Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills

by Luella Agnes Owen

Although much of the cave was still not visited, the long drive to town demanded a return to the surface, but several stops were made on the way to admire masses of onyx and groups of curious forms in deposits of that fine stone. One high, crooked chimney above the Corkscrew is especially fine and correspondingly difficult for a grown person weighted down with garments dripping mud and water; but Kimball Stone, our boy friend, scampered up like a squirrel.

Two of the Onyx Caves had not been seen at all and Mr. Sidey expressed special regret on account of the latest discovery as no woman had ever yet entered it; but the sun was low in the west and the road had some dangerous points that must be passed before dark, so the reeking skirt was removed and without waiting to dry by the great fire kindled for the purpose we hurried off, promising to return if possible, and carrying treasures in specimens, besides an ancient lemon, which may not be called a fossil, since soft substances are said not to fossilize; but however that may be, this is a perfect lemon whose particles have been replaced with the lasting rock in the same way as the numerous Cycad trunks in the same region have been preserved to prove to us conclusively that formerly the region flourished under tropical conditions, and supported an abundant animal life of tropical nature and habits.

Soon after leaving the ranch, we descended by a sort of goat-trail-road into a grandly beautiful cañon, along the bed of which the road continues until it flows out as the water did in ages gone. By this time it had become quite dark, and the chill of the northwest night formed a combination with saturated clothing that cannot be highly recommended as a pleasure; but the natural chivalry which prompted our young escort to insist on lending his own coat, and his evident disappointment that the sacrifice was not allowed, afforded a pleasure that will continue.

THE WHITE ONYX CAVE.

A few days later it was convenient to return to the Onyx Cave ranch with the special object of entering the newest cave, which could be done with the assistance of seventy feet of rope. While necessary preparations were pending, a walk up the cañon was proposed. At a distance of perhaps a quarter of a mile above Onyx Cave evidence was seen of a very remarkable form of ancient life. It is not the usual few bones but is a cast in the rock of the cañon bed of an animal clothed in its flesh. The appearance of the head, neck, body and wings is preserved, but the tail and four limbs have been carried away by eroding waters which even now have not quite forsaken the cañon. The containing stratum is not seen in the cañon wall, and near the lower end of the cañon a fine white sandstone crops out beneath. We ask: "Was the cañon cut to its full depth while yet a Cretaceous sea was depositing beach-sand, and did the earliest horse, with wings, appear at the close of that period? Or, did an animal with fore limbs developed, retain its wings into Miocene time and leave record of its life in an arm of the Tertiary lake?" The body is that of a horse with wings attached to the shoulders. The head is unlike that of a modern horse, being much shorter and more rounded, but the parted lips give a glimpse of the teeth of a young horse. If only the feet could be found, I feel assured they would prove that the three-toed horse of ancient time, so abundantly in evidence throughout this region, was possessed of wings and in some way furnished the idea of Pegasus.

A few feet further down the cañon are a pair of twisted wings that show the animal to have perished in company with its mate, while trying to escape from a sudden flood that rushed down the cañon like a moving wall.

After some uneasy discussion about the means of entering the new cave, it was finally decided that the available rope was too short and not of sufficient strength. This was, of course, a disappointment but not a surprise, as a very peculiar quality in the rope used to enter caves of this kind had come to notice before. The peculiarity is, that a rope entirely above suspicion for the safety of a two hundred pound man, at once weakens and must be condemned when threatened with one hundred pounds of woman's weight, yet there is an implied compliment hidden somewhere about this protective system that tends to reduce the sting of disappointment.

So it was agreed to spend the afternoon in the White Onyx Cave, which is generally spoken of simply as the Upper Cave because it occupies a higher level than the Onyx Cave already described, and is supposed to be an extension of the same although no connecting passage has been discovered.

The accompanying friend had not been costumed for caving, but was persuaded to accept a full suit of overalls, which needed the addition of a pick and pipe to make the picture perfect. Unfortunately a snap shot failed.

The entrance is in a perpendicular portion of the cañon wall, but a narrow path that starts some distance away and appears in eminent danger of falling off, makes most of the ascent comparatively easy; and the balance is completed by a short ladder whose rounds dip toward the cañon bed in a rather alarming manner, but this only proves the folly of giving too much heed to appearances, for it is strong and firmly fastened to the rocks.