MAMMOTH

CAYE.

CrUrctVvok/w

^fi^^^^y

1
^\.

MAMMOTH

CAVE,
1844,

DURING THE YEAR

BY

ISITER.

LOUISVILLE, KY.

MORTON & GRISWOLD

1845.

Entered according

to

Act of Congress,

in the

year 1845, by

MORTON & GRISWOLD,

in the Clerk's OflBce of
tiie

District Court of

Kentucky.

Printed by

Morton & Griswold.

tA'

PUBLISHER'S ADVERTISEMENT.

To meet

the calls so freqiiently

made upou us by

intelligent visiters to

our City, for some work descriptive of the

of a visit to this .<*

Mammoth

Cave, -we are, at

length, enabled to present the public a succinct, but instructive narrative

"Wonder
to

of

Wonders," from the pen of a gentleman,

have explored all that is curious or beautiful tn or sublime in its vast i-ecesses, has yet seen eveiy thing that has been seen .^ by others, and has described enough to quicken and enlighten the curiosity K^ of those who have never visited it.

who, without professing

Ci

Aware

of the embarrassment ^vhicll most persons experience

who

de-

<

sign visitmg the Cave,

owing
it,

to the

absence of any printed itinerary of the

this

various routes leading to

we

have supplied, in the present volume,

desideratum, from information received from reliable persons residing on

jr the different roads here enumerated. The road from Louisville to the lf> Oave, and thence to Nashville, is graded the entire distance, and the greater
~. part of
it

M'Adamized.
the

From Louisville
with a rich
lake.

to the

mouth of

Salt river,

twenty
for-

miles, the country

mer period
extending

is level,

alluvial soil,

probably at some

bed of a

A few miles below the foi-mer place and

is

to the latter, a

chain of elevated hills

seen to the South-East,

C) affording beautiful and picturesque situations for countiy seats, and strangely overlooked by the rich and tasteful. The river is crossed by a ferry, and the traveler is put do\vii at a comfortable inn in the village of West

^ ^
K
[

Point.

Two
Hill.

miles from the

mouth of
summit,
is

Salt river, begins the ascent of Mulhills

*"

drow's
is

The road

is

excellent,
its

and having elevated

five miles.
settled,

on either

^' side,
to

highly romantic to

From

the top of this hill

Elizabethtown, the comitry

well

though the unprovements

A are generally indifferent

the

soil

thin,

but well adapted to small-grain,

and oak the prevailing growth. Elizabethtown, twenty-five miles from the mouth of Salt river, is quite a pretty and flourishhig village, built

46^404

VI

PUBLISHER

ADVERTISEMENT.
inns.

chiefly of brick,

with several chwrches and three large

is

From

this

place to Noliu creek, the distance

Here there is a small town, containing some ten or twelve log houses, a large saw and grist mill, and a comfortable and very neat inn, kept by Mr. Mosher. Immediately after crossing this creek, the traveler enters "Yankee Street," as the inhabitants style this section of the road. For a distance of ten or twelve miles from Nolin toward Bacon creek, the land belongs, or did belong to the foi-mer Postmaster General, Gideon Granger, and on either side of the road, to the extent of Mr. G.'s possessions, arc settlements made by emigrants from New York and the New England States. From Bacon creek
ten miles.
to Munfordsville, eight miles, the coiintry is
jileasantly undulating,
to the

and

here, indeed the

whole route from Elizabethtowu

or, in
it

Cave, passes

through what was until i-ecently a Prairie,

try,

the language of the coun-

"Barrens," and renders

highly interesting, especially to the botanist,

it

from the multitude and variety of flowers with which

the Spring and

abounds during
di-

Autumn

months.

Munfordsville, and Woodsonvillo

river,

rectly opposite, are situated

on Green

on high and broken ground.

They

are small places, in each of which, however, are comfortable inns.

Boats laden ^vith tobacco and other produce, descend from this point and

from a considerable distance above,

lialf

to

New

Orleans.

About two and a

miles beyond Mumfordsville, the

new

State road to the Cave, (virtual-

ly

joins

made by Dr. Croghau, at a great expense,) leaves the Turapike, and it agam at the Drijipiug Springs, eight miles below, on the route to
This road, in going from Louisville to Nashville,
is

Nashville.

not only

the shortest

by

three and a half miles, but to the

Cave

it is

from ten to
to its con-

twelve miles shorter than the one taken by visiters previous

struction.
It

therefore les.sens the inconvenience, delay and consequent

travelers

expense

to

which

were fonnerly

subjected.

The road

itself is

au excellent one, the counti-y through which it passes highly picturesque, and Dr. Croghan has entitled himself to the gratitude of the traveling

community by

his liberality

and enterprise
find

in constnicting
(a

it.

Persons visiting the Cave by Steamei-,

boat leaves Louisville for

Bowling-Grccn every week) will

good
at all

much

to interest

rable locks and dams, rendering the navigation of

them in the admiGreen river safe and

seasons for boats of a large class.

Passengers can obtain con-

veyances
this

at all times

and

at

moderate

rates,

from Bowling-Green, by the

Fifteen miles of
to the to the

Dripping Spruig,
road
is

to the

Cave, distant twenty-two miles.

finished

M'Adamized, the remainder is graded and not inferior ponior. The lafl eight miles from the Dripping Spring

PUBLISHERS ADVERTISEMENT.
Cave, cannot
fail to

VU

excite the admiration of every one ^^'ho deliglits in be-

holding wild and beaiitiful scenerj'.

route,
is

A visit

to the

Cedar Springs on

this

alone worth a journey of

many

miles.

Passengers on the upper

at all

tnmpike, from Bardstowu

to Nashville, ran,

on reaching Glasgow,

times procure conveyances to the Cave, cither by Bell's or by Prewett's

Knob. Arrived

at the

Cave, the visitor alights at a spacious hotel, the general

arrangements, attendance and cuisine of which, are adapted to the most

fastidious taste.

He

feels that as far as the "creature comforts" are neces;

sary

nor will he be disapis full of promise and most important preliminary to a ti'aveler settled to liis perfect content, he may remain for weeks and experience daily gratification, "Stephen his guide," in wandering through some of its
to

enjojaneut, the prospect

pointed.

And now,

this first

two hundred and twenty-six avenues

with the feeling of their magnificence,
in listening, until their

in
at

gazing, until he
its

is

oppressed domes,

some of

forty-.seveu

drowsy murmurs pain the sense, to some of its many v^^ater-falls, or haply intent upon discovery^, he hails some new vista, or fretted roof, or secret river, or unsounded lake, or crystal fountain, ^vith as much rapture as Balboa, from " that peak in Darien," gazed on the PaStephen has cific he is assured that he "has a poet," and an historian too. linked his name to dome, or avenue, or river, and it is already immortal

in the

Cave.
to

Independent of the attractions

be found in the Cave, there

is

much

above ground
alley,

to gratify the different tastes of visiters.

There

is

a capa-

cious ball-room, ninety feet

by

thirty,

with a

fine
all

band of music,
directions,

a ten-pin

romantic >valks and caniage-drives in

rendered easy

of access by the fine road recently finished.

The many

rare and beautiful

flowers in the immediate vicinity of the Cave, invite to exerci.se, and bouquets as exquisite as v/ere ever culled in garden or green-house,

may be

obtained even as late as August.

to the

The

fine sport the

neighborhood affords such "store

Capt. Scott

hunter and the angler

Green river,

just at hand, oiTers

of fish," as father "W^alton or his son and disciple Cotton, were they alive
again,

would

love to meditate and angle in

and the woods

or Christopher North himself, might

grow weary

of the sight of game,

C.

winged

or quadruped.

INTERESTING FACTS.

1.

Accidents of no kind have ever occurred

Cave.
Visiters,

in

the

Mammoth

2.

going in or coming out of the

;

Cave, are not hable to cqjitract colds

contrary, colds are
in the
3.

on the
visit

commonly
air

relieved

by a

Cave.

No

impure

exists in

any part of the

Cave.
4.

Reptiles, of

no description, have ever been

;

seen in the Cave

on the contrary,
it.

they, as

vsi^ell

as quadrupeds, avoid
5.

Combustion

is

perfect in

all

parts

of the

Cave.
6.

Decomposition and consequent putrefacall

tion are unobservable in

7.

parts of the Cave.

is

The
;

water of the Cave

of the purest

kind

and, besides fresh water, there are one or

springs.

two sulphur

IxNTERESTING FACTS.

IX

There Avenues m
8.
9.

are

two hundred and twenty-six

the

Cave; forty-seven Domes;

Pits,
is 59*^

eight Cataracts, and twenty-three

The

temperature of the Cave

so,

renheit,

and remains

Fahuniformly, winter and

summer.
10.

No
is

sound, not even the loudest peal of

thunder,

heard one quarter of a mile in the

Cave.

The

author of

"

Rambles

in the

Mammoth
etc.,

Cave, " has written a Cave, embracing

its

scientific

account of the

Geology, Mineralogy,

which we could
lication.

not, in time, insert in this

pub-

TABLE OF DISTANCES.
FROM LOUISVILLE TO MAMMOTH CAVE.
Medley's
10 miles.

FROM NASHVILLE TO MAMMOTH CAVE.

Gees Tyree Springs Buutons Franklin Bowling Green
Pattersons
9 miles.

Mouth

Salt

River

10
8 7 9 9

13

Trueman'.s
Haycraft's

12
10

Elizabethtown Nolin

20
12
3 8

Lucas
Mmifordsville

11

Dripping Springs

10
14i

Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave

87 miles.

88i miles

FROM LEXINGTON TO MAMMOTH CAVE.

Harrodsburgh
Pen-yville

FROM BARDSTOWN TO MAMMOTH CAVE.

New Haven
McDougals McAchran (Cobb's Bear Wallow
1.5

miles-

HO miles.
10

10
stand) 12

Frosts

12
4

20
7
9

Young
Lebanon New Market Barbee
Somerville
Carters

Dickeys (Prewett's Knob)

Mammoth Cave

12

73 miles.
3
.5

Moss
Mitchell

.5

12
7

FROM BARDSTOWN TO MAMMOTH CAVE, via.

MUNFORDSVILLE.
McAchran (Cobb's
Mmifordsville
stand) 37 miles.

Curls

Greens
Dickeys

10
8

12
14J

Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave

130 miles

63 J miles

FROM GLASGOW TO MAMMOTH CAVE, via.

Dickeys
18 mile

FROM GLASGOW TO MAMMOTH CAVE, via.

Bells
18 miles-

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
Mammoth Cave Whei'e
Situated
I.

Green River Improved Navigation Range of Highlands Beautiful Woodlands Hotel Romantic Dell Mouth of the Cave Coldness of the Air Lamps Lighted Bones of a Giant Violence of the Wind Lamps Extinguished Temperature of the Cave Lamps Rehghted First Hopper Grand Vestibule Glowhuning Description Audubon Avenue Little Bat Room Pit The Church dred and eighty feet deep Main Cave Kentucky Second Hopper Extent of the Saltpetre Manufacture in 1814.
tv^'O

Cliffs

CHAPTER
Gothic
Gallery

IL

Account of

Gothic Avenue Good Road Mummies Interesting Them Gothic Avenue, once called Haimted Chamber
CHAPTER
IIL

Why so named Adventure of a Miner in former days.

Stalagmite Pillars

The Bell Vulcan's Furnace Register Rooms Stalagmite Hall or Gothic Chapel Devil's Ann-Chaii- Elephant's Head Lover's Leap Napoleon's Dome Salts Cave Annelti's Dome.
CHAPTER
IV.

The BallRoomWillie's Spring Wandering Willie Ox-Stalls Giant's Coffin Acute- Angle or Great Bend Range of Cabins Curative Properties of the Cave Air long knov^'n.

CHAPTER
Star Chamber

V.

Salts Room Indian Houses Cross Rooms Black Chambers A Dinner Partj^ Humble Chute Solitary Cave Fairy Grotto Chief City or Temple Lee's Description Return the Hotel.
to

XU

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER
Arrival of a lai"ge Party
able

IV.

Extinguished LaughWooden Bowl Deserted Chambers Richardson's Spruig Side-Saddle Pit The Labyrinth Louisa's Dome Gorin's Dome Bottomless Pit Separation of our Party.
Visit

Second

Lamps

Confusion

CHAPTER VIL
Pensico Avenue Bandits Hall.

Great CrossingsPine Apple Bush Angelica's Grotto Winding Way Fat Friend in Trouble Relief Hall Bacon Chamber
CHAPTER
Vin.
Discoverers

Mammoth DomeFirst
turn.

Little Dave Tale of a Lamp ReIX.

CHAPTER
Third Visit

River HallDead SeaRiver Styx LetheEcho River Purgatory Eyeless Fish Supposed Level of the Rivers Sources
and Outlet Unknow^n.

CHAPTER
Pass of El Ghor Spring
land Avenue

X.
Gallery

Silliman's

Avenue

Wellington's

Sulphur

Mary's Vineyard Holy Sepulchre-7-Commencement of Cleve-

Room Rocky

Bywhom Discovered Beautiful Fonnations Snow-ball Mountains Croghan's Hall Serena's Arbor Dining Table Dinner Party and Toast Hoax of the Guide Homeward Bound Passage Conclusion.

#/

MAMMOTH
CHAPTER
Mammoth CaveWhere
Situated

CAVE.
I.

Green River Improved Navigation Hoppers Grand Vestibule Glowthe Cave Lamps Lighted ing Description Audubon Avenue Little Bat Room Pit T\vo-Hundred and Eighty Feet Deep Main Cave Kentucky The Chui-ch

Range of Highlands Beautiful ^Voodlands Hotel Romantic Dell Mouth of the Cave Coldness of the Air Lamps Lighted Bones of a Giant Violence of the Wind Lamps Extinguished Temperature of
Fii-st

Cliffs

Second Hoppers Extent of the Saltpetre Manufacture in 1814.

The Mammoth Cave

ty of

is

situated in the

Coun-

Edmondson and

State of Kentucky, equi-

distant from the cities of Louisville

ville,

and Nash-

(about ninety miles from each,) and im-

mediately upon the nearest road between those

two

places.

Green River

is

within half a mile

its

of the Cave, and since the improvements in

navigation,

by the construction of locks and

at all seasons,

dams, steam-boats can,

ascend to

Bowling Green,
1

distant but

twenty-two miles,

.10

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

and, for the greater part of the year, to the

itseh'.

