The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-11-04
MAMMOTH CAVE IS
BUT MERE ytUNGSTER
kcntucky's Underground Wonder Not
More 'T1an Million Years Old.
Says Expert.

Doubtless everyone IN TINS country
who can read knows something of the
Mammoth Cave of Kentucky. On the
other hand, there may he quite
number who know very little about
how this and other similar caves were
formed. how old the Mammoth Cave
probably is, what service IL performed
for the youthful Government of the
United States durig the War of 1912,
ana various other interesting features
connected with this greatest Of ali
hDown Governs OF the word, brought
out in an article In the Septemo Der
nainho. OF the bulletin OF the Pan
An.jtltu Union. WashiH gton, II. e.
Pom time inmomoF.ai ito quote
it"'r me boa tiiis article" caves
ha5r 1ssn objects Of int, sst to MAI
kiH ArouHd tneiu nave clustered
leFrp4 3E- saPpy~tifuu- iu tt'm -N-n
n8re tuan1 hetEts tton@ Tor snc iYtrr
refugees fos tae ssrSt.''l. @'cft- .a4n-
pies f"r th~ pta-tiee et thrl' t"ltis3-
rites, '5t ma,tss 1euUs for thrif drad.
Ia aGrieits days tAas w"Ir Ike at.Dflse
rtYt Ec,nzy: IT, Greece. thr bvratne thH
.en.el,e~ Tor In worship cd Iea~. t'as..
i}i1assEe ana ftlE Sag ""3 81 H1E
ng5aes Of the Qrral.- ~ Delphi. Tor
1ai4 and SlaaGE t.stnrFGI. iii Per ia
A... Wcre connected Nith the worship
as Nit nraS. and III more modern times
IaIo.ar fancy in Europe peopicd the
l1zstet y--sus hroudea caves with elves.
12.r.e> ard svi spirits galore
%4tara' Forrs NJ Work
f.t afsf a3' cavns aro bit the re-
salts ii rrcE. ttly natural enrcAa work
irF hfNs3tn tN@ surface cf tho earth
I.sst as they 10 ur.on its fnce. and for
tAa Saie Of convenience may be d.
.ded no three ciaSsas' ti9 Those
formed h, the action OF currents, IN"
forces Of waves, and thu grinding OF
shinrl. at-ainst a cliff on Il rocky sea
coast. which forces gradually hollow
ort caves in the weaker places. of
which those found near Bar HarhoT,
Me-. NAV serve az examples; f21 thtse
found in volcanic regions formed bv
the suhterranean flow Of lava. or by
the exparsio Of steam and gases. such
as those in the Klamath Lake region
In Oregon. which are so large that
they often served as effectual hiding
places for the Indians in the eariv
iavs OF me conquest OF the West, and
go those which have been cut out
IF ca'careoUs rocks by the chemical
action Of earhon,c acid In rain water
cambinei with the mechanical fric-
fcrcibie motion by the streams ~
water which have flowed through
them for ages These fsst are the
most numerous and most important In
size. and It is to this class that Mann
moth Cave belongs.
Az most people know, the cave is
in F.dmonson County, kentucky anou,
eichtv-.fve miles southwest OF Louis
Vile, and not far from Green River
waters empty This section Of Ker-
lucky. where may be found limestone
beds frequently reaching thickness
Of 500 feet Is noted FOR its rock greet
toes. sink holes and eaverns. The
rocks In the vicinity OF Mammoth
Cave give evidence Of but little dis
turbance by the dlnamic forces OF
past ages. II is such areas of lime
stone deposits, with comparatively
level strata and located somewhat
above a damage 1evei, with small
conditions for the formation Of under
ground pa.sageways ana chambers by
the chemical and mechanical agency
OF underground waters.
Nothing But Youngster.
From a geological viewpoint Nam
moth Cave is of comparatively recent
origin, its sfrematioi havirr-hegun
something less than 100000 years
ago, in the Pliocene age. The cave ae-
ton began after Green River had cut
its channel down into the limestone
stratum. which underlies this section,
The rain water. with it's carbonic acid
content. seeped through the everything
earth and passing into and through
the crevicee and Joints OF the stone.
at that time above the level OF the
river, began the work OF solution and
erosion. These underground waters
gathered along the planes OF least re-
sistance. and as the crevices grew In
size more and more OF the surface
Green River cut its bed deeper into
the limestone underlay the cave
waters kept pace with process until
what had once been mere subter
ranean rills grew into that remark
able underground stream known as
Echo River. which now flows through
the lowest levels of the cave and
empties into Green River. During the
ages it has been at work dissolving
the stone and cutting It's way along
where resistance was least. ever seek
ing lower levels. 1t has left behind
1t the twisted. tortuous passageways
and large galleries and chambers
which form this mightiest Of all
known caverns. According to geolo-
gists, il took Green River nearly
100000 years to cut away It's present
bed, so the cave Is estimated to be
almost as old. II first came into
prominence during the War of 1912.
when the United tSatas Government
needed nitrate to make powder. Some
OF the large entrance chambers OF
the cave had formed the winter hab-
itattions for myriads OF bats for many
aEes, and as a consequence the soil
had become converted into guano beds
with a large nitrate content. AS a
result the cave became a nitrate mine
whence much OF the powder supply
for the young nation was obtained.
REOUISITION ISSUED FOR
MAN CHARGED WITH LARCENY