Mammoth Cave in Missouri

A great natural curiosity has lately been discovered in Missouri, which bids fair to rival the great Kentucky cave. The following description of it is given in the Jefferson City Examiner “The cave is in Phelps County, one and three- quarters of a mile from the Gasconade River, on a creek called Cave Spring Creek, in township 38, section 21, range 9 west. We went into the cave, guided by Mr. R. H. Prewett, a young man about twenty-five years old, who was born and raised about a quarter of a mile from this place. In front of the entrance was a small stone house, which the old settlers thought was built by the Indians, but now in ruins. The entrance goes straight in the rock on a level with a surrounding surface rock, is about one hundred feet wide, and in the centre about twenty-five feet high, arched. “Messrs. Friede and Prewett entered the cave for nearly four hundred feet, where it narrows to about twenty-five feet wide by five high, and presents the appearance of an ante-chamber; from there they passed into a large chamber about one hundred feet in height, where the three galleries branch off—they then passed into the left gallery, which ascends nearly twenty feet on a bed of saltpetre. This gallery is called the Dry Chamber, and is about five hundred feet in height; the height varies from one hundred to about thirty feet. The ceiling and sides are composed of solid rock. Near the end is a large round chamber, which Mr. Prewett calls the Ball-room. “After exploring the chamber, they retraced their steps, and passed in the right branch—or fork—of the cave, where they ascended a rise of about twelve feet, and entered another gallery, the end of which is not known. They, however, explored it about three-quarters of a mile. Mr. Prewett states that he has been in this gallery over two miles, and did not then get to the end of it. In this gallery the dropping of water has formed stalactites of the most beautiful conceptions—statues of men and animals, and large columns, supporting the most beautiful arches, from the ceiling, which is from fifty to one hundred feet high, which forms several chambers of various sizes. The ceiling is decorated with different groups of spar, forming a variety of figures, which represent the inside of a cathedral. The size of seine of these chambers is about forty feet wide by one hundred feet high, and look like rooms in some old feudal castle. “They were afraid their lights would give out, therefore retraced their steps to the main chamber, from which they ascended to the middle gallery, where a large stream of clear water issues from the interior of the cave, and has a fall of about six feet, and falls in several large round basins. The water has a pleasant taste, and flows all the year round, without variation, in sufficient volume to drive a mill. They ascended the galleries, and found themselves in several beautiful chambers leading from one to the other, in which, however, they did not penetrate to more than six hundred feet. There is a strong draft of air settling in from the en- trance; inside of the cave the atmosphere was mild. The chambers are all of unusual height and extent. They went in at one o’clock, and emerged from the cave at half-past three.