Evening star., 1925-02-15
LOST RIVERS CARVE
KENTUCKY CAVERNS
Mysterious Torrents Under
Hills Feature Region Where
Collins Is Trapped.
By Consolidated Press.

/
By Consolidated Press
| CAVE CITY. KY, February IL
The vision OF profits that lay in the
| prospect Of Government purchase OF
caves in this district for a new ma
ttonal park was the incentive for
| much of the spirited exploring that
had been going on beneath thase
fairyland hills until Floyd Collins got
| himself stuck in Sand Cave. -
The Thought that Congress might
soon set aside part of entucky'e
| contribution to the seven wonders Of
the world had struck the imagination
further into the mysteries of this
land of lost rivers and Of under
ground jeweled castles.
| The natives wanted to find out what
part Of one of the earth's most as
| founding phenomena might be located
| under their hard, hilly tracts. What
| they tried to find by dangerous ex-
ploring. scientists could tell them
| from deductive study.
Story Of Scientists.
This scientific story, explaining
Eentucky's great, unequaled caves,
was told to the writer today by the
university scientists here to work on
the Floyd Collins case. This Is what
they say:
Millions of years ago, this part OF
Kentucky was the floor of the sea.
Then, as the waters receded with the
gradual upheaval OF the earth, the
streams that remained sought under
ground channels, eating away the soft
rocks. Each time the land rose, the
waters gradually worked their way
to a lower level. leaving the beds
they had had before to form the
hot
come such remarkable phenomenon
OF this part Of Kentucky.
The cavernouS area extends from
TIE western coal fields Of the State
on the north to Tennessee River on
the south. and from the knobs on
the east to the purchase region on
the west. The entire district Is honey
combed with wonderful caves, includ-
ing the world famous Mammonth,
Crystal and Onyx underground cham
bers. extending for miles beneath the
surface.
Passage Through Rock.
Floyd Collins was looking for
another of these wonderful caverns
with their stalactites and stalagmites
when he was trapped. The so-called
Sand Cave in which he was explor-
ing Is In reality nothing but a mar
row passage through fallen rock and
not cave. He thought 1t might lead
TO cave of beauty not yet found.
Tho caves are usually capped by
a sandstone roof. which has to be
pierced before the lower passages
made by water eating out the lime
stone can be brought to light The
danger for cave explorers comes in
trying to find openings through this
sandstone and muck, but once that
Is past the danger is over.
Great Fall OF Rock.
The topography Of the now famous
cave is characteristic A low hill,
covered with light second growth
timber, faces on the northeast a mar
row valley ending in a sink. The
upper end Of this valley contains a
great fall of rock, the result of an
ancient cavern. 1t is under this fall
that Collins got himself buried He
had lost his bearings underground
and doubled backward into treach-
erous soft ground instead of getting
into the hillside as he supposed he
was doing. Tho entrance he took
goes in through an overhanging ledge
Of sandstone and then leads in a
tortuous tunnel down under the sink
hole caused by the natural cave-in
Region Of Lost Rivers.
Here in this region are the lost
rivers the famous underground tor
rents that drain the countryside Just
as the above-ground streams do in
other parts Of the country. Action
of these hidden rivers is the greatest
factor in producing the caves out of
the soluble limestone.
Strange. interesting animals and
insects live in the subterranean Ken
lucky caverns. Blind fish swim in
the streams, blind crickets, curious
spiders never seen In the outside
world. peculiar lizards and an un-
duplicated insect life never get out
into the light of day from generation
to generation.
ages ago Indians found the caves
safe homes and in them they have
left the story Of their primitive ex-
istence. Skeletons Of these prehis-
toric men and Of prehistoric animals
recently have been unearthed in this
district, yielding valuable data about
ancient cultures and modes of life
of this country.
Found Human Bones.
TN fact one of the last finds of
Floyd Collins, before he got trapped,
was an interesting collection of hu-
man bones he uncovered in one of the
cavernS he was exploring.
Caves held for Collins, just as they
do for others acquainted with their
a fascination which seems
The prospect of discov-
cry Of a crystalline grandeur never
before seen by humans leads the ex-
plorers on"
This strangely interesting section
the natives want the Government to
take over and make into mammoth
cave national park. What effect re-
cent developments are to have on the
proposal now before Congress Is net
known as yet.