West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1915-10-14
THE FAMOUS MAMMOTH CAVE
IS GREATEST IN the WORLD
Famed Kentucky Cavern Played an
Important Part IN War of 1872
Interesting Story of How the
Cave Was Formed-Is More
Than Million Years Old

Doubtless every one in this country
who can read knows something OF the
Mammoth Cave OF kentucky. on the
other hand, there may be quite mum
ber who know very little about how
this and other similar caves were
formed, how old the Mammoth Cave
| probably is. what service il perform
| cd for the youthful government of the
United States during the war of 1912.
and various other interesting features.
connected with tho greatest of all
known caverns OF the world. brought
out in an article I'm the September
number of the Bulletin of the Pan
American Union, Washington, ID. c.
From time immemorial"-to quote
from the Bulletins article-"caves
have been objects o. interest TO man
kind. Around them have clustered
legend and superstition, in them men
have found habitations for the living,
refugees for the pursued secret tenn
pies for the practice of their religious
rites, and mausoleums for their dead.
In ancient days they were the abodes
of sybils and nymphs OF Roman my
thology; In Greece they became the
temples for the worship of Zeus. Pan.
Dionysus and Pluto, as we'll as the
homes OF the oracles OF Delphi, Cor
inth and Mount Citnereon; in Persia
they were connected with the worship
of Mithras, and I'm more modern times
popular fancy in Europe people the
mystery-enshrouded caves with elves.
fairies and evil spirits galore"
but, after all, caves are but the
results of perfectly natural forces
working beneath the surface of the
earth just as they do upon it's face.
and for the sake of convenience may
be divided into three classes: q Those
formed by the action of currents, the
force of ages. and tho grinding of
shingle against n cliff on rocky sea
coast, which forces gradually hollow
out caves in the weaker places. of
which those found near Bar Harbor
Maine. may serve as examples; CD
those found in volcanic regions. form
ed by the subterranean flow of lava.
or by the expansion OF steam and
gases, such as those i'm the Klamath
Lake region I'm Oregon which are so
large that they often served as eff
fectual hiding places for the Indiana
in the early days OF the conquest OF
the west, and CD those which have
been cut out of calcareous rocks by
the chemical action of carbonic acid
in rain water, combined with the me
chanical friction of the sand and
stones set in forcible motion by tho
streams of water which have flowed
through them for ages. These last arc
the most important in size, and It is
to this class that Mammoth Cave be-
longs.
AS most people know, the cave is
in Edmondson county, Kentucky. about
eighty-five miles southwest OF Louis
Vile, and not far from Green river.
into which the caves subterranean
waters empty. This section OF Ken
lucky, where may be found limestone
beds frequently reaching q thickness
OF 800 feet, is noted for it's rocky grot
toes, sink holes and caverns. The
rocks in the vicinity Of Mammoth
Cave give evidence OF but little dis
turbance by the dynamic forces of
past ages. II is such areas OF lime
stone deposits, with comparatively
level strata and located somewhat
above a drainage level, with small
crevices or joints, that furnish the
conditions for the formation OF nm
derground passageways and chambers
by the chemical and mechanical agen-
cy OF underground waters
From a geological viewpoint Nam
moth Cave is of comparatively recent
origin. its formation having begun
something less than .00O.OOO years
ago, In the Pliocene age. The cave
action began after Green river had cut
its channel down into the limestone
stratum which underlies this section.
The rain water, with its carbonic acid
content, seeDed through the everything
earth and passing into and through
the crevices and points 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 tho crevices grew i'm
size more and more OF the surface wa
ter was drained into them. and as
Green river cut its bed deeper into
the limestone underlay the cave wat
ers kept pace with the process until
what had once been mere subtarran-
can rills grew into that remarkable
underground stream known as Echo
river, which now flows through the
lowest levels Of the cave and empties
into Green river. During the ages Il
has been at work dissolvlng the stone
and cutting its way along where re-
sistance was least. ever seeking lower
levels, Il has left behind II the twisted.
tortuous passageways and large gal
leries and chambers which form this
mightiest Of all known caverns. Ac-
cording to biologists. It took Green
river nearly 100000 years 10 cut
away its present bed. SO tho cave IS
onffrnuFaa A.