Evening star., 1925-06-03
KENTUCKY CAVE
| STUDY |SURGED
Scientist Declares Much OF
Early Days of Man May Be
] Revealed in Depths.
' the AsEociated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
FRANKFORT, KY, June 3.-The
largest and most extensive caves in
the country and, perhaps in the world,
are found in Kentucky, according to
DIR. w. D. Funkhouser. zoologist at
the University of Kentucky, who with
the cooperation of DR.. Willard Rouse
Jtllson, State geoiogist. has made ex'
hauStive studies over several years
Declaring that these caves hold many
secrets of old and even prehistoric
days, DR.. Funkhouser said Kentucky
Is neglecting a great opportunity 10
cbntribute to the field of science,
which European explorers, coming TO
this State, might grasp to bring TO
light important data which have been
for years within our reach. but for
which we have neglected even to
search"
sDr. Funkhouser was Gov. Fields
scientific representative at the time of
the Floyd Collins tragedy at Sand
Cave. The military court of inquiry,
appointed by the governor, has just
declared Collins TO have been imbedded
in Sand Hole instead of a cave. Its
Official report declared Mammoth Cave,
for the establishing of which as ma
ttonal park a movement Is under foot,
and other caves are safer than Main
Street"
Mentioning Mammoth cave, Crystal
Cave, Onyx Cave, Colossal Cavern,
Horse Cave, and Grand Cave, DR..
Funkhouser said none of these caves
has been entirely explored and their
extent is problematical.'
e'Most of them extend for miles
under the surface of the earth-pas-
sage after passage, chamber after
chamber, with branches in many direc-
tions, offering rare displays of stalac-
tites and stalagmites and dazzling
surfaces of crystal and ornamental
rock"
In virtually all parts of the State.
wherever limestone OF any thickness
and purity occurs near the surface,
the men have found large subter-
ranean caverns, besides thousands of
smaller caves and sinks" which
often are the entrances TO caves.
Used by Animals.
Most of these caves have been
formed by the dissolving out of the
beds Of soluble limestones by under
ground waters.
%'They are inhabited today by foxes,
coons, Skunks, and bats" DR.. Funk
houser said, and are used as places
OF Information by snakes, lizards, and
hosts of lower forms. In former years
the bears and wolves made them their
their prey into their gloomy reCesses
to be devoured.
To-day the cattle seek the cool
mouths of the caves TO escape the
heat and flies; hundred or more
years ago the buffalo used them for
the same purpose as is mutely testi-
fled by their bones.
The caves also have a very inter
esting fauna of their own. consisting 2
of the blind fish, blind crickets, blind
crayfish, peculiar spiders and distinct
species of salamanders which are
found in large numbers far under.
ground but never on the surface"
In the recent second digging to ex-
tricate Floyd Collins body from Sand
Hole. after the State had closed its
efforts, a large family Of vicious
snakes were found squirming and wig.
cling crafty about so feet down and
the diggers finally killed them near
Collins underground tomb. Their
presence so far underground was unac-
counted for by the diggers.
Protected from influence of air and
water, bones which have been found
are a valuable record of ancient fauna
said DR.. Funkhouser. In one cave
near Lexington, the bones of coons,
foxes. wolves. groundhogs, skunks, a
bear, deer and a human being, were
aocidently discovered.
s'Rock houses" or great overhang.
ing ledges Of rock which, like caves,
afford animal shelter, were likened to
those in France and Spain as having
the most satisfactory evidences of
the existence of primitive man during
the glacial period and it has been
pointed out that Kentucky occupies in
this country the same position rela..
tive to the southern ice limit as do
those countries in Europe, thus sug.
sesting that similar archaeological
data might be obtained by a study of