FOWKB] ARCHEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS 111 



elevation is the only barrier which keeps the surface water from 

 flowing in, and while the ravine seldom has any water in it, there 

 would be enough after a moderate rain to drown out the diggers 

 who were Avorking below its level if the bank were removed. 



Little Wyandotte. — This, like three caves on Blue River above 

 Wyandotte, four in the vicinity of Leavenworth, and one on the 

 opposite side of the river in Meade County, Ky., has a small 

 entrance in solid rock, with a steep and narrow passage to the foot 

 of a slope which does not expand into a room of any size until at 

 some distance beyond daylight. 



HARRISON COUNTY 



The only cave of any note in Harrison County is at the King 

 quarries, 5 miles east of Corydon. It has two outlets, one at the foot 

 of a little cliff, through which a fine spring has an exit; the other 

 in the face of the cliff, about 10 feet higher and a little to one side. 

 The latter discharges more or less water after every rain. The 

 drainage of several large sink holes is through the two openings. 

 The owner says mud has accumulated to a depth of 3 feet on the floor 

 within his remembrance, due to cultivation around the sink holes, 

 which causes the soil to waste. 



ILLINOIS 



MONROE COUNTY 



Mammoth Cave. — The so-called " Mammoth Cave of Illinois " 

 is near Burksville, in Monroe County. An opportunity was afforded 

 to visit it while engaged in the cave work. It is very extensive, 

 according to the owner's description, being "7 or 8 miles long." 

 The mouth is at the bottom of a sink hole, and the cave is now 

 reached by a narrow stairway 40 feet high. Formerly it was neces- 

 sary to clamber down the walls, stepping from ledge to ledge with a 

 foot and a hand on either side. Then a ladder was made, said to 

 have been 50 feet long; and, with more frequent visitors, the stairway 

 followed. The crevice is very short, a mere crack, apparently made 

 by water working its way down from the bottom of the sink. All 

 the drainage within the rim goes into the cave, and it accumulates 

 in the rainy season until the floor is covered. A farmer living near 

 says he has seen the water from the cave rise until it covered the 

 bottom of the sink hole. As similar depressions are numerous in 

 the vicinity, probably the combined inflow is greater than the cave 

 can carry away. The floor has been leveled and a close pavement 

 of large slabs laid over the muddy portions. No one has ever heard 

 of human remrins being found anywhere in the cave. 



