14 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



THE MAMMOTH CAVE. 



From the Journal of Commerce. 

 This vast subterrarifan lerriiory is piiiinied in 

 Eiinioripon count}', Kentucky, m 37 decrees 

 north l.ilitude. The cave extends under the 

 great range of knoha whicli border wliat have 

 usuall}' been called the Green River Barrens, and 

 is near to Green river, and on its southerly side. 

 The Barrens were Ibrmerly destitute of timber, 

 but covered wiih high grass, wiiich was every 

 year destroyed by fire. Since this section of 

 Kentucky has become thickly settled, the fires 

 have been prevented, and now the land is be- 

 coming thickly covered with a growth of hickory, 

 oak, and chestnut timber. The knobs are a ran^e 

 ol hills which extend a great distance on the 

 southerly side ol Green river, and bound its wa- 

 ters on the south. Tiiis region of country is a 

 hmestone Ibrmation. Many of the streams of 

 water run under ground lor great distance s. 



The Mammoth Cave is of vast extent, and 

 equal in size (reckoning all its branches and 

 apartments) to the whole Island of New York. 

 The main cave is, as far as explored, thirteen 

 miles in length, wiih numerous branches making 

 oti' in every direction. 'J'he entrance to the cave 

 is through a passage in the rock at the boliom of 

 a hill and at the loot of a knob ; and is about six 

 leet in width and ten leet in height (or about 

 thirty yards ; afier this it increases in height and 

 widih. During winter a strong current of air ^ 

 rushes into the cave — in summer the current 

 ■changes, and blows equally strong out of the cave. 

 The rool' and sides are of solid limesione; the 

 boitora is covered with earth to the depth of seve- 

 ral leet, and beneath this earih is solid rock. The 

 eai th on the bottom of the cave is strongly im- 

 pregnated with the niirate of lime ; and during 

 the last war, and lor sever il years previous, large 

 quantuies of saltpetre were manulactured at this 

 cave. A large portion of carbonated alkali was 

 required to be used in crystallizing the nitre, 

 which increased the expense ol" the process to 

 such an extent that it cannot now be made to 

 comi)ete with the saltpetre imported from the 

 East Indies, which is now sold in our markets at 

 a very low price. The supply of nitrate ol' lime 

 m iiie Mammoth Cave is inexhaustible. The 

 earth in the cave, after having been lixiviated, he- 

 comes re-impregnated wiih the nitrate again, 

 equally strong as at first, in about three years, 

 'i'he process of making sal'petre was by leeching 

 or lixiviating the earth in lioppers, in the same 

 manner as ashes are keched to make eoap or 

 potash ; then evaporating the liquid to a certain 

 consistency, an.) mixing it with carbonated alkali 

 and allowing it to crystallize. Hoppers were 

 constructed in the cave aboui one mile from its 

 mouth, to which water was conveyed in wooden 

 pipes irom the outside, and the liquor obtained 

 from the hoppers was conveyed to the mouth of 

 the cave by the same means, where it was raised 

 by pumps into the evatioraiing pans. About fifty 

 men were employed diirinir the war, in the Mam- 

 moth Cave, in collecting and lixiviating the earth, 

 together with oxen to draw the earth to the hop- 

 pers. During the who!e time these men were 

 employed in the cave, there was not a case ol 

 sickness among them. The atmosphere of the 

 Cave is dry, and of uni brm temperature through- 



out (he year, viz. 60 degrees of Fahrenheit. Ani- 

 mal and vegeiable substances placed in the cave 

 would become dry, but never putrel}', or decom- 

 pose. It is considered one of the most healthy 

 places known ; and the valeiudinarian could resort 

 to this cave for the recovery of health, with greater 

 prospect of relielj than !o any other climate what- 

 ever. On this point there can be no doubt ; and 

 medical or scientific men can philosophically ac- 

 count Ibr this, fiom this fact, that the atmosphere 

 is dry, and of uniform temperature throughout the 

 year. The air of the cave is pure, respiration ia 

 easy, couibusiion goes on well, lights burn bright 

 and clear. Animal and vegetable substances de- 

 compose and pmrely from the elfecis of heat and 

 moisture combined. In the cave these are both 

 absent. Besides this, the climate of this section 

 of Kentucky is delightful ; and immediately 

 around the cave, the country is picturesque and 

 beauiiliil. and a re.-^idence there for a valetudinarian 

 would afibrd medicine to the mind as well as the 

 bod3^ The road in the cave for the first mile is 

 as good as any of our country roads. Many per- 

 sons may suppose this great subterranean apart- 

 ment is gloomy — not so. It is of too vast extent. 

 Its mighty walls an i vast apartments afford a 

 sublime spectacle, and intpress the mind with 

 wonder and admiration. This is the work of the 

 great Architect of nature, and no person can 

 tiaverse this vast subterranean territory, without 

 leelings of veneration and awe. Here the sound 

 of the mighty peals of the rolling thunder never 

 reach. All is .=iil! — quiet and peaceful. Mr. Gorin, 

 of Glasgow, Ky., wrote me in 1H39 that he had 

 erected a hotel at the mouth of the cave lor the 

 accommodation of visiiers. He was at that time 

 proprietor of the Mammoth Cave tract, consisting 

 of about 1600 acres, which he improved as a 

 grazing farm. Since then, I have been informed 

 that the cave has been purchased by Dr. Croghan, 

 of Louisville, and that he intends constructing a 

 hotel m the cave. I presume that the spot he 

 will select (or building is the foot of the mountain, 

 as it is called, about a mile from the mouth. Here 

 the roof and walls are of great height, and the 

 cave of orreat breadth. This cave is visited by 

 vast numbers of persons — it is about eight milea 

 distant from the great road leading from Lexing- 

 ton to Nashville, and is about an equal distance 

 from Lexington, Louisville and Nashville, viz. 

 about 100 miles. To persons entering the cave 

 at the time it was worked for saltpetre, the first 

 glimpse which the visiters caught of the group of 

 blacks working by torch-light, at a distance a- 

 head, and ol their white shining teeth, was very 

 importing, and can be better imagined than de- 

 scrilicd. Mr Mil'er, who resided at the cave a 

 number of years and had charge of the saltpetre 

 work.^. assured me that he had never seen any 

 animal or reptile in the cave. I have been much 

 at the cave, having resided there lor weeks toge- 

 ther, and my knowledue of it is derived Irom per- 

 sonal observation. Mr. Gorin, in his letter to me 

 of last year, states that a large apartment had 

 been recently discovered in a distant part of the 

 cave, in the Ibrm of a semi-circle, about five hun- 

 dred feet in height and the same in vi'idth, and 

 that in another apartment they had discovered a 

 stream of water of considerable extent ; and 

 added, that the whole extent of the cave, so far 

 explored, was from 50 to 100 miles. The reader 



