Mineralogy of East Tennessee. 65 



its walls, floor, and covering, and in the calcareous incrusta- 

 tions and concretions, which, assuming a thousand fantastic 

 shapes, and displaying a sparkling lustre, the more vivid as the 

 light is stronger, give to this whole grotto the power of charm- 

 ing every beholder. 



The cave is a mile and a half in extent, and extremely irre- 

 gular in its course and shape. Its perpendicular height varies 

 from three to forty feet, and its breadth from two to thirty. Its 

 dividing branches are numerous, forming a great variety of 

 apartments. The blue limestone appears frequently enough 

 to satisfy us that it is the groundwork of the whole ; but it is 

 almost every where covered with incrustations of the hard 

 carbonates. These hang from the arched vault above in clus- 

 ters, and often reach the ground, forming massive columns. 

 Stalagmites again rise from the floor like so many statues ; the 

 irregular sides of the ledges of rocks are often incrusted over 

 with white crystals of the carbonate of lime, and have the ap- 

 pearance of banks of salt : at times we seem to walk on dia- 

 mond pavements ; again our footway is of rounded pebbles, 

 and seems the bed of a river which had deserted its channel. 

 Often we pass small streams of water ; and the water is con- 

 tinually dripping from the ends of the stalactites, the echoing 

 sound of which, when it drops, forms the only interruption to 

 the profound silence which reigns throughout the cavern. 



To give an idea of the diversified shapes which these, con- 

 cretions assume in the progress of their formation, (and they 

 are constantly forming,) would be impossible. Suflice it to 

 say, that there is scarcely any thing on earth to which they 

 may not be supposed to form a resemblance ; and yet, in fact, 

 they are unlike any thing but themselves. 



It is generally known that the earth in these caves contains 

 the nitrates of lime, and potash, and other salts. The nume- 

 rous caves which have been found in the Cumberland moun- 

 tains and other parts of Tennessee, have been very productive 

 of the nitrate of potash. In the investigation of the causes 

 which have given origin to these salts, it may be recollected, 

 that wild animals burrow in these caves ; that when pursued 

 by the hunter, they make them the places of their retreat, and 



Vol. I... .No. 1> 5 



