spread out into a court and another
larger room with high ceiling. Over
the floor and under the fiat rocks
ran myriads of lizards and snakes. 1t
appeared to be the wintering place for
all the reptiles in the Olympic noun
tains. The lizards were of every land
species and of every size.
Hurrying through the cavern, Gil
gore and Reid, holding hands for mu-
tual aid, and to assure each other con-
fidence, entered a wonderful rotunda,
with a dome and walls of white silica
or lime rock They estimated the
length of this room to be close to
l 1000 feet, and from 1000 to 5000
feet wide. The ceiling ranges from
SO to 100 feet on the sides to several
hundred feet in the domed center
The light from the lanterns would
not penetrate the top of the domed
ceiling. This room was bare as far
as curios were concerned. 1t reminded
them of a monster ball room awaiting
guests. The floor was level.
Following the general trend of the
cave, the men worked their way over
rocks across abysses and around pools
of water of unknown depth, until
they came upon yawning pit Here
they filled one lantern with a fresh
supply of oil and threw the empty
bottle into the pit. Reid counted
thirty before the bottle was heard
striking the rocks on the bottom of
the pit.
Once around his deep black hole
the men found easy going and came
upon another room filled with a
strange odor This, from their de-
scription was probably sulpheretted
hydrogen, believed to be produced by
sulphur-bearing rocks in the lorna
tion of the walls. 1t was very nau-
seating
Believing that they would have to
turn back because of this gas, the men
oNNNOhiy ChlCl ecu iuLO duOIHGT
in which they felt fresh air blowing
in strong current through the cav
ern. They were unable to trace its
origin, but were fairly carried by the
current into another separate room
where the lanterns were not needed,
because PHOSPHORUS rocks made ev-
erything as bright as day. The air was
fresh and sweet here, evidently COM
ing from an aperture in the sides of
the mountain.
Wonder after wonder opened up
before the two explorers as they hur-
ried through the natural tunnel. After
traversing many miles of the caves
they came upon large room filled
with every conceivable noise. It was
veritable inferno. Screeches, bowls,
meanings and sharp reports like ex-
plosions rent the air continually
There was not thing moving to pro-
duce the sounds and it was a terrify-
ing mystery to the woodsmen.
A walk of half mile more brought
them into room where many skulls