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Bat, Crickets, Officer Cute and Orgasmic Cave It was a guided tour with lights - I would much rather be wild caving - but anytime I am in the dark with Officer Cutie is good.  The European pioneers discovered Organ Cave in 1704, but archeological evidence confirms that Neolithic Native Americans had been visiting Organ Cave since at least 8000 BC. Confederate Soldier mined the cave for Saltpetre (which is actually fossilize bat pee) in the cave. Saltpetere was one of the most important minerals sought after by armies on both sides of this conflict. Saltpetre (potassium nitrate) is the primary ingredient in black powder. We are told that the Civil War would have ended in 8 months rather than 4 years, had it not been for the saltpetre that came out of Organ Cave. Within the depths of Organ Cave is the Hopper Room, a refinery built by Confederate soldiers at for the purpose of making the saltpeter into gunpowder. Built of hardwoods, hoppers are large vats that held the nitrate rich soil mined by the soldiers inside the cave. Each hopper was filled with over 2 tons of mined rock and soil, then men poured water over the soil, leaching the minerals from the earth and carrying into troughs placed beneath the hoppers. This water was then filtered and boiled in water with turnips until the water boiled away. This left behind saltpetre for gunpowder production. Some of the animal remains found in the cave are Black Bear, Bobcat, nine species of Bats, Dire Wolf, beautiful Armadillo, Porcupine, Brown (Grizzly) Bear, Saber-toothed Cat, Complicated-toothed , Long-nosed Peccary, Caribou, the tooth of an American Mastodon and the remains of the megaloynx jeffersoni, the giant 3-toed sloth. This was the first sloth found in American and today is still the largest one found.  Abracadabra  |
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7/15/2006 5:10 am |
Starwoman, Interesting. I did some caving when I was younger in Tennessee and West Virginia. Would love to go again, but older body wouldn't allow it. LOL! Debbie
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