Year: 1876

DISCOVERY or ANOTHER MAMMOTH CAVE


NEAR COLUMBIA, KY.-THREE HUMAN


SKELETONS OF EXTRAORDINARY PRoPOR.


TIoNs FOUND IN A sUBrERRANEoUs VAULT.


The Columbia correspondent of the Cou-
rier. Journal contributes the following curl
GUS narrative OF recent discoveries below
that town, in the state OF Kentucky: About
the middle of the past week, two young men
named White, while idly wandering in a
large tract of wild, dense forest, in the south
eastern part of our county, discovered what
they supposed to be sink-hole or fox den,
and with that idea proce eded to explore it.
After a,little trouble in making their way
through the entrance, the cave (for such 1t
proved to be) became large enough to
admit of their walking upright. They mad
proceeded thus in this passage probably one
hundred and fifty yards when they emerged
into large and picturesque gallery, the
beauty and grandeur of which will rival
that Of the old Mammoth itself. The room,
according to their calculations, is about $50
by 100 feer, and abounds In all the varieties
of the ssalsctites and stslsgmites. But tits
not the things that we naturally expect to
find In caves that wish to mention particu-
larly, but the curious remains that were dis
covered therein. In The northeast corner of
the first gallery (for there are five, OF which
1 will hereafter speak, about fiye feet from
the ground, they noticed some strange char
acters or hieroglyphics neatly carved in the
wall, which, upon close examination, proved
to bs


THE HEAD ROCK OF VAULT.


A few minutes prizing served to loosen this
and disclose to view the interior of an in
closure in the solid rock of about five by ten
feet, which contained the remains of three
human skeletons, which measured eight feet
seven and half inches, eight feet five
inches, and eight feet four and three-quarter
inches in length respectively. The beads
were laying toward the east, each body par
sllel to the other. Beside them lay three
huge-what. looked to be-swords, but were
so decayed that upon being touched I'M
mediately crumbled tn dust. After exam
lining the remains closely, but finding moth
ing that would serve to throw any light on
the question as to who and from whence
they are, they closed the vault, but, In doing
so, knocked their torch out which they had
contrived before entering, leaving them in
anything but pleasant predicament. After
searching some time for their lost treasure,
they concluded to try to escape by feeling
their way out; but In this they made the
matter worse. They stated that after leav-
ing the first large room they struck q good
sized branch, and continued following 1t un.
til forced to turn into another passsge-the
st1taiu disappearing suuuoniy III


hi A HUGE PERPENDICULAR eULcH-


which led them into another spacious hall
the size of which they believe to be quite as
great as the first. Out of this second open.
ing, and through what they conceived to bt
three others similar at least in sizs, theil
way seemed to gradually ascend, until then
hearts were made glad by the discovery OF
light ahead, and finally emerged from theil
ugly confinement through q hole about mid


way the cliff of R1ssell's creek, having been
confined in their subterranean discovery
over 38 hours. The whole country
thereabout is rite with speculstions con
cerning the interesting discovery, and mum


bers of citizens will visit 1t as soon as the
Messrs. White finish their work of rendering
the entrance less difficult to pass. The above
Is correct account and may be relied on. as
the young men are of unimpeachable verac
ity. With party from town, your CORE
spondent win start in the morning u
further explore, and, should new curiositieI
present themselves, Will give you the ther
account OF an eye witness. 1
~