Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-08-16
! THE GAZETTE.
WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUGUST lG.
Tho s.faye Of the Fountains"


Being recently in the neighborhood OF the
Gaze Of the fountains, located near the ccle-
hrated Viewers Cave, in Augusta county, |
availed myself of the kind invitation OF the
proprietor to visit this great natural curiosity.
This Cave, though discovered before Weyer S,
has never been brought prominently to public
attention until within the last few years, but
The proprietor is now prepared to receive vls'-
tors and give them the best accommodations.
This Cave is in so many respects equal to "ey,,
er's, and is sd different from it in formation and
general appearance that visitors wilt lind that
The interest In one will not be abated by hay
ing first seen the other. Our party. consisting
Of two gentlemen and three ladies, whose
hrieht ewes and laughing voices added much to
the pleasure Of the occasion, assembled to
the entrance of the cave about three
o'clock on the evening OF an extremely
sultry day. but were rewarded tor our toll
Of the steep ascent BY the cool atmos,
There which always surrounds the entrance: and
by the beautiful prospect which opens TO view
from the elevated position. just as VIC entered
the Cave, Il heavy thunder storm was seen ap:
pruacliny, and shortly after entering, VIC could
heartaiut rumblings of the thunder, reminding
rs 81 the weird silence of those subterraneap
depths of the war of the elements raging with
out: but after descending some distance further
no sounds reached our ears save the occasional
drip of:the water which in clicking monotone
seemed to b. calling our attention to the hum,
bic, unobseryed agent by whose centuries OF
laborso much suhlimity and grandeur had been
iolmed.
From the entrance the descent is very rapid
for considerable distance, and, in fact you
l. ,l&br oh d 1T q
Gave, though at times you have considerable
ascents to make in passing from one apartment
70 another, until YOU reach the end, where we
were informed by the accommodating guide
that we had decended three hundred feet be-
low the entrance This Cave is, throughout,
nne of great interest and beauty; at every step
YOU are struck with the beauty OF the torlna-
ton and with the many curious resenbances
10 animate life, some Of which are sol,ertect as
10 seem the work of art 1t is impossible to give
u lescription OF the vastness and Snbhmlty OF
.ome Of these formations, Or OF the exquisite
beauty Of some of the apartments, which with
their snowy-white concretons OF thousand
various forms present the appearance Of grot-
toes beautiful enough tor the grotto-lorIng
queen Of the mermaids under the sea. The
impressions made upnn the mind are 80 various
and succeed each other with such rapldity that
you are in continual whirl OF excitement. =
The first feeling is that of apprehension
mingled with curiosity, and as this wears
IF admiration, surprise and delight sue.
coed each other with lightning rapidly. and
soon you are in II perfect jumblt Of emotions,
each one striving for the mastery and yet none
attaining it. Other scenes may he more per
feet in the peculiar feelings they excite, but
uone can produce greater variety "t feelings
at one and the same time than are made IN
the mind during visit to the Gave.
There are many scenes in this Cave worthy
the pencil of the artist, but feel that my pen
is TOO feeble to attempt to supply the pencil 5
place. No mere description can dn justice to
these Sutterranean formations they uIu>t be-
seen to be appreciated At the end Of the Cave
there are five large basius which in Wet wealth
-r are full of water, one of them was about hall
full when we saw Them. They about foot
deep and very near each other. They extend
across the passage, which, at this place Is Very
narrow. .....
On retrucing our steps, ne We're shown many
interesting objects which We had not seen on
our way in--many Of them Icing i'll passages
leading off from the main passage. ~ that our
return was as interesting as our entr'nct.-
.StduntOn Spectators