Cave

In going to the Cave from Munfordsville, you

will observe a lofty range of barren highlands to

which approaches nearer and nearer the Cave as yon advance, until it reaches to This range of highlands within a mile of it. or cliffs, composed of calcareous rock, pursuing
the North,
its

rectilinear course, is

seen the greater part of

the

way
;

as

you proceed on towards Bowhng

last,

Green
below.

and, at

looses itself in the counties

Under

this extensive

range of

cliffs it is

conjectured that the great subterranean territory

mainly extends

itself

For a distance of two miles from the Cave, as you approach it fi'om the South-East, the country is level. It was, until recently, a prairie, on
which, however, the oak, chestnut and hickory
are
its

now

growing; and having no underbrush,

to the parks of the

smooth, verdant openings present, here and

there,

no unapt resemblance
no})ility.

English

Emerging from these

grounds, which
is

beautiful woodlands,

you

suddenly have a view of the hotel and adjacent

truly lovely

and picturesque.

11

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

The

hotel

is

a large edifice, two hundred feet

long by forty-five wide,

w ith piazzas,

sixteen feet

wide, extending the whole length of the building,

both above and below, well

style,

ftirnished,

and

kept in a

by Mr.

Miller, that cannot fail

to please the

most
is

fastidious epicure.

The Cave
the hotel, and

about two-hundred yards from

to
it

you proceed

down

a lovely

and romantic dell, rendered umbrageous by a and passing by forest of trees and grape vines
;

the ruins of saltpetre furnaces and large

mounds

of ashes, you turn abruptly to the right and be-

hold the mouth of the great cavern and as suddenlv

feel the

coldness of

its air.

It is

an appalUng spectacle,

how

dark,

how

dismal,
feet

how

dreary.

Descending some
this "

thirty

down

rather rude steps of stone,

you are
"

fairly

under the arch of

nether world
is

before you, in looking outwards,

seen a small

stream of water falling fi'om the face of the

crowning rock, with a wild

faltering sound,

upon
pit,

the ruins below, and disappearing in a deep

behind you,
on
his

all is

gloom and darkness

lights the

Let us now follow the guide

back a canteen of
oil,

who, placing
lamps,

12

MAMMOTH

CAVE-

and giving one to each person,

our subterranean journey
;

we commence

having determined to

confine oursehes, for this day, to an examination of some of the avenues

rivers,
visit to

on

tliis

side of the

and

to resume,

on a future occasion, our

I

the fairy scenes beyond.

emphasize

word some of the avenues, because no visiter has ever yet seen one in twenty and, ahhough
the
;

shall

attempt to describe only a few of them,

and
as I

in so doing will endeavor to represent things

saw them, and

less

as they impressed

me,

am

not the
will

apprehensive that

my

descriptions

appear as unbounded exaggerations, so wonis

derfully vast
tions,

the Cave, so singular

its

its

forma-

and so unique

characteristics.

are to be seen the

At the place where our lamps were lighted, wooden pipes which conductit fell

ed the water, as

from the
;

ceiling, to the
this spot too,

vats or saltpetre hoppers

and near

are interred the bones of a giant, of such vast

size
it

is

the skeleton, at least of such portions of

as

remain.

With

regard to this giant, or

more properly skeleton, it may be well to state, that it was found by the saltpetre workers far w ithni the Cave years ago, and was buried by

MAMMOTH
their

CAVE.

13

employer where

it

now

hes, to quiet their

it

superstitious fears, not

reft

however before

was befeet,

of

its

head by some

fearless antiquary.

Proceeding onward about one-hundred

we

reached a door,

set in

a rough stone wall,

stretched across and completely blocking up the

Cave; which was no sooner opened, than our

lamps were extinguished by the violence of the

wind rushing outwards.

An

accurate estimate

of the external temperature,

may

at

any time,
it

be made, by noting the force of the wind as

blows inward or outward.

When

it

is

very

warm

without, the
;

wind blows outwards with

cold,
it

violence

but

when

blows inwards with

temperature of the
is its

proportionate force.

The

Cave, (winter and summer,)

same

invariably the

59^^

Fahrenheit; and

atmosphere

is

perfectly uniform, dry,

salubrity.

and of most extraordinary

Our lamps being

built

relighted,

we

soon reached a

narrow passage faced on the left side by a wall, by the miners to confine the loose stone

thrown up in the course of

their

operations,

when

gradually descending a short distance,

we

5*

!!

14

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

entered the great vestibule or ante-chamber of

the Cave.

"

What

do

we now
!

see

Midnight
!

the blackness of darkness

Nothing
is

Where

is

the wall
It

we were

lately

elbowing out of the

It

way?
above.

has vanished!

lost!

We

are

walled in by darkness, and darkness canopies us

Swing your torches aloft Look again far up, a hundred feet see it Aye, now you can
;

above your head, a grey ceiling rolhng dimly

away

like a cloud,

and heavy

buttresses,

bending

under the weight, curling and toppling over their

base, begin
to

project their

enormous masses
vast
!

from the shadowy wall.

How
;

How

sol-

emn

How

awful

The

little bells

of the brain
else

are ringing in your ears

you hear nothing

from the
roof.

not even a
awe
;

sigh of air

not even the echo of

The
certain old

a drop of water

falling

guide triumphs in your look of amazement and

he

falls

to

work on

wooden
to

ruins, to you, yet invisible,

and builds a brace or

two of
you.
to

fires,

by the aid of

which you begin

have a better conception of the scene around

You

are in the vestibule or ante-chamber,

which the spacious entrance of the Cave, and

MAMMOTH

CAVE.
it,

15
should be

the narrow passage that succeeds

considered the mere gate-way and covered approach.

It is

a basihca of an oval figure

twofifty

hundred

feet in length

by one-hundred and
is

wide, with a roof which

if

as

flat

and

level as
fifty

finished by the trowel of the plasterer, of

sixty

or

passages,
into
it

more feet in height. Two each a hundred feet in width, open

or even

at its opposite extremities,

but at right

angles to each other; and as they preserve a

straight course for five or six-hundred feet,

with

the same

flat

roof connnon to each,

is

the ap-

pearance to the eye,

that of a vast hall in the

at the angle,

shape of the

letter

expanded

both

branches being five-hundred feet long by one-

hundred wide.
is

The

passage to the right hand

;

(Audubon Avenue.) That Grand Gallery, or the Main Cavern itself The whole of this prodigious space is covered by a single rock, in which the eye can detect no break or interruption, save at its borders, where is a broad,
the " Great Bat
"

Room

in the front, the beginning of the

sweeping cornice, traced

single pier or pillar of

in

horizontal panel-

work, exceedingly noble and regular; and not a

any kind contributes

to

16
support
it.

MAMMOTH
It

CAVE.
It is like

needs no support.

the

arched and ponderous roof of the poet's mauso-

leum

"

By

its

own weight made

stedfast

aud immoveable."

The

floor is very irregularly broken, consisting

of vast heaps of the nitrous earth, and of the

ruins of the hoppers or vats,

composed of heavy
one of their
it

planking, in
to leach
it.

which the miners were accustomed

The

hall was, in fact,

chief factory rooms.

Before their day,

was a

cemetery

and here they disinterred many a

it

mouldering skeleton, belonging

seems, to that

gigantic eight or nine feet race of

days,

men

of past

whose jaw-bones

so

many

vivacious per-

sons have clapped over their own, like horsecollars,

without laying by a single one to con-

vince the soul of scepticism.

Such
hall

is

the vestibule of the

Mammoth

Cave,

which hundreds of

visitors

have passed

through without being conscious sf its existence.

The

path, leading into the

left

Grand
;

Gallery, hugs
besides, in a
lofty

the wall on the

hand

and

is,

hollow,

flanked
of earth,

on the

right

hand by

mounds

which the

visitor, if

he looks at

MAMMOTH
them
at
all,

CAVE.

17

which he

will

scarcely do, at so

early a period after entering, will readily suppose

to be the opposite walls.

Those who

enter the
into

Great

Bat Room,

(xA.udnbon

Avenue,)

which

flying visitors are

seldom conducted, will

but

indeed have some faint suspicion, for a moment,

that they are passing through infinite space
;

the walls of the

Cave being

so dark as to reflect

not one single ray of light from the dim torches,

and a greater number of them being necessary to

disperse the

gloom than are usually employed,

remain in ignorance of the grand-

they will

still

eur around them."

Such
var,"

is

the vestibule of the

Mammoth

Cave,

as described

by the ingenious author of "Cala-

"Peter Pilgrim," &c.

the vestibule we entered Audubon Avewhich is more than a mile long, fifty or sixty The roof or ceilfeet wide and as many high. ing exhibits, as you walk along, the appearance

From

nue,

of floating clouds

and such

is

observable in

many
feet

other parts of the Cave.

Near the termin-

ation of this avenue, a natural well, twenty-five

deep, and containing the purest water, has

;

been recently discovered

it

is

surrounded by

18

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

Stalagmite columns, extending from the floor to

the roof, upon the incrustations of which,

when

hghts are suspended,

the

reflection

from the

water below and the various objects above and

around, gives to the whole scene an appearance
equally rare and picturesque.

This

spot,

howvis-

ever, being diflicult of access, is but

ited.

seldom

The

Little

Bat

Room Cave
is

Audubon Avenue,
from the great

a
as

branch of

on the

left

you ad-

vance, and not more than three-hundred yards

vestibule.
It is

but

little
is

more

than a quarter of a mile in length, and

able for
its pit

remark-

of two-hundred and eighty feet in

resort of bats.

depth

and as being the hibernal

Tens

of thousands of them are seen hanging

state,

from the walls, in apparently a torpid

during

the winter, but no sooner does the spring open,

than they disappear.

Returning from the Little Bat

Room

and Au-

dubon Avenue,
bule,

we

pass again through the vesti-

and enter the Main Cave or Grand Gallery.

is

This

a vast tunnel extending for miles, averafifty feet

ging throughout,
in height.

in

width by as many

It is truly

a noble subterranean ave-

MAMMOTH
line
;

CAVE.

19

the largest of

which man has any knowlinterest,

edge,

and replete with

from

its

varied

characteristics

and majestic grandeur.

Proceeding

quarter of a mile,
Cliffs,

down the mam Cave about a we came to the Kentucky

so called from the fancied resemblance to

the

cliffs

ing gradually about

on the Kentucky River, and descendtwenty feet entered the

our guide

church,

when

was discovered
the
cliffs.

in the

pulpit fifteen feet above us, having reached there

by a

gallery

which
is

leads from

The

ceiling here

sixty

three feet high, and the

recess,

church
less

itself,

including the
feet in

cannot be

than one hundred

diameter.

Eight
capa-

or ten feet above and immediately behind the pulpit, is

the organ

loft,

which
to
is

is

sufficiently

cious for an organ and choir of the largest size.

There would appear

sign in
to
all this;

be something like dea church large enough

solid

here
Cave

accomodate thousands, a

projection of

the wall of the

to serve as a pulpit,

and

a few feet back a place for an organ and choir. In this great temple of nature, religious service has been fi-equently held, and
.slight effort
it

requires but a

on the part of a speaker, to make himheard by the largest congregation.

self, distinctly

20

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

Sometimes the guides climb up the high and

ragged
sides,

and suspend lamps

in the crevices

and on the projections of the rock, thus

lighting

up a scene of wild grandeur and sublimity.

Concerts too have been held here, and the

melody of song has been heard, such

Leaving the church you
cending, a large

as

would
on
as-

dehght the ear of a Catalini or a Malibran.

will observe,

embankment of

lixiviated earth

thrown out by the miners more than

ago, the print of

thirty years

wagon wheels and

;

the tracks

of oxen, as distinctly defined as though they

were made but yesterday

pers.

and continuing on for

a short distance, you arrive at the Second Hop-

Here

are seen the ruins of the old nitre

vats,
;

works, leaching
of

pump

fi-ames

and two

lines

wooden

pipes

one

to lead fresh

water from

the dripping spring to the vats

nitrous earth,

filled

with the

and the other

to

convey the lye

to the fur-

drawn from the large reservoir, back nace at the mouth of the Cave.

The
Cave
"

quantity of nitrous earth contained in the

" sufficient to

is

supply the whole popula-

tion of the globe with saltpetre."

The

dirt gives

from three to

five

pounds of

nitrate of lime to the bushel,

requiring a large


MAMMOTH
CAVE.

21

proportion of fixed alkali to produce the required

rrystalization, and when left in the Cave become re-impregnated in three years. When salt-

petre bore a high price,

immense

quantities

were

manufactured at the

Mammoth Cave, but

the re-

turn of peace brought the saltpetre fi-om the East

Indies in competition with the American, and

drove that of the produce of our country entirely

from the market.

An

idea

may

be formed of

the extent of the manufacture of saltpetre at this

Cave, from the fact that the contract

for the

supply of the fixed alkali alone for the Cave, for

the year 1814,
"

The

price

was twenty thousand dollars." of the article was so high, and the

profits of the

manufacturer so great, as to set half

the western world gadding after nitre caves the gold mines of the day.
fact

Cave hunting in became a kmd of mania, beginning with speculators, and ending wdth hair brained young
men,

who

dared for the love of adventure the

for profit."

risk

which others ran

Every

hole,

remarked an old miner, the

size of a man's body,

has been penetrated for miles around the

Mam-

moth Cave, but although we found

''pet re earth!'

we

never could find a cave worth having.

CHAPTER
Gothic
Gallery

11.

Gotliic

Avenue

Good

Road

MammiesInteresting

Account of Them Gothic Avenue once called Haunted Chamber Why so Named Adventure of a Mmer m Former Days.

In looking from the niins of the nitre works, to

you will see a which is a narrow gallery sweeping across the Main Cave and losing itself m a cave, which is seen above to your right. This latter cave is the Gothic Avenue, which no doubt was at one time connected with the cave opposite and on the same level, forming a complete bridge over the main avenue, but afterwards broken down and separated by some great conthe
left

and some

thirty feet above,

large cave, connected with

vulsion.

The cave on the left, which

from
its

is filled

with sand,
;

has been penetrated but a short distance

great size at
its

still

entrance,

it is

more than
it

probable, that,

were
to

all

obstructions removed,

might be found

extend for miles.

MAMMOTH
While examining
guide
left

CAVE.

