The Mammoth Cave Of Kentucky

Griend Leavitt.-- Having recently observed in various papers, notices in many respects incorrect, relativo to tlie Great Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, and having just returned from a week's residence at the Cave House, where I found Dr. Croglum, the owner of this nether world, may I take the liberty to present, for your penisal, the following facts concerning this disputed territory, more particularly conïected with the regions discovcred within wo years, and ]ying bevond the "Botomless Pitt." But first let me premise hat the main cave was surveyed in '36 by Mr. Lee, a civil engineer, for which like purpose hc is now on a visit to these regions, and wilh whom we traversed large portions of the reccntly discovered brnnclics. I uow quote from my journal.At 7é o'clock, we werc on our expíoring tour, passed through several of the I avenues that we visited yesterday, crossed the 'Hottomless Pit,' and at 10 o'clocl? entered the 'River ílall.' Here descended a gentío sloping sandy beach, which lead.s to the 'River Styx.' To the left of tliis avenue, just before reaching the river, tliëre is a largo pit of water, called the :Dead Soa.' Stephen, our guide, said Ihat there was no current in it, and he supposed it tpo deep to bc faihomed. as he let a long line and lead into it, and oould find no bottotn. As we approached the river Styx, we heard a great noise oi water; asking the cause, were informed that a shor'.1 distance to the right, in a side avenue, iherc was a beautiful cascade of water falling down ironvthe ceiling to the Hoor. a distance of ten or ilfteen feet. The Styx is a narrow stream, say twelve or íifteen feet wide. quite deep, and has no perceptible current. Here a ennoe was in readiness, and two besidc the guide eniered the boat for thé' first crössing, while 1 remained behind alone to ■sec and fee? the tíícct. All my friendo were leaving the shore, and as the boat tiinied aroundan elbow rock outofsight, I blew out my ight, and the vivid effect resultmg therefiom was inoro ihan I could wish to describe. I stood alone, and fora moment was dumb witli wonder und amazement. After standing in silence. with n sort of wüd delight, I broke fortli in yclls, and shouts and .songs, Wlndi innde ;.1I sijeiitre secni nlïsound; Wiilnn, ,-ibove, beueath. órouhci. Crossing the rivcr, which is about 150 yards long, went on a short disfance, and carne to 'Lake Lcthe,' whiqhj at this season, was nearly. dry. Pushed on our rond to the 'River Jordán,' or 'Echo River." which, until within two ycars, was by Rtr the longestand largost river known in the enve. Though not vevy wide, not over fifi een or eightcen feet, it is over twenty fcet dcep in tho middle. Ilere is the most perfect echo that I have ever hcardj the vibration of the sound is long. cleaiyaad liquid, if the noise made is low and gentle. But if on the contrary, you maken loud, hoarse noise, the sound reiurned is "Steve" and rnyself, havng carried a gun by its two extremities all the morning to try its report on these waters, eased ourselves of the burden by )crmitting it to exerciso itö vocal org-ins and speak for tself, and the efiect was ruly electrifying. Ifyou bututleryour 'oice, it will bound and rebound fainter and fainter, prolonging and returning the ame to a gr,eat iength of time. Here Steve' struek up a song, 'To my kivc,' and Ihummed 'Soft and low my passion.' To Miñona;' andl also conversed. Said , "IIow do yoiido?' and 'AU well?' And he answer from home, or Miss Echo's answer invariably was, "IIow do - do-- - do do?' 'All well- wcll- well?'- and it eemed as if her voice woüld never cease. 3 ut we shall not stop to blame her for 'taving after' all the rest of her scx. We embarked on this river, down vhich we sailed in a frail skiff, Far off from light. or Ufe, or sound, A long, long distance under srouud, Threc quariers of a rr.ile. One of the greatest curiositics in this art of the cave is the white blind iish, vhich are found in this river. They are ransparent when first caught, of the catsh species, and they have no eyes, not ven the appearance of a place wliere ïero should be. There is one place vhich you liave to pass while sailing own the Jordán or Echo river, where the eiling comes so close to the surfacc of ie water, that you have to bury yourself n tho hollow of the boat? to pass it.Mr. Lee, who has surveyed it, inform 1 ed me that the River Jordán ís just five feet higher than the level of Greon river and is affected by it when that river ís high. The descent from the motith of the cave to the Jordon, a distance of three miles, is 230 feet. Passing SilJiman's Avenue, the first really beautiful staíactites and other delicate formations which I saw, were in "Milky VVay." Here the walls are whitc as snow, and look like fine loof sugar, freshly broken. ín some places, the piaster, if I may term it