Evening star., 1925-01-18
By Consolidated Press.

BY Consolidated Press.
NEWMARKET. Va, January IL
Another bold effort TO find the end
of the famous Endless Caverns of
Virginia has failed. New chambers
have been explored new chasms
crossed. new fat mems miseries" en-
dured, traces of animal life found, but
the lend is not yet" and there are
some distinguished explorers in
party which has just emerged from
the caves who do not believe the end
ever will be found.
Companions of Peary at the pole,
of Roosevelt on the River of Doubt"
veterans of the Arctic and tho
Tropics, the mountain peak and jungle
depth, took part in this latest foray
into the Endless regions, but the
main objective was not attained and
may not be attempted again for
another year.
The affair was not without its
amusing side, such, for instance, was
when NarVeth Wells. fellow of the
Royal Geo~raphicsSociety of England,
distinguished for his explorations in
the Malay jungle and in Lapland, got
his 1S5 pounds avoirdupois stuck hard
and fast in small hole through
which the party had to pass. Antici-
spating trouble OF this sort the party
had a slender man attached TO it for
widening purposes, this duty
falling upon Donald Rheuten, a
World War veteran of Richmond. The
stalwart Mr.. Wells did not attempt
passage Of the misery" until several
others had successfully negotiated it.
Even this precautiOn failed and the
explorer was held for more than five
minutes in the mud.
IL Plus 1 in Party.
Thirteen men made the trip, the
writer serving to break any possible
numerical hoodoo. The expedition
was organized under the auspices of
the Explorers Club of New York.
Henry Collins Walsh, founder and
president of the club, headed the
group, and Maj. E. NJ. Brown of New
York and Washington, owner Of the
caverns, conducted the exploring
party. which entered the caverns for
long tramps, climbs and crawls on
three successive days this week.
George h Cherrie, member of
the party. was one of the greatest
authorities on ornithology and IA
nous as the conductor of the ex-
pedftion in which Col. Roosevelt eX-
pIored the River of Doubt. 1t was
on this trip that Roosevelt fell sick
with the disease which six years
later ended his life. He gave entire
credit to Cherrie for bringing him
out of the upper Amazon alive.
DR.. Robert n. Keeley, surgeon on
cne of Admiral Peary's expeditions to
the North Pole, was the medical Of
fcer of the party.
DR.. Chester A. Reeds. associate
curator of geology of the American
Museum of Natural History, was the
oeOlORiSt of the expedition.
on the first morning the explorers
entered the caverns. in oVeralls,
miners lamps. flashlights. flares and
four biscuits each. An hours walk
took them to the unknown part of the
Caverns. a slippery stretch Of rock,
about two feet wide and sloping at
a 45-degree angle, dropping off into
a 60-foot chasm. was our only path
across to uneXplored regions. Clutch
ing with their hands a rope strung
across by our vanguard, the explorers
crawled across sideways on their
knees We were reminded that if We
slipped our bodies could never be
recovered.
Small Passage Difficult.
At the top of an almost perpen
dicular rock. covered with slime, was
the small hole about a foot in diane
ter through which we must pass.
We lay down fiat and were pushed
from below, until those above could
reach our arms and pull US through
the hole. Coming back was much
easier, as we just sat down by the
hole and then slid through like
toboggan slide. Unfortunately, by
that time one of the stalactites was
broken off in the middle and a tor
rent of ice water was pouring down
on the hardy Arctic explorers.
Through devious ways, lowering
ourselves down into chasms and
pulling ourselves out of chasmS by