Show FOU DAYS E GROUND Explorer Lost in in ina a Dead Mans Kans as Cave Oa ve Chicago Inter Ocean Oce After wandering for four days days and of the four nights underground half hair time in the dark dane through winding gorges orges crawling on hands hans and knees kne through slimy sUm passages Dages between jagged rocks 1 ks halting at times time on the brink of precipices faint taint from hunger and the hardships he be was forced to en endure dure dare Captain Caleb Johnson Johnsn a Mississippi Isis sippi river re pilot piot has come out alive ale after an attempt to explore the rays mys mysteries my teries of or Dead Mans ran cave at Ste Gene Genevieve Genevieve ne vieve just across the river ryer from this thi point point But wih with al all of Captain Johnsons ex cx experiences e the cave ce remains as much of ofa a mystery as ag ever everA for he was without light for fo most of his hi Journey and had no idea how bow far or where wherle Tie wandered He only knows that he entered the cave cae in Simms hollow on the bank of ot the tho theder river der on Monday morning moring and that on Thursday afternoon oo 1 a farmer found in a a sink hole nole on farm tart four tour miles mies from the cave entrance Nothing was wa accomplished therefore save se to take takeaway away the superstition that no one could go far tar Into the cave C ve and come out alive That Tat has h always been een the reputation of Simms or Dead DeadMans DeadMans Mans cave and ad it I has been n borne borrie out I by by the disappearance of ot no less than four venturesome explorers who have hae previously gone bone in to explore and failed faie to return Ste Ste Genevieve is the oldest old st town in Missouri It I stands on the bank of the Mississippi river or rather back of ofa ofa ofa a a big bI sand bar some ome eighty miles mie be below be below low St Louis IuIs Luis It I Is an old French set settlement st settlement and a century ago go was w one of the leading towns tos of or the west wet North and alt south of or it I along the river dyer side are arc ac enormous limestone cliffs cut and seamed by ravines and aDd hollows cov coy covered covered ered with wih forests forets or with fine wheat lands and settled by a thriving French Fench and German Gran population In the hills hil are countless caves cave Some are so small sal as to be mere mer hol hollows hollows hollows lows or sink holes hole but others are r of ot huge proportions Dead Ded Mans cave cae is isone isone isone one of these Simms hollow is four miles mie north of the town by a winding road It I Is i a adeep adeep adeep deep ravine running back hack from the edge a quarter of a mile mUe into the hills hll where it ends abruptly In Inthe Inthe inthe the bed bd of a steep step run There Tere Is the caves entrance The Tire hills his on either side of or the hollow holon are nearly 5 OO feet fet high So 80 effectually do they the exclude the sun that the ravine rine is always gloomy gloom adding to the sinister aspect of ot the cave caveAt ca caveAt At the tire end of oC the Uie ravine raine Is an abrupt wall wal of rough stone about fifty tC feet fet high surrounded by a level leel plateau This Thi plateau plateau itself Itsel remarkable is a astone astone astone stone floor semicircular in shape shap hav hay having havIng ing tag Its It flat fiat fat side forward and for its it back having another precipice shaped like the Inside of oC a half haf cylinder CUnder The walls walis ls of oC this precipice are ar about 10 feet high high Well el up Dp from the plateau in the cen center center center ter of the cUff cliff Is i the cave entrance It Itis I Ithe is he i a dark hole in fn the te stone and is reached by b a series of ladders ladder from be below belore low lore 10 Th entrance is about eight feet high and as wide aide as a a double door dor Why would wish Ish anyone to enter such a dark dark wet place pl c as the rave cave proves prove to be is i a question which can cn be b only answered by a reference to the endless curiosity of the Inhabitants of the world to know kow what Is happening below beloW theta them the Mines ine wells well and caves cates the most disagreeable places man man can cn get into always prove alway fascinating So the hole in the cliff of Simms Simm hollow has since Its discovery dc er drawn the In Inhabitants inhabitants habitants of the neighborhood to enter and explore A party of two first went ent In several years year ago ag The Te two men entered the t hole at early el morning carrying cring candles They The soon came back for torches or lanterns lant ms ropes rop and aird ad chalk They Tey had gone In so far tar that th t they found it i dan dangerous geron to SQ gg further furer without blazing their way They Te went back Into the cave care next morning morIng and ad never nel since have haye they been heard of of The rescue party p pert ry which searched for fm fortem them tem were we stopped by an a underground ud tiger which none could sound and none could cross Whether Wether the two me seen men fei l Into it it whether they crossed It 1 and ad died ded on onte the other side were questions never answered awer There Ther the bal end ended ende ed eU e and Ue there the search