22 Examination and Survey of MitchelVs Cave. 
Having received intelligence that the bones of some " strange 
animal " had but recently been obtained from a place of this de- 
scription, in the town of Root, and county of Montgomery, we, 
with no unnecessary delay, repaired to the spot. We found the 
opening of the cavern to be on the very summit of the " Nose." 
Its entrance was, by a vertical fissure, about five feet and a half 
in height, and from twelve to twenty-one inches in width, and, 
situated in a gently elevated ridge of calciferous sand rock, run- 
ning in a direction nearly north and south. From its entrance, 
there was an immediate and perpendieular descent of twenty- 
three feet; the body of a small tree with a portion of its branches 
yet remaining, had so been placed by some former visiters as to 
render this part of our progress quite easy. Having been properly 
supplied with every thing necessary for the occasion, we made 
active preparations to pursue our investigations, when, to our 
mortification, it was discovered that the dimensions of the elder 
of our companions far exceeded that of the width of the entrance; 
consequently he was, however, contrary to his inclination, con- 
strained to remain without, and content himself with the intelli- 
gence he from time to time received from us. At the termination 
of this descent, a large angular fragment of the rock had fallen 
crosswise in the fissure, beneath this w^e were under the necessity 
of passing, and immediately the first apartment expanded before 
us to the following dimensions; length, in nearly an eastern di- 
rection, thirty-one feet; greatest width fourteen; height, near the 
entrance, six, and at its farther extremity, fifteen. The roof and 
sides were irregularly arched and in many places covered by cal- 
careous incrustations; the stalactites, however, had all been broken 
off and removed by the numerous individuals, whom curiosity had 
previously attracted to the place. The floor has an inclination to 
the east at an angle of about thirty degrees, and is, for the most 
part, covered by a yellow silicious sand, which had the appear- 
ance of having been washed in through the opening, by the more 
recent rains; this was kept continually moist by the constant 
dripping of v/ater from the roof. Near the entrance we observed 
a number of angular fragments of various dimensions, which had 
