,,hovey',s ,,hand-,,book ,,of ,the ,mammoth ,cave ,,of ,,kentucky ,a ,,practical ,,guide ,,to ,,the ,,regulation ,,routes ,with ,maps and ,illustrations ,,by ,,horace ,,carter ,,hovey1 ,d4,d4 ,f4 ,g4 ,s4 ,a4 ,copyright1 #aiji1 by ,john ,p4 ,morton ,company1 ,incorporated ,louisville1 ,kentucky ,,john ,p4 ,,morton ,,company ,incorporated #aiji ,illustration3 ,,guide ,,map ,,of ,,the ,,mammoth ,,cave ,,kentucky ,drawn by ,horace ,c4 ,hovey #aiji 7,from former surveys1 with recent additions7 ,copyright #aijg #aiji by ,horace ,c4 ,hovey ,,table ,,of ,,approximate ,,distances ,to the ,kentucky ,cliffs about #chj yds4 ,standing ,rocks #fdg ,giant's ,coffin #hge ,star ,chamber #aejj ,ultima ,thule #dbjj ,limitation ,hill #ahdj ,angelica's ,grotto #aieg ,mammoth ,dome #ahgj ,echo ,river 7,a7 #bcbj ,end of ,echo ,river 7est47 #cjjj ,jessup ,domes #dbjj ,mary's ,vineyard #fjjj ,hovey's ,cathedral 7est47 #ibjj ,maelstrom #ifjj ,,note3--,no instrumental survey of the whole cave has ever been made1 and no exact scale can be given4 ,the above are some of the distances as paced along the avenues4 ,domes1 halls and pits are relatively enlarged2 and rivers and pools are blackened4 ,the data for this new ,guide map is from the earlier maps of ,bogert 7#ahad71 ,ward 7#ahaf71 ,lee 7#ahce71 ,bishop 7#ahde71 ,blackall 7#ahag-pub4 #ahii71 ,forwood 7#ahge71 ,hovey 7#ahhg7 and ,call 7#ahig71 and from written and oral information by managers and guides1 modified and greatly added to by the author's own observations during the past twenty-seven years4 ,,note ,no4 #b3--;,in the year #aije ,max ,kaemper1 a ,german ,engineer1 was employed to make a complete survey exclusively for the use of the owners4 ,some of his suggestions are embodied in this map of #aiji1 and others in the separate charts for the several routes4 ,,key ,,to ,,the ,,map #a4 ,the ,iron ,gate #b4 ,hutchins' ,narrows #c4 ,kentucky ,cliffs and the ,corkscrew #d4 ,the ,church #e4 ,booth's ,amphitheatre #f4 ,standing ,rocks #g4 ,grand ,arch #h4 ,giant's ,coffin and ,dante's ,gateway #i4 ,acute ,angle and ,cottages #aj4 ,proctor's ,arcade #aa4 ,wright's ,rotunda #ab4 ,the ,cataracts #ac4 ,fairy ,grotto #ad4 ,st4 ,catherine ,city #ae4 ,symmes' ,pit #af4 ,mummy's ,niche #ag4 ,register ,hall #ah4 ,the ,bridal ,altar #ai4 ,the ,arm ,chair #bj4 ,lover's ,leap #ba4 ,elbow ,crevice #bb4 ,napoleon's ,dome #bc4 ,wilson's ,way #bd4 ,lake ,purity #be4 ,annette ,dome #bf4 ,lee's ,cisterns #bg4 ,wooden ,bowl ,room #bh4 ,the ,lost ,way ,found #bi4 ,way to ,pits and ,domes #cj4 ,side-,saddle ,pit #ca4 ,bottomless ,pit #cb4 ,covered ,pit #cc4 ,scylla #cd4 ,charybdis #ce4 ,putnam's ,cabinet #cf4 ,darnall's ,way #cg4 ,ariadne's ,grotto #ch4 ,short ,cut from ,bottomless ,pit to ,gorin's ,dome #ci4 ,reveller's ,hall #dj4 ,grand ,crossing #da4 ,pineapple ,bush #db4 ,angelica's ,grotto #dc4 ,scotchman's ,trap #dd4 ,fat ,man's ,misery #de4 ,bandit ,hall #df4 ,brigg's ,avenue #dg4 ,charlet's ,dome #dh4 ,wyatt's ,domes #di4 ,balanced ,rock #ej4 ,the ,dead ,sea #ea4 ,charon's ,cascade ,d4 ,janin's ,landing #eb4 ,cascade ,hall #ec4 ,serpent ,hall #ed4 ,valley-,way ,side-,cut #ee4 ,the ,great ,western #ef4 ,vale of ,flowers #eg4 ,the ,jessup ,domes #eh4 ,ole ,bull's ,concert ,hall #ei4 ,fly ,chamber #fj4 ,sheep ,shelter #fa4 ,corinne's ,dome #fb4 ,black ,hole of ,calcutta #fc4 ,parrish's ,path #fd4 ,crypt of ,jewels #fe4 ,washington ,hall #ff4 ,snow ,ball ,room #fg4 ,floral ,cross #fh4 ,orpha's ,garden #fi4 ,wisdom's ,path #gj4 ,paradise #ga4 ,zoe's ,grotto #gb4 ,flora's ,garden #gc4 ,vale of ,diamonds #gd4 ,helen's ,hall #ge4 ,charlotte's ,grotto #gf4 ,serena's ,arbor #gg4 ,dismal ,hollow #gh4 ,clark's ,avenue #gi4 ,harlan's ,avenue #hj4 ,nicholson's ,avenue #ha4 ,boone ,avenue #hb4 ,pinson's ,pass #hc4 ,hawkins' ,way #hd4 ,violet ,city ,illustration3 ,fairy ,grotto ,,preface ,a ,personal ,word4 ,i imbibed an early taste for the sciences from my father1 the late ,professor ,edmund ,otis ,hovey1 ,d4 ,d41 one of the founders of ,wabash ,college1 and a pioneer geologist in ,indiana4 ,my annual vacations1 during a busy professional career spanning over fifty years1 have largely been given to underground explorations4 ,when fifteen years old ,i began cave-hunting amid the charming grottoes near ,madison1 ,indiana4 ,an enthusiastic comrade1 six years my senior1 then proposed that we visit the ,mammoth ,cave4 ,for certain reasons1 while he went on1 ,i got no farther at that time than ,louisville2 where1 however1 ,i bought1 at the bookstore of ,morton and ,griswold1 a copy of 8,rambles in the ,mammoth ,cave1 by a ,visitor40 ,it was just out4 ,it fired my boyish imagination1 and it gave shape to much of my after life4 ,more than four hundred books1 pamphlets1 scientific reports1 and magazine articles have been published by different writers1 besides innumerable newspaper contributions1 about ,kentucky's great cavern4 ,copies of most of these are in the author's library4 ,yet there is a demand1 and there seems to be room1 for such a practical1 condensed1 and up-to-date hand-book as is now offered4 ,it does not claim to tell all that might be told2 and it omits much material that might interest the historian or the scientist4 ,its design is to aid the average visitor as he follows the four regulation routes by which the ,cave is ordinarily exhibited4 ,those who covet more abundant information as to places not often visited1 or concerning the cavern fauna and flora1 or as to details of local history1 or as to ,mammoth ,cave bibliography1 are referred to the larger ,illustrated ,manual of ,mammoth ,cave1 by ,hovey and ,call1 published by ,john ,p4 ,morton and ,company1 and for sale at the ,cave4 ,my still more comprehensive work on 8,celebrated ,american ,caverns10 now out of print1 may be found on the shelves of most public libraries4 ,the revised ,guide ,map 7#aijg and #aiji7 in this volume1 and for sale 7on a larger scale7 at the ,cave hotel1 was made by me from an original partial survey1 earlier charts being consulted1 especially those by ,stephen ,bishop and ,dr4 ,c4 ,r4 ,blackall1 with a few corrections and additions suggested by ,mr4 ,max ,kaemper1 to whom thanks are also due for important facts concerning his discoveries in #aijh4 ,the route-sketches found in this hand-book were redrawn from those made by him4 ,acknowledgments are likewise due to my son1 ,dr4 ,e4 ,o4 ,hovey1 of ,new ,york ,city2 to my former comrade in cave-hunting1 ,dr4 ,r4 ,ellsworth ,call2 to ,benj4 ,f4 ,einbigler1 ,norman ,a4 ,parrish1 and others1 for valuable correspondence and memoranda2 to the late ,mr4 ,ben ,hains and ,mr4 ,h4 ,m4 ,pinson1 photographers2 to ,mr4 ,h4 ,c4 ,ganter for use of copyrighted cuts2 to the officials of the ,louisville and ,nashville ,railroad for additional illustrative material1 as well as for other courtesies and favors2 and particularly to the trustees1 managers1 and guides of ,mammoth ,cave for heartily and generously facilitating explorations in former and more recent years1 without which this work would have been impossible4 ,finally1 for information as to trains via the ,louisville and ,nashville ,railroad and connections at ,glasgow ,junction with the ,mammoth ,cave ,railroad2 for the arrival and departure of steamboats on ,green ,river2 for terms of ,cave routes and guides1 and for hotel rates by the day or the week1 and for other details not within the scope of this hand-book1 application may be made to the ,mammoth ,cave ,manager1 at ,mammoth ,cave1 ,kentucky4 ,our simple aim is to aid and entertain the reader in his subterranean rambles4 ,horace ,c4 ,hovey4 ,newburyport1 ,mass4 ,the ,mammoth ,cave ,,of ,,kentucky ,a ,short ,lesson ,in ,geology and ,chemistry ,many hurry to and through and away from ,mammoth ,cave2 but let us go in a more leisurely manner4 ,suppose we begin by a stroll amid the rounded hills that environ ,cincinnati4 ,we find their flanks full of corals1 shells1 crinoids1 and other marine objects by myriads4 ,these are fossils1 yet perfect as if freshly cast up from the sea4 ,but we observe that the limestone lies in thin1 level layers1 with no signs of volcanic or earthquake action4 ,they were gently cut down by an undermining process that left no caverns1 because the strata are so thin that they can not hold together4 ,this is the same ,lower ,silurian formation that elsewhere made the famous 8bluegrass region10 causing ,central ,kentucky to be the fairest bit of the globe's surface known4 ,go by steamboat down the ,ohio to ,madison1 ,indiana1 and the scenery changes with the geology4 ,near the river are still seen the thin blue limestone strata that we saw at ,cincinnati1 but capped by the marble heights of the ,upper ,silurian4 ,cascades from the cliffs wash out the thinner1 softer material1 making wide1 shallow grottoes1 each being1 as a rule1 at the head of a ravine1 which is a cave in ruins4 ,at the charming city of ,louisville we encounter another geological change1 and meet a striking proof that the region was once flooded by the ocean1 namely1 the grand old coral reef over which tumble the ,falls of the ,ohio4 ,it used to bristle with branching corals like stag-horns and was strewn with tens of thousands of more delicate varieties1 car-loads of which have since been carried away2 but enough remain to show that all this country was uplifted by continental forces from a primeval sea4 ,probably its altitude was once above the present level1 to which it has been reduced by causes some of which are still at work4 ,rambling through the valleys and examining their rocky beds1 we find fissures no doubt caused by that continental uplifting to which we have referred4 ,these cracks1 or 8joints10 are visible over large areas1 wherever the country rock is exposed4 ,usually they run at nearly right angles with one another1 north and south lines crossing those from east to west4 ,the joint-walls may closely fit1 or have been parted to make channels by which falling rain might be drained4 ,you have noticed that soda-water roughens and eats away the marble slab on which the soda-fountain rests4 ,on asking the reason you are told that it is due to the carbonic acid gas 7carbon dioxide7 with which the water is charged4 ,in nature this same gas is formed by the decay of animal and vegetable matter4 ,rainwater absorbs it from the atmosphere and while sinking through the loam and soil4 ,it also takes up humous acids1 which aid in the work of corrasion effected on reaching the limestone4 ,mechanical energy assists chemical action in slowly dissolving and removing the limestone particles4 ,all limestone caves1 great and small1 were carved by this slow yet irresistible process4 ,the downward flow follows the joints till a lateral 8bedding-plane10 or something else1 turns the stream horizontally1 when there results