Mammoth Cave

a celebrated cavern in Edmondson County, Kentucky. It lies about eighty-five miles southwest of Louisville. It may be reached readily by rail. Described in the simplest language, it consists of a number of immense chambers formed in the limestone rock. The material of the rock layers has been dissolved and carried away by trickling water. The main cave is three miles in length and from 40 to 175 feet in width. Its height varies from 40 to 125 feet. A dome-shaped enlargement of this cave is oval in shape. It is 540 feet in length by 287 feet in width, and is 125 feet high. Stone arrowheads, remnants of torches, and other relics found here, show that it was an ancient meeting-place of the Indians. The entire series of caverns, known as the Mammoth Cave, exists in five different layers of rock, communicating one with another by means of pits and passages. A number of artificial shafts have been cut for the accommodation of visitors. About 150 miles of passageways have been mapped. The diameter of the district is about ten miles. Other regions branching off are as yet unexplored. There are numerous lakes and several underground streams. The largest of these is called Echo River, because of its echoes. Boats are offered by competent guides. The waters abound in fish that have been deprived of light so long that they have lost their eyesight. Crawfish, crickets, flies, beetles, and spiders found in the caves, where they have lived no doubt for many generations, have also lost the use of their eyes. Countless numbers of bats take refuge near the mouth of the cave. A trip through the cave is by no means disagreeable. Intense darkness prevails, but the air is pure and clear. Guides light up the way so that the wonderful stalactites, stalagmites, domes, pits, and channels may be seen clearly. One room, known as the Star Chamber, has a lofty black ceiling studded with clusters of snowy crystals. The temperature remains constant throughout the year at about 54 deg. F. The cavern is owned by private parties, but a movement is on foot to make it a state park. See Cave