23

the old saltpetre works, the

it,

us without our being aware of

but

casting our eyes around

we perceived him standon the projection of a

ing

some

forty feet above,

huge rock, or tower, which commands a view of

the gi-and gallery to a great extent both up and

down.
Leaving the Main Cave and ascending a flight
of stairs twenty or thirty
feet,

we

entered the

Gothic Avenue, so named from the Gothic ap-

pearance of some of

its

compartments.
fifteen feet

This avhigh and

enue

is

about forty feet wide,

two miles long. The

ceiling looks in
it

many places

as smooth and white as though

had been under

the trowel of the most skilful plasterer,

A
its

good and

road has been

made throughout

this cave,

such

is

the temperature and purity of

atmos-

phere, that every visitor must experience their sal-

utary influences.

In a recess on the
feet

left

hand elevated a few

fifty feet

above the floor and about

stairs

from the

head of the
enue,

leading up from the

Main Avwere

two mummies long

since taken away,

in

to be seen in 1813.

They were

good presextensive

ervation; one

was a female with her

24

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

wardrobe placed before

those

her.

The

removal of

mummies from

the place in

which they

were found can be viewed as little less than There they had been, perhaps for sacrilege.
centuries,

and there they ought

to

have been

left.

I know not. One of was lost in the burning of the The wardrobe of the feCincmnati museum. a Ward, of Massachusetts, given to Mr. male was

What

has become of them

said,

them,

it is

who
seum.

beheve presented

it

to the British

]\Iu-

Two
ceal
it,

of the miners found a

in 1814.

mummy

in

Au-

dubon Avenue,
it

With

a view to con-

for a time,

they placed large stones over

and marked the walls about the spot so that

it

they might fnid

at

some

future period; this

effect.

however, they were never able to

ing the above

In

1840, the present hotel keeper Mr. Miller, learn-

went in search of the place him very many lights, and found the marks on the walls, and near to them the munnny. It was, however, so much injured and broken to pieces by the heavy
facts,

designated, taking with

weights which had been placed upon

of
little

it,

as to

be

interest or value.

have no doubt, that

MAMMOTH
if

CAVE.

25

proper

eftbrts

were made, mummies and other

objects of curiosity might be found,

which would

tend to throw hght on

first

tlie

early history of the

inhabitants of this continent.

Believing, that whatever

[may

relate to these

mummies cannot
ly scientific

fail

to mterest, I will

extract

from the recently published narrative of a high-

gentleman of

New York, himself one

]\Iammoth Cave ui

of the early visitors to the Cave.

"

On my
I

first visit

to the

1813,

saw a

relic

of ancient times,

which

re-

quires a minute description.

is

This description
in the

from a

memorandum made

Cave

at

the time.

In the digging of saltpetre earth, in the short

cave, a flat rock
little

was met with by the workmen, a

in the

below the surface of the earth

Cave;
feet

this stone

was

raised,

and was about four

it

wide and as many long; beneath

in length

was a square

excavation about three feet deep and as

many

and width.

In this small nether sub-

terranean chamber, sat in solemn silence one of

the

human

species, a female

with her wardrobe

and ornaments placed

at her side.

The body
and
sitting

was

in a state of perfect preservation,

2*

26
erect.

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

The arms were

laid across the

folded up and the hands

were
wrists
bly, to

bosom;

around the two

was wound a small cord, designed probakeep them in the posture in which they were jfirst placed; around the body and next thereto, was wrapped two deer-skins. These skins appear to have been dressed in some mode different from what is now practised by any people,

of

whom

have any knowledge.

The

hair

of the skins

was

cut off very near the surface.

The

skins

were ornamented with the imprints of

vines and leaves,

which were sketched with

Outside of these

a substance perfectly white.

two skins was a

either

large square sheet,

wove

or knit.

This
I

fabric

which was was the inner

texture

bark of a
to

tree,

which

judge from appearances

In
its

be that of the linn

it

tree.

and

appearance,

resembled the South Sea Island

whole body and the head. The hair on the head was cut off within an eighth of an inch of the skin,
cloth or matting; this sheet enveloped the

except near the neck, where

The
ish

color of the hair

it was an inch long. was a dark red; the teeth

were white and

perfect.

discovered no blem-

upon the body, except a wound between two

MAMMOTH
ribs

CAVE.

27

near the back-bone; one of the eyes had

also

been mjured.

The

finger

and toe
features

nails

were perfect and

regular.
I

quite long.

The

were

measured the length of one of the

string,

bones of the arm with a

to the wrist joint,

from the elbow

and they equalled

my own

in

and a half inches. From the examination of the whole fi-ame, I judged the
length, viz: ten
figure to
feet ten

be that of a very
inches in height.

tall

female, say five

The

body, at the
four-

time

it

was

first

discovered,

weighed but

teen pounds, and

was

perfectly dry;
it

on expoper-

sure to the atmosphere,

gained in weight by

absorbing dampness four pounds.

sons have expressed surprise that a
of great size should weigh so
little,

Many

human body as many hu-

man

skeletons of nothing but bone, exceed this

weight.

Recently some experiments have been

Paris,

made
fact

which have demonstrated the of the human body being reduced to ten
in

pounds, by being exposed to a heated atmos-

phere for a long period of time.

the skin

The
At the

color of

was

dark, not black; the flesh

was

hard and dry upon the bones.

side of

the body lay a pair of moccasins, a knapsack

28

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

these in the order in

and an indispensable or reticule, I will describe which I have named them.

The

moccasins were made of wove or knit bark,

like the

wrapper

have described.
to

Around the

top there

was a border

add strength and per-

haps as an ornament.
size,

denoting feet

These were of middling of smaH size. The shape of

little

the moccasins differs but

from the deer-skin

moccasins worn by the Northern Indians.

deep, strong border around

The

knapsack was of wove or knit bark, with a

the
top,

and was
soldiers.

about the size of knapsacks used by

The workmanship of it was would do credit as a fabric,

of the present day.
of knit or
like a

neat,
to

and such

as

a manufacturer

The reticule was also made wove bark. The shape was much
valise,

horseman's
top.

opening

its

whole length

on the

few inches from

and a were two rows of hoops, one row on each side. Two cords were fastened to one end of the reticule at the top, which
the side of the opening
it,

On

passed through the loop on one. side and then

on the other
it

side,

the whole length, by

which

was

laced up and secured.

.The edges of the

top of the reticule were strengthened with deep

MAMMOTH
fancy borders.

CAVE.

29

The
reticule

articles

contained in the

knapsack and

were

quite numerous,

and
or

are as follows: one

knit bark, without

head

cap,

made

of

wove

any border, and of the shape

cap; seven

of the plainest night

head-dresses

made of the quills of large birds, and put together somewhat in the same way that feather fans are
made, except that the pipes of the
quills are

not

drawn

to a point, but are spread out in

straight

hues with the top.

rating the pipe of the quill in

This was done by perfotwo places and

quills

running two cords through these holes, and then

winding around the

for

and the cord,

fine

thread, to fasten each quill in the place designed

it.

These

coi-ds

extended some length beyond

the quills on each side, so that on placing the

feathers erect

on the head, the cords could be

tied together at the

back of the head.

to present

This

would enable the wearer

a beautiful

display of feathers standing erect and extending

a distance above the head, and entirely surround-

These were most splendid head dresses, and would be a magnificent ornament to the
ing
it.

head of a female
hundred

at the
;

present day,

several
a.

strings of beads

these consisted of

30
very hard
in

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

brown seed smaller than hemp seed, each of which a small hole had been made,
this hole

and through

a small three corded thread,

similar in appearance

and texture

to seine

twine

these were tied up in bunches, as a merchant

up coral beads when he exposes them for The red hoofs of fawns, on a string supsale.
ties

posed to be worn around the neck as a necklace.

These hoofs were about twenty

in number,
;

and
the

may have been emblematic

claw of an
eagle,

of Innocence
it,

with a hole made in

through

which a cord was passed, so that it could be worn pendent from the neck the jaw of a bear designed to be worn in the same manner as the eagle's claw, and supplied with a cord to suspend it around the neck two rattlesnake-skins, one of these had fourteen rattles upon it, these were neatly folded up some vegetable colors done up a small bunch of deer sinews, resemin leaves
;

bling cat-gut in appearance

several

bunches of

thread and twine, two and three threaded, some

which were nearly white seven needles, some of these were of horn and some of bone,
of
;

they were smooth and appeared to have been

much

used.

These needles had each a knob

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

31

or whirl on the top, and at the other end

were

brought to a point hke a large

sail

needle.

had no

eyelets to receive a thread.

They The top

of one of these needles a hand-piece

was handsomely scalloped;

made
hand

of deer-skin, with a hole

through

it

for the

thumb, and designed probably

in the use of the needle, the

to protect the

same

as thimbles are

now

used

two whistles
cane, with a

about eight inches long

made of
;

joint about one third the length

is

over the joint

an opening extending

to

each side of the tube

of the whistle, these openings were about threefourths of an inch long

and a quarter of an inch

flat

wide, and had each a

opening.

reed placed in the

tied together

These whistles were

with a cord wound around them.

I

have been thus minute in describing the

mute witness from the days of other times, and the articles which were deposited within her
earthen house.

Of

the race of people to

living,

whom

she belonged

when

and

as to

conjecture, the

we know nothing; reader who gathers

can judge of the
the remnant of

from these pages

this account,

matter as well as those

who saw

mortality in the subterranean chambers in

which

32

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

she was entombed.

The

cause of the preserva-

tion of her body, dress

and ornaments

is

no

mystery.

The

dry atmosphere of the Cave,

with the nitrate of Hme, with which the earth

that covers the bottom of these nether palaces
is

so highly impregnated, preserves animal

flesh,

and

it

will neither putrify nor

its

decompose when

confined to

unchanging

action.

Heat and
it is

moisture are both absent from the Cave, and

these

two

agents, acting together,

which produce

both animal and vegetable decomposition and

putrefaction.

In the ornaments,
ages gone,

etc.,

of this mute witness of

we have

a record of olden time, from

which, in the absence of a written record,

we

may draw some

articles

conclusions.

In the various

which

constituted her ornaments, there

were no metallic substances. In the make of her dress, there is no evidence of the use of any
other machinery than the bone and horn needles.

The

beads are of a substance, of the use of

which for such purposes, we have no account among people of whom we have any written record. She had no warlike arms. By what
process the hair upon her head

was

rut short,

MAMMOTH
or by

CAVE.

33

we have no means
cles

what process the deer-skins were shorn, of conjecture. These artiafford us the same means of judging of the

nation to

w hich

she belonged, and of their adthat future generations will

vances in the

arts,

have in the exhumation of a tenant of one of

our modern tombs, with the funeral shroud,
in a state of like preservation
;

etc.

with

this differ-

ence, that W'ith the present inhabitants of this

section of the globe, but few^ articles of ornament
are deposited with the body.
this ancient

member

of the
tall,

The features of human family much

resembled those of a

handsome American

woman.
"

The

forehead was high, and the head

well formed."
Ye moukleriug
relics of a race do[)artcil,
;

Your names have perished

not a trace remains."

The
ted

Gothic Avenue was once called the HaunChamber, and owed its name to an adventhus related by the author of ''Calavar."
a

ture that befell one of the miners in former days,

which
"

is

In the

Salts
tities

Lower Branch is Room, which produces

which

room

called the

considerable quan-

of the sulphate of magnesia, or of soda,

we

forget

a mineral that the proprietor

34
of the

MAMMOTH

CAVE.
to account.
ravv^

Cave did not fail to turn

The

miner in question w^as a

new and

hand

of
were

course neither very well acquainted with the

Cave

itself,

nor with the approved modes of

averting or repairing accidents, to which, from

the nature of their occupation, the miners

greatly exposed.
in charge

of an older

Having been sent, one day, workman, to the Salts

salt,

Room

to dig a

few sacks of the

that,

and finding

that the path to this sequestered nook

fectly plain
;

was

per-

and

from the Haunted

Chamit,

bers being a single, continuous passage without

branches,

it

was impossible

to

wander from
visit,

our hero disdained on his second

to seek

or accept assistance, and trudged off to his

alone.

work

The circumstance being common enough

his brother miners

he was speedily forgotten by

and
they
it

was not

until

several hours after,

when

all left

off their toil for the

more agreeable

duty of eating their dinner, that his absence was

remarked, and his heroical resolution to
his

make

way

alone to the Salts

Room

remembered.

As it was apparent, from the time he had been gone,

that

half

some accident must have happened to him, a dozen men, most of them negi-oes, strip-

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

35

ped half naked, tlieir usual working costume, were sent to hunt him up, a task supposed to be of

no great difficulty, unless he had fallen into a pit. In the meanwhile, the poor miner, it seems, had
succeeded in reaching the Salts Room,
his sack,
to the
filling

and retracing
;

his steps half

way back
con-

Grand Gallery
his

when
it

finding the distance

be, the

greater than he thought

ceit entered

ought to

unlucky brain that he might

perhaps be going wrong.

No

sooner had the

into a violent
re-

suspicion struck him, than he

terror,

fell

dropped his sack, ran backwards, then

turned, then ran

back again
his

each

time more
until

frightened
at last

and bewildered than before;

he ended

adventure by tumbling

over a stone and extinguishing his lamp.

left

Thus
to
turn,
to re-

in the dark,

not knowing where

frightened out of his wits besides, he

fell

remembered by and praying Cave with all his might for succor. But hours passed away, and assistance came not; the poor fellow's frenzy increased he felt himself a doomed man he thought his terrible situation was a

membering

his sins

always

those

who

are lost in the

judgment imposed on him

for his

wickedness

36
iiay,

MAMMOTH
he even believed,

CAVE.
that he

at last,

longer an inhabitant of the earth

was no that he had

hell

been

translated,

even in the body, to the place

of torment
itself,

in other words, that

he was in

the prey of the devils,

who would
It

pres-

ently be let loose

upon him.

moment

the miners in search of

;

was at this him made their

appearance

they lighted upon his sack, lying

where he had thrown it, and set up a great shout, which was the first intimation he had of their He started up, and seeing them in approach.
the distance, the half naked negroes in advance,
all

swinging their torches

aloft,

he, not doubting

they were those identical devils whose appear-

ance he had been expecting, took to his

yelling lustily for

heels,

mercy
calls

nor did he stop, not-

withstanding the
until

of his amazed friends,

he had

fallen a

second time over the rocks,

where he

lay

on

his face, roaring for pity, until,

by dint of much puUing and shaking, he was convinced that he was still in the world and the

Mammoth Cave." Such is the story of the Haunted Chambers, the name having been given to commemorate the incident.

