Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-18

and marvellous to see every foot of the
journey! Almost every flash of the
light on wall, ceiling or floor calls
forth a new gasp of astonishment and
delight. A veritable gnome palace, and
it would not be surprising to see some
of the little fairy tale folk come labor
ing out of any of the side passages
and tunnels. Between hanging stalac-
tites the ceiling is studded with grape
clusters of cream colored crystal, clus-
tiers which piled one upon the other
until the whole resembles a FToren-
tine blowing horn of plenty. Many of
these have from time to time dropped
to the floor, and it is not without a
feeling of regret that one tramples
them underfoot until certain that they
cannot be harmed. How is it possible
for such delicate looking things not
to be fragile?
Perhaps the most beautiful room
discovered to date is a small chamber
not 100 yards in from the entrance
and off the main p~assageway to the
right. 1t can be approached in either
of two ways from the entrance. Ma
ture has done her best handiwork here.
The crystals are purer in texture,
more rich in color and it is not absurd
to say that the charming little room
has been furnished in the best Of taste.
Nature took all the choicest of her
~stalagmites and stalactites and brought
them IN here to enhance the general
beauties of the room. Then, as a hap
py afterthought. she followed out a
niche in one wall and placed there a
perfect fountain pool of the clearest
water. shaping q pure white lime rock
basin for it. There is something al
most sublime about this little room.
There is a breath taking loneliness
about it which makes for keen regret
when one has to leave.
Coral Rose Crystals
Going back again to the travelled
passage, the wide eyed explorer comes
into a widened portion where the love
Hest of rose crystals are all over wall
and ceiling. These little intricacies of
follated design are astonishingly like
roses Of pure coral; they look as
though made of wax and the illusion
hardly fades when they are touched.
A bit further along down the passage
the uplifted gaze discerns in the cell
ing the perfect outline of a fig leaf.
with a trueness of vein and stem which
is startling. In this same vicinity is
a wdenedi section of passage which
looks like the windows full of different
siz<l sponges in drug stores. So com
plete is this illusion that the mental re-
action is a n urge TO pick one off the
wall. The inquisitive hand is the only
way TO spoil the picture.
The path has been a series Of aneu-
lar descents and short levels. Some
times it is better to sit down and slide
a bit. The declines are fairly abrupt.
and the middle of the passage in it is
perhaps IS feet lower than the cave
entrance. The next object Of awe is
the Pit" which it is necessary to
circumnavigate by a precarious hug
ging of the right wall ledge and a care
full drop over the rocks. Rocks thrown
down into this pit. which a yawning
cavern of ~blackness. cannot be heard
to strike until several seconds after
they are launched. Not a good place
which to negotiate q tumble.
The Rain Room"
From here it is possible to get to the |
most pretentious of rooms in the cave,
the big Rain Room" \ passage
around TO the right side enters this !
chamber over a sheer
drop Of 30 feet. So this is little more !
than a possibility as an entrance. An
other passage is a dogs leg incline
which opens on the Rain Room far
over TO the left over n cliff drop
of only some 80 TO 30 feet. Here is
where a long rope ladder will be an
essential. For the present it has been
to climb down a rope and
regain the passage ledge either by
climbing back up again or being pulled