such, had fallen off and crumbled to pieces, and another new, perfectly white one, similar to thc oíd, had laken its place, as if nature had determined that none ofiis beauty sliould be lost. Passing on, we went through the pass oP'Algore." thence, by the "Hanging Kocks," through the "Spring Side Cut," where we dranksome of the best sulphur .vater. quiie as palatable as the White Sulphur of Virginia.from 'Hebe's Spring.' and finally entered "Cleveland'sCabinet." Now, indeed, were our high wrouglit expectations more than. realized. The delicate whiteness and purity, the multifórm floriage, and dazzling incrustations of thiscabmel beggar all description. Like many others. it is divided into several apartments, the first of which is Mary's or 'Martha's Vineyard.' Uere the walls are covered all over with masses of blueish purple colored furmations of rock, that look precisely likc so many rich bunches of ripe grapcs, deposited in piles. They look so natural, that you ahnost catch yourselfin the act of pulling them; indeed, one or Iwo of the company did apply tiieir lips. The next apartment is the 'Spar Hall.' It is impossible to describe, the bcautiful effect which is by carrying a liglit into its chamber. Thousands of beauifful white spar stalnctitee, hanging inevery direction in curls; sticks, tapers, bladcs, and other unimaginable formations; one feels as if in a üúry land, or on an enchanted spot, or in aheaven below wh' ere Deity has wroiiglit. In the next apartment, the 'Snowball Room,' 'The joy we Ikivc surpnsses ilic toil We hiive endurcd to win it." O! how beatitiful! White as the freshly lallen snow frpm the clouds of heaven are llie walls and ceiling of this room. The ceiling, too, arches beriutifully, and runs imperceptibly into theside walls. In this arch and all over every part of the room, except the floor, and even this we were sornetimes fearful of soiíing with our feet, thousands, thousands of rock snow balls.ui uvtrv size, irom uiat ot a small nut te thesizc of a man's head, hang as though they had thrown against the wal] where they had sluck, TJie snowballs, all, tul are as pure as the driven snow, and emit a glorious floodof rich sparklinlight. Passing on a mile or morCj on eiiher side and atop we re stalactites of er i ery fantastic íbrm, ringlets landscapes, fruit, flowers, rich festoons of snowy vine; lilies, roses, wreaths, rosettes, and all that Can be plöasing andattractive. - Went over the 'Rocky Moüntains" into 'Crógan's HalL' Aficr dinner, from tbence into cSenenea's Arbor,' and saw the best fonned colored stalactite and stagalmite formations jfi the cave. And here my trip terimnatcd. being nine miles from the mouth. As you approach. the mouthof (hecave in goingout, tlie light of the sem looks like a flood of liquid, mellow, golden lighfj flow'ing towards you in the cavó. Outside of the cave, one has no conceptiohs of wh-tt stillness is. ín it, there is no escape of sound, as from a crack or ere v ice of a room, consequently sound is heard a great distance, and every partiële utlered, even tlie softest, which is the most melodious, is distinctly heard. VVhen we remained silent, which we agreed to do before entering,' the effect was indescribable- such aslnever before had formed an idea of. No his-sing of wind is heard, no music of of birdsor humming ofinsects; not even a bu7.z from.thejvjng of a flyj no noise, eiiher from the earlh above or the earth below. It was silence- awful silencc - perfect silence! and then blackness of Jarkness - how dense outside, at midnight, in a thunder-storm it is noonday, as it were, in comparison.I he air n the cave ís so pure that the sense of smell becomes very acute; so that when you ftrst come out, if the weather be warm, the air seems impregnated with vegetable matter, and you íeel as if entering a hot, close stove room. I f, on the contrary, it is cold, the air without seems as though. it would pierce you through. These sensations, however, soon wear off, as the system adapts itsclf to the atmosphere. It is believcd that it wasónce inhabited, and that by a race wholly different from any existing Indian Iride. As proof of this traces of the savage are 'still found here - two mummies having been found,some years since, with red hair, in a good state of preservation. Also the skeleton of a mammoth human frame - besides ends of cañe, which were used for their torches and their fires; one of which, an unusually long specimen, Steve presented me with, wlíicli he had held for several years. But the most striking characteristic of this cave is its vast dimensions. Before entering, I had no idea that there could be sucli a hole under the earth; and what now mortifies mo the most is, that I am totally unable to describe it. This is not a cave - that name is inappropriate for this magnificent grotto - this stupendous tunnel - thisboundlcss territory, or nether world.