a widening of the passageway4 ,should the roof collapse there would be 8a tumble-down0 within and perhaps a 8sink-hole0 without4 ,should the cave cut through from one bedding-plane to another1 a series of galleries would result2 the upper ones dry as tinder and the lower ones wet with water that finally reaches the drainage level1 whence it emerges into some open valley4 ,occasionally the whirling water bores straight down through all galleries1 making what is termed a pit1 or a dome1 according to the point of view4 ,standing pools deposit nitrous earth and various other mineral substances4 ,water trickling through the roof evaporates1 each drop laying down its load of the bicarbonate of lime to create a stalactite2 or a stalagmite if it first falls on the floor4 ,a general and convenient term is 8dripstone10 masses of which are found at almost any crossing of the joint-planes4 ,should 8fixed air0 7carbon dioxide71 which is fifteen times as heavy as the atmosphere1 settle into the lower parts of any cave1 it would make visiting dangerous or fatal4 ,but air currents and other causes make every part of ,mammoth ,cave free from any except the sweetest1 purest air ever inhaled4 ,approaching ,mammoth ,cave ,according to an authentic article in the ,louisville ,courier-,journal for ,september #bi1 #aija1 the managers of ,mammoth ,cave1 having occasion to examine the records at ,bowling ,green1 found that cave designated as a corner of a section of land in #agig2 which antedates by some years the threadbare legend of ,houchins and the wounded bear4 ,during the saltpeter times1 #ahab-ahaf1 elsewhere described1 men came and went in carts or on horseback4 ,seventy years ago ,dr4 ,davidson told the ,transylvania ,university about visiting the 8,green ,river country10 so called in honor of ,general ,nathaniel ,green1 the hero of ,eutaw ,springs--not for its emerald tint4 ,he hired a barouche at ,henderson and traversed a dozen counties to ,mammoth ,cave1 which ,dr4 ,john ,croghan had just purchased for #aj1jjj1 intending to 8clear out the avenues and make them accessible for an omnibus to the distance of three or four miles1 and erect a sort of hotel in the ,temple0 7the old name of the ,chief ,city74 ,charmingly did ,julius ,benedict1 sixty years ago1 narrate the adventures of ,jenny ,lind and her party1 as they went 8by the very worst road in the ,united ,states1 but amid most delightful forest scenery10 from ,nashville to ,bowling ,green1 and thence to ,bell's ,tavern1 that famous old hostelry4 ,the rest of their journey lay along the edge of 8jagged1 abrupt glens1 along sweeping meadows and budding woodlands10 to the queer old building where 8,dr4 ,croghan did the honors of his subterranean dominions in the most agreeable manner40 ,as recently as my own early visits a line of stage coaches ran from ,cave ,city1 owned by ,andy ,mc,coy and managed by ,henry ,c4 ,ganter1 who still entertains willing listeners at the ,cave hotel by his racy stories of pioneer days4 ,how grandly the bugle-flourish used to herald the coming stage-coach1 and how everybody used to rush to greet the passengers1 and how eagerly the negro servants cared for the luggage6 ,guests still come by carriage1 on horseback1 or by automobile2 and many avail themselves of the steamboats plying on ,green ,river1 where a system of locks and dams has made it practicable to land within half a mile of the ,cave entrance4 ,no more delightful river-ride than this can be found in the ,middle ,west1 or more diversified by frowning cliffs1 wild forests1 opening amphitheatres that smile in summer with rustling fields of corn1 with here and there attractive villages and flourishing cities4 ,but the majority avail themselves of the ,louisville and ,nashville ,railroad1 connecting with the ,mammoth ,cave ,short-line1 whose terminus is near the ,cave hotel4 ,one enjoys the comforts of modern travel while passing by a magnificent panorama of hill1 valley1 and undulating plain4 8,knobs0 several hundred feet high1 capped by the ,chester sandstone1 above the solid ,st4 ,louis limestone1 appear as cones or pyramids1 whose strata remain horizontal from base to apex4 ,amid the ,knobs run stream-swept valleys4 ,in level regions are fertile farms1 though frequently the soil is iron-stained a fiery red4 ,one could hardly find anywhere a more charming trip by rail than from ,louisville to ,glasgow ,junction1 or one more unique than from the latter station to ,mammoth ,cave4 ,illustration3 ,in ,cave ,costume ,oval depressions abound1 styled 8sink-holes10 because through them the surface water sinks out of sight4 ,so numerous are they that one might traverse the cave-region on horseback all day long and not cross an open stream2 all the rainwater being drained through them to underground gathering-beds1 to re-appear in such cave-fed streams as ,green ,river4 ,the ,short-line ,railway from ,glasgow ,junction to ,mammoth ,cave passes a number of remarkably large sink-holes1 one of the widest being 8,eden ,valley10 covering two thousand acres1 with no inlet or outlet except through pits that are conjectured to lead to the ,colossal and the ,mammoth caves4 ,on the authority of the late ,professor ,shaler it is said that there are four thousand sink-holes and five hundred known caverns in ,edmondson ,county alone4 ,in this little hand-book we can not be expected to give a list of them4 ,in the vicinity of ,mammoth ,cave are several that have celebrity1 and would amply reward the attention of a visitor4 ,among them may be mentioned ,ganter1 ,diamond1 ,procter1 ,salt1 and ,white caves4 ,the last two belong to the ,mammoth ,cave estate1 and are occasionally visited by tourists4 ,the ,salt ,cave is remarkable for prehistoric relics1 and the ,white ,cave for its stalactites4 ,dixon ,cave also is noteworthy as having probably been the original mouth of ,mammoth ,cave4 ,it is an immense chamber1 fifteen hundred feet long1 from sixty to eighty feet wide1 and from eighty to one hundred and twenty-five feet high1 and was once worked for saltpeter4 ,the ,colossal ,cavern1 belonging to the ,louisville and ,nashville ,railroad1 is but a mile and a half distant1 and is noted for its magnificence4 ,thus far the woodman's axe has spared the grand old forest trees on the estate1 except as needed for firewood1 and many delightful rambles are to be had among them4 ,game used to abound1 and still rewards the skillful hunter1 and ,green ,river abounds in fish4 ,ownership of the ,cave ,mr4 ,mc,lean bought the ,cave and two hundred acres around it1 in #ahaa1 for forty dollars1 and soon sold it to ,mr4 ,gatewood1 who in turn sold it to ,messrs4 ,gratz and ,wilkins1 who sent ,mr4 ,archibald ,miller from ,philadelphia to manage saltpeter works for them during the ,war of #ahab1 at a time when an embargo cut off foreign sources of supply4 ,the ,cave estate1 with sixteen hundred acres of land1 passed into the hands of ,mr4 ,james ,moore1 a ,philadelphia merchant1 in #ahaf1 and when he was ruined by the ,burr and ,blennerhasset fiasco1 ,gatewood took it again and made it a 8show-cave40 ,mr4 ,frank ,gorin bought the property in #ahcg1 and made ,miller and ,moore his agents1 with ,stephen ,bishop and ,matt ,bransford as guides4 ,discoveries followed so fast as to draw public attention at home and abroad4 ,the fame of this natural wonder reached a young physician of ,louisville1 ,dr4 ,john ,croghan1 while traveling in ,europe1 and on his return he became so charmed with the ,cave that he bought it from ,mr4 ,gorin for #aj1jjj1 and also purchased two thousand acres about it1 in order to control any other possible entrances than the main one4 ,to the original miner's cabin1 ,mr4 ,james ,miller1 his agent1 added in #ahce the long row of log cabins still used by guests2 since joined by wide porches and modernized by frame additions and all conveniences4 ,among the agents who have exhibited the ,cave or run the hotel1 or both1 are ,messrs4 ,archibald1 ,james1 ,william1 and ,w4 ,scott ,miller1 ,larkin ,j4 ,procter1 ,mr4 ,owsley1 ,d4 ,l4 ,graves1 ,francis ,klett1 ,w4 ,c4 ,comstock1 ,henry ,c4 ,ganter1 and ,l4 ,f4 ,charlet4 ,the will of ,dr4 ,croghan1 probated ,february #e1 #ahdi1 left the entire ,mammoth ,cave estate in the hands of trustees for the benefit of his nine nephews and nieces1 namely1 the sons and daughters of ,colonel ,george ,croghan and ,general ,t4 ,s4 ,jesup2 with the proviso that when they should all have died1 the trustees should sell the estate at public auction4 ,unless some of the heirs should buy it1 a desirable purchaser might be the ,louisville and ,nashville ,railroad ,company2 or the entire group of caverns in the vicinity might be converted into a ,state or national park4 ,meanwhile we are content that it should remain under the excellent management of the present trustees4 ,no guides are employed but those who are trustworthy4 ,stephen ,bishop and ,matt ,bransford have passed away2 so have ,nicholas ,bransford and ,william ,garvin4 ,tom ,lee1 my first guide1 and ,john ,m4 ,nelson1 with whom ,i have made many an underground trip1 are not now in service4 ,those whom one is likely to meet at present are ,edward ,bishop1 ,william ,bransford1 ,robert ,lively1 and ,joshua ,wilson1 with several other capable guides at hand for emergencies4 ,all are heroes of many adventures1 and their strong arms have rescued many a visitor from disaster4 ,their word is law1 and no one is allowed to enter without a guide4 ,hence accidents are of rare occurrence4 ,the fact so widely heralded that1 in the spring of #aiji1 a party of 8,shriners0 got lost in the ,cave for eight hours1 was wholly due to their refusing to obey the guides1 and breaking away from their comrades under the voluntary and unauthorized leadership of one of their own number4 ,as soon as possible guides were dispatched to their rescue1 who brought them safely out to the open air4 ,for the convenience of visitors1 as well as with reasonable consideration for the guides themselves1 certain hours and routes are fixed1 from which it is not customary to depart1 unless by special arrangement with the management4 ,four routes are mapped out1 the uniform charge for each being two dollars4 ,for terms for the season1 or for large parties1 etc41 as well as for information as to hotel rates1 and indeed for anything special1 visitors should apply to the ,mammoth ,cave manager4 ,cave suits are to let1 and proper methods of illumination are provided by the guides4 ,even a few hours of wandering below ground will be worth while2 but those who can remain amid these wonderful scenes for a longer period will be amply repaid by incessantly varying sights and experiences4 ,illustration3 8,martha ,washington's ,statue0 ,illustration3 ,,copyright #aijh ,,by ,h4 ,c4 ,,ganter ,,route ,i ,,echo ,,river1 ,,pits and ,,domes ,,other ,,features #a4 ,,payne',s ,,pass #b4 ,,darnall',s ,,way #c4 ,,shelby',s ,,dome1 ,,bridge ,,of ,,sighs #d4 ,,reveler',s ,,hall #e4 ,,valley ,,of ,,humility #f4 ,,lively',s ,,pass #g4 ,,buchanan',s ,,way #h4 ,,odd ,,fellows' ,,hall #i4 ,,shakespeare',s ,,face #aj4 ,,snow ,,clouds ,,route ,i ,echo ,river1 ,pits and ,domes ,a pathway from the ,hotel winds through the garden1 down amid the forest1 crossing a wagon road to ,green ,river1 and then brings us to the only known entrance to ,mammoth ,cave4 ,evidently it is where the roof broke down long ago2 for the lower valley was doubtless once part of the cavern1 and so was what is now known as ,dixon ,cave4 ,the present ,cave mouth is seven hundred and thirty-five feet above sea level1 one hundred and ninety-four feet above the level of ,green ,river1 and one hundred and eighteen feet below the crest of the overhanging bluff4 ,the limestone stratum is three hundred and twenty-eight feet thick1 measuring from the sandstone above to the drainage level below2 and within these limits all the vast labyrinth extends its ramifications4 ,one of the first things noticed by the visitor is the strong current of cool air that flows from the ,cave mouth1 frequently too strong to allow the carrying of lighted lamps until a point is reached many yards within1 where the gale dies away4 ,as we descend the solid stone stairway we observe with pleasure a waterfall that leaps from the ledge1 gleams in the sunlight1 and vanishes amid the rocks on the floor4 ,around us hang festoons of vines and ferns1 and before us is the noble vestibule to a temple of eternal night4 ,an iron gate is unlocked for us1 put there to prevent unpaid intrusion and vandal spoliation4 ,passing through1 we bid farewell to daylight1 and depend on the simple iron lamps given to each of us by the guide4 ,the legend that a hunter named ,houchins1 in #ahji1 chased a wounded bear into this throat of the cave1 whether authentic or not1 is perpetuated in the name given it1 ,houchins' ,narrows1 made still narrower by the blocks of limestone piled in walls on either side1 thus leaving a passage only a few feet wide4 ,to the left is the tomb of two ,indians found in early days and reburied here4 ,no monument marks the grave of these nameless aborigines4 ,considering the fact that the ,cave was resorted to by many generations of red men1 it is remarkable that so few human remains have rewarded diligent search4 ,what are these wooden pipes along the floor8 ,they were laid there by the saltpeter miners to convey the water from the cascade at the entrance down to the leaching vats that are now pointed out to us in the ,rotunda4 ,the ruts of old ox-carts are visible in which the 8peter-dirt0 was carried to the vats from the open avenues1 while sacks were used for those more remote4 ,the solution was pumped out to open-air boilers1 run through ash-hoppers1 cooled in crystallization troughs1 and packed for transportation to the seaboard1 mostly by mules4 ,thus did patriotic ,kentucky supply the government with one of the ingredients of gunpowder1 at a time when foreign sources were cut off4 ,the yield of nitrate was four pounds to the bushel of soil1 and the vast heaps of lixiviated earth seem to warrant the boast that ,mammoth ,cave alone 8could supply the whole population of the globe with saltpeter40 ,the lofty arch of the ,rotunda is directly under the ,hotel2 and it would be possible1 by means of a shaft1 to supply every room with the sweetest and purest air1 transforming it into a 8lime-air0 sanitarium1 as has actually been done in some other localities4 ,by a series of temperature observations with verified thermometers1 the writer has proved that the uniform temperature of the ,cave is #ed ,fahr41 winter and summer2 and the air is chemically and optically pure4 ,lighted by magnesium fire the grandeur of this first of many halls is made visible1 as are also the openings of two broad avenues1 one of them being the ,main ,cave and the other the entrance to ,audubon ,avenue and ,little ,bat ,avenue4 ,here in winter assemble myriads of bats from all the region around1 clustering in nooks and crevices for their long sleep of hibernation4 ,illustration3 ,entrance to ,mammoth ,cave ,leaving ,audubon ,avenue to be described in ,route ,,ii1 we enter from it1 at a point some five hundred feet from the ,rotunda1 and by a low arch1 the winding way known as ,little ,bat ,avenue1 chiefly remarkable as leading to the ,crevice ,pit1 which is immediately over the ,ruins of ,karnak4 ,the story is told by the late ,dr4 ,r4 ,m4 ,bird that a former owner1 ,mr4 ,wilkins1 let a lamp down the pit by a rope that caught fire1 with the loss of the lamp4 ,a reward of two dollars was offered for its recovery4 ,a little darkey agreed to be let down1 as a sort of living plummet1 to sound the depth of the chasm4 ,he told such a tale as to the magnificent temple underneath1 with its tall columns and splendid adornments1 that nobody believed him4 ,thirty years later the lost lamp was found by old ,matt1 the guide1 who gave it to me4 ,the ,main ,cave1 or ,grand ,gallery1 or as we like to style it the 8,broadway0 of this subterranean metropolis1 extends from the ,rotunda to the ,cataracts1 and must be traversed to reach any other part of the cavern4 ,in this first route only about eight hundred yards of it are shown4 ,high overhead springs an arch eighty feet wide and resting on vertical walls4 ,presently the guide calls our attention to the exit of the ,corkscrew1 on our left1 an extraordinary passageway by which we are to return after visiting the ,river ,hall4 ,if we happen here as another party is returning1 a curious effect is produced by their torches emerging one at a time in a procession winding down the ,kentucky ,cliffs4 ,but now we advance along the worn cart-road made by the saltpeter miners1 strewn by their ancient log-conduits1 which are strangely preserved during the century that has elapsed since some of them were first brought hither4 ,lift one and you will be astonished to find how light they are4 ,at the junction of the ,main ,cave and ,archibald ,avenue is the 8,church10 where the pious miners used to hear the message of salvation taught by itinerant preachers1 and where in more recent days many a sermon has been preached and many a psalm been sung1 awakening echoes from the cavern walls4 ,illustration3 ,leaving the 8,corkscrew0 ,reserving the ,gothic ,avenue for another visit1 we note1 as we pass along1 the grotesque figures of animals and birds made by the deposits of the black oxide of manganese overhead4 ,mark well the ,standing ,rocks1 which fell edge-downward ages ago1 set free from the roof possibly by some earthquake shock4 ,now we walk awe-struck under the ,grand ,arch1 where the guides effect a marvelous surprise by means of simple illumination4 ,they burn chemical fires at a point near the saltpeter vats1 some five hundred feet to the rear of us1 and the contour of the walls brings out a statuesque effect which is aptly styled 8,martha ,washington's ,statue40 ,it requires but little play of the imagination to fancy it a marble representation of that eminent lady of ,colonial times4 ,an immense rock lies near the right-hand wall1 forty-five feet long1 eighteen feet wide1 and fifteen feet high1 which used to be called the ,steamboat2 but it is now known as the ,giant's ,coffin4 ,the quasi-sarcophagus may have been torn from the adjacent wall by some convulsion1 or it may simply have fallen and lodged in its present suggestive position4 ,its weight is estimated at two thousand tons4 ,it is one of the great landmarks1 and though we should pass it many times it is impossible to do so without being impressed by its solitary grandeur1 rivaling as it does the blocks of ,baalbec in ,syria4 ,the route now taken leads us behind the ,giant's ,coffin1 through a low and narrow passage which would never have been discovered had not the monster rock fallen4 ,this is styled ,dante's ,gateway1 from which a rude stairway leads us into the ,wooden ,bowl ,room1 so named either from its peculiar shape or because an ,indian wooden bowl was found there4 ,to the left is the opening to what has variously been styled ,indian ,avenue1 ,blacksnake ,avenue1 and ,welcome ,avenue4 ,really it is a combination of several avenues1 running for the distance of eight thousand five hundred feet1 as measured by the writer1 which have been made passable by the skill and industry of ,mr4 ,h4 ,c4 ,ganter when he was manager of the ,cave1 and which for this reason is generally called ,ganter ,avenue4 ,its inner end is at ,serpent ,hall1 and it gives an exit for any one who may get caught beyond the rivers by a sudden rise of water4 ,our present path goes through the 8,dog-,hole10 down a stairway fancifully called 8,the ,steeps of ,time10 leading into the region of pits and domes4 ,we pause a while by ,richardson's ,spring1 which is a small pool filled by a running stream that has worn for itself a narrow channel in the rock1 illustrating what has been done for the entire ,cave on a grander scale4 ,small crustaceans are found in this clear pool1 and blind insects abound under the flat rocks near by4 ,numberless blind crickets leap away from us1 and white eyeless spiders1 brown beetles1 thousand-legged worms1 and other abnormal forms of life are found by careful search4 ,nothing harmful1 however1 appears1 either here or elsewhere4 ,as a rule cave-life is timid4 ,side-saddle ,pit1 fifty feet deep1 was named from its imagined resemblance to a lady's saddle4 ,above it rises ,minerva's ,dome1 thirty feet high4 ,the spot used to be dangerous1 but is now guarded by a stout railing4 ,once a terrier leaped down the ,chasm after a fire-ball flung by a guide4 ,the guide's wife allowed herself to be lowered by a rope and rescued the poor dog1 which did not seem to be seriously hurt by his perilous adventure4 ,calypso's ,avenue1 to the left1 leads to the ,covered ,pit and ,scylla and ,charybdis1 which are rarely visited4 ,near the entrance to the ,labyrinth is a window through which we behold the wonderful and lofty chamber discovered by a former owner of the ,cave1 ,mr4 ,frank ,gorin1 in whose honor it is named ,gorin's ,dome4 ,perhaps the earliest account of it was that published by ,dr4 ,davidson4 ,its height1 as measured by myself with the aid of a cluster of small balloons1 is one hundred and sixty feet1 its width is thirty-five feet and its length sixty feet4 ,its vertical walls sweep in an ,s-shaped curve and spring from the river level to the apex of the dome1 with projecting bosses of coral and with cascades that awake the echoes as they fall4 ,darnall's ,way was cut through the sandbank1 in #ahif1 to the summit1 where a bridge cast directly across the abyss