CHAPTER
Stalagmite
Pillars

III.

The

Stalagmite Hall or Gothic Chapel

Head Lover's
Dome.

Vulcan's Furnace Register Rooms Devil's Ann-ChairElephant's Leap Napoleon's Dome Salts Cave Amietti's
Bell

Resuming our explorations in this most interesting avenue, we soon came in sight of stalagmite
ceiling,
pillars,

reaching from the floor to the

once perhaps white and translucent, but

now
our

black and begrimed with smoke.

point

we

w^ere startled

At this by the hollow tread of

feet,

caused by the proximity of another

large

avenue underneath, which the guide assurvisited.

ed us he had often

In this neighbor-

hood too, there are a number of Stalactites, one of which was called the Bell, which on being struck,
sounded
like the

deep

bell of a cathedral

but

it

now no
by a

longer

tolls,

having been broken in twain

visiter

from Philadelphia some years ago.

Further on our way,

we

passed Louisa's
is

Bower

and Vulcan's Furnace, where there

a heap, not

462404


38

"

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

unlike cinders in appearance,

and some dark

colored water, in which I suppose the great forger

used to slake his iron and perhaps his

bolts.

Next in order and not very distant are the new and old Register Rooms. Here on the ceiling which is as smooth and white as if it had been
finished off

by the

plasterer,

thousands of names

have been traced by the smoke of a candle

names which can create no pleasing associations or recollections names unknown to fame, and
;

\\

hich might excite disgust,

when

read for the

first

time on the ceiling which they have dis-

figured.

Soon

after

leaving the old Register

Room,

we were
us
all

halted by our guide,

who

took from

the lamps excepting one.

Having made

certain arrangements, he cried aloud,

"Come

on!

which we
nificence.

did,

and

in

few moments entered

an apartment of surprising grandeur and mag-

This apartment or
feet

hall is elliptical in
fifty

shape and eighty

long by

wide.

Stal-

agmite columns, of vast size nearly block up the

two ends; and two rows of

distant fron\ ihe wall

pillars

of smaller di-

mensions, reaching from floor to ceiling and equi-

on either

side,

extend

its

MAMMOTH
entire length.

CAVE.
pillars,

39

Against the

and

in

many

places from

the ceiling,

our lamps were hanging,

and, lighting up the whole space, exhibited to

our enraptured sight a scene surpassingly grand,

and well calculated

nity
as

to inspire feelings of solemis

and awe. some call

This
it,

the Stalagmite Hall, or

the Gothic Chapel,

which no

one can see under such circumstances as did

our party, without being forcibly reminded of
the old, very old cathedrals of Europe.

tinuing our walk

we came
is

to the Devil's

ConArmseat.

This is a the centre of which

Chair.

large Stalagmite column, in

formed a capacious

Like most other

visiters

we

seated ourselves in

the chair of his Satanic Majesty, and drank sul-

phur water dipped up from a small basin of rock,

near the foot of the chair.

Further on

we

pass-

ed a number of Stalactites

and Stalagmites, Na-

poleon's Breast- Work, (behind

which we found

ashes and burnt cane,) the Elephant's Head, the

Curtain, and arrived at last at the Lover's Leap.

The
or

Lover's

Leap

is

a large pointed

rock prothirty

jecting over a dark and

gloomy hollow,

more

feet deep.

Our guide

told us that the

young

ladies often

asked their beaux to take the

40

MAMMOTH
lie

CAVE.

Lover's Leap, but that

''

never

knew any

to

love hard enough

" to

attempt it.

We descended
at right-angle

into the hollow, immediately below^ the Lover's

Leap, and entered to the

left

and

with our previous course, a passage or chasm in

the rock, three feet wide and
fifty

feet high,

which conducted us to the lower branch of the Gothic Avenue. At the entrance of this lower branch is an immensely large flat rock' called Gatewood's Dining Table, to the right of which
is

Cooling Tub

a cave, which

we

penetrated, as far as the

a beautiful basin of water six

feet

wide and three deep

and afterwards

into

which a small
itself fi'om

stream of the purest water pours

ceiling
finds
its

the
the

way

into

Flint Pit at

no great

distance.

Returning,

we

wound around Gatewood's Dining

Table, which

nearly blocks up the way, and continued our

walk along the lower branch more than half a mile, passing Napoleon's Dome, the Cinder
Banks, the Crystal Pool, the Salts Cave,
etc., etc.

Descending a few feet and leaving the cave which continues onwards, we entered, on our
right,

a place of great seclusion and grandeur,

called Annetti's

Dome.

Througli a crevice in

MAMMOTH
the right wall of the

CAVE.
is

41
Tlie

dome

a wateitall.

water issues in a stream a foot in diameter, from

a high cave in the side of the

dome
is

fails

upon

the solid bottom, and passes off by a small channel into the
Cistern,

which

directly
is

on the
a large

pathway of the
pit,

cave.

The

Cistern
full

w hich
is

is

usually kept nearly

of water.

Near the end of

there
spring,

this branch, (the

lower branch)

a crevice in the ceiling over the last

through which the sound of water

falling in

may
seen

be heard

a cave or open space above.

Highly
in the
it

gratified

with what

we had now

Gothic Avenue,

we

concluded to pursue
our steps to the

no

further, but to retrace

Main

Cave, regretting however, that

we

had not

visited

the Salts Cave, (a branch of the Gothic Avenue,)

on being told, when too late, that it would have amply compensated us for our trouble, being rich
in fine

specimens of

Epsom

or Glauber

salts.

CHAPTER

IV.

The Ball-RoomWillie's Spring Wandering Willie Ox-Stalls GiCurative ant's Coffin Acute- Angle or Great Bend Range of Cabins Properties of the Cave Air long known.

We are now again in the

Gallery,
as

Main Cave or Grand

to increase in interest

which continues

we

advance, eliciting from our party frequent

and loud exclamations of admiration and wonder.

Not many
is

steps from the stairs leading

down

from the Gothic Avenue into the Main Cave,

the Bail-Room, so
called from its singular
;

adaptedness to such a purpose

orchestra,
fifteen

for there is

an

or

eighteen feet

high, large

enough

to

accommodate a hundred

or

more

musicians, with a gallery extending back to the

level of the high

embankment near the Gothic

is lofty,

Avenue
hundred
floor,

besides which, the avenue here

wide, straight and perfectly level for

feet.

several

At the

trifling

expense of a plank

seats

and lamps, a ball-room might be

MAMMOTH
had,
if

CAVE.
all

43
events

not more splendid, at

more
earth.

gi'and

and magnificent than any other on

music here would be truly

The
ing
;

effect of

inspir-

but the awfiil solemnity of the place may, in

its

the opinion of many, prevent

being used as

a temple of Terpsichore.
told, often

Extremes,

we

are

meet.

The same

objection has been

urged against the Cave's being used for religious

services.

"No

clergyman,"
"

"

remarked a

distin-

guished divine,

be he ever so eloquent could

concentrate the attention of his congregation in

such a place.
loud here for

The God of nature man to he heard.'"

;

speaks too

may,

Leaving these points to be settled as they we will proceed onwards the road now is
fine,

broad and
in order is

and

in

many

places dusty.

Next

Willie's Spring, a beautifully fluted

left

niche in the

hand

wall, caused

by the con-

tinual attrition of

water trickling

basin below.
that of a

This spring derives

its

down into a name from

spectable clergyman of Cincinnati,

young gentleman, the son of a highly rewho, in the spirit of romance, assumed the name of Wandering Willie, and taking with him his violhi, Wishing no marched on foot to the Cave.

44
better place in

MAMMOTH
which

CAVE.

to pass the night,

he

select-

ed

this spot, requesting the guide to call for

in the morning.
fast asleep

him This he did and found him

bed of
it

beside

him

upon

his

earth,

with

his

viohn

ever since

has been called Wilhe's

Spring.
left

Just beyond the spring and near the

is

wall,

the place where the oxen were fed

;

during the time of the miners

are a great

and strewn around

all

many

corn-cobs, to

appearance,

and

in fact, perfectly sound, although they

have
this

lain there for

more than
is

thirty years.

In

neighborhood

a niche of great size in the wall

on the left, and reaching from the roof to the bottom of a pit more than thirty feet deep, down the
sides of which, water of the purest kind
is

contin-

ually dripping,

and

is

afterwards conducted to a
invalids obtain their

large trough, from

which the

supply of water, during their sojourn in the Cave.

Near the bottom,

is

this pit or well

is

expands into a

large room, out of which, there

no opening.

It

probable that Richardson's Springin the Desertis

ed Chambers
the

supplied from this well.

etc., etc.,

Passing

Well Cave, Rocky Cave,

we arrived
in

at the

Giant's Coffin, a huge rock or> the right,

its

thus

named from

singular

resemblance

MAMMOTH
shape to a coffin;
great size, renders
as
all its
it

CAVE.

45
from
its

locality, apart

particnlarly conspicnous,

must pass around

visit

Cave, to

the rivers

ders beyond.

At

this

Main and the thousand wonpoint commence those

it,

in leaving the

incrustations, which, portraying every imaginable

figure

on the

ceiling, aftbrd

full

scope to the

fanciful to

picture

what they

will,

whether of

"birds, or beasts, or creeping things."

About

a hundred yards

beyond the
curve,

Coffin, the

Cave
gen-

makes a majestic
the Great

and sweeping round

its

Bend

or Acute-Angle, resumes

eral course.
light.

Here the guide

ignited a Bengal
illumin-

This vast amphitheatre became

Poets

ated,

and a scene of enchantment was exposed

to our view.

may

conceive, but no lan-

guage can describe, the splendor and sublimity

of the scene.

The

rapturous exclamations of
afar,

our party might have been heard from

both up and

down

this place of

wonders.

Op-

posite to the Great

Bend,

is

the entrance of the

Sick

Room

Cave, so called from the fact of the

visiter

sudden sickness of a

a few years ago, sup-

posed to have been caused by his smoking, with

others,

cigars in

one of

its

most remote and con-

46
fined

MAMMOTH
nooks.

CAVE.

Immediately beyond the

built for

Great

Bend, a row of cabins,

patients,

consumptive

commences.

All of these are framed

buildings,

with the exception of two, which are

of stone.

They

stand in

line,

from thirty to

one hundred
yet at the

feet apart, exhibiting a picturesque,

same time, a gloomy and mournful appearance. They are well famished, and without question, would with good and comfortable

accommodations, pure
ature, cure the

air

and uniform temper-

pulmonary consumption.

The

Cave ought to be cured; but I doubt Avhether the Cave air or any thing else
invalids in the

can cure confirmed Phthisis.

the curative properties of the
as
is

knowledge of
air, is

Cave

not,

generally supposed, of recent date.

It

has

been long known.

ability,

A physician of great respectmember

of Congress from the

formerly a

district

adjoining the Cave,

was

so firmly conits air,

vinced of the medical properties of

as to

express more than twenty years ago, as his opinion, that the

State of

Kentucky ought

to pur-

chase

it,

with a view to establish a hospital in

avenues.

one of

its

Again the author of "Cala-

var," himself a distinguished professor of

med-

MAMMOTH
icine,

CAVE.

47

to

makes the following remarks in relation the Cave air, as far back as 1832, the date
visit:
is

of his
"It

always temperate.

Its pm-ity,

judging
cir-

from

its effects

on the lungs, and from other

remarkable, though in

what its But, be its compopurity consists, I know not. sition what it may, it is certain its effects upon
cumstances,
is

the spirits aud bodily powers of visiters, are ex-

tremely exhilarating

and that

it is

not

less salu-

brious than enlivening.

The

nitre diggers w^ere

;

a famously healthy set of

men

it

was a com-

mon and humane

to health

practice to

employ laborers of
soon restored
at

enfeebled constitutions,

who were

and

strength,

though kept

constant

labour; and

more joyous, merry fellows were The oxen, of which several were kept day and night in the Cave, hauling the nitrous earth, were after a month or two of toil,
never seen.
in as fine condition for the shambles, as if fatten-

ed in the

stall.

The

ordinary

visiter,

though
seldom

rambling a dozen hours or more, over paths of

the roughest and most difficult kind,
is

conscious of fatigue, until he returns to the upper

air
;

and then

it

seems to him,

at least in the

48

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

summer

season, that he has exchanged the at-

mosphere of paradise
ed by steam

for that of a
is

charnel

warm-

all

without

so heavy, so dank,

so dead, so mephitic.
sion, if that

Awe
felt,

and even apprehenin-

has been

soon yield to the

fluence of the delicious air of the Cave; and

after

a time a certain jocund feeling

is

found

mingled with the deepest impressions of sublimity,

which there are so many objects recommend all broken hearted

to

awaken.

lovers

and

dyspeptic dandies to carry their complaints to

the

Mammoth

Cave, where they will undoubt-

edly find themselves "translated" into very bux-

om
of

and happy persons before they are aware

it."

CHAPTER
Star

V.

Chamber Salts Room Indian Houses Cross Rooms Black Chambers A Dmuer Party Humble Chute Solitai'y Cave Fairy Grotto Chief City or Temple Lee's Description Return to tlie Hotel-

The
tion.

Star

Chamber next

attracted our attenillu-

It

presents the most perfect optical

;

sion imaginable

in looking

up

to the

ceiling,

which
afar
far
off,

is

here very high, you seem to see the

itself,

very firmament

studded with stars

its

and

a comet with
this Star

long, bright

tail.

Not

from

cavity in the wall

feet

on the

Chamber, may be seen, in a right, and about twenty

an oak pole about ten
with two
feet

above the

floor,

feet long

and

six inches in diameter,

round sticks of half the thickness and three

long, tied
apart.

on

to

it

transversely, at about four feet

By means

of a ladder

we

ascended to

the cavity, and found the pole to be firmly fixed

one end

resting on the bottom of the cavity, and the other reaching across and forced into a

4*

50

MA3LM0TH CAVE.

crevice about three feet above.

that this

We

supposed

was a ladder once used by the former

of the

inhabitants

Cave, in getting the

salts

which

are incrusted

on the walls

in

many

places.
is,

Doct. Locke, of the Medical College of Ohio,

however, of the opinion, that on

it

was placed a

dead body,

similar contrivances being used by

some Indian
this

tribes

on which

to place their dead.

spot,
still

Although thousands have passed the

was never seen

and yet
it is

until the fall of

1841.

