The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-09-21

NEW ~n..,n.. ivoL. VINO. o6- WHOLE NO. 2s6.

was in 1917 The brass band which general-l j
ly accompanies visitors, plays some church
tunes here, which reminds one very much of %
divine services. The black oxide of iron be.
gins TO appear, at this point, and makes the
ceiling above, look like the bed of some deep
river and in some instances forms Sonderful- o
IL curious fgures- as for example, the ant
eater, which is almost complete resemblance
oflhat aaim al, is perched directlyoyer the
giants coffin, looking down intently upon
that huge rock, that is perfect representa-
tion of an immense coffin Just beyond this,
| the avenue makes an acute angle. Which is
one of the greatest sights in the Cave. On
one side perfect angle is formed, while the
other has seemingly been scooped ont by the
rushing of great body of water. After
turning the acute angle. tie avenue narrows
down to about twenty feet, with perpendcu-
lar sides nearly an hundred feet high and
ceiling, as black as night. There are the in-
valid cabins, where twelve persons W tn the
consumption at one tine lived, in the vain
hope of restoring their health; but two of
them died here nnder the ground, md pone of
the rest now survive Now we enter the. IA
nous Star Chamber, where apparer tly stars,
appear in the sky aboye but. really where Fl
crystaIized carbopateashine through lie black &
oxide of iron, making. the appeara&c &c otsai;
bright star light night. There the ga: lie takes
the lamps awsy, and by taking some circuitous
route, causes black cloud to pass over the
star-lit canopy. and we are left in the most
terrific darkness. To every reader nf Mil
Eton,' those terrible words are suggested
"There under ebon shades of low-browed rocks, 7,9
As ragged thy locks, 81;
In dark Cmmerian darkness dwell. q"
4 From this chamber we retrace to the main
avenue. to the Gothic avenue, where the stal.
actites and stalagmites are found in abundance
The Gothic Chapel is supported by teu pill
lars, which seemed to have been for ned by
the dripping of the water, and they a IS reg
ular'as any tree two feet and hall in diam
le er Here were married in 1881, couple TO
whose union there was much opposition by
: their parents. The young lady prjmised her
father on his death bed, that she would never
t marry the young man on earth, and liter bis
=. death married under the ground. Going into
another avenue, we come TO Coins Dome.
y by far the grandest scene in the Gaze. This
! magnificent Dome is looked at thro gh small
: aperture, admitting but one at fine, and when
. . lit up by the Bengal light presents the most
u beautiful, and most sublime spectacle ever my
8 eyes beheld The Dome is about an hundred
: feet with corresponding pit below, and seems
to have as nice festoons and brilliant frescoes,
as the representations of those at tie Sistine
: Chapel, the noblest work of Mic Sc Angelo.
u Returning from this we cone to the river
u Styx but we do our own fe. rying Right
81 by the side of the avenue at tlis point rises
dome, with corresponding depression,
u about seventy five feet high, and it is 30 larg-
% er in circumference, than a common well, with
u beautiful little burrows made by the trckling
y down of the lime water. There We c. oss the
~ bridge of sighs,' because it passes over the
q bottomess pit The next place OF pariicu-
v lar Importance is the famous Echo River, ;
~ which runs IN the Gave three quarters of
70 mile. Here our frail bouts are launched, and
81 we are committed to waters, whose depth has
10 never been found. The water is pure aud
oi tom. The roof is arched, and when Green
10 River rises, this river meets the rocks above
OIL making it impossible to cross. The band
5 played Sweet Home and such emotions
Il were never produced before in my very unpo.
''e letic soul. The reverberations are perfectly
~ enchanting and the arches gather up the har-
" monies and roll them back till the imagina.
Sc ton is absorbed. and consciousness gone
rs The effect of the light on the boats is very
Ut great, and when seen in the distance these
n lamps look like the terrible glances of desti-
h ny. We are now only half through, but
or truce to descriptions that fall so infinitely be.
er low the reality. will only add. come and see.
of All the pretty formations are beyond the riv-
ne er g D. E. B.
8; =" sia a59ls Z "a. 7-s f-0 sir-=iezi 3 Eei7-si q