gives us the most complete view to be had of the locality4 ,one remarkable feature is a folded alabaster curtain one hundred and nineteen feet high4 ,by casting fire-balls down the whole interior is grandly illuminated4 ,davidson descended to the bottom1 as others have occasionally done since1 by means of a well some thirty feet deep1 down which one clambers like a chimney-sweep4 ,he found there 8stretching away in midnight blackness a horrid pool of water40 ,in #ahfc ,mr4 ,f4 ,j4 ,stevenson1 of ,london1 had a boat made and lowered through the window1 on which he floated away for seven long hours on a perilous voyage that no man has since then repeated4 ,the water now setting back from ,green ,river has closed the entrance to what we term 8,stevenson's ,lost ,river02 but his old boat still lies where it was stranded at the bottom of ,gorin's ,dome4 ,another huge abyss1 the ,bottomless ,pit1 was long regarded as ending further progress1 till ,stephen ,bishop crossed it in #ahdj by means of a slender cedar sapling thrown over the yawning gulf2 since when it has been spanned by a substantial and safe bridge4 ,instead of being 8bottomless0 it is exactly one hundred and five feet deep4 ,above it is ,shelby's ,dome1 named for the first ,governor of ,kentucky4 ,balls of cotton waste saturated with coal-oil are flung down by the guides1 which grandly display the wrinkled and corrugated walls of the pit4 ,looking directly across1 we see an opening through which the writer and ,william ,garvin emerged from their explorations around ,scylla and ,charybdis4 ,there are other ways of approach1 one from ,gorin's ,dome1 another from near the ,scotchman's ,trap1 and still another from ,river ,hall to the very bottom1 from which the upward view almost equals that from the base of ,gorin's ,dome4 ,all this great group of pits is connected below to form an immense hall1 about four hundred feet long1 which at high water is flooded by the overflow from ,river ,hall4 ,by ,special permission1 of former ,president of the ,united ,states ,benjamin ,harrison1 this vast room was named ,harrison ,hall4 ,illustration3 8,bottomless ,pit0 ,on crossing the ,bridge of ,sighs we find an enlargement of the ,cave formerly used as a dining place1 and hence known as ,reveller's ,hall4 ,pensico ,avenue1 along which we go1 is crossed underneath by an invisible passageway1 causing sounds to be reproduced in ,echo ,chamber with marvelous reverberations4 ,wending our way amid the huge rocks that encumber ,wild ,hall we next reach the ,grand ,crossing1 and beyond it the singular dry stalactite1 the ,pineapple ,bush1 and end our path in ,angelica's ,grotto1 with its curious ,hanging ,grove4 ,retracing our steps to ,reveller's ,hall1 we descend by an opening overhung by an enormous slab so poised as to make it seem as if a careless breath might make it fall4 ,this is the ,scotchman's ,trap1 so named for a canny ,scot who refused to go farther lest he should be entrapped4 ,but we dive under and go on1 coming presently to the ,fat ,man's ,misery4 ,this is a serpentine passage1 its walls changing direction eight times in two hundred and thirty-six feet1 its width but eighteen inches and its height in places only five feet4 ,it is indeed enough to try a fat man's soul and body4 ,the sides are marked by ripples and waves1 and are polished by the friction of many vexed visitors4 ,the fattest man that ever went through weighed two hundred and eighty-two pounds at the start1 but avers that he lost twenty pounds in the process4 ,another1 a jovial son of ,erin1 stuck fast and was left to his fate4 ,later he turned up all right and explained matters in his own way4 ,he said that he remembered every sin he had ever committed2 and when he called to mind how1 at a certain recent hotly contested election1 he voted the wrong ticket by mistake1 it made him feel so small that he got free from the ,fat ,man's ,misery quite easily4 ,the room into which we emerge is fitly styled 8,great ,relief02 and from it we enter the ,bacon ,chamber1 where ,nature in a frolicsome mood has carved the limestone into masses resembling rows of hams and shoulders in a packing-house4 ,near by is the ,dining ,hall1 where1 on occasion1 well-filled tables are spread4 ,a special trip can be made through ,spark's ,avenue1 entered from ,bandit ,hall1 and leading on to the ,mammoth ,dome4 ,we first visited it in #ahgh1 and were assured that no one had been there for seven years4 ,a treacherous old ladder was then the only means of descending to the floor1 which sloped away to a pool whose waters received a cascade falling from the lofty apex4 ,the ladder has been replaced by a substantial stairway1 by crossing which we reach the ,egyptian ,temple1 or the ,ruins of ,karnak4 ,six columns eighty feet high and twenty-five feet in diameter stand in a semicircle1 each deeply fluted1 veneered by yellow stalagmite and covered by mimic tracery4 ,overhead is the black opening already mentioned as the ,crevice ,pit2 and underneath are extensive catacombs rarely visited4 ,dr4 ,call's measurement of the extreme height1 from the cascade pool to the summit of the dome above the ,crevice ,pit1 was one hundred and fifty feet2 which was later confirmed by my balloon system of measurement4 ,the total length of the room is not far from four hundred feet4 ,river ,hall1 to which we now return1 might be said to extend for miles1 were we to include all the known branches of subterranean waters4 ,so unlike is it to the ,main ,cave that we might almost be said to have entered another cavern--which would really be true4 ,what is called in a general way ,mammoth ,cave is a congeries of different caves1 whose walls and floors were first thinned and then broken through by the agency of water1 until was formed the immense and greatly diversified labyrinth whose mazes we are exploring4 ,here is the gathering-bed of hundreds of sink-holes opening from the surface4 ,the exit is in deep1 bubbling pools along ,green ,river1 of which the ,upper and ,lower ,big ,springs are examples4 ,and when ,green ,river is flooded by freshets its waters back through such secret channels and also flood ,river ,hall by a body of water from thirty to one hundred feet in depth and fully two miles long1 with capricious currents and perilous whirlpools4 ,navigation at such times is forbidden2 but at low water it is entirely safe1 under the care of our skillful guides4 ,sullen waters reposing at the foot of a cliff sixty feet high are called the ,dead ,sea1 though not bitter but sweet1 as those may find who venture down to the margin4 ,an iron railing guards the way as we descend to a lower terrace4 ,presently1 on the right1 we see a cascade1 that falls into a funnel-shaped hollow and vanishes4 ,near by1 in #ahha1 the writer found a natural mushroom bed1 that suggested the idea of a mushroom farm1 but with meager results because located in ,audubon ,avenue1 where irrigation is impracticable4 ,the black waters of the ,river ,styx wind between steep walls for some four hundred feet1 and with an average breadth of forty feet4 ,formerly it was passed over by boat1 but now by a natural bridge protected by a guard-rail4 ,lake ,lethe is next in order1 along whose border we go cautiously1 in hope of seeing specimens of the famous eyeless fish 7,amblyopsis speleus7 that abound in these waters4 ,they seldom exceed three or four inches in length1 are colorless1 have cartilage instead of bones1 are viviparous1 and are so sensitive to approach that they dart away if a grain of sand falls on the water4 ,the blind white crawfish 7,cambarus pellucidus7 is often seen4 ,these creatures were first described by ,dr4 ,davidson1 two years previous to their being mentioned by ,de,kay1 who was credited by ,agassiz as their discoverer4 ,illustration3 ,banquet ,hall in ,mammoth ,cave ,the ,great ,walk for four hundred yards used to be admired1 but now its beautiful yellow sand is covered by the back-water from the rivers4 ,the roof here is mottled like snow-clouds4 ,midway the mask of ,shakespeare is pointed out1 and other objects of interest are visible4 ,stephen ,bishop1 ,john ,craig1 and ,brice ,patton first crossed these rivers1 over which thousands have since safely voyaged4 ,a fleet of flat-boats awaits us1 the material for which was brought in by way of the ,crevice ,pit4 ,each boat has seats for some twenty persons1 while the guide propels the primitive craft by his paddle4 ,four arches open to the ,echo ,river1 only the fourth being ordinarily available4 ,to reach this we cross the ,sandy ,sahara and flounder through the ,slough of ,purgatory4 ,the voyage abounds in most enjoyable adventures1 though care must be taken not to upset amid waters that have no shores except at the landing-places4 ,a few years ago a party1 mainly of journalists1 managed to swamp their boat1 but were rescued by the presence of mind of all concerned1 particularly the strong-armed and faithful guide1 ,john ,m4 ,nelson1 whose orders they obeyed4 ,echo ,river varies in width from twenty to two hundred feet1 under an archway averaging thirty feet in height1 the depth varying from five to twenty-five feet1 and its level being only about twenty feet above that of ,green ,river4 ,the portion over which visitors are taken is perhaps half a mile or more long4 ,all along its margin1 where the rock abruptly meets the water1 are countless cavities that have been washed out by the stream4 ,these gave a wag in our party on first crossing the river his chance1 and he cried1 8,oh1 see these little bits of caves1 three for five cents60 ,then awoke the echoes and carried the sound away and away till he was ashamed of himself4 ,then a lady in black velvet ,cave costume1 with tiny bells along the fringe to keep her from getting lost1 sang the 8,sweet ,bye and ,bye40 ,a revolver was fired1 answered by a 8,rebel ,yell40 ,flute and cornet were played with magical effect4 ,illustration3 ,on ,echo ,river ,the term 8echo0 misleads2 for what is given is really a wonderful prolongation of sound1 lasting five1 ten1 or even twenty minutes4 ,the tunnel's own key-note when struck excites harmonics of depth and sweetness1 along with a profound undertone4 ,when the guide agitates the water a myriad tiny silver bells tinkle1 followed by heavier ones as the waves strike the cavities along the walls4 ,this tempest of harmony dies away with strange mutterings1 as if of an angry mob4 ,mr4 ,ganter tells of a time when the writer fooled him by causing unearthly shrieks1 as of wretches in mortal agony1 at an hour when none were on the river but themselves4 ,here ends the ,first ,route4 ,we retrace our steps as far as ,bandit ,hall1 where some one raises the question if there is no way out but by ,fat ,man's ,misery4 ,the guide answers1 8,yes1 by the ,corkscrew10 