Ages

have doubtless
here,

rolled

by since

this
;

was placed

perfectly

sound

even the bark

which confines the transverse pieces shows no marks of decay. We passed through some Side Cuts, as they These are caves opening on the are called. sides of the avenues and after running for some Some of them distance, entering them again.
;

exceed half a mile in length

they are short.

but most generally

"

In

many

of them,

quartz, cal-

cedony, red ochre, gypsum, and

salts are

found."

The
the

walking, in this part of the avenue, being

rough,

we progressed but slowly, until we reached here we found the walls and Salts Room
;

ceiling covered with salts

hanging in

crystals.


MAMMOTH
CAVE.

51

The
the

least

agitation of the air causing flakes of

to
fall

crystals

like

snow.

In the

Salts

Room
of

are the Indian houses, under the rocks

small spaces or rooms completely covered

some

The

which contain ashes and cane partly burnt." Cross Rooms, which we next come to, is
;

a grand section of this avenue

the ceiling has

an unbroken span of one hundred and seventy

feet,

without a column

to

support

it

The
to our

mouths of two caves are seen from

neither of
loss,

this point,

which we

visited,

and nmcli

as will appear
"

from the following extract

from the

Notes on the
the Black

Mammoth

Cave, by E.

F. Lee, Esq., Civil Engineer," in relation to one

of

them
"

Chambers:
Black Chambers, there

At the

ruins in the

are a great

many

large blocks

composed of
etc.,

dif-

ferent strata of rocks,

cemented together, resemof

bling the walls, pedestals, cornices,

some
quite

old castle, scattered over the bottom of the Cave.

The avenue
a task to

here

is

so wide, as to

make

it

walk from one

side to the other.

On
of

the right hand, beyond the ruins,

right branch,

you enter the

the Big

on the same

level

the ceihng

which

'

is

regularly arched.

Through

52

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

Chimneys you ascend into an upper room, about the size of the Main Cave, the bottom of which
is

higher than the ceihng of the one below.

Proceeding on

we

soon heard the low murmur-

ings of a water-fall,

the sound of
as

which be-

comes louder and louder

we

advanced, until

we

reached the Cataract.

In the roof are per-

forations

as large as a hogshead,

on the

right

hand

side,

from which water

is

ever

falling,

on

ordinary occasions in not very large quantities;

but after heavy rains

in torrents;

and with a

horrible roar that shakes the walls

afar

and resounds
cata-

through the Cave.

It is at

such times that

these cascades are

racts,

worthy the name of

which they

bear.
pit,

The

water

falling into

a great fimnel-shaped

immediately vanishes."

Here we concluded
ionable

to dine,

and

at quite a fash-

hour

4, P.

M.

The

guide arranged
etc.,

the plates, knives and forks, wine-glasses,

on a huge table of rock, and announced,

ner
is

"Dinthe exearth,

ready

"

We filled our plates

^^ itli

cellent viands prepared at the

Cave House, and

seating ourselves on the rocks or nitre

partook of our repast with the gusto of gour-

mands, and quaffing, ever and anon, wines which

MAMMOTH
would have done

CAVE.

53

credit to

the Astor or Trebe,"

mont House.
this

"

There may
"

remarked our

corpulent friend B.,

a great deal of
plate

romance
on your

in

way

of eating

with your

lap,

and seated on a rock or a lump of

but for

nitre earth

would rather dispense with the poetry of the thing and eat a good dinner, whether above or below ground, from off a bonapart I
fide table,

my

and seated
(and

in a

good

substantial chair.
all

The
ing

proprietor ought to have at

places,

the "watertables,

they are numerous,)

chairs,
visitors

and the necessary table

furniture, that

might partake of their collations in some

degree of comfort."

The

guide who, by the

way,

is

a very intelligent and facetious fellow,

at the suggestion

was much amused

of our friend,

and remarked that "the owner of the Cave, Doct.

Croghan, lived near Louisville, and that the
only

way
"

to get

such 'fixings
" for

at the

watering
subject."

places,
"

was

to write to

him on the
it

Then,

said B.,

the sake of those

who

may

follow after us,

will take

upon myself

to write."

From

this point

you have
pursuing

iew of the Main

general course,

Avenue on our

left,

its

54

MAMMOTH

CAVE.
as from

and exhibiting the same solemn grandeur

the

commencement,

and

directly before us the

way to the Humble Chute and the Cataract. The Humble Chute is the entrance to the Solitary Chambers before entering which, we must
;

crawl on our hands and knees some

fifteen or

twenty
ately

feet

under a low arch,

;

ft is

appropri-

named

as

is

the Solitary

Chambers which
feel here,

we

have

now

entered.

You

an expression of one of our party,

world."
objects

use "out of
to

the

Without dwelling on the intervening

are numerotis and not
at
interest,

although they without we

a fairy grotto
;

will enter

once the

Fairy Grotto of the Solitary Cave.

a countless

It is in truth

number of

Stalactites

are seen extending, at irregular distances, from

the roof to the

floor,

of various sizes and of the

most

fantastic

shapes

some
;

quite

straight,

some crooked, some

irregularly fluted

large

and hollow
and some

forming
solid near

columns

the ceiling, and divided lower down, into a great

number of small branches

exhibiting

like the roots of trees

the

appearance of a coral grove.

to the ificrustations

Hanging our lamps

on the
faintly

colunnis, the grove of Stalactites

became

"

MAMMOTH
lighted up, disclosing a

CAVE.

55

scene of extraordinary
"

wilduess and beauty.

you'll see

This

is

nothing to what
cries

on the other

side of the rivers,"

our guide, smiling at our enthusiastic admiration.

With

all

its

present beauty, this grotto

it

is

far

from being what

was, before

it

was despoiled
by a

and robbed
broke

sotlie

eight or nine years ago,

set of vandals,

who, through sheer wantonness,

stalactites,

many

of the

leaving

them

strewn on the floor

disgustful

memorial of

their vulgar propensities

and barbarian-like con-

duct.

Returning from the Fairy Grotto,

the

we

entered

Main Cave

at the Cataract,

and continued
is

our walk to the Chief City or Temple, which

thus described by Lee, in his
"

Notes on the

Mammoth Cave " The Temple

:

is

an immense vault covering

an area of two acres, and covered by a single

dome
and

of solid rock, one hundred

It excels in size the

and twenty
Staffa;

feet high.
rivals

Cave of

the celebrated vault in the Grotto of

Antiparos,

which

is

said to be the largest in the

world.

In passing through from one end to the

other, the

dome appears

to follow like the

sky

56
in passing

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

from place to place on the earth.

In

the middle of the

dome

there

is

a large

mound

of rocks rising on one side nearly to the top,

very steep and forming what

tain.

is

called the
this

When

first I

ascended

Mounmound from
feeling of

the cave below, I

was struck with a

intense,

awe more deep and

I

than any thing that

had ever before experienced. I could only observe the narrow circle which w as illuminated
immediately

around

me

above

and beyond

was apparently an unlimited

space, in

which
It

the ear could catch not the slightest

sound, nor

the eye find an object to rest upon.

filled

was

with silence and darkness

earth,
be,

and yet

knew

that I

was beneath the however large it might

solid

and that

this space,

by

w alls.

]\Iy

was actually bounded curiosity was rather excited

I built
fires

than

gratified.

In order that I might see the

in
I

whole

in

one connected view,

many

places with the pieces of cane

which

found scattered among the rocks.

Then taking
was
present-

my

stand on the Mountain, a scene

ed of surprising magnificence.

On

the opposite

side the strata of gray limestone, breaking

up

l)y

steps from

the bottom, could

scarcely be dis-

MAMMOTH

CAVE,

57

cerned in the distance by the gUmmering hght.

Above was

the lofty dome, closed at the top

slab,

by a smooth oval
the outline, from

beautifully defined

in

which the walls sloped away on into thick darkness. Every one has heard of the dome of the Mosque of St. Sophia, of St. Peter's and St. Paul's;
the right and
left

they are never spoken of but

miration,
as

terms of adarchitecture,

the chief

works of

and among the noblest and most stupendous

examples of what
science
;

man can do when

aided by

and yet when compared with the dome

of this Temple, they sink into comparative insignificance.

Such

is

the surpassing grandeur

of Nature's works."

To
Lee

us,

the

Temple seemed

to merit the

glow-

ing description above given, but

think,

what would
the discovery

on being

told, that since

of the rivers and the world of beauties

beyond

them, not one person in

or the Fairy Grotto
as
;

fifty visits

the

Temple

they are

tame and

uninteresting.

now looked upon The hour being now

arrived at 11, P.

late,

we

concluded to proceed no further, but to

return to the hotel,

where we

M,

CHAPTER VL
Arrival of a large Party
able

Second Visit Lamps Extinguished LaughWooden Bowl Deserted Chambers Richardson's Side-Saddle Pit The Labyrinth Louisa's Dome Gorin's Dome Bottomless Pit Separation of our Party.
Confusion

On
ladies

being

summoned

to

breakfast the next

morning,

we

ascertained that a large party of

and gentlemen had arrived during our

absence, who, like ourselves, were prepared to

enter the Cave.

They, however, were

examining
leisurely the

for hur-

rying over the rivers, to the distant points be-

yond
on

we,

for

avenues

this side.

At 8

o'clock, both parties

accom-

panied by their respective guides and making a

very formidable array, set out from the hotel, hap-

py
It

in the anticipation of the "sights to be seen."

was amusing

to

hear the remarks, and to

first

witness the horror of some of the party on

beholding the mouth of the Cave.

Oh!

it is

so

MAMMOTH
frightful!

CAVE.
I

59
!

It is so cold!
all

cannot go in

Not-

withstanding

this,

curiosity prevailed,

and

down we went
way by

arranged

our lamps, which

being extinguished in passing through the doorthe strong current of air rushing out-

wards, there arose such a clamor, such laughter,

such screaming, such crying out

as

for the

guides,

though

all

Bedlam had broke

loose,

the

guides exerting themselves to quiet apprehensions,

and the

visiters

of yesterday knowing that

there

was

neither danger nor just cause of alarm,

efforts, by At length the

doing their utmost to counteract their

well feigned exclamations of terror.

lamps

w ere

re-lighted

and order being

restored,

onward we went. The Vestibule and Church were each in turn illuminated, to the enthusiastic
delight

of

all

even

those of the party,

in

who
their

were but now

were loud expressions of admiration and wonder.

so terrified,
at the Giant's Coffin,

Arrived

we

leave the

Main Cave

to enter regions very dissimilar to those

seen.

we have
Coffin

narrow passage behind

called

the

leads to a circular room, one hundred feet in di-

ameter, with a low roof,

the

Wooden
some
say,

Bowl, in allusion

to its figure, or as

60

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

from a wooden bowl having been found here by

some

old

mmer.

This Bowl

is

the vestibule of

the Deserted Chambers.

On

the right, are the

Steeps of Time, (why so called

conjecture,)
ty feet,
ten,

we

are

left

to

down which, descending

about twenfor the first

and almost perpendicularly

present
features

we

enter the Deserted Chambers,

which

in

their

course

extremely wild,

terrific

and multiform.

For two hundred yards

is

the ceiling as

you advance
it is

rough and broken,

but further on,

as if

w aving,

white and smooth

Spring,
feet,

worn by

water.

At Richardson's

the imprint of moccasins and of children's of

some by-gone age, were recently seen. There are more pits in the Deserted Chambers than in any other portion of the Cave; and among the most noted are the Covered Pit, the SideSaddle Pit and the Bottomless
Pit.

Indeed the

whole range of these chambers, is so interrupted by pits, and throughout is so irregular and serpentine and so bewildering from the number of
its

branches, that the

visiter,

doubtful of his footis

ing,

and uncertain

as to his course,

soon made

sensible of the

prudence of the regulation, which

enjoins him, "not to leave the guide."

"The

MAMMOTH
Covered Pit
this pit
is

CAVE.

61
to

is

in a

little

branch

the

left

twelve or fifteen feet in diameter,

covered with a thin rock, around which a nar-

row

crevice extends, leaving only a small sup-

port on one side.

There

is

a large rock resting

on the centre of the cover.

waterfall

The sound
Pit
is

of a

be seen."
feet

may be heard from The Side-Saddle

the pit but cannot

about twenty

long and eight feet wide, with a margin

about three feet high, and extending lengthwise

ten

which one may safely lean, and view the interior of the pit and dome. After a short walk from this place, we came to a ladder
feet,

against

on our
five feet

right,

fifteen feet

which conducted us down about into a narrow pass, not more than
is

wide; this pass

the Labyrinth, one end

it

of

which

leads to the Bottomless Pit, entering

about
rious

fifty feet

down, and the other

after va-

windings,

now

up,

now down,

over

bridge,
to

and up and down

which, strange to

ladders, conducts you

one of the chief glories of the Cave,

;

Gorin's

Dome
ed

tell,

was not

discover-

until a

few years ago.

is

Immediately behind

the ladder, there

rock, extending

a narrow opening in the

to the cave above,

up very nearly

5*

62

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

which leads about twenty feet back to Louisa's Dome, a pretty httle place of not more than
twelve feet in diameter, but of twice that height.

This dome
cave

is

directly

under the centre of the

can be plainly seen
Ar-

we had

just

been traversing, and when

it

lighted up, persons within

from above, through a crevice in the rock.

rived at Gorin's

Dome, we were

forcibly struck
in

by the seeming appearance of design,

accommodation of
to
visiters

the

arrangement of the several parts, for the special

even with
its

reference

their

number.

The

Labyrinth, which

we

followed up, brought us at

termination, to a

window
feet

or hole, about four feet square, three

floor,

above the

opening into the interior

the bottom

of the dome, about

midway between

and top

the wall of rock being at this spot,

;

not more than eighteen inches thick

tinuing around, and

and con-

on the outside of the dome,

arrived
at another

along a gallery of a few feet in width, for twenty

or

more paces, we

opening

of

much

larger size, ehgibly disposed,

first,

and com-

manding, like the

a view of very nearly the

whole

interior space.

Whilst

we

are arranging

ourselves, the guide steals

away, passes down,

MAMMOTH

CAVE.
is

63
presently

down, one knows not how, and

seen by the dim hght of his lamp,

fifty feet

below,

standing near the wall on the inside of the dome.

