he undisguised satisfaction of one and equally evident relief of the
others, it was reluctantly decided that the trip must be given up, and
therefore we are indebted to the kindness of Captain Powell[3] for the
following description of Fairy Cave:

"The Cave referred to is situated in Section 24, Township 23, Range
23, in Stone County, Missouri, and is on the homestead of one of
three brothers named Irwin.

"It was accidentally discovered in the year 1895 and up to the time
of this writing (June 1896) only six persons have ever entered it.
It is in a point or spur of the Ozark Mountains which runs to the
east from the great Wilderness Ridge, and is three miles distant
from the Marble Cave. Having been one of the first to enter the
Cave, being called by the owner as a sort of cave expert, I will
attempt to describe both the adventure and the cave just as they
were. The measurements are simply estimated, though by long
practice I have become expert in that line also, but the longest
measurement here was correctly taken by the rope used.

"Having been invited by the Irwin brothers to come and examine and
explore a new cave they had found but had only entered and not
explored, accompanied by my eldest son, W.T. Powell, I reached the
place one warm Saturday morning. We found about twelve or fourteen
men waiting for our coming; some discussing the matter of whether
we would enter when we did come, and others who had volunteered to
work the windlass, which had been erected over the opening, by
means of which, with a one hundred foot rope, entrance was to be
made. The opening was like a small well, and situated under the
edge of an overhanging cliff of marble, and on the southeast slope
of the mountain, about one hundred and fifty feet above the bottom
of a narrow valley, and about the same distance below the top of
the mountain, which here is three hundred feet high. In order to
rig a windlass the edge of the cliff had to be broken away. The
well-like opening descended for about ten feet through strata of
flat-laying rocks that formed a roof; then all appeared to be
vacancy and a stone cast in gave back a distant sound.

"Having first tested the air and proved it good by dropping in
blazing excelsior saturated with turpentine, a stout oak stick was
attached to t