Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1825-05-27


stood safely upon the floor o. this great room
Here all the wonder and magniiicence OF the sub
terranean world, burst upon Us 1t once! we found
that we stood in 4 room, the area OF whose floor,
was equal TO quarter OF an acre. Immediately
before us and within few feet OF the centre oil
the room, arose vast column or pillar, In Srea.
degree combining the architectural proportions; and
run up about twenty five thirty feet and supper
ted the dome of tins immense hall.
4 is column standsupon block or pedestal about
three fee, in height, and the shape where 1t rests
upon it, is about the thickness OF mans body. 1t
then swells gradually until it becomes, at the dis
lance of twenty feet from its base, about the size
barrel, whence it continues OF the same size, until
it gradually enarges into lis capital where it reach
es the dome. Strange to tell, this vast column is
rs regularly and beautifully fiued grooved ii
| II had been done BY the chisel of The sculptor.
About fifteen feet from the main pillar, stand
two smaller Ones about feet in height; and just
1t their base, and nearly between them, Is small
pool or basin Of water. Here the whole party sat
down, and unfolding their various bundles oil pro-
visions ard refreshments, and sticking their candles
to the different pillars enjoyed their cold collation.
with such appetires and spirits, were naturally
superinduced by exercise and the novelty of the
scene around us. We perceived now for the first
time by the united glare of all our candles, that
the whole of the arch of this immense hall, was
hung with the mos, beautiful st.dacties, and varie
9itCV VIII dsiOSN every DOSSIDAt vi COiOuI
In some places ii was perfectly white, red grey
yellow,-and in others, it was clear and trans
parent as ice.
In looking around you towards the lights, which
Were dispersed in different parts of the hail. the
various small spars pillars that pointing up
Others that had been detached from the roof and
lay scattered about the iioor-and numerous large
| blocks OF crystalized limestone, produced novel
and almost indescrbable feelings. 1t did re-
quire an Imagination unusually fervd, to liken this
dim picture OF the floor, to the ruins OF great
city, with few OF It's spires and steeples pointing
! up from the moudering ruins-or TO some mighty
temple with its shattered and broken columns, aud
fallen walls, withjust sufficient of its materials
| shew the style Of its former magnifcence.
When wei had finished our repast, and collected
our forces TO push forward in quest of further dis
coveres, we concluded TO call this room, Congress
! Hall; its magnifcence being equalled by nothing
else within knowledge. We now proceeded
10 the left OF the entrance by which we came into
the liall--entered an opening which presented it.
self and by following rather uneven and difficult
passage, very soon arrived in another room.
Here found very pleasing subject for our adj
miration A large block projection of the rock
AT one side OF this room, hung around with a
vast number of staactite, of every possible variety
OF shape and sze from the thickness of ones finger to
that of your arm, and from six inches TO three Of
| four feet in length. Some one of the party casually
full sound emitted something like the tone OF
a church bell Several of the party then drawing
pieces of spar these staactites alternately
and In concert with each other, it produced rude
and not unpleasng kind ofmelody with every cra-
daton of note, from the deepest tone of the ORGAN
to the finest note Of the flute. This room we some
| what apply called the Music Room, finding no con-
venient outlet from this room, other than the one
| by which entered returned into Congress
| Hall. After we had entered, this hall again, and
| continued to the right until came to the great
/ stairway by which we had first entered we dis
covered greatly to our surpriZc that This entrance
projected into the hall twelve fifteen feet and was
nearly many feet from the floor. You can form
some idea OF this singular entrance by supposing
square box with its ends open, to be projected
through window into room. This project ed
or tunnel part OF the entrance, appeared be form
ed by the process, that the staacii.es and spar
had been; and its bottom under which we could all
walk and view it. seemed not 10 be more than nine
inches in thickness. INN cdately to the righ
| OF his passage, commenced what we very properly
called gallery. This gallery was considerably
above the level of the room, and contained great
quantity OF very brilliant and beautiful SPAR The
side the gallery next 10 the hall was entirely
open from which you could look down into it,
We left the gallery, and still continuing to the
right around the hall, we entered a cavity in the
floor and after traversing tolerably long and diff
I ~ Al
the side walls and ceiling of which seemed TO be
the clear blue limestone, with a thin equalization
as clear glass, over their surface. We could
reach the ceiling, upon which we wrote many of
our names with white challI-the day Of the month
! year, SC. This room we called the Glazed Cham
Der. In the passage leading to this chamber, we
discovered, attached to the side of the rock, what
appeared TO be complete and perfect Conch She ell
The shape and size,-the smoothness and delicate
red the inside and the roughness on the outside
with the little circle oil knobs near the top all pre-
| cisely correspondent with the product of the sea-
| And 1t appeared that very gentle tap would have
detached il from the rock. Within few inches of
this was petrefaction, exactly resembling the hu-
man heart. Its colour, shape, and size all precisely
correspondent And near this again, the perfect leg
! foot and talons OF bird, projected from a rock
These several objects were so clearly and complete
y defined, and closely resembled their original
10 strike the mind even of the most inattentiye
observer, with degree of astonishment
! From the glazed chamber, we all once more re-
turned 10 congress hall, ard continued our discove-
ries to the right around the room. We perceived
now that the arch of this great room became low
err large stalacttes projected from il and reach
ed the floor; thus forming beautiful colonade or row
Of shining pillars in line with the direction of the
room, and three four feet from its walls leaving
between thus colonnade and the wall, a beautiful
recess In this recess of the simplest, vet one
of The most striking beauties of the cave unfolded
itself
! This was spring of pure water, which appear
| ed as clear as ether This pool or basin, is about
three four feet in diameter, and welve or four
teen inches deep. The bottom and sides OF this ba-
\ sin where The water covers them, are entirely CO.
vered With staagmes drops of shining spar,
which has much The appearance of FURNISHED silver
About the centre Of this spring or pool, stands a
beautiful stalact es, eighteen inches in height, and