The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-07-02
Correspondence of the Register.
Way Side Sketches.
A visit 10 the interior of al-IIill-Rcfc

BETHANY, BRooKE Co Va,
June Ia, 1856
Tho Sun hung low in the west, at the
close of DAY Of rare beauty, even for
luxuriant June. The air was a trend
lous golden haze in which the suubeams
melted and foated. They wreathed the
hilltops with a halo Of glory rested lo7-
ingly upon the verdant meadows and in
the depths of the silent woods came ouiv-
eriDg, glancing sparkling down, looking
through the leafy canopy like myriads of
stars in an emerald sky. The landscape
itself was not remarkable, except for the
charm lent it by the light and its shad-
ows. 1t possessed the usual character
istics Of an old Virginia country-scene ;
broad fields of wheat, oats and corn, iu-
torspcrsed by neglected commons, cover
ed with straw-stacks, russet and green,
aud dotted with clumps Of sassafras and
locust saplings rambling rail fences,
stretching in every direction at all posi-
BILE aud Imaginable angles now and then
a brown or white farm house, with its
village of stables and cabns-and The
never failing girdle of forests circling,
bounding all.
At a short distance on the east and
north. rose several coal.bills. or as thoy
are termed here, coalbanks Curiosity
to explore one Of these great store hous-
es of nature impellel our steps in their
direction. We soon approached tho en-.
trance lat the base of the hill) of one Of
the largest, where the Deity in his beh'
/ eGceuce, when the earth was young, sto7-
ed away vast quantities of this material,
so necessary to the wants of the tesming
millions, that shall iuhabit tho earth
through the vista Of ages, nestled in the
womb Of futurity.
Ths collers had ended their weeks
work, aud laid ur their tools to rest, un.
til 6 o'clock on Monday morning They
had left an hour earlier than was usual
on other days than Saturday. We in
troduced ourself to this ua,t reservoir of
human comfort, and asked permission T."
walk in aud explore its inner temples.
We were answered only by silence and
darkness. She had closed her labors for
the week, and was now wrapt 10 seeming
meditation preparatory to the rest Of the
coming Sabbath 1t seemed almost sa.
crilege to disturb the quiet of her solemn
worship. It. appeared very proper; to
give the Coal Bank over to sleep, like
laboring man after Ills toll. 1t is very
impressive to stand in, few yards from
the entrance, and feel the hush Of human
voices, and sound of picks aud bars, and
the solitude of one Of these sleeping cav
erns. The thought that a mountain Of
carth-its rocks and trees might chance
to cave in upon you, makes the intruder
move forward with cautious pace But
curiosity got the mastery of fear, ana We
stepped forward boldly. With a match
from our pocket, we lighted lamp at
tuched to one of the many pillars Of coal,
which are left as so many sentinels to
guard life all through the interior 1t
drove away the darkness about US, and
sent its benevolent rays, far in advance
to gid our darkened pathway. The
murky columns Of coal, stationed at ir-
regular distances throughout this nam,
moth vault, and charged with the hOavy
task of supporting mountain upon their
shoulders, looked sadly tired. They arc
moody follows, standing suky and silent,
but disposed to endure with much for
bearapce their terrible back.load We
had left our taper several yards in the
rear, and was cropping again in the dark.
With fresh lucfer, we lit up another
lamp to join the other, in it's good work
of enlghteuing the benighted We BY
the aid of a cane felt our way onward
determined to see more Of this subtera
mean world. BY lighting up the lamps
along our route, We soon made the end
Of our tour, and arrived at the vast de-
posit Of glittering coal which lies packed
and stored away in limitless quantities,
awaiting the wants of our race. We
now stretched our vision backward, that
we might SEQ if possible the place of our
ingress. Naught was to be seen but
here aud there feeble lamp struggling
stoutly with the dump and thick dark
ness. Being nearly one third OF mile
from the entrance, and nearly that dis
tauce below the surface, taking direct
line upward, wo could but feel, that We
were now occupying retired situation
in lie. We gave ourself up to reaec'
tion, We sat upon u smooth hard block
1 of coai and couverted tha rlaca into a