In the limestone formations in hilly countries it is not
uncommon to find streams of water which plunge into the bowels of the earth like the sacred river in Coleridge's poem of " Kubla Khan." The holes into which the streams run are called, on Mendip, " swallets," and in Yorkshire, " pots." The biggest of the Yorkshire " pots " is Gaping Ghyll. Into this abyss, a day or two ago, descended a plucky French explorer, M. Martel, of Paris. The stream which falls into the shaft having been temporarily diverted, M. Martel made his descent by means of a long rope and a series of rope ladders. He took with him a telephone 600 ft. in length and a supply of candles and magnesium wire. He had to go 330 ft. before he reached the bottom. Here he found a vast chamber, about 450 ft. in length, 120 ft. to 130 ft. in breadth, and 90 ft. to 100 ft. in height.
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