adding the warning1 8,those who come in by the ,fat ,man's ,misery go out by the ,corkscrew1 and those who come in by the ,corkscrew go out by the ,fat ,man's ,misery3 and whichever way they take1 they wish they had taken the other40 ,so1 up we scramble like so many rats1 under or over great ledges1 leaping from rock to rock1 or climbing ladders1 through what seems like an enormous pit that had been filled in with gigantic rocks1 till at last1 breathless1 we emerge upon the ,kentucky ,cliffs in the ,main ,cave4 ,a few steps carry us past the saltpeter vats1 through the ,rotunda1 and the iron gate is unlocked to let us into the vestibule1 whence we climb the stone stairs to daylight4 ,illustration3 8,bridal ,altar0 ,illustration3 ,,copyright #aijh ,,by ,h4 ,c4 ,,ganter ,,route ,,ii ,,star ,,chamber1 ,,gothic ,,avenue etc4 ,,reminders ,,of ,,the ,,war #ahab #a4 ,,wooden ,,pipes ,,in ,,the ,,floor #b4 ,,first ,,saltpeter ,,vats #c4 ,,pipe ,,lines #d4 ,,tracks ,,of ,,oxen ,,and ,,carts #e4 ,,second ,,saltpeter ,,vats #f4 ,,heaps ,,of ,,lixiviated ,,earth ,,other ,,features #g4 ,,mummy',s ,,niche #h4 ,,register ,,wall #i4 ,,pillar ,,of ,,hercules #aj4 ,,caesar ,,and ,,pompey #aa4 ,,bridal ,,altar #ab4 ,,hornets' ,,nests #ac4 ,,napoleon',s ,,breastworks #ad4 ,,loaded ,,camel #ae4 ,,elephants' ,,heads #af4 ,,picture ,,frame ,,route ,,ii ,olive's ,bower1 ,star ,chamber1 and ,gothic ,avenue ,after a suitable period of rest and refreshment at the ,hotel we resume our way along the same path taken for the first route1 but presently deviate to explore ,audubon ,avenue1 of which we had only seen the beginning4 ,it is related that when the great ornithologist visited ,rafinesque1 the former smashed a fine violin in his eagerness to capture a unique specimen of the bat family4 ,as a kind of amicable revenge the latter affixed ,audubon's name to this avenue1 where so many myriads of bats annually hibernate4 ,it is fitting that the great branch to the left1 sweeping for three hundred and fifty feet and suddenly ending in a tumble-down1 should be named ,rafinesque ,hall4 ,unless our visit is in late fall or winter1 we find but few clusters of bats2 but in cold weather they gather here from near and far and hang head-downward till somehow1 by a sense not explained1 they know it is warm weather out-of-doors1 and then fly forth to the forests4 ,dr4 ,call boasts of a single catch that gave him six hundred and seventy bats1 of many varieties1 most of which were sent to the ,national ,museum4 ,advancing through ,audubon ,avenue1 we soon find the roof and floor approaching to form what is called ,bunker ,hill1 around which we pass by a narrow defile4 ,the ,mushroom ,beds attract our attention1 to which we have already referred as having cost far more than they ever returned by way of profit1 although the idea itself is feasible4 ,above a floor encumbered by debris hang formations needing an explanation4 ,limpid drops trickle through the roof1 saturated with bicarbonate of lime4 ,the supply of water is constant1 but so meager as to drip instead of flow2 and as the dripping goes on each drop lays down its load as a ring slight enough for a fairy's finger4 ,ring follows ring till a pendant is formed like a pipestem4 ,the pipestems thicken to the size of candles1 and often grow as large as tree-trunks4 ,occasionally they broaden into elegant drapery1 or are twisted into fantastic shapes4 ,all these stone icicles are called 8stalactites40 ,such lime-laden drops as fall splash about and on evaporation deposit1 not rings1 but films thin as tissue-paper1 building up stalagmites that are solid from their base upwards4 ,often these downward and upward growths meet as stately shafts1 like the pillar named the ,sentinel1 which guards ,olive's ,bower a few steps beyond it4 ,the general term 8dripstone0 is conveniently applied to all these deposits1 and their finer varieties are known to the mineralogist as 8oriental alabaster40 ,a central stalactite in ,olive's ,bower is very large and cone-shaped1 amid many smaller ones4 ,below is a rampart1 looking over which we see1 some twenty feet below1 a limpid pool that reflects the overhanging formations4 ,before leaving the subject of dripstone it should be remarked that1 chemically regarded1 it is simply the hard carbonate1 not the bicarbonate1 as is often alleged2 the latter being an unstable compound1 readily changing on any change of its conditions4 ,the pit which arrests our progress beyond ,olive's ,bower might1 if explored1 prove this locality to be connected with ,white's ,cave1 whose features it resembles4 ,on returning to the ,rotunda we again inspect the historic relics of the ,war of #ahab1 and mark the grooves cut in the limestone walls by the hubs of the primitive cart-wheels that were slowly drawn along by oxen to collect the nitrous earth for the saltpeter vats4 ,we notice that the bottoms of these vats were made of small logs halved and grooved and laid in layers on supports2 the lower layer with its grooved surface up1 to receive the second layer in reversed position1 making a method for conveying the lye into reservoirs1 whence it was pumped out to the crystallization troughs4 ,dr4 ,call was the first to direct attention to this ingenious device4 ,again we forsake the ,main ,cave for a ramble through ,gothic ,avenue1 which is reached by a stairway just beyond the vats4 ,at the entrance to it is ,booth's ,amphitheatre1 where ,edwin ,booth is said to have recited a part of the play of ,hamlet4 ,in early times a mummy was found in an adjoining cave1 and brought hither for exhibition4 ,the alcove where it reposed still bears the name of the ,mummy's ,niche4 ,it was afterward carried about through the ,west on exhibition1 and it was the writer's privilege to see it at that time4 ,it was naturally dessicated1 and with its ornaments and garments was regarded as a great curiosity4 ,it remained in a museum at ,worcester1 ,mass41 for many years1 and is now in the ,national ,museum at ,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 ,hundreds of visitors have recorded their names in ,register ,hall1 either by scratching them on the wall with the knife or smoking them there by their candles1 or else by the less conspicuous way of depositing their cards on the ledge set apart for that purpose4 ,here1 and also in parts of the ,main ,cave1 so-called 8monuments0 are built by piling up flat fragments of stone in honor of individuals1 ,states1 or benevolent organizations2 a practice which incidentally has helped to clear obstructions from the pathway in which we walk4 ,the largest of them all is quite properly the ,kentucky ,monument4 ,the effect in general1 however1 is to divert attention from the natural attractions4 ,the hoary old stalactites1 great and small1 in ,gothic ,avenue got their growth ages ago4 ,the signs show that long ago the ,cave stream was diverted to lower channels1 leaving the place as dry as a tinder-box4 ,the ,post-,oak ,pillar1 the ,pillars of ,hercules1 ,pompey and ,csar1 and the ,altar in ,gothic ,chapel1 are interesting and picturesque1 and give the guides occasion for many legends and jokes2 but do not warrant the conclusions drawn by ,dr4 ,binkerd and others as to the age of the ,mammoth ,cave1 judging by the alleged slow growth of dripstone in a locality where there is now no growth at all4 ,there is no doubt as to the vast antiquity of the great cavern1 whose remote origin is by many referred to the ,tertiary ,period2 but it must be remembered that geological changes are by no means uniform1 and that catastrophe has evidently played a conspicuous part in cave-making4 ,there is not enough moisture now in ,gothic ,avenue to make the atoms float in the air4 ,toss a handful of dust up1 and it falls back like so much shot4 ,i saw a party of young people who came here directly from the ballroom1 and not a particle of dust spotted the trailing robes or clung to the polished boots4 ,wood here undergoes tardy decay1 and fresh beef and other meats keep sweet for a long time1 and then dry up like the old mummy which was mentioned as having once been placed here4 ,pompey ,pillar is named for a negro miner1 a raw hand1 who in old times trudged in here alone for 8peter-dirt0 and lost his way4 ,he stumbled1 put out his lamp1 and was in a frenzy4 ,when at last he saw his half-naked negro comrades approach1 swinging their torches and shouting1 he took them for demons1 and shouted lustily for mercy4 ,it took no little shaking and punching to convince him that he was yet alive and in ,mammoth ,cave1 instead of elsewhere4 ,it may tax the imagination to find the resemblance to an ,elephant's ,head in the stalactite so called2 but once found the grotesque likeness is vivid4 ,a curious legend told of the ,gothic ,chapel and its ,bridal ,altar is verified4 ,a ,kentucky belle gave her heart to a gallant ,southron4 ,but her mother1 who opposed the match1 made her swear never to marry any man on the face of the earth4 ,shortly the lovers eloped and were hotly pursued2 but before they were caught they were married in this novel ,gretna ,green4 ,taxed with her broken pledge1 the bride replied3 8,mother1 dear1 it was not marrying any man #8on the face of the earth' to wed my own true love in this underground chapel40 ,illustration3 ,marriage in 8,gothic ,chapel0 ,few ladies fail to rest awhile in the ,old ,arm ,chair1 a stalagmite naturally fitted as a seat4 ,jenny ,lind sat here and sang one of her sweet songs2 and many a song has been sung here since4 ,a slender projection beyond it is called the ,lover's ,leap1 from whose point an illumination shows a wild mass of rocks amid which runs a narrow path styled the ,elbow ,crevice1 whose walls are fantastically folded4 ,we escape from the ragged edge of what is known as ,joseph's ,pit1 and note in passing the ,devil's ,cooling ,tub4 ,gatewood's ,dining-,table is a huge flat rock directly under ,napoleon's ,dome1 from whose apex it fell4 ,gratz ,avenue1 into which we enter1 is not on the same ,cave level as the ,gothic ,avenue4 ,unless we take care we may walk directly into the exquisitely clear waters of ,lake ,purity1 a small mirror-like pool4 ,beyond it we go1 winding to and fro1 till at the foot of a small cliff we find the entrance to ,annette's ,dome1 one of the prettiest in all the ,cave4 ,shaler's ,brook spouts from the wall and runs merrily and musically into a smaller room1 whence it vanishes1 falling by a leap of seventy feet into ,lee's ,cistern4 ,in ,gratz ,avenue are found blind crustaceans1 crickets1 and other forms of life described by ,dr4 ,call4 ,we now retrace our way to the ,main ,cave1 passing various objects noticed in the first route4 ,shortly beyond the ,giant's ,coffin the ,main ,cave turns suddenly to the left at the ,acute ,angle1 where