Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-06-22
VOL. XIX, NO. 8o......wHoLE NO. 254o.
Washington Hall marks the com

mencement of EIindo-avenue,
straight hall about sixty feet wide,
twenty in height and fico miles long.
II is completely incrusied from end to
end with crys,alizations, gypsum white
as snow. This is the browning mar
vel of the cave, the pride and the
boast Of the guides. Their satisfac-
ton is no less than yours, as they lead
you through the diamond grottoes,
the gardens of sparry eifloresccnce,
and the cleaning vaults Of this mag
ica avenue. We first entered the
Snow-ball room," where the gno-
me children in their sports have pep
pered the gray walls and ceiling with
thousands of snow white projecting
discs, so perfect in their fragile
beauty, that they seem ready TO melt
away under the blaze Of your lamp.
Then commences Cleaveland's Cab
met, gallery OF crystals, the rich
ness and variety of which bewilder
you. Ii is a subtefranean conserva-
tory, filed with the flowers of all the
zones for there are few blossoms
which expand on the upper earth but
are mlmIcked in these gardens of
Darkness. cannot lead you from
niche to niche, and from room to
room, examining in detail the en-
chanied growtbs they are all so
rich and so wonderful that the mem
DRY does not attempt 10 retain them
Sometimes the hard limestone rock
is changed into parterrc of white
roses sometimes il is starred with
opening dalscs the sunflowers spread
their fiat discs and rayed leaves the
feathery chalices of the cactus hang
from the cleits; the nighl-blooming
cereus opens securely her snowy
cup, for the morning never comes
to close il the tulips here virgin,
and knows not that her sisters above
are clothed in the scarlet Of shame.
In many places the ceiling is COW
cred with mammary crystalizaiion
as if a myriad bubbles were rising
beneath its gllttering surface. Even
on this ewe!ed soil which sparkles
all around you, grow the lilies and
roses, siDgly overhead, but clustering
together toward the base Of the vault,
where they give place to long, snowy
pendulous cactus flowers, which
droop like fringe around diamond
inches. Here you see the passion
flower, with its curiously curved pis-
ills; there an iris with its lanceola,e
leaves and again, punches of celery
with stalks white and tender enough
for fairy's dinner. There are occa-
sIonal patches of gypsum, iinged OF
a deep amber color by the presence
OF iron. Through the whole length
of the avenue there is no cessation of
the wonderous work. The pale rock
blooms burst forth everywhere, crowd
ing on each other until the brittle
sprays cannot bear their weight, and
they fall 10 the floor. The slow,
silent efiloresence still goes on as it
has done for ages in that buried
tropic.
What mostly struck me in my I'M
derground travels was the evidence
of design which found everywhere.
Why should the forms of The Earih's
outer crust, her flowers and fruits, the
very heaven itself which spans her,
be so wonderfully reproduced I What
law shapes the blossoms and the foil
age of that vast crystalline garden
There seemed TO be something more
than the accidental combinations of a
blind Chance in what | saw--some
evidence OF an informing and direct
ing VIII. In the secret caveyns, the
agencies which produce their wond-
ers have been at work for thousands
of years, perhaps thousands of ages,
iashionlng the sparry splendors in the
womb Of darkness with as exquisite
a grace,as true an instinct of beauty,
as in The palm or the lily, which are
nodded by the hands of the sun.
What power is IL which lies behind
the mere chemistry Of nature, i'm
pregnaiing her atoms with such SUBJ
tie laws Of symmetry What bu,
that Divine VIII which first gave hel
being aud which is never weary o.
multiplying for Man the lessons OF
His ihfiile wisdom
AT the end OF Elinde-avenue the
floor sinks, then ascends, and is al
last blocked up by huge pile OF
large, loose rocks. When we had
reached the foot the roof of the ave-
nue. suddenly lifted and expanded,
and the summit Of the Rocky Noun
tains, as they are called, leaned a
gainst VOID waste Of darkness. We
climbed To the summit, about hun
feet above, whence we looked down
into an awful gulf, spanned lar above
our heads by hollow dome of rock.
The form of this gigantic hall was
nearly elip,lcal. |, was probably l5O
feet IN height by 500 in length, the
ends terminating near the roof in the
cavernous mouths of other avenues
The guides partly descended the hill
and there kindled a brilliant Bengal
light, which disclosed more clearly
the form of the hall, but thought il
more impressive as its slupendou.
proportions were first dimly revealed
by the light of our lamps. Stephen,
who discovered this place, gave 1t the
name OF the Dismal Hollow"
scrambling along the ridge of the
Rocky Mountains, we gained the en-
franca IN tha .ava., ........... -. A.,