36 



THE MUSEUM. 



explored to its very lowest depths it 

 would most likely be found to extend 

 downward to the crystalline or gneis- 

 soid rocks, which at this locality are 

 found directly underlying the Calci- 

 ferous. However, the cleft itself is 

 not a fault line. It may have been, 

 and doubtless was, produced by the 

 disturbance of the underlying rock at 

 the time of the faulting of the region, 

 but the opposing walls show no verti- 

 cal displacement. It appears merely 

 a seam widened by some movement of 

 the under-crust and afterward partially 

 modified and made cavern-like in its 

 lower regions. 



The crevice, where exposed under- 

 ground, is from three to five feet wide, 

 Except in its very lowest explored por- 

 ticins where it has been in places erod- 

 ed and enlarged until a considerable 

 width has resulted, the farthermost 

 and deepest charhber being 23 feet 

 wide. ' ' 



"'■ It is only in these lower corridors 

 that Mitchell's bears much resem- 

 blance to a true cave, for here only do 

 we find any extensive deposits of stal- 

 actitic growth, or notice the effects of 

 decomposition or erosion. Yet 



throughout the entire known length 

 and depth of the cave we do not find 

 a single side passage or lateral gallery 

 to excite our curiosity or to tempt the 

 explorer to thread its unknown mazes. 

 Nothing but the one great cleft almost 

 uniform in width except in its lower 

 depths as before stated. 



The problem of exploration, how- 

 ever, is not so simple as might be in- 

 ferred frorti the above description. 

 The tremendous cleft is partially 

 filled with rocks and debris much of 

 which has lodged at different heights 

 forming floors of different slopes and 

 of greater or less length. These floors 

 or landings end sudderily making it 

 "necessary in places to !use a rope to 

 -attain the next level above or below. 

 • '■^ Iti- ''dofrig' the cave" we first make a 

 Vertfcal' descent of 16 feet from the 

 %tifface,'then,, fQllowing a rapidly slop- 

 Sng-''3'es<fetrf*'leadiT)g' northward we 



come to a very small aperture through 

 which we must pass would we see the 

 wonders below and beyond. Just 

 through this exceedingly "tight squeak" 

 we find ourselves on the brink of an 

 overhanging precipice which requires 

 for its safe descent a strong rope well 

 fastened to the rocks behind us. 

 From this onward our only pathway is 

 along a narrow projecting shelf, jut- 

 ting but a few inches from the left 

 wall and which we notice slopes rap- 

 idly downward until lost in the dark- 

 ness. It is a dangerous-looking path- 

 way but the only alternative. Curious 

 rows of bats, like embryonic fiends, 

 hang by their hooks along the smooth 

 perpendicular walls and squeak and 

 grind their teeth as we pass by. Giv- 

 en a few flames coming from the 

 chasm at our feet, --a few choice fat 

 medieval flames casting wierd up- 

 shooting Doresque shadows and a 

 Dante would have nicely appreciated 

 the scene. The cleft here reaches 

 open high above us and below our 

 narrow pathway drops to an unseen 

 depth. With extreme caution we 

 brace ourself against the opposing 

 wall and slowly pick our way along 

 the narrow and declining path. 

 Should we slip we would have a ter- 

 rible fall. However, the depth of this 

 chasm has been grossly exaggerated. 

 Said Martin Carson, who visited the 

 cave in i<S37 — "The passage leading 

 from the second to the third room was 

 the most difficult and dangerous part 

 of the whole descent, there being be- 

 tween these rooms on the north side 

 of the passage, which led along a 

 shelving rock ever wet and slippery, a 

 deep narrow and perpendicular chasm, 

 which remindeu us of the bottomless 

 pit; stones cast into it sent back their 

 flinty echoes from a depth which we 

 feared to calculate. Great care was 

 necessary in passing this dangerous 

 .openitlg."'' '" 



Had Car.ion dropped his hat down 

 this "bdttotnless' pit" he would, how- 

 ever, shortly have regained it, for soon 

 the narrow pathway ends in a jump- 



