Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-08-24

sage.
Wetheu returned shout Que hundred yards. and
entered small avenue (oyer co, siderable mass
ot stuae) TO right, which carried us SOUTH tl,ro'
uncumE.oniy black asenue, somethn,e more
than nile, when We asceated a very sieep hill a.
bopts sixty Yards, vhich carried us WITHIN the walls
OF the foaTh ciiy, which IS inferior to the Sc
cod, having sn ssch that covers az least SIX acres
IN tbs last avenue the farther eud al Which must
be iosr miles from the CHI ci,g and ten from the.
mouth o. the cave, upwards OF twenty larse
| piles OF sst-pe,re-earth one SIDE os the avenue
| and broken lime stone OH the otlyr evidently tne
| work Ct human hanrs. lad expected, from the
| course OF my nec'ise, that this would have
| carried us round to the CHEF city but was sady
| dsippoiuied when found the end few hundred
yards from the foa'th city, which caAs.d TO re-
trace our steps and not having been particu-
lar IN marking the entrances OF tie different ave-
nues as ought. we very mnch bewidered,
AMI once completely lost for fifteen twenty mi-
nutts.
J Atl,ngth, we fund orr way, and. weary and
taint, entered the cdisf Gig at tea AZ aisht--
However, much tstgued as was, | determined
10 eNe lore the cave, as long as my lights held
sut.
We now entered the fifh and last Avenue from
the chef c5ty, which carried MS southeast about
500 yards, when entered the nm city, whose
arch covers upwards Of four of level ground
strewed with broken lime stones. Fire beds of
uncommon size. with brands lcane lying around
lHIb'; tnterSicerteu Throughout this city.
We crossed over II the opposite side, nod en-
tered sn avenue that carried aboutfSO rods,
when, Fading nothing Interesting ia TIN ''assage,
We turned back aud crossed n,asy pile u stone,
in the mouth of iarseayenue, which noticed hrt
a lew yards fom this last mentioned city, as We
came out Oft.
Alter some difficult, in psssi'g over this mass of
limestone, we catered large avenue, whose
walls were the most perfect of any that we saw,
running almost due south for 500 rods and very
level and straight, with elegant arch. When
II the end otthis avenue, aud Wilde sketching
plaza Of abe cave, entered my guide, who had been
sometime grouping among the broken stone, called
out, requesting me to follow him.
gathered up my papers and compass, and after
giving my guide, VINO sat with me, order. to re-
| main where he WAS until returned, ard more
| over, To keep his lamps in good order, followed
after the frs who had entered a vertical nassaer.
| Just large enough To admitls body. We cOntinuea
to step from one stone 60 another, until AT last
| alter much Difficulty, from the smalncss os the
passage, which is about forty feet in height we en-
! tered upon the side of chamber, al least 1900
ieet IN circumference, and whose srci Is about $50
| feet high ia the cenlre-Afer having marked ar
| owsponlng downwsids) upon the slab stones A.
round the little passage through which we is.i as
cen'ed, we walked forward nearly TO the centre OF
1 this area.
| 1t past midnight when entered this cham
Der OF eternal darkness, 90 where all things are
| hushed and natures self lies deaf" I must aek-
nowiedge felt shivering horror at my situation
! when | looked back upon the different avenues
| through which hsd passed since | entered the
cave at eight in the morning; aud at that time
onisht when church-y ards yawn," to be buried Sc
veial miles in the dark recesses of this awful cav
ern-the grave, perhaps, of thousands of human
oeings-Save me no very pleasant sensations.
| with the guide who with me, took
Tie only avenue leading from this chamber and tr.
versed II for the distance of mile in southerl>
direction, when my lamps forbid me going, further
as they were nearly exhausted. The avenue, or
passage, was rs large ss any that had entered
and how Ear might have travelled, had our lights
, held out is unknown. 1t is supposed by all wLo
have any knowledge of this cave that Green River,
stream nayisabl, seyers hundred miles passes o.
| yer three branches Of this cave.
| Ii was nearly l o'clock at night when We de.
sceaded ".he passage 81 the chimney il IS cal
led, 20 The guide whom lett seated on The. rocks
4 lie was quite alarmed at our long absence, & was
heard BY icng time b fore we reaches the pas
sage 20 descend to him, hallooing with al! his might
fearing we had lost our track in The ruins above
Very near the verticsl passage and not far from
where had left my guide sitting, found some
vy beautiful specimens of Soda, which / brought
out with me-
| We returned over piles of salt petre earth and
fire beds out az avenue into anot.er, unjI ct
! LAT with great fatigue and dim light, We entered
the walls ofths chef ciy-where Tor the last time
| we trimmed cur lamps, and entered the spacious
avenue mat carried us 70 tle SCCsltu Manners.
fou d, when in the last mentioned large aYeane
or upper chamber, many eariosities such as Gl.u-
Der salts, Epsorn salts, flint, yellow OGRE, spaIs Of
different kinds, and some petriactiors--which
brought cut, together with the mummy which wss
fourd at the seeond hotpers We happily arrived
atthe mouth Of the abnut three IL the
Ing, nearly exhausted and worn down by nineteen
hours continued fatigue.
vas seaI tipg on leaving the ard inhal-
ing the yapid air Of the atmosphere, after having
so long breathed the pure air which IS occa'onel
by the nltre Of the cave. The pulse beat stronger
than in the cave but not so fast as waen upon the
surface.
have descrihe5' oyouhardy one half Of the cave,
as the avenues between the mouth Of the cave and
the secondiobbers have not been named. There
is passage in the man avenue, about 90 rods from
the entrance, ike that Of trap door BY sliding
aside large flat stone, you can descend IS or 10
feet in very narrow defile, where the passage
comes upon level and winds about in such q man
ncr IS e. pass under the main passage without hay-
ing any communication with t--and at last opens
into the main BY twolargo passages inst beyond
the SecoItd hop5srs is called the GinRbeJ Snlt-
roam. ON salts of that Kind bang fnund there
There are also the sick r9oH the bat room, and
the flint r1oNH-ail &C which larg and sOn,e nf
them quite long. The last that shall mention Is.
q very winding avcunc, which branches Oft 81 the
second hstirrs, and runs west and south-west more
Than two miles. his ia cqllc the h,linfsfi cJ0sn-
her, from he echo Il the sound made ia it. The
area OF this avenue is very beautifully imernsted
with limestone sbar--snd IA many places the CO.
urnns of sbnr are truIy elegant extending from
the ceiling T. the ioor. discovered IA this avenue
a very hgn dome, ~ or near the centre Of the arch
apparenty - feet high. i'nng in rich drapeiy, fes-
TONED IN tie most lsncinl ioanner for or 8 feet
from the baosipgs, asd "a eoors the most rich and
brilliant.
THE columns, spar aud sta'aetites in this chamber,
are extremely romantic ~ nier appearance, with
Nt..t .