Of the cave he says: "This cave is a quarter of a mile east of Cave Spring Creek, and has a wide and elevated entrance; passing into it a hundred yards or more, the passage narrows, and in order to go further a stream of water has frequently to be waded through; this passage has been followed by some persons several miles without finding any object of interest; but a few hundred yards from the entrance, by diverging to the right, we enter a large chamber, studded with stalactites and stalagmites, many uniting and forming solid columns of support. Many of these are very beautiful, and often as white as alabaster. There are other large rooms, but they possess no peculiar interest. Found large deposits of earth on the floor having a saline taste." Of the extensive pine forests in Ozark County, he says: "The size and quality of the timber will compare favorably with that of the celebrated pineries of Wisconsin and Minnesota." In several other counties the pine is equally good, and other valuable timber everywhere abundant, although in a school geography published in 1838, the following descriptions of this region occur: "The lowlands of the Mississippi are bounded by the region of the Ozark Mountains. With the exception of the alluvial tracts on the borders of the streams, it is extremely hilly and broken. The mountains rise from eight hundred to eighteen hundred feet above the streams, with rounded summits and often perpendicular cliffs, and have a rocky surface, which admits only a scanty growth of timber." * * "Missouri is generally a region of prairies and table lands, much of which, as already described, is almost destitute of timber and water. It is crossed by the Ozark Mountains, which form a rugged tract of considerable extent. Earthquakes are not infrequent in some parts of this state. The soil is not generally productive." A comparison of these curious views with the latest official reports is highly amusing, as well as suggestive that early impressions are liable to require modification. In addition to the wonderful springs of pure water, there are numerous fine mineral springs, among which are a number of Epsom salt springs. At Jacksonville, in Randolph County, there is a large mineral spring from which it is said an over-heated horse may drink all he will without injury. Epsom-salts, or Epsomite, frequently occurs, as does the Niter, in a crystalline form of the pure mineral, as an efflorescence on rocks in many of the caves and in other sheltered positions. [Illustration: The Surveyed Portions of Marble Cave Stone County Missouri Surveyed and Plotted by Fred Prince. 1894 Scale of 100 feet] FOOTNOTES: [1] Lead and Zinc. Prof. C.R. Keyes. CHAPTER II. MARBLE CAVE.