The dome
fluted
feet high. feet

is

of sohd rock, with sides apparently

and polished, and perhaps two hundred

Immediately in front and about thirty
\Aindov,',

a huge rock seems suspended from above and arranged in folds like a
curtain.

from the

Here

w^e are then, the guide

fifty feet

below

us.

Some

of the party thrusting their

see, their

heads and, in their anxiety to

through the

bodies

window

into the vast

and gloomy

dome

of two hundred feet in height.

The winall

dow
the
to

is

not large enough to afford a view to

at once,

they crowd one on the top of the other

cautious,

more

and those
;

who
still

do not like
holding fast
fear they

be squeezed, stand back

but

to the

garments of their friends

for

might in the ecstasy of their feelings, leap into the

frightful

abyss into which they are looking.

Sud-

denly the guide ignites a Bengal ligliL

vast

The
far

dome

is

radiant with light.

Above, as

as the eye can reach, are seen the shining sides of

the fluted walls

below, the yawning gulf

terrific,

is

ren-

dered the more

by the

pallid light ex-

64
posing to view

MAMMOTH
its

CAVE.
tiie

vast depth,

whole

dis-

playing a scene of sublimity and splendor, such

as

words have not power

to describe.

Return-

ing,

we

ascended the ladder near Louisa's Dome,

on,
it

and continued
right side
Pit.

having the Labyrinth on our

terminates in the Bottomless

until

This

pit terminates also the

range of the

Deserted Chambers, and was considered the Ul-

tima Thule of

all

explorers, until within the last

few

years,

when Mr. Stephenson

of Georgetown,

Ky. and the

intrepid guide, Stephen, conceived

the idea of reaching the opposite side

by throwThis

ing a ladder across the frightful chasm.

they accomplished, and on this ladder, extending across a chasm of twenty

feet

wide and

near two hundred deep, did these daring explorers cross to the opposite side,

and thus open the

way
the

to

all

those splendid discoveries, which

have added so

much

to the value

and renown of
is

Mammoth

Cave.

The

Bottomless Pit

somewhat

in the shape of a horse-shoe, having

a tongue of land twenty seven feet long, running

out into the middle of
it.

From

the end of this

point of land, a substantial

bridge

has been
side.

thrown across

to the cave

on the opposite

MAMMOTH
While standing on

CAVE.

65
guide
lets
;

the bridge, the

down
and
is

a lighted paper into the deep abyss

it

descends twisting and turning, lower and lower,

soon

lost in total

darkness, leaving us to

conjecture, as to

what may be below.

Crossing
ourselves

the bridge to the opposite cave,

in

we find

the midst of rocks of the most gigantic size

lying along the edge of the pit and

on our

left

hand.

Above the pit

its

is

dome

of great size, but

which, from

position, few^

have seen.

Pro-

ceeding along a narrow passage for some distance,

we

arrived

at the

point

from which diverge

the Winding Way and Pentwo noted routes Here we called a short halt then sico Avenue. wishing our newly formed acquintances a safe
;

voyage over the

they taking the

"

deep

waters, "
to the

we

parted

left

hand

Winding

Way

and the
Avenue.

rivers,

and

we

the right to

Pensico

CHAPTER
Pensico Avenue

VII.

Great CrossingsPine Apple Bush Angelica's Grotto Winding Way Fat Friend in Trouble Relief Hall Bacon Chamber Bandit's Hall.
Pensico Avenue averages about
said to be
fifty feet
;

in

width, with a height of about thirty feet

is

and
an

two miles
is

long.

It

unites in

eminent degree the truly beautiful with the

sublime,
its

and

highly

interesting

throughout

entire extent.

For a quarter of a mile from

is

the entrance, the roof

beautifully arched, about

twelve feet high and sixty wide, and formerly

was encrusted with rosettes and other formations, nearly all of which have been taken away or demolished, leaving this section of the Cave
quite denuded.

The walking
Way,

here

is

excellent

a dozen persons might run abreast

of a mile to Bunyan's

for

a quarter

a branch of the

avenue, leading on to the

the avenue

river.

At

this point

changes

its

features of beauty

and

MAMMOTH
regularity, for those of
limity,

CAVE.

67

wild grandeur and sub-

which

it

preserves to the end.

level, is

The way,

no longer smooth and

tumbled around, in

fi'equently inter-

rupted and turned aside by huge rocks, which

lie all

imaginable disorder.

The roof now becomes very lofty and

magnificent
;

imposingly
arches,

its

long, pointed or lancet

forcibly reminding
ceilings

you of the

rich

and gorgeous

of the old Gothic Cathedrals, at the

same time solemnly impressing you with the

conviction that this
is

a "building not

made with
the

hands."

No

one, not

dead

to

ail

more

refined sensibilities of our nature, but

must ex-

claim, in beholding the sublime scenes

which

here present themselves, this

is

not the

work of

man
ed

No one
all

can be herb without being remindpervading presence of the great

of the

''Father of

all."
pervades, adjusts and agitates the whole! "

"What, but God,

which the avenue assumes the rugged features, which now char-

Not

far

from the point

at

acterize

it,

we

separated

from our guide, he

continuing his straight-forward course, and

we

descending gradually a few

feet

and entering a

68

MAMMOTH

CAVE.
left,

tunnel of fifteen feet wide on our

the ceiling

twelve or fourteen feet high, perfectly arched

and

beautifully covered with white incrustations,

Here jumped down some six or eight feet from the avenue which we had left, into the tunnel where we were standing, and crossing it, climbed up into the avenue, which he pursued
very soon reached the Great Crossings.
the guide
for a short distance or

until

it

united with the

tunnel,

where he again joined us. In separating from, then crossing, and again uniting with the
avenue,
figure
it

describes with

it

something like the

is

8.

The name,
It

Great Crossings,
given,

not
our

unapt.

was however, not

as

intelligent

guide veritably assured us, in honor

of the Great Crossings

killed

where the man

lives

who

Tecumseh, but because two great caves cross here; and moreover said he, "the valiant Colonel ought to change the name of his place,
as

no two places in a State should bear the

gi'eat place

to

same name, and this being the have the preference."

ought

Not very
hill

far

from

this point,

we

ascended a

on our

left,

and walking a short distance

over our shoe-tops in dry nitrous earth, in a

MAMMOTH
direction

CAVE.

69

somewhat

at

a right angle with the

at the

avenue below,

we

arrived

Pine Apple

Bush, a large column, composed of a white,

soft,

crumbling material, with bifurcations ex-

tending from the floor to the ceiling.

distance, either to the right or
left,

At a short you have

crumbling
I

a fine view of the avenue some twenty feet below, both up and down.
stalactite is called the

Why this

Pine Apple Bush,

can-

not divine.

It

stands

however
;

in a charming,

secluded spot, inviting to repose

riated
in

and

we
air,

luxu-

inhaling

the

all-inspiring

while
petre

reclining on the
earth.

clean, soft

and dry
scenery

salt

All
visit

lovers

of

romantic
all

ought

to

this

avenue, and

dyspeptic hypochon-

driacs

and love-sick despondents

is

should

do

likewise, for there

something wonderfully exof

hilarating in

the

air

Pensico.

Our

friend

B, remarked while rolling on the salt petre earth

at the

Pine Apple Bush, that he

from

felt

" especially
air

happy," and whether

sympathy,

or

what

not,

we

all

partook of the same

feeling.

The

guide seeing the position of our

his

fat friend,

and hearing
6

remark, said, laughing

most

"

70
immoderately,

MAMMOTH
"these

CAVE.

sort

of

feelings

would
and see

come over
wait
till

one,

now and
in the

then in the Cave, but

you get

Winding

Way

how you

feel then.

Having descended into the avenue we had left, we passed a number of stalactites and
stalagmites, bearing a remarkable resemblance
to
coral,

and a hundred or more paces beyond,

left,

arrived at a recess on the

lined with imiu-

merable crystals of dog-tooth spar, shining most

brilliantly, called

Angelica's Grotto.

One would
back of the
demolish

think

it

almost sacrilege to deface a spot like

did a

this; yet,

Clergyman

(the

guide being

turned,)

deliberately

number of
itials

beautifid crystals to

inscribe the in-

of his name.

Returning to the head of Pensico Avenue,

we
for

turned to our

right,

and entered the narrow

descending
the

pass

which

leads to the river, pursuing which,

all

a few hundred yards,

while, at one or

stone steps,

two places down a ladder or we came to a path cut through a high and broad embankment of sand, which very
soon conducted us to the
anxiouslv

much

talked of and

looked

for

Windinc;

Way.

The

MAMMOTH
Winding Way,
tion of water.
has, in

CAVE.

71

the opinion of many,

attri-

been channeled in the rock by the gradual

If this

be

so,

and appearances

what early age Was it of the world did the work commence? not when "the earth was without form and
seem
to

support such

belief, at

void," thousands of years perhaps, before the

date of the Mosaic account of the

Creation?
five feet

The Winding Way

long, eighteen

is

one hundred and

inches wide, and from three to

seven feet deep, widening out above, sufficiently

to

admit the free use of one's arms.

It

is

throughout tortuous, a perfect zig-zag, the terror

of the Falstaffs and the ladies of "fat, fair and
forty,"

who have an instinctive

dread of the

trials

to

come, and are well aware of the merriment that

their efforts to force their

this

a passage will excite among

less

companions of

length of girdle.
file,

Into

winding way,
that,

we

entered in Indian
left,

and

turning our right side, then our

twisting this

way, then
sage,

had nearly made good the pas-

when

our fat friend,

who was
I

puffing

and blowing behind us like a high pressure engine,

cried out,
tight as a

"Halt,

ahead there!
in a log "
!

wedge

am stuck as Halt we did, when

72

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

the guide, looking at our friend,

"wedg'd

in

the rocky

cried out, "I told

who was in truth way and sticking fast," you, when you said at the
felt especially

Pine Apple Bush, that you

to wait
till

hajipy,

you got to the Winding Way, to see how you would feel then!" The imprisoned
gentleman soon burst his bonds, not, however,
without damage to his indispensables
length forcing his
out,
;

and

at

way

into Relief Hall, he cried

in

the joy of his heart, while stretching

himself and wiping the perspiration from his

jolly,

rubicund

face,

"never was a

appropriate given to any place

Rehef.

name more
I feel

already the eximnswe faculty of the atmosphere,

I

can

now

breathe again."

Relief Hall,
ing

which you

enter h'om the

Windlofty

Way,

at a right-angle, is very
;

wide and

but not long

its

turning to the right,

we

reached

termination at River Hall, a distance of per-

haps, one hundred yards

sent themselves
;

Here two
left

routes pre-

the one to the

conducts to

the

Dead Sea and the Rivers, and that to the right, to the Bacon Chamber, the Bandit's Hall,

the

Mammoth Home and

an

infinity

of other

caves, domes, etc.

We will

speak of the Bacon

MAMMOTH
Chamber
lunch.
;

CAVE.
so, let

73
us take our

but before doing

The

air or exercise, or probably both,

acted as powerful appetizers, and

we

soon gave

proof that

we needed
excellent
is

not Stoughton's bitters to

provoke an appetite.
glasses of

Having discussed a few Hock, we left the Bacon

a pretty
fair

Chamber, which

representation

of a low ceiHng, thickly

hams and shoulders

thirty feet, rendered

hung with canvassed and proceeded to the

difficult,

Bandit's Hall, up a steep ascent of twenty or

very

by the huge

rocks which obstructed the

we were forced to
ative of the spot.

clamber.
It is

way and over w hicli The name is indic-

a vast and lofty chamber,

the floor covered with a mountainous heap of

rocks
ceiling,

rising

amphitheatrically

almost

to

the

and so disposed

as to ftirnish at different

elevations, galleries or platforms, reaching im-

mediately around the chamber

off into
is

itself

or leading

some of its hidden

recesses.

The

guide

presently seen standing at a

fearftil

height

above, and suddenly a Bengal

light,

blazes up,
cliffs

"when

the

rugged

roof,

the

ft'owning

and the whole chaos of rocks are

brilUant glare."

reftilgent in the
is

The

sublimity of the scene

beyond the powers of the imagination.

6*

CHAPTER
Mammoth Dome Firpt
Rcluni.
Discoverers

VIII.
Dome Tale
of a

Little

Lamp

From
of

the Bandit's Hall, diverge

left,

two caves
jmi' ex-

one of which, the

leads

you

to a multitude

domes

and the
the

right, to

one which,

cellence, is called

Mammoth Dome.

the

right,

we

arrived, after

nearly a mile, to a platform,

Taking a rugged walk of which commands

an indistinct view of

dome of domes. It was discovered by a German gentleman and the guide Stephen about two years ago, but was not explored until some months after, when it w^as
this

visited

by a party of four or

five,

accompanied
dow^n

by two guides, and well prepared with ropes, &c.

From

the platform, the guides were

feet,

let

about twenty

by means of a

rope,

and upon

reaching the ground below% they found themselves

on the side of a

hill,

which, descending

MAMMOTH
about
the
fifty feet,

CAVE.

75

brought them imuiediately under

Great Dome, from the summit of which,

is

there

a water-fall.
feet high,

This dome
is

is

near four

hundred

and

justly considered

one

of the most sublime and wonderful spectacles of

this

most wonderful of caverns.

From

the bot-

tom of the dome they ascended the hill to the place to which they had been lowered from the
platform,
hill, its

and continuing thence up a very steep

feet,

more than one hundred

they reached

summit.

Arrived at the summit, a scene of

is

awful grandeur and magnificence

the view.

presented to

Looking down the

left,

declivity,

you see

far below^ to the

left

the visiters

wiiom you have

behind, standing on the platform or termina-

tion of the avenue along

which they had come

and lower down

still,

the bottom of the Great

Dome
feet, is

itself.

Above, t^^o hundred and eighty

the ceiling, lost in the obscurity of space

and distance.
determined
l)y

The

height of the ceihng

civil engineer.

was
This
and

E. F. Lee,

fact in regard to the elevation of the ceiling

the locality of the Great Hall,

ascertained,
(a

was subsequently
hill,

by finding on the summit of the spot never before trodden by man,) an

iron

76

MAMMOTH
! !

CAVE.

lamp

The

astonishment of the guides, as

well as of the whole party, on beholding the

lamp, can be easily imagined

and
its

to this

day

they would have been ignorant of

for the accidental

history, but

circumstance of an old

man

being at the Cave Hotel, who, thirty years ago,

was engaged

as a

miner in the saltpetre estab-

lishment of Wilkins

&

Gratz.

