However that may be, the glimpses already
had into the beyond are said to be alluring.
To the north of the Auditorium, which was until recently called the
Grand Amphitheater, there opens out a kind of alcove extension known as
the Mother Hubbard Room, and spreading out from this is the corridor, a
room about one hundred and twenty-five feet long and seventy-five feet
in width, with a low, narrow passage, or crawl, leading from the
northeast into the Grotto, a dome-shaped room formerly called the
Battery, on account of the great number of bats that used to congregate
in it. It is about forty feet in diameter and fifty feet in height. On
one side of this room is a narrow "squeeze" opening into a passage
several feet lower than the floor level of the Grotto and leading to the
Spanish Room, which when discovered bore indications of having been
occupied by a human being who had tried to escape by tunneling, or by
reaching a hole in the roof; which is said to be impossible for him to
have done without outside assistance. As no bones have been found we may
hope the assistance arrived in time. When the discovery of the room was
made, a quantity of loose rock was piled before the entrance, so if he
ever escaped it was not by that way.
After crawling back to the Corridor, through the same small, but dry
passage of seventy feet length, we saw a narrow ledge of fine crystals,
a deposit of Epsom salts, and a few bats that in the dim light looked
white but are a light tan color with brown wings.
Pages:
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44