The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-03-23
Below the Earth's Crust.
A WEST VIRGINIA PLOWMAN FALLS IN
TO A suBTERRANEAN RIVER.

u io oiio i'h"SfASsoph kAAiSit't LII ~ oS'J |
When we We're publishing paper in
Lewisburg, West Virginia, several
years ago, q very singular accident be-
fell young man there, which we mar
rated briefly at the time. A few days
ago we Glanced to meet him here, IN
Muskegon, and he narrated his adven-
ture at our request. 1t occurred on the
farm of Gen. A. w. G.. Davis, in Green
brier county, in 1856. We give the
story in his own words, as near as we
can recollcct them:
81 was blowing ON Gen. Davis
farm, in 1885," said he, unspspicious
of being on insecure ground, when sud-
denly the earth seemed to fall beneath
me. | saw the horses descending, but
was too frightened to let go the plow-
handles. The pitch of the horses with
the earth gave my fall an impetus, and
/ somehgw | caught the name of one of
them in my fall, and so held on instinc-
lively. What I thought when falling,
cam hardly tell. Atany rate, did
some rapid thinking. When | landed
| fell on the horse whose name | had
hold of, and, although the horse was
Instantly killed, l was merely stunned
and confused. On recovering looked
up, and the hole through which had
must have fallen full $50 feet. My first
thought was to call for aid, but in
stantly recalled the fact that was at
least Il mile from Gen. Davis house,
and that there was not the remotest
probability that any one had seen my
descent into the earth.
I" 1t was then early morning, and as l
had brought out my dinner with me,
no one would miss me before nightfull
While going over these facts in my
own mind, | heard the rush of water
near at hand, and it occurred to me
that must have fallen upon the bed
of Sinking creek, which, as you know,
falls into the earth above Frankfort,
and does not come out but once till it
reaches the banks of the Greenbrier
river. To say where 1 was, or to at
tempt to follow the subterraneous pas
sage, was the next question. l some
times took the team to my own tenant
stables, and therefore might not be
missed for days; SO l determined to
follow the stream. | waled in it, and,
Judging from its depth of from one to
three feet, concluded it must be the
identical Sinking creek spoken of.
Leaving my dead companion behind
me, l followed the stream. For the
most part | had pretty easy work of it,
but sometimes came to a deep place,
where was forced to swim for con-
siderable distance; again was often
precipitated headlong into deep water
by the precipitous nature Of the rocky
bed of the stream.
"Talk about tho darkness of the
grave! The grave itself could not have
been more impalpably dark than the
passage / was following. The occa-
sional ripping of the waters was an in
expressibly dear sound to my ears.
i Day and night were the same to me.
at last, wearried with my efforts, l
laid down on Il comparative dry rock
to rest, and must have slept for hours.
/ When awoke again took to the wa
ter, carefully ascertailing which way it
ran, SO as not to lose my labor by re-
] tracing my steps. 1t seemed to me
that the further / went the more diff
cult. progress became. When l had
gone perhaps mile, came to place
where the archwav narrowed SO much
that ] had to crawl on my hands and
{ knees in the water.
'sHere was dilemma Ihad not look
ed for. | tried either bank of the riv-
er, but found no passage. Ic0uld swim
, under water for considerable distance.
before me was unknown, and halted
long before making the dangerous ven
ture. At last concluded that my fate
! was equally doubtful in returning as in
,ra,oal.nn ,,D,,nornl 1,plllx, inf
4 the current. and soon found that it was
, SO swift in its confined passage that |
t only needed to hold my breath to go
| through. In the course of twenty or
/ thirty feet again got my head above
water, and took long breathing spell.
/ Again the archway above seemed to en-
large, and the bed of the stream became
more even. l sped along comparative
. ~ rapidly, keeping my hands out
stretched toprevent my running against
t the Jagged rocks Wearlcd out, again
r laid down and slept soundly in my wet
r clothes.
I" On awakening, pursued my course
down the snbterranean stream, and at
: last, in the long distance ahead, saw a
e glimmer that looked very bright in the
: darkness l was then shut in. Nearing
g this, found that it did not increase in
S brightness; and when had gone per-
+, haps mile, came to another place
!. where my path narrowed to the very
, tunnel filed by the water. Ny case
, was now become more desperate.
could not possibly retracc my steps, Sc
1 submitted myself to the current, and
was UNNECESSARILY oveljoyed to find
f myself rapidly swept into daylight
S Exhausted and half drowned, l crept
out upon the land and was not long in
. recognizing the objects about me-.
' had come out into the Greenbrier riv-
er, as I knew from the familiar look OF
, Gen. Davis mill on the bank. On
S reaching home / found that had been
8 over forty eight hours in making my
l perilous journey OF. six miles under
D ground" The hole where this man
went through is now fenced round
< On listening one can plainly hear the
, rush of water below, and a stone thrown
down will sometime be heard to splash
c in the stream.
GOLD UNEARTHED IN KANSAS CITY,.
Yesterday afternoon Il gentleman nam.
J ed VIM. Pate, who recently purchased
: and is now improving lot near the
:, eastern terminus of Twelfth street