24 Examination and Survey of Mitchell's Cave. 
east to west, forty-five feet; its height about fifty, and width, 
from twelve to fifteen. The walls, in ascending towards the top, 
are seen to approach each other by degrees, until they terminate 
in a thin fissure, filled in many places by large irregular masses 
of calcareous deposition, from whence depend an immense num- 
ber of stalactites, varying from three to eight feet in length; those 
that run along the walls extend to the very floor of the room, and 
much resemble in appearance, a series of elegantly fluted columns. 
The floor, which consists principally of angular fragments, is 
partially covered by stalagmite. Nodules of chert, in various 
places, were seen projecting from the surface of the walls. 
The rough pathway, over which we descended in reaching the 
floor of this room, runs in a direction towards the west, along its 
southern wall; from its foot, by a gentle descent of twenty-seven 
feet towards the east, we came to an aperture in the floor suffici- 
ently large as only to admit us a passage. This opening appears 
to be ahnost immediately beneath, in a direct line, from that by 
which we entered, and is about equally distant from the irregular 
pathway and the eastern extremity of the chamber. In this 
aperture we secured a rope ladder, and again made a descent of 
twenty-nine feet, perpendicularly, one half of the way against 
the face of a projecting rock, the other, totally free, swinging to 
and fro upon the ladder. 
We now found ourselves in an irregular passage, whose floor 
was covered all over by different sized fragments of the rock, and 
which had a descent towards the east at an angle of about forty 
degrees; the part upon which we landed, was about an equal 
distance from the two extremities of the passage. 
This passage was thirty-three feet in length, in an east and 
west direction, and of various heights, not, however, to exceed 
ten feet, unless at the place of entrance. After continuing our 
course due east for a short distance, the way gradually contracted 
80 as to be just capable of admitting us a passage; passing this, 
however, a large and magnificent apartment suddenly presented 
itself to our view, whose length, in a direct line to the east, was 
fifty-three feet; its height nearly the same; and width from ten 