He, on being
it

shown

the lamp, said at once, that

pit

had been

found under the crevice

(a fact that sur-

prised all,); that during the time Wilkins

&

Gratz were engaged in the manufacture of

petre, a

salt-

Mr. Gatewood informed Wilkins, that

in

all

probability, the richest nitre earth

pit.

was ungot a

der the crevice

The

depth of this pit being

it,

then unknown, Wilkins, to ascertain

rope of 45 feet long, and fastening this identical

lamp

to the

end of

it,

lowered

it

into the pit, in

fire,

the doing of which, the string caught on

and down
of

fell

the lamp.

AVilkins

made an

offer

two dollars to any one of the miners who would descend the pit and bring up the lamp. His offer was accepted by a man, who, in consequence of his diminutive
stature,

was nick-

named

Little

Dave

and the rope being made

MAMMOTH
fast

CAVE.

77

about his waist, he, torch in hand, was lowfull

ered to the
ing then

extent of the forty-five

up, the poor fellow

feet.

Be-

drawn

was found
fright,

to be so excessively alarmed, that

ly articulate; but

he could scarce-

having recovered from his

full

and again with the

declared that no

power of

utterance,

he

money could tempt him

;

to try

again for the lamp

and in excuse

for

such a

determination, he related the most marvellous

what he had seen far exceeding the wonderful things which the unexampled Don Quixote de la Mancha declared he had seen in the deep cave of Montesinos. Dave was, in fact, suspended at the height of two hundred and forty feet above the level below. Such is the history of the lamp, as told by the old miner, Holton, the correctness of which was very soon
story of
verified
;

for guides

having been sent to

the

place where the lamp

at the

was found, and persons same time stationed at the mouth of the crevice pit, their proximity was at once made manifest by the very audible sound of each other's voices, and by the fact that sticks thrown
into the pit
fell

at the feet of the guides

below,

and were brought out by them.

The

distance

78

MAMMOTH

CAVE.
this pit, falls short

from the mouth of the Cave to

of half a mile
;

yet to reach the grand apartment

it,

immediately under

requires a circuit to be

made

of at least three miles.

of that portion of the Great

The illumination Dome on the left,

hill to

and of the

hall

on the top of the

the right,

as seen from the platform,

was unquestionably

one of the most impressive spectacles

witnessed
;

we had
and

but to be seen to advantage, another

position ought to be taken

by the
with

spectator,

the

dome with

its

towering height, and the hall

hill,

on the summit of the

high, illuminated

its

gigantic stafeet

lagmite columns, and ceiling

two hundred

by the simultaneous ignition of

a number of Bengal hghts, judiciously arranged.

Such was the

Great

enthusiastic admiration of

some

foreigners on witnessing an illumination of the

Dome and Hall, that they declared, it alone

for

would compensate
iVtlantic.

a voyage

across

the

With Great Dome, we

the partial illumination of the

closed our explorations on this

side of the rivers,

and retracing our

at the

steps,

reached

the hotel about sun-set.

At mid-night, the party

entrance of Pen-

which separated from us

sico

Avenue, returned h'om the points beyond

the

Echo

river.

CHAPTER
Third Visit River Hall Dead

IX.

Purgatorj-- Eyeless
Outlet

Sea River Styx LetheEcho River Fish Supposed Boil of the Rivers Sources and

Unknown.

Early the next morning, having made

all

the

necessary preparations for the grand tour, which

we were

the

more anxious

to take

from the glow-

ing accounts of the party recently returned,

we
It

entered the cave immediately after an early breakfast,

and proceeded rapidly on

to

River Hall.

was evident from the appearance of the here, that it had been recently overflown.
"
fair

flood

The

cave, or the

River Hall,"

remarks a

and distinguished authoress, whose descripis

tion of the river scenery

so graphic, that I
it

cannot do better than transcribe

"

throughout:

The

River Hall descends like the slope of a

;

mountain the ceihng stretches away

fore you, vast

away bemid-

and grand
on,

as the firmament at

night."

Going

and gradually ascending and


80

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

keeping close to the right hand wall, you observe

on your
can look

left "

a steep precipice, over which you

down by the aid of blazing missiles, upon

feet

a broad black sheet of water, eighty

called the

below,

Dead
;

Sea.

This

is

an awfully im-

pressive place

the sights and sounds of which,

do not easily pass from memory.

seen
it,

He who
'

has

will

have

it

vividly brought before him,

by

Alfieri's description

of Filippo,

only a tran-

sient

word

or act gives us a short

and dubious

glimmer, that reveals to us the abysses of his being

dark, lurid

and

terrific, as

the throat of the

infernal pool.'

Descending from the eminence,

feet,

by a ladder of about twenty

selves

we

find our"

among
file

piles of gigantic rocks,

and one
is

of the most picturesque sights in the world,

to see a

of

men and women

passing along

those wild and scraggy paths, moving slowly

slowly, that their lamps

may have
cliffs

time to

illu-

minate their sky-like ceiling and gigantic walls

disappearing behind high
vines

sinking

into rafis-

their lights shining

upwards through

sures in the rocks

then suddenly emerging from

gleam

some abrupt

angle, standing in the bright

of their lamps, relieved by the towering black

MAMMOTH
masses around them.

CAVE.

81
could paint the

He,

who

infinite variety of creation,

can alone give an

adequate idea of this marvellous region.

As you
Styx
mind,

pass along, you hear the roar of invisible waterfalls

;

and

at the foot of the slope, the river

hes before you, deep and black, overarched with

rock.

The

first

glimpse of

it

brings to

the descent of Ulysses into

hell,

"

W^here

tlie

dark rock o'erhaugs the infernal lake,

And

mingling streams eternal murmurs make."

Across (or rather down) these unearthly waters,

the guide can convey but four passengers at once.

The lamps
If

are fastened to the

prow

the im-

ages of which, are reflected in the dismal pool.

you

are impatient of delay, or eager for new-

adventures,

gering about

you can leave your companions linthe shore, and cross the Styx

by a dangerous bridge of precipices overhead. In order to do this, you must ascend a steep chff, and enter a cave above, 300 yards
egress of which,
long,

from an

you

find yourself
its

on the bank
surface,

of the

river,

eighty feet above

com-

manding a view of those in the boat, and those Si'on from this height, waiting on the shore.


82

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

the lamps in the canoe glare hke fiery eye-balls;

and the passengers, sitting there so hushed and The scene is so motionless, look hke shadows.
strangely funereal and spectral, that
if
it

seems as
it,

the

Greeks must have witnessed

Pluto.

before

they imagined Charon conveying ghosts to the

dim regions of

Your companions thus

seen, do indeed
"

Skim along

the

Thin

airj- souls,

dusky glades, and visionary shades.''

you turn your eyes from the canoe to the parties of men and women whom you left waiting on the shore, you will see them by the gleam of
If
their lamps, scattered in picturesque groups, loom-

ing out in bold relief from the dense darkness

around them."
the rivers,)

Having passed the Styx, (much the smallest of you walk over a pile of large rocks, and are on the banks of Lethe and looking back:, you
;

will see a line of

men and women descending the

high

hill

from the cave, which runs over the river

Styx. Here are two boats, and the parties, which have come by the two routes, down the

Styx or

o\^er

it,

uniting, descend the

Lethe about

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

83

a quarter of a mile, the ceiling for the entire distance being very high
fifty

certainly not less than

you enter a level and Great Walk, which stretches to the banks of the Echo, a distance of three or four hundred yards. The Echo is truly a river: it is wide and deep enough, at all
feet.

On

landing,

lofty hall, called the

times, to float the largest steamer.

At

the point

of embarkation, the arch

is

very low, not more

than three
being

feet,

in an ordinary stage of water,

left for

a boat to pass through.

Passenlie

gers, of course, are obliged to

double up, and

fortable

upon each others shoulders, in a most uncomway, but their suffering is of short dura;

tion

in

two boat

lengths, they
is

emerge

to

where

the vault of the cave

lofty

and wide.

The

boat in which
large to

we embarked was
was one of

sufficiently

carry twelve persons, and our voyage

deep, indeed of most

down

the river

intense interest.

The

novelty, the grandeur, the

magnificence of every thing around elicited un-

bounded admiration and wonder.

lost in the

All sense of

danger, (had any been experienced before,)

was

solemn, quiet sublimity of the scene.

84

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

The

rippling of the water caused by the motion

is

of our boat

heard afar

off,

beating under the

low arches and in the

report of a pistol
lery,
is

cavities of the rocks.

The

as that of the heaviest artil-

and long and

afar does the

echo resound,

like

the muttering of

distant thunder.

The

voice of song
ter,

was

raised

on

this dark,

deep wa-

and the sound was as that of the most powA fidl band of music on this river erful choir.
of echoes would indeed be overpowering. aquatic excursion

The

was more
seen,

to

our taste than

any thing
pression
ries.
it

we had

and never can the im-

made be
is

obliterated from our

memo-

The Echo
rise

three quarters of a mile long.

of the water of merely a few feet connects

After long and

the three rivers.

heavy

rains,

these rivers sometimes rise to a perpendicular

height of more than

fifty feet

and then they, as

terrific

well as the cataracts, exhibit a most

ap-

pearance.

The low

arch at the entrance of the

is

Echo, can not be passed when there

of water of even two
ties
feet.

a rise

Once

or twice par-

have been caught on the further side by a

MAMMOTH
sudden
rise,

CAVE.

bo

and

for a

time their alarm was great,

not knowing that there

was an upper cave

Great Walk.

through which they could pass, that would lead

them around the arch

is,

to the
is

This

upper cave, or passage,

called Purgatory, and

for a distance of forty feet, so low, that peror,

sons have to crawl on their faces,

as the
to learn

guides say, snake

that this passage

it.

We

were pleased

larged to enable persons to

would soon be sufficiently enwalk through erect.

to Cleveland's

This accomphshed, an excursion

at the

Avenue may be made almost entirely by land, same time that all apprehensions of being

caught beyond

Echo

will be removed.

It is in

these rivers, that the extraordinary white eyeless fish are

caught

we

secured two of them.

There

is

not the slightest indication of an organ

similar to an eye, to be discovered.

been dissected by

skillful

They have anatomists, who de-

clare that they are not only Avithout eyes, but

also develope other anomalies in their organization, singularly interesting to the naturalist.

"The
to dis-

rivers of
till

Mammoth Cave were

Great
efforts

never crossed

1840.

have been made

cover whence they come and whither they go, 7*

86
yet they
still

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

remain as much a mystery as ever

or end
;

without beginning
'

like eternity."

Darkly ihou glidest onward,

Thou deep and hidden wave

Tlie laughing sunshine hath not look'd

Into thy secret cave.

Thy

current

makes no music
;

A hollow sound we hear

A
Arid

muffled voice of mystery,

know

that thou art near.

No
No

brighter line of verdure

Follows thy lonely

Is freshened

way
play."

fairy moss, or lily's cup,

by thy

According

to

the barometrical

measurement

of Professor Locke, the rivers of the

Cave

are

nearly on a level with Green River

port of Mr. Lee, civil engineer,
is

but the re-

Avidely differ-

He says, " The bottom of the Little Bat ent. Room Pit is one hundred and twenty feet helow the bed of Green River.
Pit
is

The

Bottomless

also deeper than the

bed of Green River,

can be relied on,
the

and so

far as a surveyor's level

the same

some

others."

may be said of The rivers

Cavern Pit and

of the

Cave were unvisit

known

at the

time of Mr. Lee's

in

1835,

but they are unquestionably lower than the bot-

MAMMOTH
torn of the pits,

CAVE.

87

and receive the water which

According to the statement
is

flows from tliem.

of Lee, the bed of these rivers

the bed of Green River at
its

lower than

junction with the

Ohio, taking for granted that the report of the

State engineers as to the extent of
fall

between

a point above the Cave and the Ohio, be correct,

of which there
is

no doubt.

"It becomes, then,"

continues Mr. Lee, in reference to the waters of

the Cave,
"

an object of interesting inquiry to

determine in what

way

it is

disposed of

If

it

empties into Green River, the Ohio, or the ocean,

it

must run a great distance under ground, with

a very small descent."

CHAPTER
Pass of El

X.

Ghor Silliman's Avenue Wellington's Gallery Sulphur Mary's Vineyai-d Holy Sepulchre Commencement of Cleveland Avenue By whom Discovered Beautiful Formations Snow-ball Room Rocky Mountains Croghan's Hall Serena's Arbor Dining Table Dinner Party and Toast Hoax of the Guide Homeward Bound Passage Conclusion.
Spring

Having now

left

the Echo,

we
;

have a walk

of four miles to Cleveland's Avenue.

The
but
it

inter-

vening points are of great interest

would

occupy too much time

will therefore hurry

to describe them.

We
up

on through the pass of El

Ghor, Silliman's Avenue, and Wellington's Gallery, to

the foot of the ladder

which

leads

to the

Elysium of

Mammoth
may

cave.

And
coming
is

here,

for the benefit of the

all

weary and
interest,

thirsty,

and of
after

others

whom

it

us,

be

it

known,

that Carneal's Spring

close

at hand,

and equally near, a sulphur

spring, the

water of which, equals in quality and quantity

that of the far-famed

White Sulphur

Spring, of

MAMMOTH
Virginia.

CAVE.

89

At the head of the ladder, you find yourself surrounded by overhanging stalactites,
in the form of rich
flint,

"

clusters of grapes,

hard as

and round and polished, This

is

as if

done by a

sculptor's hand.

yard

called Mary's Vine-

the

nue, the

commencement of crowning wonder and

Proceeding

Cleveland's Aveglory of this subto the right about,

terranean world.

a hundred feet from this spot, over a rough and

rather difficult way,

you reach ^ the base of the

is is

height or
chre.

hill,

on which, stands the Holy Sepulreached at some

very steep, and

This interesting spot

hazard, as the ascent,

which

more than twenty feet high, affords no secure footing, owing to the loose and shingly character

of the surface, until the height

this,

is

gained.
at

Having achieved

you stand immediately

This Chapel, which

the beautiful door-way of the Chapel, or ante-

room

of the Sepulchre.

is,

perhaps, twelve feet square, with a

low

ceiling,

and decorated
well-arranged

in the

most gorgeous manner, with

of every
leads

draperies of stalactite

imaginable
the

shape,

you

to the

room of
without
exhibiting

Holy Sepulchre

adjoining,

which
;

is

ornament or decoration of any kind

90

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

nothing but dark and bare walls

house.

like a charnel

In the centre of this room, which stands

is,

a few feet below the Chapel, a grave,

the

to all appearance,

hewn
it

out of the living rock.

