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Show I1 LARGEST CAVE IN UTAH FOUND Indian Legend Tells of a War Fought at the Cave's Entrance, Where One Tribe, Seeking; Protection Within Its Walls, Was Smothered or Starved to Death Hieroglyphics on the Rocks. I Inscriptions carved in solid rook for A distance of 100 yards and a cave, which hp declares to be the larg si n Utah, have been discovered by Thorn as Whitaker. a ranchman, noar Prom ontory Foint. Utah. The discovery of the cave verifies the Indian legend told to nian of the old residents ol thiB part of the country, but it is not I known whether the Inscriptions wers carved onthe ledges by Indiuns or bv u Spanish explorers. Mr. Whitaker is unacquainted Willi the character of the hieroglyphics and jj went to Salt Lake today to c onsv.lt l with professors at the University ol Utah. He will take a party with hiir. to Promontory Point to examine th cave and inscriptions and photograpn the same. Mr Whitaker slated that he mam ( the discovery March 28. The cave, lis said, Is about 12 miles from Promontory Promon-tory Point station, but the ledge bear ing the inscription Is only tour miles from the railroad, but so situated ,;s to be somewhat concealed. As far as he can learn, he Is the only white man to step within the cave According to Mr Whitaker, there has been a legend of the Indians that formerly lived near the point of a large cae In that vicinity where one tribe successfully trapped another and smothered or starved the en mj to death The few who had heard the story were not Inclined to believe it, as the cave could not be found . Mr. Whitaker declares thai it was only by the slightest chance that he came upon It while riding his horse oer the country The entrance to the cave, he said is about 14 feet high, but after passing pass-ing through the natural hallway if opens Into a chamber 76 yards by 150 yards, with a smooth celling of limestone lime-stone He saw no skeletons hut found at farthest end a drawing in ochre of what appears to be an Indian chief His finding of the cave led him to further exploration and he came upon this ledge of rock bearing the Inscrlp tlons; Mr. Whitaker is inclined to believe that the carving is a history of ex ploration by Spaniards who probably landed at that point while the lake was at a high point, but he states that the carved letters do not bear much resemblance to Spani3h characters Neither do the drawings resemble the writing ordinarily done by Indians His curiosity became so great that he ; decided to consult with geologists and antiquarians at the university. The ranchraau is Inclined to believe ' that there are other discoveries to be undo, r.s the tales told by Indians of the tribes that lived In that part of Utah may be believed since one Incident Inci-dent has been erifiod. He intends to do some excavating In the hope of re-cocring re-cocring skeletons and perhaps spear heads, ornaments or trinkets The country in which the cave was discovered Is desolate and high. There are rocky mountains with little or no water and the place is seldom frequented fre-quented Mr Whitaker declares that even though the country had been explored ex-plored It would be extremol difficult to find either of the places mention id and believes that providence was aiding aid-ing him when he made the find. |