164 GLEANINGS FROM NATURE. 



found on our left a room where strata of jasper nod- 

 ules abound in the walls and where numerous chips 

 and splinters of jasper are abundant on the floor. 

 Rev. H. C. Hoyey first called attention to the fact that 

 the supposed "bear wallows" of this room are depres- 

 sions where, in the treacherous light of bark torches, 

 ancient workmen had reclined while they worked 

 down to partial finish the desired blocks of jasper. 

 Numerous fragments of charcoal and large heaps of 

 chips of jasper were about each depression, but, though 

 careful search was made, no partially finished article 

 of jasper was found. The fragments were mostly 

 oblong, with the faces parallel, their dimensions being, 

 on an average, about 4 x 2 x J inches. Several quartz- 

 ite bowlders have been found in the room, where they 

 were doubtless carried to be used as implements in 

 splitting the blocks of jasper or in loosening them 

 from the walls. 



This ancient quarry-room is succeeded by " Creep- 

 ing Avenue," where the roof, for a distance of 172 

 feet comes down to within two and one-half feet of 

 the floor, and progress is possible only upon the hands 

 and knees. According to the guide, the dry ness of 

 this portion of the cave is slowly increasing and, as a 

 consequence, epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) is 

 becoming more abundant. Where the cave is damp 

 with dripping water, stalactites and other forms of 

 calcium carbonate are abundant; where the dripping 

 has ceased but the walls still give off more or less 

 dampness, calcium sulphate or gypsum is the prevail- 

 ing formation, and where perfectly dry the epsom 

 salts alone are being produced. 



