“It was accidentally discovered in the year 1895 and up to the time of this writing (June 1896) only six persons have ever entered it.  It is in a point or spur of the Ozark Mountains which runs to the east from the great Wilderness Ridge, and is three miles distant from the Marble Cave.  Having been one of the first to enter the Cave, being called by the owner as a sort of cave expert, I will attempt to describe both the adventure and the cave just as they were.  The measurements are simply estimated, though by long practice I have become expert in that line also, but the longest measurement here was correctly taken by the rope used.

“Having been invited by the Irwin brothers to come and examine and explore a new cave they had found but had only entered and not explored, accompanied by my eldest son, W.T.  Powell, I reached the place one warm Saturday morning.  We found about twelve or fourteen men waiting for our coming; some discussing the matter of whether we would enter when we did come, and others who had volunteered to work the windlass, which had been erected over the opening, by means of which, with a one hundred foot rope, entrance was to be made.  The opening was like a small well, and situated under the edge of an overhanging cliff of marble, and on the southeast slope of the mountain, about one hundred and fifty feet above the bottom of a narrow valley, and about the same distance below the top of the mountain, which here is three hundred feet high.  In order to rig a windlass the edge of the cliff had to be broken away.  The well-like opening descended for about ten feet through strata of flat-laying rocks that formed a roof; then all appeared to be vacancy and a stone cast in gave back a distant sound.

“Having first tested the air and proved it good by dropping in blazing excelsior saturated with turpentine, a stout oak stick was attached to the end of the rope, my son sprang astride and was lowered to the bottom, just one hundred feet.  He reported back ’All right.’  On the return of the rope I took my position on the stick and was soon dangling in mid air.  The sensation was strange and exhilarating.  Looking up I could only see the small opening I came through, and a straggling stream of light poured down that, but on all sides profound darkness reigned supreme.  A spark-like light my son lit, reminded me of the lost Pleiad.  About twenty-five or thirty feet from the top I caught sight of a scene that made me call on the men at the windlass to stop.

“This caused them to think something was going wrong and one called out to know what was the matter:  I heard him say ‘He is weakening.’  I assured them everything was right only I wanted to take a view; so they stopped.  Off at a distance of perhaps twenty-five feet was an opening about ten feet or more wide and twelve feet high.  The light from the opening struck it fairly, owing to the position of the sun at