ilway station of Shellmound, 20 miles west of Chattanooga. The
entrance is fully 100 feet wide and 40 feet high; a short distance
within the cave enlarges, a little farther it contracts somewhat.
Daylight penetrates, in spite of curves and immense piles of debris,
for more than 500 feet. It has been a resort from time out of mind;
first, for Indians and pioneers, then for refugees, now for various
social gatherings.

All the earth in sight has been worked for saltpeter, leached, and
thrown aside. A vastly greater quantity than now remains has been
washed out of the cave by Nickajack Creek, which always has some
flowing water and in wet weather rises 5 or 6 feet. Long bridges are
required where the highway and railroad cross it.

It takes its name from the Nickajack Indians, who once dwelt here. The
field in front is strewn with flint chips and other indications of
aboriginal settlement.

There is nothing in the cave to dig for. The saltpeter miners moved
all the earth they could reach, while the immense rocks and the creek
make any further excavations impossible.

HAMILTON COUNTY

There are many caves in the vicinity of Chattanooga, but all that were
visited possess some feature which makes examination appear useless.
Most of them have small, inconvenient entrances; others are subject to
overflow or have running water in them. None could be heard of in
which conditions were better.

* * *

ALABAMA

LAUDERDALE COUNTY

SMITHSONIA.--There is a noted cave at Smithsonia, near Cheatham's
Ferry, 15 miles west of Florence. It was reported as suitable for a
dwelling, but at the entrance the roof is not more than 4 feet high,
and a stream a foot deep reaches to the wall on either side.

KEY'S CAVE.--On the Buck Key farm, 6 miles west of Florence, is a cave
which may have afforded shelter to the earliest man in the region.
There are two entrances or antechambers, separated by a solid rock
partition a few yards thick. One is partially filled with huge solid
blocks, some of them several hundred cubic feet in size; the other has
in it and in front of it a mass of earth and loose rock whose crest is
fully 20 feet above the highest part of the inside floor a few feet
back from the front margin of the roof. From here an additional
descent of 10 feet leads to the floor behind the first-mentioned
entrance, and there is about the same descent to a nearly level floor
in the cave a short distance b