360 



NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



pens that the exposed top of a cliff be- 

 comes much harder than the protected 

 portion which weathers away more 

 rapidly, forming an overhang. The 

 'caves,' as they are popularly called, so 

 formed are very numerous and some of 

 them are very extensive, when the 

 method of their formation is con- 

 sidered." The following are most im- 

 portant: 



*Ash Cave. A semi-circular cavern 

 nearly 700 ft. long with an overhang of 

 about 60 ft., and height of 84 ft. 



*Old Man's Cave. Smaller than Ash 

 Cave; the dryest of the large caves; sand 

 which covers floor is perfectly air-dry, 

 very fine and dusty. 



Cave in Cantwell Cliffs. "Almost 

 hemispherical with a narrow ledge half 

 way up where one finds acoustic proper- 

 ties that are little short of marvelous.'' 



*Rock House. The formation of this 

 cave is due to the crumbling of rock 

 "back along the moisture-laden joint 

 planes till the soft interior was exposed 

 and in turn crumbled along a joint plane 

 parallel to the face of the cliff until there 

 has been formed a corridor about 200 ft. 

 long which runs along behind a series of 

 six columns, the remains of the original 

 face of the cliff, which supports the 

 vaulted roof." 



Rock Bridge. A natural bridge similar 

 in formation to the caves; water passes 

 through joint above the falls, and goes 

 underneath the overhanging ledge, leav- 

 ing the crest of the former falls as a 

 bridge. 



Cedar Falls Cave. 



Saltpetre Cave. 



Dead Man's Cave. 



Reference: 



Griggs, Robert F. 1914. A botanical 

 Survey of the Sugar Grove Region. 

 Ohio Biol. Surv. Bull. 3. 

 Howe, Henry. 1896. Historical Col- 

 lections of Ohio, I: 929. 

 Map: Laurelville quadrangle. 



Elyria Caves. In Crystal Park, in 

 Elyria. (1) Cave at foot of West 

 Branch a water-fall undercut in Berea 

 sandstone; overhang 50-60 ft.; two 

 chambers with small hole between. 

 Water coming through roof depositing 

 iron, and calcite in crust and stalactites. 

 (2) Elyria Shelter Cave— abandoned 

 water-fall. 



Elyria, Loraine County.— Geo D. 

 Hubbard. 



References: 



Howe, Henry. Historical Collections 

 of Ohio, II: 124. 

 Map: Oberlin quadrangle. 



Bellevue Caves. Many solution cav- 

 erns in Columbus limestone, perhaps 

 J mi. in length; scores of sink holes 

 communicate with small underground 

 passages. Nearly all surface drainage 

 of this locality goes down through 

 the sink holes, and some emerges in 

 Castalia, Blue Hole, Miller's Pond, 

 Green Spring, etc. 



Bellevue, 2-3 mi. south; Huron 

 County.— Geo. D. Hubbard. 

 Map: Bellevue, Siam quadrangles. 



Dublin Caves. North of Dublin to- 

 ward Rathbone there are many sink holes 

 in Columbus limestone through some of 

 which one can enter small subterranean 

 passages. — Ohio Geol. Surv. Bull. I4. 



Put-in-Bay Caves. "Near the center 

 of Put-In-Bay Island is a subterranean 

 cavern [in White Dolomite, Silurian] 

 that is quite an object of interest. It is 

 200 ft. long, 150 ft. wide, and has an 

 average height of 7 ft. At the farther 

 end is a lake whose pure, limpid waters 

 are ice cold and said to be 50 ft. deep in 

 one place and to extend under the rocks 

 to regions and depths unknown." 



References: 

 Howe, Henry. 1896. Historical Col- 

 lections of Ohio, 11:368. 

 Cottingham, Kenneth. 1919. The 

 Origin of the Caves at Fut-in-Bay, 

 Ohio. Ohio Jorir. Sci., 20: 38-42. 

 Map: Put-in-Bay quadrangle. 



Reames Cave. Also called Mount 

 Tabor Cave. Cave in Columbus lime- 

 stone; ISOO ft. long; general form that 

 of a Y, with the entrance at the base of 

 the letter, and the fork 1100 ft. from it. 

 Maximum width of galleries 50 ft.; 

 maximum height 25 ft. Deposits on 

 walls and roof are of calcium carbonate 

 and iron oxide. Many stalactites and 

 stalagmites, varying in size from a few 

 inches to 4 or 5 ft. long. Surface opening 

 formed in 1897. 



West Libertyt (Big Four and Ohio 

 Electric), 3.5 mi. S.E.; Champaign 

 County, Ohio. 



Reference : 



Hills, Thomas M. 1916. Reames 

 Cave. Ohio Jour. Sci., 16: 209-215. 

 Map: Mechanicsburgh quadrangle. 



Bainbridge, Rocky Fork, or Paint Creek 

 Caves. Caves in Niagara limestone; 

 dome-shaped chambers connected by 

 narrow slit-like crevices; several inacces- 

 sible, owing to small apertures. Some 

 moist, with di'ipping water; deep pools; 

 stalactites, etc. (See Paint Creek Caves 

 and Gorge Area.) 



