The mirror., 1921-03-10
This is the Mammoth Cave, about IS
miles from Louisville, Kentucky.


Parts of this great cave have been ex-
plored for distance of over $50 miles
and maps made so that the guides them
selves cannot get lost. The main body of
the cave is only about three miles long,
yet parts of this section furnish the famous
halls and domes, some of which are IT'S
feet wide and IFS feet high.
This cavern has many small lakes and
rivers, the best known of these being
Echo River, which reverberates an echo
to an untold distance, repeating the sound
of your voice until only whisper is
heard at the last. The fish in this and
other bodies of water are white and have
no eyes. There are also crickets, bats, flies,
beetles, spiders and other queer blind crea-
lures to be found here, and it is interest
ing to watch them when they are taken
out into the light. Being blind, their
movements are quite slow and cautious
when compared to their kind that are
alive out in the open.
In taking hike through this worlds
largest cave the guides light up the way
so that many beautiful things can be seen,
such as the Star Chamber, where the lofty
ceiling is studded with snowy crystals that
glisten like diamonds. When white men
first discovered Mammoth Cave they
found many stone arrowheads, pieces of
torches and other relics which indicated
that it once had been meeting place for
the Indians, and for all we know count
less numbers of war dances may have
taken place in the famous Star Chamber
just mentioned.
Wyandotte Cave is another one of our
great caverns and ranks next to Nam
moth Cave both in size and interest. 1t
is in Crawford county, Indiana, and so
far has been explored for more than
twentythree miles. In its depths are
found many formations similar to those
of its bigger sister, one of the chambers
being 200 feet high and 800 feet broad.
The temperature and moisture in the air
are so even that you can walk great
distance without feeling the least fatigue
until coming out into the open once more.
But if you happen to be one of those few
folks who do not indulge in hikes you'll
certainly feel the results of the long walk
after sitting around for a few minutes.
In Page County, Virginia, is Luray
Cave, where many things of interest are to
be found. One room in this cavern is called
the Fish Market, on account of the fiat
hshlike stalactites that are arranged about
the walls, and many visitors have de-
clared that they can recognize the forms
of several kinds of fish. In Giants Hall
there are many bright rocks that glisten
in the torchlight, while in what is called
the Cathedral there is a stone organ formed
of different lengths of this substance,
which upon being struck with piece of
metal gives out musical tones. Simple
music can be played upon it, and of course
the various echoes cause it to sound like
several instruments being played, each of
them in just little slower time.
Numerous other fairly large caves are
to be found in our country, as there is
scarcely a. section of it in which none is
found, but the three mentioned are the most
famous ones, SO we now pass over to
Europe for more interesting items about
caves. The largest one in Ireland is Fin
gals Cave, situated on the Island of
Staffa, off the coast, and originally formed
by the constant washing of the waves.
There is very little room to hike around
in this cave, for most of the floor is of
water, but when the sea is calm nice boat
trip can be taken into its depths. Fingal's
Cave is AZ feet wide at the entrance, %
feet wide at the end and Sc feet high,
which, of course, makes it seem quite small
after speaking of our big inland caves,
- L l<lo a.: