Litchfield enquirer., 1870-11-10
SALISBURY CAVE.

ding, but in spite of the threatening as pect of the weather. those of who were
 bent on the Salisbury excursion, would no give it up. We had mingled in the festiv
 ities of the dance. the night before, and al
 it was among the "wee sma' hours of morn ing when the party broke up. we did no
 arise in time to get very early start. Elev
 en o'clock. however. found us fairly unde l way, but not having been fortuate enougl
 to secure the services of our old frient Hatch," we did not make very gool | time. The distance, from Pleasant Valle, is not far from twenty-two miles. We tool
 the load through South Egremont ant thence by what is called the ''back road
 down through West Sheffield, and wer' amply repaid for following this somewla
 out of the way course. For miles and miles
 on eithe4 side of the way we passed i'm
 mense orchards every tree of which was h
 den with fruit. Surely such an abundance
 was never before seen in Berkshire. The quantity of apples was immense, and thou
 sands of bushels of large fall pipplns, green ings, gillyhowers. and other choice vaiie ties were being carried to the cider mill, o
 or left to rot upon the ground. The quan
 tity of pears, and plums, was also great nearly every tree requiring props to up
 hold the branches bending beneath theil
 heavy burdens. The grape crop too, was
 as Dominic Sampson would say, ''prodigi
 ousw All varieties of them are raised iu
 the open air. There is no better location
 in Berkshire County for fruit raising than
 here under the lee of Mount Everitt. Here are the magnificent farms of the Cahdees,
 Curtisses, Stages, Spurs and Royces. The
 most successful fruit grower of them ali is MT. Orren Curtis who, am told, neither gratis nor buds, but raises mostly from the seeds and pits We all agreed that we had never before tasted such large and finely favored peaches as these Berkshire seed
 ings They were indeed delicious. as were also the pears, melons and other fruits which we were most generously treat ed. As We were crossing the line into Connecticut, the sun which had hitherto been hid behind the clouds came out in full noontide glory. ., Shortly after, we came in sight of the ''Twin" lakes of Salis- bury, two fine sheets of water almost en- tirely separated by long narrow peninsula which extends to within few rods of the opposite shore We followed the road a. long this strip of land crossing the inter- vening space on good substantial bridge. There were number of nice looking row. boats upon the lakes, which are generally we'll patronized, for this is famous resort for picnic parties and the fishing is excel lent. The survey of the Connecticut Vest ern R. R. leads across both lakes and the work of filling in the embankments was being rapidly pushed forward The road from the lake to the entrance of inc cave, young a mosy pne ana
 lock. We all walked up the ascent through this lovely archway of nature, arriving at the top of the hill about 3'oclock. A large platform for dancing, with seats all around, and an elevated stngo at oue end for music, placed beneath the tall spreading trees, first attracted our attention. We were not slow in taking possession of this and con- yerting it into g, dining room. Near by are the house and out-buildings which MT. Odenbreit the proprietor of the cave has had built for accommodation of visitors. The house is plain. wooden structure of rough boards, ,and contains separate dress ing apartments for ladies and gentlemen, a large dining room, and an office, which also combines with it, the seductions of the bar. While awaiting the arrival of the queer looking specimen of appeared on the ground with a branded ''Flour 2411a pounds, ," but from the peculiar manner in which he carried it we thought might contain a violin, and were right. The dinner table was quickly cleared, and the ''band" mounted upon the music stand. When Mir. Oden
 brett came up lively quadrille was in full progress under the enlivening strains of the cracked fiddle. Desisting from this, and following MT. O. into the house, we were soon arrayed in suitable habiliments for descending into the bowels of the earth. A few weeks previously, while conducting 8 small party through the cave, the house was broken into and everything of value all the extra suits, stolen. He had not yet been able to replace them full 1y, and consequently our outfit was some what mixed. That of the ladies especially, consisting chiefly of kind of bloomer costume of flannel, originally of light color, but much contact with the soil of the lower regions had rendered them some what darker. Some preferred their water proof cloaks. 10 these dirty rags, but they were found to be great hindrance in our mode of progress. We gentlemen were mostly provided with oil cloth suits. our heads being protected by genuine "Sou'
 westers." Each member of the party was also supplied with piece of adamantine candle, about three inches long, placed up rightly on the end of o horizontal pudding stick -sloped piece of wood, about Q foot in length. Thus armed and equipped we presented much the same appearance as a
 party of Dr. Kane's Esquimaux. The en.
 trance to the cave is in Q slight hollow di- ,rectly in front of the house. Over the
 mouth of it stands little shanty which
 the guide unfastened and thereby revealed to us a long flight of stairs almost perpen- tdicular in their descent. We clustered a.
 round the opening, lighting our candles one by one, and then, bidding adieu to the outside world, followed our guide in solemn
 procession and single file into the unknown
 regions below us. At the foot of the stairs
 we came to long narrow passage slightly descending through which we passed
 stopping. At the farther end was spring of cold water very agreeable to the taste. This was the first point of interest, and we
 each had to stoop lower and crawl down to
 it, then returning waited in Q side passage till all had taken their turn. Our attitudes
 while hnddled together here were ludicrous
 in the extreme, andcalied forth numerous |satirical and uncomplimentary remarks upon each others personal appearance.
 The smoke of the candles and the impurity
 of the air caused by so large . party in
 such as small place rendered the breathing
 very d.f6cult. and many of us coughed in- |cessaatly during the entire duration of xl~ D.