Theo's article ( http://www.softcom.net/users/vtown/ogdenstandard.html
) regarding the discovery of an amazing cave near Chattanooga, TN
seems match perfectly the description of Ruby Falls, a well-known
tourist cave on Lookout Mtn adjacent to the city:
http://rubyfalls.com/fun/plain/history.htm . Thus, Theo has
apparently found an article about Ruby Falls original discovery.
My brother-in-law lives on Lookout Mtn and I just returned from there
last weekend. I have explored this area extensively and can confirm
that the original river-level entrance is blocked up now. It seems
that the corporation that controls the Ruby Falls property has cut off
access to the other interesting features to be found in the mountain,
such as the massive underground lake, the other (2nd) cave, and the
smaller 27 ft waterfall. However, I would be willing to bet that
caves extend the full length of Lookout Mtn, and I've heard rumors
that they do, back down into northern GA.
Here's a good story about some cavers exploring this cavern in 1992:
http://www.stationr.org/caving/lowercv.htm . Interesting are the
statements like:
"All at once Kent stopped in his tracks. There, half buried in the
cobblestones, was a jawbone with a gigantic tooth at the end, like
that of saber-tooth tiger."
"In a belly crawl just beyond, we gazed in fascination at the complete
skeleton of a bird-like creature--either a very tiny dinosaur, we
decided, or a chicken--which lay preserved in soot like something out
of the Smithsonian."
"The bear skull was just a few hundred feet beyond, a foot in length,
massive teeth still showing, stuck to the floor of a high dome down
which it had probably fallen many hundreds or thousands of years ago."
The Mr. Cravens mentioned in Theo's article is probably the Robert
Cravens mentioned here:
http://ngeorgia.com/naturally/lookout_mountain.html
"Men like Robert Cravens built pig iron furnaces on and near Lookout
Mountain to take advantage of this fact, however, it would be fifty
years before the first rail lines were built to the top of the
mountain."
RT
T
Add to Address Book