"In trailing a deer I came across a hole on top of a long divide. On throwing a rock down the opening, I could hear it rattling against the walls until the sounds gradually died away, but there seemed to be no bottom to the hole, and I resolved to come again prepared and make explorations. After the snow had gone my twelve-year-old son, Ray, and I, mounted on our trusty horses, Bonnie and Dee, equipped with ropes, candles, hammers and a pocketful of matches, set out to explore the new cave. It was a beautiful, bright spring morning, and after an hour's hard climbing over fallen timber and rocks, we reached the summit of the mountain. A search of half an hour revealed the opening which was barely large enough to allow me to pass through.
"Fastening our ropes securely to a stout log rolled across the chasm, we began to pay it out, and although we did not feel it touch bottom, I started down to explore, the length of the rope at least. As I descended I found the opening gradually widened out to eight or ten feet, a sort of inverted funnel-shaped hole with irregular wall but smooth and affording little footing. As I neared the bottom I saw the end of the rope was within four feet of it, so I landed on terra firma and called to Ray, 'All right, come down!'
"Lighting our candles we found ourselves standing on a mound of pure onyx, and on looking around could see we were in an immense cavern, whose walls sparkled and glittered as if studded with diamonds. Going down twenty feet we found a smooth-floored room that measured three hundred feet in length, twenty five feet in width, and thirty feet in height. The walls were solid white onyx lined or banded with pink and golden stripes. The ceiling was arched, and draped in fantastic shapes, and hung with stalactites innumerable. The room was so large and the drapery and festooning so delicate and beautiful, that we were filled with awe and could not speak for a time.
"At last we started to further explore this wonderland. On going to the farther end of the room we found a passage leading on. This we followed for a hundred feet and found the whole cavern lined with onyx and crystals clear as glass. After loading up with specimens we retraced our steps and on reaching the large room we had first entered we heard a roaring, rumbling noise. An awful noise truly, which filled us with an unknown dread.
"On approaching the entrance we saw a stream of water pouring down, completely filling the hole.
"For a moment we felt like rats caught in a trap, our only way of egress occupied by a stream of water falling straight down seventy feet, and then we wondered how long it would take to fill up the room.
"Suddenly the thought that there might be an outlet for the water gave us new hope, so we went to see and sure enough we found a natural water-course down through an opening we had overlooked. We gathered up courage once more, and thought the best thing would be something to occupy our time. So we set to work getting out more specimens and in a couple of hours the water stopped running and we were ourselves once more.
"Ray grasped the rope, which was soaking wet, and went up the seventy feet, hand over hand, like a cat. I, being heavier, found it quite different from going down. The rope played whip-cracker with me for some time and before reaching the top I was covered with bruises. But daylight never appeared so beautiful before.
"Here we found the cause of so much water. A cloud-burst had occurred on the Divide and a large portion of it had poured down the passage way to the cave.
"We found our horses patiently waiting for us and night closing in. Mounting we rode rapidly home, resolved never to venture into this cave again without leaving some one at the entrance to give warning in case of danger.