Republican farmer., 1919-10-17
CANADIAN CAVE RIVALS MAMMOTH
 CAVERN IN OHIO
Mount Tavern Cave Called Miniature of Largest
 Cavern in America.

West Liberty, O., Oct II - The
 beauty of Mount Tabor cave, laby-
 rinth of natural underground passages
 skillfully carved by nature through
 solid rock, flashing with stalagmites
 and staIactites and unique rock for
 nations, is said by geologists to rlNai
 the splendOrs of Mammoth Cave
 Mount Tabor cave, located four miles
 southeast of West Liberty, is describ-
 ed as Mammoth Cave in miniature,
 and is admitted to have color effects
 from the blending of iron ore and
 copper ore, that Mammoth Cave does
 not possess
 The Ohio cave pierces the bowels of
 the earth to a maximum depth of
 65 feet, and has over 1,SO0 feet of
 winding corridors with arched stone
 roof and with kaleidoscopic colors
 ever apparent in the freak rock for
 nations and mineral deposits. Its
 huge stalactites resemble giant icicies suspended from the rock hewn ceiling of the immense cavern. Its white crystal stalagmites rise up like silent sentinels of the somber dark ness that envelopes the cave and that is only pierced by the lanterns of sightseers, while there are many unique rock and crystal formations. ho'lIlS OL AiltSt III CO4OI anu Sild De @-lt4
 even in size, strikingIy resemble
 crackerjack, honeycomb. a beef liver and elephant foot.
 The cave is the largest in Ohio and is more than 100. 1000 years old, according to geologists who have es- tablished the fact that it is pre- glacial The largest stala gmite, known l as Grandfather staIagmite,' meas ures seven feet in circumference at
 it's base. It gives some idea of the age of the cave. for stalag g-nites and stalactites are said to grow barely an inch in a thousand years
 The entrance to the cave is on the farm of W H. Reames. on the crest of Mount Tabor, at the side of the Mad River valley. Its winding corrt- dors run through limestone and gla- | cial drift, and the cave remained un-
 molested by human being until 20 ] years ago, when first discovered l At that time large sink basin or | kettle hole" on the Reames farm | gradually sunk deeper and deeper | until finally there was exposed q | gaping and apparently bottomless pit, which when explored proved to be the 1 mouth of the cavern. The entrance goes down 4G feet through limestone. 1 shaIe and solid rock, leading to the l passages which vary in width and l heighth and to various chambers | known as Crystal chamber, China | Hall and the flag room, the latt2 so | named because of the peculiar ar
 rangement in vertical stripes of alter 1 hating layers of iron oxide and cal ! cium carbonate. One unique cham 1 Der, containing hundreds of small 1 stalactites and stalagmites. all re- sembhng miniature tomb stones, has l been labeled the Graveyard" According to Professor Thomas NJ. Hill, geologist at Ohio State Univer- 1 sity, the cave was caused by water | dissolvtng out the rock and percoIat- 1 ing through the rock, down in the | Mad River valley.
 l The width of the accessible saIler-
 ies varies considerably. The maxi
 mum width is 50 feet. the height of | these large chambers also varying i from 25 to less than three feet. Re i gently two of the largest stalagmires l and stalactttes were ruthIessly broken l off and snuggIed from the cave un- i der cover of coats
 Whether unexplored channels may l lead to larger chambers, greater i scenic effects and new rock forma- l tions, is now only 6 matter Of specu- | laton. The cave, winding northeast | may, according to geological experts, l be an almost endless labyrinth of un- i derground passage ways honeycomb- | ing the entire elevation of the Mad
 River valley. Unfortunately, lack of
 proper facilities at Mount Taber, ncw make further extensive expIora-- l ton almost impossible