This

is

Holy Sepulchre.

A Roman Catholic
"

priest

discovered

about three years ago, and with

fervent enthusiasm exclaimed,

The Holy

Sepul-

Rename which it has since borne. turning from the Holy Sepulchre, we commence an our wanderings through Cleveland's Avenue
chre
!"

avenue three miles long, seventy

twelve or fifteen feet high

feet wide,

and
rich

an avenue more
to

and gorgeous than any ever revealed

man

an avenue abounding in formations such as are

no where
of

else to

be seen, and which the most

stupid observer could not behold without feelings

wonder and admiration.

Some

of the forma-

tions in the avenue,

have been denominated by

Professor Locke, oulophiUtes, or curled leafed

stone
"
;

and in remarking upon them, he

are unlike

says,

They

any thing yet discovered

equally beautiful for the cabinet of the amateur,

and

interesting to the geological philosopher."

I,

And

although a w^anderer myself in various

climes,

and somewhat of a mineralogist withal,

iMAMMOTH CAVE. have never seen or heard of such.

91

Apprehen-

sive that I might, in attempting to describe

much
cler-

that I have seen, color too highly, I will, in lieu

thereof, offer the

remarks of an intelhgent

gyman, extracted from the

Observer, of a recent date
:

New York
"

Christian

The most

imagi-

native poet never conceived or painted a palace

of such exquisite beauty and loveliness, as Cleveland's Cabinet, into

which you now

pass.

Were

the wealth of princes bestowed on the most

skilful lapidaries,

with the view of rivaling the

the attempt
to
it
;

splendors of this single chamber,

would be vain. How then can I hope you a conception of it ? You must see

give
-and

you

will

then

feel that all

attempt at description,

is futile.

The

Cabinet was discovered by Mr.

Patten, of Louisville, and Mr. Craig, of Philadelphia,

accompanied by the guide Stephen, and

extends in nearly a direct line about one and a

half miles, (the guides say
perfect arch, of
fifty feet

two

miles.)

It

is

span, and of an average

height

of ten
to be

feet

in

the

centre-

just

high

enough
It is

viewed with ease

in all its parts.

incrusted from end to end with the most

beautiful formations, in

every variety of form.

92

MAMMOTH
base of the whole,
ill

CAVE.

The

is

carbonate (sulphate)
per-

of Hme,

part of

dazzHng whiteness, and

fectly smooth,

and in other places crystallized so

as to glitter like diamonds in the light.

Growis

ing from

this,

in endlessly diversified forms,

substance resembling selenite,

imperfectly laminated.
It is

translucent and
sulsul-

most probably

phate of lime, (a gypsum,) combined with

phate of magnesia.

Some
;

of the crystals bear

a striking resemblance to branches of celery, and

all

about the same length

while others, a foot

or

more

in length,

have the color and appear;

ance of vanilla cream candy

others are set in

;

sulphate of lime, in the form of a rose

ers
still roll

and oth-

out from the base, in forms resemcapitol of a Corin-

bhng the ornaments on the

thian column.
analogies.)
sive

(You see how I am driven for Some of the incrustations are mas;

and splendid

others are as delicate as the

shell or

Hly, or as

fancy-work of

wax.

Think

of traversing an arched

way

like this for a mile

and a
youth

"Arabian
;

half,

and

all

the wonders of the tales of

all

Nights," and

seem

tame,

compared with the living, growing reahty. Yes, growing reality for the process is going on be-

"

MAMMOTH
fore

CAVE.

93

your eyes.

Successive coats of these in-

crustations,

have been perfected and crowded

;

off

by others
at

so that hundreds of tons of these

feet,

gems he
pass,

your

and are crushed

as

you

while the work of restoring the ornaments

is

for nature's hoitdoir,

proceeding around you.

Here and

there,

through the whole extent, you

the sides, into

will find openings in

which you
in

may
little

thrust the person,

and often stand erect

grottoes, perfectly incrusted

w itli

a delicate

white substance, reflecting the

sand glittering points.
O, Lord,

liglrt

from a thou-

All the
"

way you might

!

have heard us exclaiming,

ful!

Wonderful, wonder-

how

manifold are thy works

With
there

general unity of form and appearance,

is

considerable variety in

"

the Cabinet."
is

The
in

"

Sfiow-ball

Roovi"

for

example,

a secfeet

tion of the cave described above,

length, entirely different
;

some 200

from the adjacent

parts
its

its

appearance being aptly indicated by

If a

name.

hundred rude school boys had

but an hour before completed their day's sport,

by throwing a thousand snow-balls against the

roof,

while an equal number were

floor,

scattered

about the

and

all petrified,

it

would have

94

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

presented precisely such a scene as you witness

in this

room of nature's
"

froHcs.

So

far as I

know,

these
ail

snow-bails are a perfect anomaly

among
the

the strange forms of crystalization.

It is

result, I

presume, of an unusual combination of

the sulphates of lime and magnesia, with a car-

bonate of the former.

We

found here- and

else-

where

in the Cabinet, fine

specimens of the
salts,)

sul-

phate of Magnesia, (or

Epsom

a foot or

two

long,

and three inches

the
"

in thickness.

Leaving the quiet and beautiful "Cabinet," you

come suddenly upon

most
side
to startle you.

Rocky Mountains,"
al-

furnishing a contrast so bold and striking, as

Clambering up the rough

some

thirty feet,

you pass

close under the

roof of the cavern you have

left,

and

find before
feet or

you an immense

transvei-se

cave,

100

more from the

pile

ceiling to the floor,

filling

with a huge

of rocks half

the hither side

they
hand

were probably dashed from the roof

earthquake of
1811.
branch, you are soon brought to
Hall,"
is

in the great
left

Taking the

" Croglian's

which
Hall"

is

nine miles from the mouth, and

in that in

the farthest point explored

"
is

direction.

The

50 or 60

feet

diameter, and>

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

96

perhaps, thirty-five feet high, of a semi-circular

form.

Fronting you as you enter, are massive

attached to

stalactites, ten or fifteen feet in length,

the rock, like sheets of

ice,

and of a
floor,

brilliant color.

The

rock projects near the

and then

re-

cedes with a regular and graceful curve, or swell,

leaving a cavity of several feet in width between
it

and the

floor.

At

intervals,

around

this swell,

stalactites of various

forms are suspended, and

stalactites
first

behind the sheet of

described,
1

are numerous stalagmites, in fanciful forms,

brought
of the

one

away

that resembles

the

horns
In the

deer, being nearly translucent.

centre of this hall, a very large stalactite hangs

from the roof; and a corresponding stalagmite

rises

from the

floor,

about three feet in height

of an

and a
fectly

foot in diameter,

amber
deep

color,

per-

smooth and

translucent, like the other foris

mations.

On

the right,

pit,

down
that

which the water dashes from a cascade

pours from the roof
likely be
if

Other avenues could most

pit,

found by sounding the sides of the

to

any one had the courage

attempt the de-

scent. We are far enough from tei'va supra, and our dinner which we had left at the " Vine-

96
yard."
tains,

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

We

hastened back to the

Rocky Moun-

and took the branch which

we

left at

our

right

on emerging from the Cabinet

.Pursuing

the uneven path for

" Serena's Arbor,"

some distance, we reached which was discovered but

by our guide
"

three

months

since,

Mat."

The

descent to the Arbor seemed so perilous, from

the position of the loose rocks around, that several

of the party

would not

venture.

Those of
is

us

who

scrambled

down

regarded this as the

crowning object of

interest.

The "Arbor"
;

not more than twelve feet in diameter, and of

about the same height, of a circular form

is,

but

of

itself,

floor,

sides,

roofj

and ornaments,
Folds or blades

one

perfect, seamless stalactite, of a beautiful hue,

and

exquisite

workmanship.

of stalactitic matter hang like drapery around the sides, reaching half

way
if it

to

the floor

and

opposite the door, a canopy of stone projects,

elegantly ornamented, as

were the

resting-

place of a fairy bride.

Every thing seemed

for

fresh

and new

indeed, the invisible architect has not

;

quite finished this master-piece

you can see

the pure water, trickling

down

its

tiny channels

and perfecting the delicate points of some of the

MAMMOTH
Stalactites.

CAVE.
all

97

Victoria,

with

her splendor, has

not

ill

Windsor
" is

Castle,

so beautiful an apart-

ment as Such
as given

Serena's Arbor."
the description of Cleveland's Avenue,
this

by

clerical

gentleman.
all

It is

per-

fectly graphic,

and corresponds with

the glow-

ing accounts I have read of this famous place.

Exquisitely beautiful and rare as are the formations in this avenue,

it

the Grotto of Pensico

shorn

will

soon

be, I fear,

like

of

its

beauties.

Many

little

Miss, to decorate her centre table

or boudoir, and

many

a thoughtless
fair,

dandy

to

present a specimen to his lady

have broken

from the walls (regardless of the pubhshed rules

prohibiting
it,)

those lovely productions of the

;

Almighty, which required ages to perfect

destroying in a

thus

moment

the

work

of centuries.

These

beautiful

and gorgeous formations were

hands of our
to

encrusted on the walls by the

Maker, and

who

so impious

as

desecrate

them
they

to

tear

are, all lovely

them from their place? there and beautiful, and there they
and wonder of
ca^e
all

ought to remain, untouched by the hands of man,

for the admiration
ff the

future ages.

comparatively small

of Adelburg

98

MAMMOTH
to

CAVE.
of Austria, be
its

which belongs
placed
for

the

Emperor

the

preservation of

formations
is

under the protecting care of the goverment (as

the case,)

what ought not

to

be done

to preserve

the mineralogical treasures, in this great

Cave

of America, and especially in Cleveland's Cabinet,

which

are

worth more than

all

the caves in

Europe, indeed of the world, so

ledge of caverns extends.

far as

our know-

Returning from Serena's Arbor,

we

passed

on our

left

the

mouth of an avenue
is

rftore
its

than
ter-

three miles long, lofty and wide, and at

mination there
the guide
It is
is

hail,

which

in the opinion of
in the

larger than

any other

Cave.

as yet

without a name.

Equidistant from

the

commencement and the termination of CleveAvenue,

table. "
is

land's
flat

a huge rock, nearly circular,

feet high.

on the top and three

J\Iore

This
on

is

the

" dining

than one hundred persons

;

could be seated around this table

it

the

guide arranged our dinner, and

"flesh

we

luxuriated on

and fowl" and

"

choice old sherry."

did a set of fellows enjoy dinner

did ours.

Never more than we

at

Our

friend B.

was

perfectly

his

MAMiMOTH CAVE.
ease and
spirits,

99

happy

and, in the exuberance of his

proposed the following toast:

if

"Prosperity to the subterranean teiTitory of Cimmeria; large enough,

not populous enough, for admission into the
State."

Union as an independent

We
tion

emptied our glasses and gave nine hearty

cheers in honor of the sentiment.

A
it

proposiin

was made

to

adjourn, but B.

was not
soon

clined to locomotion,

and opposed
it

with great
to

warmth,
rest

insisting

that

was

too

move after such a dinner, and that a state of was absolutely essential to healthy digestion. We had much argument on the motion to ad;

journ

when

our sagacious guide Stephen, with

a meaning look interposed, saying

"we had

as

well be going, for the river might take a rise and

shut us up here."

"

What

"

exclaimed B. in utter

consternation, and with a

start, literally

bouncing
In a

from his

seat, cried

aloud "Let's be off!" at the

same time
second
beautiful

suiting the action to the word.

all

we were

in motion,

and hurrying past

galleries

incrustations,

throuQjh
hill

long

and

tortuous,

down one

and up another,
all

(poor B. puffing and blowing, and

the while

exclaiming against the ten-ible length and rug-

100

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

gedness of the way,)

we

at last

reached the Echo,

which we found
It

to our great rehef

had not

risen.

seems, the guide had used this stratagem for our

own
it

advantage, to break off our banquet, lest

far

trenched too

upon the
our

night.

We

were

too

happy

in having our fears

relieved, to fall

out with him.

On

sage over the rivers,

increased
stillness
!

homeward bound pasour admiration was rather

than

diminished.
!

The

death-like

the awful silence

the wild grandeur

and sublimity of the scene, tranquilizing the

feeling

and disposing
;

to

pensive musings and

quiet contemplation
fired

a tremendous

on a sudden a
report ensues

pistol is

its

echoes

are heard reverberating from wall to wall, in

caves far away, like the low murmuring sound

of distant thunder
reverie
is

the of broken we become roused

spell

silence

and deep

and

ani-

mated, and the mighty cavern resounds with our song.

similar

We

believe every one will, under

circumstances, experience this sudden

transition from pensive

musings to joyous

hilarity.

Leaving the
outlet to the

rivers,

we

hastened onward to the

upper world.

Far ahead we per-

ceive the

first

dawnings of day, shining with

; =

MAMMOTH

CAVE.

101

a silvery pallid hue on the walls, and increasing

in brightness as

we

advance, until

it

bursts forth

in

all

the golden rays and glorious effulgence of

the setting sun.

This parting scene

is

lovely

and

interesting.

We

bid adieu to the "Great

Monarch

of Caves."

We

here terminate our

ter-

subterranean tour.
race above,

Standing on the grassy

cool,

we
all

inhale the

pure

air,

and

take a last look at the "great

ders!"

Wonder of Won-

To

we would

say "go and see

explore the greatest of the Almighty's subterra-

nean works."
idea of
it is
it

No

description can give

you an

neither can inspection of other caves

"the Monarch of Caves! none that have

all

ever been measured can at

compare with

it,

in extent, in grandeur, in wild, solemn, serene,

unadorned majesty
" It

it
;

stands entirely alone.'

has no brother

it

has no brother."

This book

is

DUE on the last

date stamped below

University of California

SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY

305 De Neve Drive
-

FACILITY

LOS

Parking Lot 17 Box 951388 ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90095-1388

it

Return this material to the library from which

was borrowed.

THE LIBRARY
UNTVERS.. V
C:'
:

"T'ORNIA

LOS ANGL^iu:>

Angeles University Of California, Los

007 408 120 9

F457 M2C8

UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY

AA

001 029 258

';ii:t'i';in:v!;4:v:i::8|S^

Uni