Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-04-18
NATIONAL PARK
PLAN IS REVIVED
1T IS BELIEVED THAT BURNING
OF THE OLD HOTEL HAS RE.
MOVED THE OBJECTIONS
NO HOSTELRY THERE At PRESENT
Priced Records Of 100 Years lost
In Fire-Railroad Ready to
Turn over Land.

Louisville. Ky-The passing or TIE I
ceptury.old hotel at Mammoth cave .
is believed 10 open the way for the I!
realization of the dream, long chef- f
ished by the people of Kentucky 10
have the Federal Government taRe /
over the property and convert II INTO
q national park.
A movement to this end was started
BY Representative II. y. Thomas ~
that district, but, owing to oba'at4'5
placed in the way by judge Aihedt %
Janin, one of the three heirs OWNING
the property, who conducted the
hotel. the proposal was dropped. TIE
destruction of the hotel leaves the
place without suitable Accommodations
for visitors, as the only bntHlhe
atanding is a modern four-room pun
colow. and the assumption is that the
heirs will not consider the recon
struction of the hotel. Guests are ho-
ing accommodated in the hungalo"
and the neiphboring cottages.
The hotel and cave registers, which
we're highly priced, were lost. one o.
these registers was more IMAM i}o
years old. Among the names OF 10
tables contained in some OF the reg.
isters we're those OF King Edward OF
England. Jenny Lind, Edwin Booth,
the Grand Duke Alexis OF RUSSIA ana
Dom Pedro OF Brazil.
The hotel was built TO accommodate
men who were working In the salt
meter mines in the cave. These MN
were opened in 1911 and saltpeler u1s
rived from them was the man source
of this material for the powder mus
which supplied the powder Tor the
war of 1912. The mines were dlsc"N
tinued about 1920. but the WOODEN
conduits used in supplying water "a
them are still in place IN soTNe pa'is
of the cave, as are also the watts h5e'
in the process of preparing the aait
peter.
Mammoth Cave is about 80 miles OF
of the main line Of the LoelsVtH'
Nashville Railroad and is reached ny
means of a priyateo"Hed RAJ.
and the very isolation OF the nli"'
has shielded it from changes. A N'@i
there was like stepping back into tH
DAYS before tie war.
For one standing before the or
hotel and looking at the 'oN-h'H.il !"
used to carry visitors, II re lati'u ~
flo effort Of the Imagination to ctl u
the scenes Of the prandiatherS. M3o
held sentimental attachment ~
tho Mace because of the memories u
sociated with visits to the cave. ~
MANY of the older residents OF III
state Mammoth Cave was the seen
of their bridal trip as II was
favorite place for spending a non"
moon when travel was more diAtcH
than 1t Is today.
Adjacent to Mammoth Cave an" q
Joining il at certain und'r4fpnl
noints is Colossal Cavern, owned a.
conducted by Louisville Na@asl'
Railroad Co, which also owns ave
Il 000 acres of land rights about I!
cavern. In many respects Colo&
Cavern is more wonderful than MAJ
moth Cave. It was discovered In -
and during the past few years tAe
has been opened an entrance to MA
moth Cave. 1t has not been fuliy
nlored The Louisville & NashFl
Co. is ready to turn its holdlh&3 o.
IN the Government and to constf"t'
fine hotel and institute other acco
modations, il ownership OF Mamma
Cave is transferred.