HiT.L, Bkodrick, and Rule — TJie MitcheUtown Caves. 257 



Side Passages : — 

 Garrett Tunnel, 

 Main fissure of the Maze, 

 Other fissures of the Maze, 

 Other side passages, 



Total length of Passages in New Cave. 

 Main Passages. 



From entrance to House of Commons 



(centre), . . . . 110 yds. 



491 



5) 



209 



>) 



242 



» 



317 



» 



45 



yds. 



81 



J) 



130 



» 



85 



>) 



341 



yds. 



Side Passages 



291 



yds. 



128 



}> 



426 



)j 



341 



)j 



Eoute I, 

 Eoute II, 

 Eoute III, 

 Eoute IV. 



1369 yds. 1186 yds. 



Total length of passages in New Cave, 2555 yards, or rather less than 

 Ij mile. 



Total length of passages in both caves, 3034 yards (If mile). 



Geology of the Caves. 

 Note on the Geological Features. 



The long valley which extends for a distance of 17 miles between 

 Mitchelstown and Cahir consists of a synclinal trough, the northern side of 

 which is formed by the Galtee Mountains, and the southern by the Knock- 

 mealdowns ; the upper portions of these two ranges are formed of Old 

 Eed Sandstone, from which the Carboniferous strata have been completely 

 denuded. The valley averages about 8 miles in width from crest to crest, 

 and its floor is composed of Carboniferous Limestone, capped in a few places 

 by small knolls of the Coal-Measures. The limestone is obscured, for the 

 most part, by glacial drift, composed of clay, sand, and gravel, the chief 

 constituent of which seems to be limestone. 



At a point slightly to the west of the watershed of this long valley are 

 two limestone knolls, on the northern slopes of which are the entrances of 

 the two caves (Plate XYL, fig. 1), A small stream, called the Sheep Eiver, 

 flows on the same side in a westerly direction on the surface of the drift, the 

 level of the water being about 50 feet above the lowest part of the New Cave. 



The limestone of the district is a hard greyish rock in which are the 

 usual fossils of Carboniferous age. In some portions of the New Cave 

 encrinite stems were noted; so far as was observed there was no sign of 