Was ivas given up Not for ferr t two or ort three years er was wa an another another other othe attempt at made to Investigate tin the tincave cave eve Thea another two men more morr venturesome than tan the townspeople strayed Ste Genevieve GeneIeve from a shanty shant boat and learning leang the t th tradition tion lion set out to t solve the mystery They made several scrotal trips tripe and at first fir had ad no trouble of water They discovered a spring o and ad a wonderful room rm full tn of ot stalactites stala such as every limestone cave pos possesses posses masse ses and they discovered rooms that have lae been ben visited Isled a hundred times tiES since by every eer romantic couple in Ste Genevieve Then they the went further urther and growing gwIng familiar with the cave failed to blaze their way Whither they wandered no man knows knoWs Neither ap appeared appeared pared again In fn Ste Genevieve GeneIeve Another nother supposed entrance was wa found j in a sinkhole on the Simms Simm place but when this Uis was sas explored It i led only to another openings opening opening on the river passing pas iD over or under Dead Mans cave with without wih without out communication with wih it it it This was the amount or of information placed place at the disposal of Captain John Johnson Johnson Johnson son when he made his trip into th tb the cavern He went In equipped with everything that a man could carry car to tomake tome tomake make me such a trip easy eay e He had a lantern lanter and a trIp can c of o oil oU a box oC of matches plenty plent of chalk chall chalk and string and everything eYe he might Ight need ne to help him find his way wa back by the route he entered He went in on Monday Monda morning moring in spite of the protests of many towns townspeople tow townspeople people and traveled easily along the well known om way tray until he came to the Ute underground river This he had de do determined to cross so in a canoe enoe which he had dragged with wih him he embarked on the unknown water The current was swifter than he had anticipated and bore him hint so 50 far fa that when he got to the te opposite shore and at last lat made mude a landing he lie was out of or sight and out of ot reach rach of the tIre point at which whiCh he had bad hd embarked He tied ted his canoe co as he thought thought securely and began to seek a n way farther into the depths He found one easily eUy enough and went a long way in without find findIng findIng finding Ing anything remarkable Then think thinking thinking thinking ing It i was time to return he made his hi way wa back to the river The landing he found easily enough but not the boat The swift swit current had torn tor it i away Then indeed the captain was in a plight He to find a way to cross the river and by b keeping in mind mInd that It was on his right he be le made his hi way up stream and continually approached it I but without success so far tar as a crossing was con concerned concerned concerned Thinking that the tIre river riv must lead to the Mississippi I he th then n started to fol follow follow follow low It down stream but in doing this thi he lost his way wa became beme confused and anI wax was w never able to retrace his steps step to the flowing water tater That must have hare been late on Mon Boa Monday day night On Tuesday a searching party pary bogart began to hunt for Cor him but could couii not cross Cos the river When at last lat a boat was dragged dragg In the captains captina canoe was found far tar down dO the river It I was wa believed that he had bad fallen falen in inand inand inand and had been drawn dra under There Th re was as nothing to show sho where he could have I left the stream and ad so the search searh was abandoned Meanwhile the captain retaining hIs hia presence of or mind put himself hIm elt on the shortest of rations and exploring ac uc according cording coring to rule made his way vay hy 4 de do degrees de grees gees carefully through passage after passage always trying ting to work west westward westward westward ward ward Knowing Kowing that the river was wa be between between between tween him and the entrance he hoped hop that by following the westward way according to a a little compass on on his hig watch chain he would be ba b able to come com cometo cometo to opening the limit of ot the hills his rend and ad find another His oil oi gave out on Monday night night After Ater that he went in darkness darkes saving savins I his matches matche to enable him from t time to time rime to consult his hi compass I Day followed day When e at last lat he had given up hope of rescue he sud and suddenly suddenly denly dealy came to to a turn tur and saw sw ahead I a glimmer of ot daylight Crawling down downa a narrow passage he emerged emer into the te open air and ad lay la faint fint and helpless from exhaustion and blinded by the daylight four tour miles from the mies cave en entrance entrance trance There he was wag Wn found by bj the th farmer farer an hour or two afterward There are none here anxious to ex It i Dead Mans Mann cave and any who wish to try tr will wI receive scant encouragement encouragement Ste Genevieve from the cautious people peoplE of |