20 THE MAMMOTH CAVE. 
By the aid of this illustration it may also be 
comprehended why so much travel is neces- - 
sary, as will be presently stated, to visit the 
different parts of the Cave. We are obliged to 
follow each tributary of the chief river to its 
source, and to return by the same route to its 
mouth, at the point of our departure; thus 
duplicating the distances of all the rivers, 
creeks, etc. 
It is exceedingly difficult to obtain informa- 
tion regarding the early history of the Cave, 
simply from the fact that it was not explored to 
any great extent for several years after its dis- 
covery, and that the early explorers did not 
regard it as a curiosity of sufficient importance 
to call for the publication of any detailed ac- 
count. It has been stated by Bayard Taylor,* 
and others, that the discovery of the Cave 
dated back as far as the year 1802; but we are 
fortunate in possessing a highly interesting and 
valuable letter from Mr. Frank Gorin, a former 
proprietor of the Cave, addressed to the author 
some months after his visit, and, with permis- 
sion, hereto appended in full, which fixes the 
date of the discovery in the year 1809. The 
* At Home and Abroad: A Sketch-Book of Life, Scenery, and 
Men. By Bayard Taylor. New York, G. P. Putnam & Son, 1867. 
