The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1877-04-13

bridges over pools of water. At length
we reach dry footing, aud change oul
clrcuitous windings full of ups and downs
Tor straightforward, high-rosfed, narrow
avenue, extending in nearly straight
course for probably half mile. This
think they call Silliman Avenue. We
passed several deep pits or wells, circular
from thirty to forty feet in diameter, and
say one hundred feet deep one was said
to be one hundred and twenty-five feet
deep. They seemed to be water worn, and
stood under similar high round openings
in the ceiling, but not opening to the up
per world. The guide would throw light
ed torches down them, which would make
us shrink back as the falling light would
disclose the frightful depths.
| AT half past one we reached broad
| beautiful room, called Washington's Cham
| Der, where we found spring of water, and
so took our dinner. This chamber was the
first to show much in the way of ornamen-
tation. There was an incrustation of gyp-
sum over the whole OF the low broad
| arch, (some sixty feet wide by three hun
dred longO white and shining as alabaster,
and in places the silken threads have bios
somed out in a form of capitalization
similar to the frost which occurs in No.
vember on wet clayey soil, while the
ground is yet unfrozen, a kind of ribbed
crusted leaf of icy threads. These leaves,
for some reason, stand out from the cell.
ing some two inches in length curled over
like the leaves of rose, and arranged in
circular form about a centre of erect
threads, making cluster of leaves of four
to six inches in diameter, and closely re-
sembles full blown white rose. The cell
ing is covered with them, and when light
ed up, they stand out in a striking and
splendid manner.
AT 2 p. NJ, we started on our march,
and passed through many large and hand.
some halls. One was coated with form
alton which was scanned in manner re
sembling the serricd scanning of brain
coral and it glittercd charmingly. Au-
other was covered with little sparkling
points, and one was embossed with round
ed beads of varying sizes, reminding one
OF the old brazen shields.
We saw no staiactites proper, though at
the extreme end, which we reached at $50
p. NJ, there are two stalactite formations
standing against the end of the avenue.
flattened on the wall and extending from
roof to floor. There is one stalagmite
called Cleopatra's Needle, some two and
one half feet high and ten inches through.
A little before reaching the end we pass
or climb over pile OF rocks some fifty
feet high, called Rocky Mountains" and
descend again.
We start back at 3 p. M, leaving very
many side passages which we do not ex-
plore. The guide tells us we are nine
miles from the entrance, so we travel brisk
ly and reach the water at 1926, having
made probably four miles. We cross the
water again in fifteen minutes, and take q
short climbing difficult passage, called
the "Corkscrew," by which we save one-half
to two miles, and reached the open air at
$50. The whole distance is probably
seven miles.
We saw the blind fish which they catch
in the stream. They resemble small cat
fish, having no scales but wanting also the
teelers or tentaculp. They are about two
and one-half inches long, though said to
grow to six inches, and have a scar or har
dened point where the eye should be. They
are of an ashy, half transparent color, Civ
ing them ghost like appearance.
They say the temperature is 500 the year
around. F. A. G.