Admiral Sir David Milne, a commander in the British Navy and amateur geologist was instrumental in having a large stalagmite removed from the cave in 1819. It was a monumental task to drill 16 holes into the 2 foot base in order to remove it. Block and tackles were used to prevent the 11'3" specimen from damage. Weighing 3 1/2 tons the stalagmite was transported by horse cart to a waiting ship where it was taken to the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Forty four years later, Admiral Sir Alexander Milne returned to the cave where he had witnessed his father remove the original and noticed that in the intervening years a new stalagmite had started to be formed on the original stump. While the original was estimated to be 44 cubic feet in volume he observed a nascent stalagmite that had a volume of 5 cubic inches. He calculated that if the original had been formed at the rate of the replacement it would have taken 600,000 years.
The Admiral's Stalagmite had been on display at the University Museum until 1973 when the building was undergoing renovations. Rather than removing it to safety it was allowed to fall through several floors and smash into thousands of pieces. The stump had been removed in 1873 and placed at the University of Edinburgh where it remains today.