ON rent's cavern^ DEVONSHIRE. 7 



On January 17th, 1871, the workmen finally and gladly emerged from the 

 labyrinth of low narrow passages in which they had been engaged from day 

 to day from November 13th, 1869, or upwards of 14 months. In this time 

 they had not only excavated and taken to the day the deposits, to the depth 

 of 5 feet, in aU the extensive and ramifying branches known as the North 

 Sally-port and Smerdon's Passage, and exhumed cartloads of the remains of 

 various animals, including 5900 of their teeth, as well as 20 flint implements 

 and flakes, but, beyond the first Reach of the SaUy-port (27 feet long), they 

 had actually discovered the whole of these branches, including three new 

 entrances to the Cavern itself, and had thus added greatly, not only to the 

 extent of Kent's Hole, but to a knowledge of its structure. 



The completion of these branches concluded the excavation, to the depth 

 of 4 feet generally, and 5 feet in some instances, below the Stalagmitic Floor, 

 of the whole of the Eastern Division of the Cavern. 



The Cavern Entrances. — Before proceeding to a description of the branch 

 which next engaged attention, it may be of service to devote a few words to 

 the Entrances of the Cavern, of which there are now known to be five (two 

 at a high and three at a low level), aU in the eastern side of the hill, and 

 within a horizontal distance of 53 feet. Those at the high-level (known 

 from time immemorial) are about 53 feet apart, almost exactly on the same 

 level, and about 189 feet above mean tide. The most northerly of them is 

 that invariably spoken of in all early descriptions of the Cavern as " The 

 Entrance." Those of the lower series are also at very nearly the same level 

 with one another, but from 18 to 20 feet below the former two. Being 

 lower in the sloping hill-side, they are about 24 feet outside or east of the 

 vertical plane passing through the higher entrances. The most southerly 

 ones in the two series are nearly in the same east and west vertical plane^ 



In order to distingiiish them, they are respectively termed : — 



1. "The Entrance," = the more northerly of the upper series, and, from its 

 form, sometimes termed the " Triangular Entrance." It opens into the 

 " Vestibule." 



2. The " Arched Entrance," =the more southerly of the upper series. 

 It opens into the " Great Chamber." 



3. The " First Low-level Entrance,"=the middle one of the lower series — 

 the first discovered. It opens into the " North Sally-port " and the " First 

 Reach of Smerdon's Passage." 



4. The " Second Low-level Entrance," =the most northerly of the lower 

 series— the second discovered. It opens into the " Second Reach of Smerdon'9 

 Passage," 



5. The "Oven Entrance," = the most southerly of the lower series — the 

 last discovered. It opens into the " North Sally-port." 



The Sloping Chamber. — That branch of the Cavern termed the " Sloping 

 Chamber " by Mr. M'Enery was, prior to the Committee's exploration of 

 the " Great Chamber," the largest apartment in it, and is still, perhaps, more 

 calculated than any other to impress visitors. It is the only connexion of 

 the two great divisions of the Cavern, and measures 80 feet from east to 

 west, 25 in greatest breadth, and, since the excavation of its deposits to the 

 depth of 4 feet below the base of the Stalagmitic Floor, 25 in greatest 

 height. Its name was derived from its floor, which, from 20 feet from its 

 eastern side, sloped rapidly towards its western side, falling as much as 14 

 feet in 60, or at an average angle of 13°-5. Its ceiling sloped more 

 rapidly still, being, as already stated, 25 feet high near the eastern wall, but 

 not more than 6 feet at the western. This ceiling, though representing the 



