716 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE, 



Sept. 15. 



my class something of the springs of pure water 

 and the wonderful caves — not very extensive 

 ones, it is true, but wonderful to myself and a 

 class of urchins about a dozen years old, not- 

 withstanding. Dinner was served near an 

 immense spring that comes out of a cave on 

 what is called the Waltz farm; but as the 

 gorge called Spruce Run was almost a mile 

 away, over a very rough country, it was 

 thought difficult and dangerous for the greater 

 part of the women and children. After the 

 repast was over, however, I called for volun- 

 teers for an exploring party: and a great crowd, 

 not only of boys bui of girls also, and many 

 women, followed. I lirst directed the boys to 

 let the fences down very carefully, and showed 

 them how to take the fences down without 

 injury to the fences or the property where the 

 owners had been kind enough to permit us to 

 pass through. 



It was a hot day in August, and all hands 

 were almost as enthusiastic as myself in regard 

 to finding springs. We first started in at the 

 source, or near the source, of Spruce Kan. A 

 little rivulet commences cutting down gradual- 

 ly into a level field. In a little time it strikes 

 sand rock: and as it cuts its way down into the 

 rock, various springs start out and unite with 

 the stream. The first one we found trickled out 

 of the stone formation, perhaps two or three 

 feet above the bed of the stream. I have many 

 times decided that I will be sure next time to 

 have plenty of tin cups when I start out on a 

 trip like this: but, as usual, the ones who car- 

 ried the cups had strayed somewhere else, and 

 all we had to quench our thirst from was a lit- 

 tle gem of a tin cup holding perhaps half a 

 teacupful. I held it under the stream of cool 

 solt water until full, and then passed it around; 

 but it took so long to give all a drink that the 

 first one wanted more by the time we got 

 around, and so we might have stayed there all 

 the afternoon. We finally decided to wait for 

 a larger spring before fully quenching our 

 thirst. 



A few rods further down, and the stream has 

 cut in so deeply that even thi^ schoolboys of our 

 crowd were unable to climb up the rocky sides. 

 Further on, the cut became a gorge, or " can- 

 yon," as they would call it in California, and 

 the cliffs were reafly dangerous. In fact, in 

 some places the perpendicular sides seemed 

 almost to come together overhead, while beau- 

 tiful ferns and green vines and mosses started 

 forth from every crack and crevice, making a 

 most luxuriant growth, as'^isted by the spring 

 watei', and cutting off the light from overhead 

 until it was a wonderfully cool and cavernous 

 retreat on that hot summer day. Further 

 down we came to a waterfall that had worn 

 for itself a basin in the rock that has for years 

 been called the " Bottomless Pit." I presume, 

 however, the ground they had for terming it 

 " bottomless," was, that one could not touch 

 bottom in some places with a fence-rail of tol- 

 erable length. 



A little below the fall we have what is called 

 " Table Rock." The water had cut under until 

 the sandstone clilT had broken away from the 

 main rock, and stood aloft in the air. the only 

 means of access being a bridge made of a cou- 

 ple of poles. Table Rock is large enough to 

 contain some good-sized trees; and at the bot- 

 tom of the chasm made by the breaking-away 

 is a pathway carpeted with leaves and soft 

 mosses. Dark caverns abound here and there 

 in this vicinity; but none of them go in very 

 far beyond where daylight reaches. 



It had been reported that there was a won- 

 derful cave somewhere in the vicinity, that, in 

 earlier times, used to extend a quarter of a mile 

 or so into the hills, but I had never been able to 



find it; and, besides, at some recent date a 

 fragment of rock had broken off and tumbled 

 down, closing the passageway. I had made 

 a good many inquiries, and tried to find it my- 

 self. On one occasion I found a fissure in the 

 rocks, where I could, by listening, hear the 

 splashing of a waterfall away off at its further 

 end. Not having lights with me I pushed on 

 in the darkness to get a drink of the delicious 

 cool water; but the passageway finally grew 

 too small for me. The boys were full of enthu- 

 siasm to explore these caverns; and after we 

 had gone through Spruce Run they volunteered 

 to follow me on some explorations. A woman 

 who lived in the vicinity said she knew where 

 the cave was which we wanted to find: but the 

 day was too hot, and she was too old for such a 

 tramp. Her daughter, however, 16 or 17 years 

 old, thought she could direct us: but she evi- 

 dently felt a little backward about such a 

 scramble through the brush and over the hills. 

 Finally a young man was found who admitted 

 he could pilot us to the spot, but he threw in a 

 little discouragement. Two boys had started 

 out about a year ago. just as we were doing, 

 and they spent some little time in the cave: 

 but one of "them died shortly after. I looked at 

 the boys inquiringly after this piece of news, to 

 see whether they would want to push ahead. 

 Their verdict was quite unanimous. 



" Go ahead, Mr. Root. If you lead we will 

 follow, and the cave won't kill us, you bet." 



So we pushed on. The weather was so warm, 

 and climbing thi' hills so fatiguing, that it is 

 not any wonder if the whole crowd of us were 

 pretty thirsty all the time; and as we neared 

 the sxjot. on looking about we saw quite a few 

 of the girls and even some ladies slowly bring- 

 ing up the rear of the procession. The entrance 

 to the cave was in the side of a cliff' on the hill- 

 side. The water had cut a sort of slit in the 

 rock; and where it came out it was entirely 

 too narrow for even the smallest boy to get 

 through. By climbing up a little distance, 

 however, the opening was wider, and one after 

 another we got inside; and when once through 

 the opening we climbed down to the floor and 

 found ample room for the whole crowd. Then 

 it became evident that, if we went further, we 

 should have to have a lantern. What would 

 the mothers say if I should lead their boys off 

 into a wild cave like this, and they should be- 

 come lost in some subterranean chamber, such 

 as we read of in the vicinity of Mammoth 

 Cave? I told them that we should have to 

 have a lantern before we could think of going 

 beyond where the glimpses of daylight reached: 

 and almost as soon as I mentioned it there was 

 a volunteer to go to the nearest house, about a 

 quarter of a mile away, and borrow a lantern. 

 Something was said about matches, but one of 

 the boys said "' Johnny " had some in his pock- 

 et. While we were waiting for the lantern, as 

 our eyes became accustomed to the gloom we 

 found we could see a good deal. The floor of 

 the cave was covered with beautiful grayish- 

 white sand. The shallow streams of spring 

 water were deliciously cool as they passed over 

 this sand. vSomebody found a broken crock: 

 and by sinking it into the sand we got some of 

 the water to drink. The tin cups were all gone 

 this time — even the diminutive one. Almost 

 as long ago as I can remember. I have greatly 

 enjoyed drinking water from a piece of broken 

 crock. My earlier days were passed in the 

 vicinity of shops where crockery was made: 

 and all around Mogadore. Summit Co.. O.. as 

 every one knows who has been there, there are 

 springs of soft water gushing from the sandy 

 and gravelly hillsides. These drinking utensils 

 of broken crockery were usually left in the 

 spring; and the stone surface, as one presses it 



