Auction #84: The Mammoth Cave of Kentucky Illustrated (1899)

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Auction #84: The Mammoth Cave of Kentucky Illustrated (1899)

Postby Larry E. Matthews » Feb 25, 2014 5:54 pm

Auction #84 is for "The Mammoth Cave of Kentucky - An Illustrated Manual", by Horace Carter Hovey and Richard Ellsworth Call, published in 1899 and Copyrighted 1897. This remarkable book is Hardbound, 5.75 X 8.25 and in very good condition !!! It does have my name and NSS number written inside the Front Cover. Apparently, it was sold at the cave as a guide for tourists.

This book is 108 pages long, with an intact, fold-out map inside the Back Cover. There are very nice black and white photos printed on glossy paper pages scattered througout the book. There are a few loose pages in the center, but no pages are missing. The book is divided into 7 sections:


The Cavern Region of Kentucky.

Historical Sketch and Environment.

The Route of Pits and Domes.

The Chief City and Fairy Grotto (Main Cave Route).

The River Route.

The Natural History of the Cavern.

The Map.


Probably one of the nicest books on caves from this time period that you are likely to acquire.

I'll start his auction at $25. All subsequent bids must be in $5 increments. Postage in a padded mailer will be $4.00. Sorry, no International Shipments. This auction starts today, Tuesday, February 25 and ends in two (2) weeks on Tuesday March 11 at 8:00 CDST.

This is a rare opportunity to obtain an original, nineteenth century American cave book. Don't miss out !!!

Larry E. Matthews
NSS #6792-F
Larry E. Matthews
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NSS #: 6792
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Re: Auction #84: The Mammoth Cave of Kentucky Illustrated (1

Postby Larry E. Matthews » Mar 12, 2014 8:07 am

There were no bids and this auction is closed.

Larry
Larry E. Matthews
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Posts: 968
Joined: Sep 6, 2005 3:05 pm
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NSS #: 6792
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Re: Auction #84: The Mammoth Cave of Kentucky Illustrated (1

Postby GroundquestMSA » Mar 19, 2014 7:45 pm

I bought this book, and read it today. I would like to thank Mr. Matthews for making it available, I truly enjoyed it. I was interested to know what methods were used to produce the map, and how much passage it shows, but this information was not included. While the authors make a declaration of abstinence from exaggeration in the beginning of the book, they seem to get a tad carried away in a few sections. One passage dealing with a ride down Echo River was especially colorful:

Along the margin are a myriad cavities, from a few inches to many feet in diameter, that have been washed out by the stream. These cavelets gave a wag who was in our party the first time we crossed the stream his coveted opportunity for a joke, "Oh, see these little bits of caves - three for five cents," were his silly words. The solemn echos caught them up and bore them, as in derision, hither and thither and far away, till he was ashamed of himself. When the peals of laughter that followed had also died away, a quiet lady in black velvet cave costume, with tiny sleigh-bells along the edge to help people find her in case she got lost, sang the "Sweet Bye and Bye," and the echos were singularly sweet and pleasing. Then someone fired off a revolver, and the report rebounded tremendously from rock to rock. A native Kentuckian favored us with the famous "Rebel Yell," which was re-echoed as if a regiment was rallied from the recesses of the cavern... The most exraordinary effects are produced when Echo River is allowed to speak for itself, and can only be had when the party is willing to maintain utter silence. The method is simply by the guide's agitating the water by rocking the boat and striking the water vigorously with his paddle. The first sound to break the intense stillness is like the tinkling of myriads of tiny silver bells (at this point I wondered if that was because the lady in the black velvet suit fell out of the rocking boat). Then larger and heavier bells take up the harmony as the waves seek out the cavities in the rocky wall. Then it is as if all the chimes in all the cathedrals had conspired to raise a tempest of sweet sounds. These die away to a whisper, followed by mutterings and a noise as if of an angry multitude, mingled with unearthly shrieks. Alarmed, we are ready to go to the rescue; but the guide motions to us to keep quiet and await what is to follow. We sit in expectation. Lo, as if from deep recess (ya think?) that had hitherto been forgotten, comes a tone tender and profound; after which, like gentle memories are reawakened all the mellow sounds, the silver bells, the alarm bells, the chiming cathedral bells, till River Hall rings again with the wondrous, matchless harmony.

It's a very nice book Larry, thank you.
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Re: Auction #84: The Mammoth Cave of Kentucky Illustrated (1

Postby Larry E. Matthews » Mar 19, 2014 10:20 pm

If you compare their map to the modern map...................it is horribly inaccurate. Part of this was intentional. They didn't want adjacent landowners to know where the passages ran.

A lot of that was sketched from guesswork !!!

One person who got in there and did real surveying opened up a new entrance and was a competitor. Read all about it in Bill Halliday's "Depths of the Earth".

Larry
Larry E. Matthews
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 968
Joined: Sep 6, 2005 3:05 pm
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
NSS #: 6792
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Nashville Grotto
  


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