The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-06-10
ABBEVILLE s. G., WEDNESDAY, JUNE 70, 1874.

attempt a description Of i-as well
undertake to describe the starry
heavens to a blind man. tits one
, of those things that must be seen
to be appreciated. 1t is.about Ealf
, way between Louisville and Nash
|! Vile, ten miles from the. railroad,
and is reached in two hours by
) hacks. The entrance to the cave
is about 25x3O feet, and a stream
of water, as largeas ones arm, con-
) stantly pours from the ceilingabove,
the disintegrating action OF which
lis thought to have caused the falling
in of the crest, and consequent
opening of the cave. After pass
ing through a comparatively small
! archway, called the Narrows, you
enter the Main Cave six miles long
and Of varying height and width,
in some places 100 feet high and
300 wide, avera ging sixty wide and
forty high. The first large open
ling reached is called the Rotunda,
which is 100 feet up to the ceiling
and near 200 feet wide. Here is a
large number of vats like tan-vats,
only larger, which were used by
the Government in 1872 in making
salt-petre. All along for half q
mile are poplar logs with holes
bored through them, serving as
pipes to convey the water into the
vats. They have been there since
that time, and are sound now,
while such logs would rot in a few
years if exposed to the outer air.
sYou can distinctly see the impress
1sions Of the hoofs Of oxen and cart
wheels, made while driving them
through, the earth being then sof-
tened as it had been lixiviated in
the process Of extracting the salt
pctrc, but now dry and almost as
hard as the lime rocks. There are
two routes usually taken by visitors,
one the long route nine miles long,
the other the short one, four miles;
and there are numerous branches
running out from the main cave.
The guide going ahead with two
lanterns you following with one
WI, reyt enter the Methodist
Church eighty by forty feet high.
Here, from what is called the pull
pit, which consists of a ledge OF
rocks twenty-five feet high, the
=. Gospel was cxpoundcd by a Meth
odist preacher more than a half
century ago. The benches or rath-
CT logs lie about, in the same posi-
ton they did when first placed IN
the "church." I don't suppose
they had any organ. You next
enter the Grand Arch where the
Giants Coffin is-a huge rock for
ty feet long, and at the point Hbm
which is viewed, presents a striking
resemblance to a coffin. The next
is the Star Chamber, which is
grand beyond description. 1t is
50 feet high, 70 wide and 500 long.
The ceiling is dark gypsum stud
ded by innumerable white spots
made by the efllorescencc of salts,
and probably rocks thrown by visi-
tors. The guide takes all the Ian
terms, descends behind a ledge Of
rocks, and as he rcccdcs, the shadow
of the rock comes gradually over
the starry vault, presenting a stri-
king panoramic view of. a. thunder
storm, and for a few minutes in
"thick darkness" and perfect still
Z; ness, feelings of awe come over
you. You are relieved by the ap-
pearance of the dawning Of day,
and the rising Of the sun
as the guide comes up with his
cheering lanterns far off in another
part of the cave. If he could have
immitated thunder it would height
ened the effect. Along here, l
think, is the Gothic Chamber, a
couple were married, and the guide
said the bride assigned her reason
for it, that she had promised her
mother she would not marry a
'"upon the face of the earth. .
Here is shown you what's appa-
: rently a petriied human head, and
the guide said it was mans head.
Upon being asked his reason for
thinking it was mans, replied
that it had it's mouth shut, and a
woman's was always open.
, T left the main cave and travers-
! ed portion of the long: route,
which being nine miles l did not
, feel equal to the task of exploring
r the whole. I will only speak Of a
, few places-there being names OF
! places enough to till a column
There are several pits and downs
, on the sides Of the main path, and
j., you peep over and look above with
9 some tremor. Sid de-Saddle Pit is
= ninety feet deep and the dome over
it sixty feet high. Bottomless Pit
! which is not bottomless, is one hun
q dred and scventy-five feet deep:
] and Shclby's Dome hangs directly
e over it, sixty feet high, making 2S5
! feet from the top Of the dome to
$ the bottom of the Bit. The guide
y linhts manor saturated with oil