the burning magnesium makes visible the vast dimensions of the cavern by illuminating it in two directions at once4 ,a village in the vicinity formerly sheltered a colony of consumptives who1 in #ahdc1 and by medical advice1 took up their abode here1 hopeful for relief or cure because of the uniform temperature and the naturally oxygenated air4 ,the sunless days passed slowly by till the pitiful experiment was abandoned as a failure1 as was also the experiment by the invalids to make trees and shrubbery grow around their dismal huts4 ,some of the victims of the 8white plague0 lie buried in the grove back of the ,hotel garden1 while others died soon after returning to their homes4 ,there were originally thirteen cottages and tents1 the only ones now remaining being two roofless stone structures beyond the ,acute ,angle4 ,illustration3 8,old ,arm ,chair0 ,a strangely beautiful transformation scene is wrought for us in the ,star ,chamber1 a hall seventy feet wide1 sixty feet high1 and several hundred feet long4 ,the ceiling is coated with manganese dioxide1 and through this black background emerge hundreds of brilliant white stars1 made by the efflorescence of the sulphate of magnesia4 ,these are invisible at first1 and the magnificent archway sweeps above us in midnight blackness4 ,long benches are ranged against the right-hand wall1 on which the guide seats us1 while he collects our lamps and vanishes with them behind a jutting rock4 ,then comes the marvelous illusion4 ,the roof seems lifted to an immense height4 ,indeed1 we seem to gaze from a caon directly up to the starry sky4 ,cloud-shadows are thrown athwart it by adroit manipulation4 ,a meteor shoots across the vault4 ,we behold the mild glory of the ,milky ,way4 ,suddenly the guide breaks in upon our exclamations of delight by saying1 8,good night4 ,i will see you again in the morning60 ,he plunges into a gorge4 ,we are in utter darkness4 ,the silence is so perfect that we can hear our hearts beat4 ,presently a glimmer comes from another direction1 like a faint streak of dawn4 ,the aurora tinges the tips of the rocks2 the horizon is bathed in a rosy glow2 a concert of cock-crowing1 the lowing of cattle and other barnyard sounds1 answered by the barking of the house-dog1 seem to herald the rising sun2 when the ventriloquial guide appears1 swinging his cluster of lamps and asking how we liked the performance4 ,our response is a hearty encore2 after granting which the guide tells us that the second route ends here1 and he must pilot us back to the mouth of the ,cave and to the ,hotel4 ,those who have witnessed the wonders of the ,star ,chamber many times testify that the charm never wanes4 ,illustration3 8,the ,acute ,angle0 ,illustration3 ,,copyright #aijh ,,by ,h4 ,c4 ,,ganter ,,route ,,iii ,,main ,,cave and ,,new ,,discovery ,,route ,,iii ,from the ,star ,chamber to ,violet ,city ,familiar now with the features of the first part of the ,main ,cave1 we trudge along rapidly1 till the guide cries 8,halt60 ,we seem to hear the measured ticking of an old-fashioned clock4 ,we find the natural timepiece to be but the dripping of water into a small basin hidden behind some rocks4 ,the drops fall only a few inches1 one by one1 as they may have fallen for a thousand years2 but such are the acoustic properties of the place that the musical ticking is heard for a long distance4 ,the guide shows us also another pretty pool1 made by a tiny rill gushing from the solid wall2 and he tells us the story of a rambling blind boy1 who won a living by his violin1 and who said that he 8wanted to see the ,cave0 for himself4 ,somehow he got apart from his companions1 and when they found the little boy he was sound asleep beside this tiny basin1 which has ever since been known as 8,wandering ,willie's ,spring40 ,hastening on to the ,star ,chamber1 we resume our exploration of the ,main ,cave4 ,beyond that hall of constellations1 the ,grand ,gallery--as it used to be called--sweeps to the right1 and the starry canopy changes to a 8mackerel-sky10 caused by the scaling-off of the black deposit on the ceiling1 thus exposing the white limestone4 ,this is the ,floating ,cloud ,room4 ,as we look aloft at the fleecy masses that seem to float along1 we notice a stout oak pole jutting from an inaccessible crevice4 ,when1 why1 how1 and by whom was it put there8 ,in ,lee's 8,notes of the ,mammoth ,cave10 in #ahce1 ancient fireplaces are mentioned1 which were also shown to myself by old ,matt1 in #ahha1 and which were hidden by broad slabs along the margin of the ,cave4 ,curious objects are pointed out as we walk through ,procter's ,arcade and ,kinney's ,arena1 lofty and symmetrical enlargements of the passageway4 ,one of them is another stout pole in a rift in the roof4 ,the ,keel-,boat 7or the ,whale7 is an enormous rock seventy feet long1 and a tilted slab of limestone is the ,devil's ,looking-,glass4 ,presently it begins to snow2 and our shouts make the flakes fall faster4 ,waving lamps and lighted fire-balls augment the storm4 ,seeking an explanation1 we find that the ceiling is crusted with native ,epsom salts1 whose crystals are thus dislodged1 as well as more silently by the growth of new crystals1 falling1 as saline snow till the brown ledges are whitened by mimic snowdrifts4 ,no stooping or crawling has to be done in the ,main ,cave1 and the floor is everywhere dry4 ,formerly the tilting slabs of limestone made walking difficult1 but now these are removed so as to give us a fairly smooth road throughout4 ,the serpentine winding known as the ,s-bend expands to a width of one hundred and seventy-five feet and keeps that width for five hundred and fifty feet2 but midway it meets a grand crossing1 that increases the width to about four hundred feet4 ,fox ,avenue1 near by1 encloses a large cave-island4 ,dr4 ,nahum ,ward and other early explorers fancied the ,main ,cave as formerly an underground ,nile1 and its rocky masses ruined cities2 and on the first maps they were numbered ,first1 ,second1 ,third1 ,fourth1 and ,fifth ,city4 ,the first in order was called the ,chief ,city1 while the fourth1 now familiar to us by that name1 was the ,temple4 ,this fact explains some conflicting accounts by early and more recent authors4 ,robert ,m4 ,bird was responsible for these changes1 giving the name of ,wright's ,rotunda to the ,first ,city in honor of his friend1 ,prof4 ,c4 ,a4 ,wright1 ,m4 ,d4 ,this is one of the most spacious rooms in the ,cave1 being shaped like the letter ,t1 its length about five hundred feet and its width at the transept about three hundred and fifty feet4 ,the ceiling is quite level throughout1 but the floor is irregular1 causing the space between roof and floor to vary from ten to forty-five feet4 ,when several chemical fires are ignited at distant points simultaneously the effect is superb4 ,ragged cliffs divide this prodigious area1 making a sort of great island1 beyond which by climbing through the so-called ,chimneys those who wish can reach the ,black ,chambers above1 extending for several hundred feet4 ,the walls and domes of these chambers are coated with the black oxide of manganese1 and the enormous rocks lie scattered in the wildest disorder4 ,returning to ,wright's ,rotunda and taking the other arm of the ,t1 we presently find ourselves looking directly into a steep hollow1 or pit1 into which the ,cataracts tumble from orifices in the roof1 and with resounding force after a rainfall4 ,those who risk a descent part way down the pit and climb over a wall may find their way into the ,solitary ,chambers and the ,fairy ,grotto1 though the difficulty of access prevents these places from being ordinarily exhibited4 ,a 8tumble-down0 to the left of the ,cataract chasm might correctly be regarded as the termination of the ,main ,cave4 ,a passage to the left opens from ,cataract ,hall to a lofty avenue commonly spoken of as a continuation of the ,main ,cave1 but really on another level4 ,the limestone slabs that used to clatter under our feet and endanger our equilibrium have been made firm or else removed1 and we easily proceed through the ,gorge and across the portal of what once was styled the ,temple1 but has long been known as the ,chief ,city4 ,by my measurement the room is four hundred and fifty feet long1 with an average width of one hundred and seventy-five feet2 but others have made the dimensions larger4 ,the utmost height does not exceed one hundred and twenty-five feet4 ,the maximum width1 as measured by ,dr4 ,call1 is two hundred and eighty-seven feet4 ,the area covers about two acres4 ,and over this vast space springs a solid and seamless canopy of gray limestone1 that has thus lifted its majestic arch for thousands of years4 ,dr4 ,bird found here1 in #ahcg1 aboriginal relics 8in astonishing1 unaccountable quantities40 ,formerly these were heaped as bonfires to illuminate the chamber2 but even yet cartloads remain of half-burnt cane-torches1 fragments of woven moccasins1 and other objects of interest1 to reward search amid crevices and crannies4 ,the theory is that the ,indians made this place their council chamber1 or else their stronghold of refuge from enemies4 ,fascinated with the local attractions and possibly too forgetful of the weariness of my guide1 ,i lingered once till midnight1 prowling amid the fastnesses of the ,chief ,city4 ,noticing presently the utter silence that prevailed1 ,i returned to where my guide had been left on guard1 only to find a couple of lamps and a strip of brown paper on which he had scrawled the words1 8,it is midnight and ,i got tired and went out40 ,the guide had really deserted me1 and the only thing to do was to await the coming of comrades1 who would surely hunt me up1 as they did after the lapse of an hour or so4 ,extinguishing the lamps meanwhile1 fancy was given full play to people the mysterious council chamber with ghosts of dusky warriors1 till there seemed to be a rush of whispers and other imaginary sounds that were really caused1 ,i suppose1 by the coursing of the blood through my veins4 ,it was easy to realize that a person actually lost in ,mammoth ,cave might soon be so bewildered as to lose his reason4 ,even in my own case it was a relief to break the spell1 as ,i did1 by simply striking a match and trimming anew the flickering flame of my lamps4 ,every observant visitor has seen with pleasure the assemblage of rocks and the overarching canopy aglow with ,bengal lights or burning magnesium1 and has commented on the singular fact that the lofty dome seems to follow him as he retires from its protection4 ,st4 ,catherine ,city1 which lies beyond1 is at the intersection of the ,blue ,spring ,branch and ,blackall ,avenue with the main passageway4 ,the latter1 recently named in honor of the veteran cave-hunter1 ,dr4 ,c4 ,r4 ,blackall1 