2,'tO
WEST SHORE.
ami then tin- lower one. Itctwcen these caves there
exists this difference: The upper one in possessed of
line stalactite formutioiiH, while in the one lower down
mine npM'iir. However, instead, iniineiiHe pileHof rork
are lieaH'il indiscriminately one upon the other with
Kreat cracks Istween. l-ong ladders were used to
(limit to the top of rocks, over the sides of which yawn
ing pitn could he Keen that apjteared Isittomless. Want
of time alone prevented our making a thorough inves
tigation; hut I eouhl not resist the temptation to climb
over the (tide of one friendly rock for n few feet just to
nee what it looked like.
" I low ii for twenty feet the space remaineil unehang
ed ho I could easily reach from rock to rock. It then
widened out, and 1 could proceed no further without
riM'H, ho I wan glad to return to the party. A fine
stream of clear cold water Howh from this cave, and a
strong breeze of air rushes forth also. At times in
Uth upper and lower cave, the wind hlew towards the
entrance ho briskly and steadily that it was imjiossihle
to keep the lights burning. No trace of foul airor dead
ly gas has heen discovered in either cave.
" Itcfure my visit visions of square chanils'rs filled
my mind, only to lie dashed aside when real ones pre
sented themselves, the irregular shape of which could
not lie surpassed. There are no parallel walls, few
Htraight ones, hut corners are everywhere. Ileautiful
views of stalactites and stalagmites stand out in hold
relief against snow-white walls. At the farthest ex
tremity of the ups'rcave in one direction an immense
chamls r presents itself, and should lie known as the
' devil's liampieting hall.' It is probably ."ixl."() feet,
and sixty (M high, limit Mocks of risk hang ashy
a thread from the ceiling, while on every side ris ks of
epinl size lie in nil conceivalile shaes, except in
order.
"Standing at the (mint of entry one Uks at the
opHM.iteside ami mvH great cracks, yawning envuties,
with oM'D inouthsof darkness, dismal shadows, to which
the flickering lights impart a ghoulish dance-like aspect.
The devil seems to U holding high carnival, while his
imps would dance the night away. They U.h up and
down, Hwing their spectral arms in fiendish gl,y
the dance goes on forever.
" None can Uk therein without seeing these imp,.
I their gMcH.ue antics. The lUr r.vedes rHi.i.li
from the entrance, and is coiiim.h1 f great rock's
acattcred about in (infusion. We pla.vd a numls-r of
lighted randies in different plm es, the, elimMto the
..p-H.ite side to view them. The Hados had par
dally diMpM.nM, crevices .! doles in the wall not
1-efore s,v,t Uvame suddenly black, and ,Xl.j,,, ,lr
vun.amy, ao we ciuuhm VPr high ro, ks into unknown
passage.. In a small . hamls r at one side 0 Ud a
beautiful stream of water fulling several f1T, illt(,
ain
crystal basin, producing in the solemn, deathlike silence,
a soft purling sound in contrast. The walls of the
chamber are white, and the effect by candle light is
very fine indeed."
Just how far these caves have been penetrated and
the winding recesses explored is not known. Distance
is something that cannot be estimated with any degree
of accuracy. The subterranean openings and passages
wind in and out, and turn and twist with endless varia
tions, vividly reminding one of the famous and scarce
ly less fabled "Cretan Labyrinths" of Grecian mythol
ogy. From one room probably half n dozen low, nar
row passages ramify. Rome lend out into other stone
walled, stone-ceiled apartments ; some, after describ
ing a curve, or after making many short turns and
acute angles, return to the same room. Some open
ings lead down to unknown depths, while others ad
mit of a passage aloft. Measuring distance, or esti
mating how far one travels under such bewildering
circumstances, is impracticable. Probably no explor
ing party has ever penetrated more than a mile into
the hidden bowels of the vast rock mountain. Indeed
there seems no particular reason to doubt that the
whole mountain is honey-combed. Thus far only two
ojK'nings have been discovered, but close search might
reveal the existence of many more. That a constant,
strong breeze blows outward, is undoubted proof that
there is an owning or openings, elsewhere (probably
on the opposite side of the mountain), through which
the air streams.
Persons who have made a partial exploration of
the Josephine county caves, assert that the prevail
ing temperature is not much lower than in the open
air. Mr. Elmer I). DeWert, an amateur photographer
who visited these caves about two years ago, and took
a number of Hash light views of the interior, stated
to the writer that the breeze was not cold; cnthe con
trary was rather warm. However, he hud become
very warm (it was mid-summer), in climbing the
mountain before entering the cave, and had not cooled
otf liefore going in. "I was constantly crawling, creep
ing, elamlcring and walking," ho said, "and of course
the exercise and excitement made me perspire. Hut it
seemed to me that the temperature was not lower than
I Hixty degrees. I'nfortuuately, we had no thermometer
'ong to accurately determine the temperature." One
j ould very naturally suppose that at such a great
j depth, the temperature would bo low even below the
i 'hilly jHiint. The littlo limpid stream of water (lowing
through an,! ,mt of the cave is almost ice-cold.
Although the openings to thesecaves are separated
! J')' not less than :tlX) fret, yet the explorer can a
j fr,"n (m ito tho other at considerable distance from
the surface. However, this cannot be accompli
without much labor, grt.at Pautioni ftnd little