The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-10-14
MOUNT TABOR CAVE
Labyrinth of Underground Passages
Beautifully Carved.

I beautI1uily CdrVeu.
West Liberyt, o., Oct. 1.-THE
beauty of Mount Tabor cave, a laby-
rinth of natural underground passag-
es skillfully carved by nature through
solid rock flashing with stalagInites
and stalactites and unique rock forma
tions, is said by biologists to rival the
splendors of Mammoth Cave, Mount
Tabor cave. located four miles south
east OF West Liberty, is described as
Mammoth Cave in miniature, and is
admitted to have color effects from
the blending of iron ore and copper
ere, 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 1900 feet OF
winding corridors with arched stone
roof and with Kaleidoscope colors
ever apparent in the freak rock forrna
tons and mineral deposits. It's huge
stalactites resemble giant icicles sus-
pended from the rock hewn ceiling OF
the immense cavern Its white crys-
tai instalagmites rise UP like silent
sentinels of the somber darkness that
envelopes the cave and that is only
pierced by the lanterns OF sightseers,
while there are many unique rock
and crystal formations. Some OF
these in color and shape and even in
size, strikingly resemble crackerjack,
honeycomb, beef liver and elephant
foot.
The cave is the largest in Ohio and
is more than 100000 years old, accord
ing to biologists who have establish
ed the fact that it is pre-giacial The
largest staiagmite, known as Grand
father's stalagmite" measures seven
feet in circumference at its base. 1t
gives some idea of the age OF the
cave, for staiagmites and stalactites
are said to grow barely an inch in
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. It's winding CORR
doris run through limestone and glac-
ial drift and the cave remained un-
molested by human being until TWEEN
ty years ago, when first discovered.
AT that time large sink basin or
kettle hole" on the Reames farm
gradually sunk deeper and deeper IN
I'll finally there was exposed a gaping
and apparently bottomless pit. which
when explored proved to 'be the
mouth OF the cavern. The entrance
goes down forty feet through lime.
stone OF shale and solid rock, leading
to the passages which vary in width
and heighth and 10 various chambers
known as Crystal chamber China
hall and the flag room the latter so
named because of the peculiar ar
Irangement in vertical stripes OF alter
mating layers of iron oxide and cal
cium carbonate. One unique cham
Der, containing hundreds OF small stall
actities and stalagmites. all resembl-
ing miniature tomb stones. has been
labeled the Graveyard"
According to Professor Thomas NJ
Hill, geologist at Ohio State Univer-
sity, the cave was caused by water
dissolving out the rock and percoIat-
ing through the, rock. down in the
Mad River valley
The width of the accessible CALLER
les varies considerably. The maxi
mum width is fifty feet, the heighth
of these large chambers also varying
from % to less than three feet. Re
Gently two of the largest staiagmites
and stalactites were ruthlessly broken
off and smuggled from the cave I'M
der cover of coats.
Whether UNEMPLOYED channels may
lead to larger chambers, greater
scenic effects and new rock forma-
tions, is now only matter of spectl- !
lation. The cave. winding northeast.
may, according to geological experts,
be an almost endless labyrinth of un.
derground passage ways honeycorna,-
ing the entire elevation Of the Mad
River valley. Unfortunately. lack of
proper facilities at Mount Tabor. now
make further extensive exploration al |
most impossible,
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