of ,philadelphia1 ends in a funnel-shaped pit bearing the name of ,symmes' ,pit1 probably in memory of ,captain ,john ,cleves ,symmes1 of ,newport1 ,kentucky1 whose theory gained much attention formerly--that our globe was a hollow sphere with an opening at the poles1 and that within were races of men and animals different from those on the surface4 ,at a public meeting held at ,frankfort1 a resolution was adopted to the effect that the ,united ,states ,congress should fit out an expedition to the ,arctic ,circle under his command1 in order to find1 if possible1 the mysterious ,polar pit for which this ,cave pit was named4 ,our course1 however1 leads us to ,waldach's ,dome 7in memory of ,charles ,waldach1 the pioneer in cave-photography7 and ,hains' ,dome 7in honor of his successor1 ,ben ,hains71 both of them symmetrical and noble domes1 rising to oval ceilings above smooth floors of sand4 ,in the ,garret we find flakes of ,epsom salts like those found in the ,snow ,room4 ,bending low through ,mayme's ,stoopway1 we reach what to ,dr4 ,call and myself seemed to be an impenetrable wall1 to which we gave what we thought the fitting name of 8,ultima ,thule40 ,in the year #aijh ,mr4 ,max ,kaemper1 of ,germany1 undertook a complete exploration of ,mammoth ,cave1 assisted by ,edward ,bishop1 guide1 the results of which are exclusively for the owners of the ,cave4 ,their observations led them to suspect that a certain tumble-down in the ,sandstone ,avenue might be identical with the tumble-down known as ,ultima ,thule4 ,hence they attacked a crawl-way near the latter1 and by patiently removing many limestone fragments they wormed their way through to an oval hall1 one hundred and sixty feet long by one hundred and twenty feet wide and sixty feet high1 now named1 for its discoverer1 ,kaemper ,hall4 ,an unseen waterfall1 by whose music they had been led onward1 was now seen to dash down an abyss they named1 for the guide1 ,bishop's ,pit4 ,another is the 8,parrish ,pit10 so called for ,norman ,a4 ,parrish1 of ,buffalo1 ,new ,york4 ,these are the first of a series of eleven pits1 the others not yet being named4 ,fifty steps to the right is a short passage where an iron gate is now fixed1 opening into a symmetrical chamber seventy-five feet in diameter and of about the same height1 rising by vaulted arches and closing above in a beautiful circle4 ,this is ,elizabeth's ,dome1 named for a sister of ,mr4 ,kaemper4 ,the exit is by the ,grand ,portal1 an arch sixty feet wide and fifty feet high1 commanding one of the most magnificent views in all the underground world4 ,on visiting the locality soon after its discovery1 ,i seated myself on ,albert's ,stairway1 while one of my companions ignited ,bengal lights here and there1 and the other used an automobile searchlight brought in for the purpose2 and thus they gave me my first view of the wonderful region1 to which the general name of ,violet ,city is given1 in honor of ,mrs4 ,violet ,blair ,janin1 the wife of ,trustee ,albert ,c4 ,janin1 and the fair owner of one third of the ,mammoth ,cave estate4 ,special features are ,blair ,castle and the ,marble ,temple1 whose environs are styled 8,walhalla10 for the fabled realm above the clouds where dwell the heroes and demigods of old ,german mythology4 ,picking up our torches again1 and carrying my acetylene bicycle lamp1 to which ,i had fixed a convenient handle1 we followed a natural pathway near the wall on the left1 that led us from place to place4 ,we found that ,violet ,city is two hundred and fifty feet long by one hundred and twenty-five wide1 rivaled only in size by ,wright's ,rotunda and the ,chief ,city1 and greatly exceeding them in beauty4 ,a sandstone cave-in at the end seems to lend color to the idea that ,sandstone ,avenue1 or some similar place1 is near4 ,these fallen blocks are cemented together by a profusion of onyx4 ,stalactites and stalagmites abound everywhere1 varying in color from the purest white alabaster through every imaginable shade4 ,the upper central part of the hall is crowned by three masses of fluted white onyx1 glistening with exquisite crystals1 while from the roof hang in fine array stalactites eight or ten feet long4 ,the right wall is decorated with pure white formations1 and the left wall is coated with rich brown onyx4 ,a row of stalactites of varying length emit musical tones when struck by the knuckles1 and by skillful percussion simple airs can be played on them4 ,these are the ,chimes4 ,illustration3 ,the ,chimes ,other attractions excite surprise4 ,the ,beer ,mug1 like a mug of foaming ale1 the ,ripe ,tomato1 a rare bit of red onyx1 and other odd specimens of natural mimicry are here4 ,one familiar with the brilliant creations found in the wonderful caverns of ,luray might easily imagine himself in that ,virginian fairyland instead of in ,mammoth ,cave4 ,thus far these marvelous treasures have been kept untouched by vandal fingers1 such as have robbed or destroyed elsewhere what should have been most jealously guarded in the greatest cavern known4 ,in his zeal to open a passage from ,violet ,city to ,sandstone ,avenue ,mr4 ,kaemper obtained permission to use explosives4 ,thus he made considerable progress4 ,however1 the indications were that he was likely to burst through to the surface somewhere1 instead of into ,sandstone ,avenue1 and accordingly he desisted4 ,in either case the result might have been advantageous4 ,an opening into ,sandstone ,avenue would enable visitors to make the circuit through the ,main ,cave and ,violet ,city1 and return by the ,long ,route1 without having to retrace their steps4 ,on the other hand1 an exit to the surface from near ,violet ,city would enable them to return by coach to the ,cave ,hotel without a wearisome tramp over ground already trodden4 ,illustration3 ,the ,marble ,temple ,to convince those who1 like the writer1 are skeptical as to the proximity of ,violet ,city and ,sandstone ,avenue1 ,kaemper and ,bishop repaired1 one to the first place and the other to the second1 agreeing on a fixed moment by the watch when they would fire revolvers and likewise hammer on the rocks4 ,the pistol shots were inaudible1 but the blows on the walls were faintly heard4 ,by similar sound-tests it was determined that ,wright's ,rotunda is directly above the ,serpent ,hall 7beyond ,echo ,river71 so that it might be possible to connect them by a stairway through an artificial shaft4 ,incidentally ,i may state1 however1 as showing how far sound may travel through the rocks and their mysterious crevices1 that1 while in the ,chief ,city1 we heard the steam-cars running over the ,mammoth ,cave ,railroad4 ,but now no short cut is provided for us1 and we return as we came1 carrying with us delightful memories of the ,new ,discovery4 ,illustration3 ,william ,garvin1 the ,guide ,illustration3 ,in 8,violet ,city0 ,illustration3 ,,drawn ,,and ,,copyrighted ,,by ,h4,c4 ,,hovey #aiji4 ,,walker ,,lith ,,pub ,,co1 ,,boston ,,route ,,iv ,,to ,,the ,,maelstrom ,,and ,,to ,,hovey',s ,,cathedral ,,route ,,iv ,to the ,maelstrm and ,hovey's ,cathedral ,let no one in ordinary vigor forego the remarkable scenes of what is frequently known as 8,the ,long ,route10 simply because longer than either of the other three4 ,the trip is varied by the boat-ride1 the midday lunch1 and the occasional stops at points of interest4 ,the spirits are also sustained by the exhilarating ,cave atmosphere4 ,we may imagine ourselves1 therefore1 as having landed at ,rocky ,inlet1 on the farther shore of the wonderful ,echo ,river4 ,soon we are greeted by the music of the waterfall in ,cascade ,hall4 ,to our right are ,stephenson's ,avenue1 whose principal attraction is ,neptune's ,cups1 and the ,aquarius ,avenue1 leading to ,roaring ,river2 both of which offer matters of interest to the scientist1 but are never visited by ordinary tourists1 who hasten on to other scenes more accessible4 ,wellington's ,galleries are peculiar shelf-like projections4 ,at ,dripping ,spring we find a few stalactites4 ,we pass in safety what the guides irreverently name the ,infernal ,regions1 ,pluto's ,dome1 and ,old ,scratch ,hall--the latter being surprisingly scratched all over1 while the only trails of serpents in ,serpent ,hall are the freaks of nature observed as winding channels overhead4 ,the fact should be noted that this is high-water mark for ,echo ,river in time of flood4 ,hence we take particular interest in the opening from ,serpent ,hall to ,ganter ,avenue as our only exit at such times1 running as it does for eight thousand five hundred feet to the ,wooden ,bowl ,room1 near the ,giant's ,coffin in the ,main ,cave4 ,we are assured1 however1 that visitors are seldom so unlucky as to get caught by such a sudden rise of the waters4 ,we have now entered ,silliman's ,avenue1 named for the late ,professor ,silliman of ,yale ,university4 ,in the ,valley-,way ,side-,cut are singular crystals of gypsum that grow in the ground1 whence they are dug up1 like so many potatoes4 ,beyond the ,hill of ,fatigue stands the ,great ,western1 resembling an ocean steamer1 her helm hard-a-port4 ,by mounting a ledge between the ,vale of ,flowers and ,rabbit ,rock1 and following ,rhoda ,arcade for about five hundred yards amid interesting incrustations1 we find three domes1 named for different members of the ,jesup family1 the highest and most symmetrical being ,lucy's ,dome1 connected by a lofty archway with the other two4 ,immense alabaster curtains hang on the walls1 and the effect when illuminated from the archway is grand4 ,on the left of ,silliman's ,avenue is a hall with fine acoustic properties1 thirty feet wide1 forty long1 and twenty high1 where the famous ,norwegian violinist ,ole ,bull is said to have once given a special performance2 and hence it bears his name1 ,ole ,bull's ,concert ,hall4 ,the wild and rugged pass which1 on the map1 seems to be a continuance of ,silliman's ,avenue1 is really on a lower level1 and is well named 8,el ,ghor0 7,the ,gorge74 ,it winds about like a forsaken river bed1 which it undoubtedly is1 and offers many surprising sights4 ,one such is the ,fly ,chamber1 in which swarms of house-flies seem to have settled on the walls and ceiling4 ,examination proves them to be so many crystals of black oxide of manganese4 ,the ,hanging ,rocks1 the ,sheep-shelter1 and the ,victoria ,crown are formations whose names suggest their shape4 ,immediately over ,el ,ghor is ,corinne's ,dome1 nine feet wide and about forty feet high4 ,the guide points out what he styles ,suicide ,rock1 and when you innocently ask him 8,why80 his ready reply is1 8,because it hung itself40 ,the ,black ,hole of ,calcutta is an ugly black pit on the left of the pass4 ,el ,ghor continues on for some distance1 but we leave it after refreshing ourselves at ,hebe's ,spring1 a clear pool four feet in diameter by a foot and a half deep1 and said to be impregnated with sulphur2 a fact of interest--it might easily come from the reduction of gypsum or ,epsom salt4 ,stevenson1 who was here in #ahfa1 says1 8,there is a short avenue1 or rather a hole1 leading from ,el ,ghor to a sheet of water called ,mystic ,river1 which has not been explored1 as they have never been able to get a boat in there40 ,other early writers mention ,mystic ,river1 but ,dr4 ,call and myself were unable to find it4 ,possibly it is identical with the stream in ,martel ,avenue2 but no one would ever think of a 8boat0 in connection with the latter4 ,boone ,avenue1 diverging from ,el ,ghor to our left at a point five thousand eight hundred and twenty yards from the mouth of the ,cave1 was for many years blocked by a stone stairway1 recently removed4 ,important discoveries were made in this direction in #aijg1 to which we shall presently give attention4 ,now1 however1 we climb up through an uninviting hole at our right that admits us to an upper tier of caverns4 ,when the last man is through we burn blue fire1 and are surprised to find ourselves in a stone vineyard4 ,nodules and globules simulate clusters on clusters of luscious grapes1 gleaming with parti-colored tints through dripping dew4 ,no covetous hand is allowed to pluck the marvelous vintage of ,mary's ,vineyard2 which1 after all1 the mineralogist explains as simply calcium carbonate coated with the black oxide of iron4 ,washington ,hall1 smoke-stained and its floor strewn with relics of hundreds of lunch-parties in former days1 is mainly interesting as the place whence two grand avenues diverge1 namely1 ,marion ,avenue1 not included in our route1 and ,cleaveland ,avenue1 so named for the late mineralogist of that name4 ,this avenue is one of the great 8lions0 of ,mammoth ,cave1 and many think more of it than of all the other ,cave lions put together4 ,it has indeed a marvelous beauty peculiarly its own4 ,walls and ceiling everywhere are decorated by mimic leaves and flowers1 in an infinite variety of form4 ,there is hardly a plant known to botany that does not find its counterpart here2 but roses1 camellias1 and chrysanthemums are the most common varieties4 ,in many parts of this treasury of crystals there is not a space as large as your hand that is not decorated by dazzling blossoms2 and even the floor sparkles with bright fragments of flowers demolished by vandal visitors4 ,dr4 ,john ,locke1 of ,cincinnati1 gave these ,cave rosettes the name of 8oulopholites10 meaning literally 8curled-leaf-stones40 ,among descriptive names assigned to different parts of this enchanted realm are ,snowball ,room1 ,flora's ,garden1 ,orpha's ,garden1 the ,cross of ,flowers1 the ,last ,rose of ,summer1 ,crypt of ,jewels1 and ,charlotte's ,grotto4 ,these are not all of them in ,cleaveland ,avenue1 but some are in its vicinity4 ,it is a vast crystalline region1 through which one may wander for fully two miles and occasionally find1 in some secluded nook1 the trailing vines1 stalks of celery1 and stag's antlers described by early tourists4 ,surfeited at length by such floral splendors1 we suddenly emerge into ,call's ,rotunda and clamber up the loosely piled blocks of limestone called the ,rocky ,mountains1 from whose summit we look down into the ,dismal ,hollow1 whose gloom our red fires hardly succeed in dispelling4 ,three avenues branch from ,call's ,rotunda2 one to ,sandstone ,avenue1 which ,kaemper considers to be in proximity to ,violet ,city2 another1 ,franklin ,avenue1 ends in ,serena's ,arbor2 and the third leads directly to a large room named1 for the former owner of the ,cave1 ,croghan's ,hall4 ,it is sixty feet in diameter and thirty feet high4 ,here we find1 the yawning chasm known as the ,maelstrm1 which by my measurement is eighty-eight feet deep1 though often described as far deeper than that4 ,it is claimed that ,w4 ,c4 ,prentice was the first to descend to the bottom of this abyss4 ,according to ,mr4 ,procter the same feat was afterward accomplished by ,mr4 ,richard ,babbitt4 ,mr4 ,f4 ,j4 ,stevenson1 of ,london1 in his letters to his mother1 tells the story at great length of his own descent into the ,maelstrm in the presence of thirty witnesses and with the help of two guides1 ,nicholas ,branford and ,frank de ,monbrun4 ,on the #aeth of ,may1 #aije1 ,mr4 ,benjamin ,f4 ,einbigler and ,john ,m4 ,nelson1 guide1 were lowered by ropes held by ,edward ,hawkins and ,levi ,woodson1 guides1 the rope-length being exactly ninety-seven feet eight inches4 ,their account differs materially from the former descriptions1 but we will not try to adjust their statements in this manual4 ,the most that the visitor will be apt to do will be to peer over the brink and wonder that anybody should venture down such an awful abyss4 ,this is estimated to be ninety-six hundred yards from the entrance to the ,cave1 and is often spoken of as 8the end of ,mammoth ,cave40 ,but who can tell where the real 8end0 of so vast a labyrinth may be8 ,at any rate here we turn and retrace our steps through the paradise of ,cave flowers until we reach ,mary's ,vineyard and descend to the level of ,el ,ghor4 ,here1 if we have the time1 strength1 and inclination1 we may enter ,boone ,avenue1 which has been known for many years1 and visit what is practically a new part1 of the ,cave1 though there are signs of its having been explored long ago by unknown visitors4 ,a well-worn path leads us to a chasm1 down whose slope we pick our way to a lower level known on ,stephen ,bishop's old map as ,miriam ,avenue4 ,a narrow and winding way1 called ,pinson's ,pass1 leads into a long and noble avenue which is named ,martel ,avenue1 in honor of the famous cave-hunter of ,france1 ,edward ,a4 ,martel4 ,the point where we enter it is called1 from its peculiar shape1 ,bottle ,hall4 ,were we to go to the left in ,martel ,avenue we should find the path rugged and difficult1 but would be rewarded by seeing ,helictite ,hall1 where abound those curious twisted and distorted stalactites known as helictites4 ,several small passages branch off from the avenue1 which finally terminates in ,galloway's ,dome4 ,the right-hand portion of ,martel ,avenue brings us soon to the bed of a brook that must at times be deeply covered by flowing water4 ,ripple marks of sand alternate with flat masses of jet-black polished flint4 ,knots of wood1 roots of corn-stalks1 and other objects indicate that they were recently swept down hither from the surface4 ,two adjacent domes are named for the intrepid guide1 ,john ,m4 ,nelson1 but beyond them some hardy pioneer had inscribed on a rock the date #ahdh4 ,mr4 ,norman ,a4 ,parrish came as far as this in #aijd1 but the distinction of availing himself of footholds over a risky limestone slip and crossing where others had turned back belongs to ,mr4 ,b4 ,f4 ,einbigler1 already mentioned as having descended the ,maelstrm4 ,for him the great overhanging dome is named1 while a still grander one about a hundred yards beyond was named by him 8,edna ,dome0 for his sister1 who subsequently visited it4 ,instead of narrowing to an apex1 as most domes do1 ,edna ,dome broadens at the top1 seeming to open into a cross-cavern4 ,this conjecture remains to be verified by some climber4 ,edward ,hawkins scaled the wall of the pit underneath ,einbigler's ,dome1 ,may #ae1 #aijg1 being followed by ,einbigler1 ,bransford1 and at another visit by ,mr4 ,h4 ,m4 ,pinson1 who took along the head-light of an automobile for illumination4 ,this searchlight was still there on the occasion of my own visit1 on the #ahth of ,june1 #aijg1 a month afterward1 in company with ,william ,bransford and ,frank ,barry1 guides4 ,passing through ,hawkins' ,way and scaling a wall at its end1 we were on the level floor of a dome sixty feet in diameter and from one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet high4 ,a tall arched gateway opened from this into a second dome of equal size2 and through similar gateways we entered in succession five vast domes arranged as a sigmoidal group4 ,from the fifth a window opens into an irregular room1 where a downfall of rocks blocks further progress4 ,in this fifth dome also a waterfall leaps from the apex to the floor1 where it vanishes into a chasm4 ,the majestic walls rise in horizontal tiers1 each tier about ten feet in thickness and fringed by beautiful stalactites4 ,the mighty masonry ascends in narrowing circles till the powerful searchlight barely enables us to discern the oval white tablet forming the apex1 girt by onyx pendants4 ,vertically the walls are richly corrugated from top to bottom4 ,the entire series of five united domes is four times the magnitude of ,gorin's ,dome4 ,ages on ages were needed for the chemical and mechanical action whereby this surprising cathedral was carved in silence broken only by the wild1 pattering waterfall or the heavier cataract4 ,let me anew express my obligation to the ,mammoth ,cave management for having marked their appreciation of my long-continued and enthusiastic interest in their wonderful cavern by naming1 with the approval of the discoverer and the guides1 this remarkable group of domes 8,hovey's ,cathedral40 ,a glance at the map will show1 that ,kaemper and ,bishop went beyond what has just been described1 and found two domes1 to one of which ,mr4 ,kaemper gave the name of a ,german lady1 calling it 8,gerta's ,grotto10 and the other he named 8,creighton's ,dome10 for an early and otherwise unknown explorer1 whose footprints were found there1 and who left his name carved on the rocks4 ,in conclusion1 let it again be stated that the aim of this hand-book is mainly to help the visitor to understand those routes over which guides ordinarily conduct parties4 ,the known avenues and minor passageways1 if placed end to end1 would exceed one hundred and fifty miles by a conservative estimate4 ,sixty-nine pits and thirty-nine domes1 counting only those of great magnitude1 are known and located on the surveys of #aijh1 besides many lateral enlargements1 after the style of ,wright's ,rotunda and the ,chief ,city4 ,yet we dare not say that this immense cavern has been completely explored4 ,those most familiar with its surprising dimensions think it possible that resolute men1 beginning where others have left off1 might find as much more new territory as has already been described in the vast subterranean realm known as the ,mammoth ,cave of ,kentucky4 ,illustration3 ,transcriber's ,notes --,silently corrected a few typos4 --,retained the original1 inconsistent spellings 8,jesup0 and 8,jessup04 --,retained copyright notices1 although this e,book is public-domain in the country of publication4 --,in the text versions only1 text in italics is delimited by underscores4