22 THE MAMMOTH CAVE. 



at the present entrance of the Cave ; the water, 

 no doubt, caused the falling of the roof, and 

 closed up at that place the channel leading 

 from the former mouth. 



"Very few persons know of the original 

 'mouth,' as the Cave at its present mouth is 

 filled up with rocks, dirt, etc. 



" When first discovered, the Cave was not 

 considered of much value. It sold, with about 

 two hundred acres of land, for. about forty 

 dollars. 



" McLean, t believe, was the first person who 

 attempted to make saltpetre there, perhaps in 

 the year 1811. He sold to Gate wood, who en- 

 larged the works. He, in turn, sold to Gratz 

 & Wilkins (Gratz of Philadelphia, and Wilkins 

 of Lexington, Ky.) ; they, during the War of 

 1812, made large quantities of saltpetre, and 

 wagoned it principally to Philadelphia. Their 

 agent at the Cave was an Irish gentleman by 

 the name of Archibald Miller. The work 

 during the War of 1812 was mostly done by 

 negroes, some of them working in the Cave 

 without coming out for an entire year.* They 



* This is singular, as they were rarely ever more than one 

 mile from the entrance. — W. S. F. 



