The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1878-07-20
THE CAVES OF OLD RALDY.
EXPLAINING THE INTERIOR OF
BALD MOUNTAIN.

Walls Of GRANTEE Fresh Tissures Tho
Bottom OF the Mountain Failing Out
Aqueous Agencies.
Correspondence QfMe Charlotte OJse,rer.1
Torches and lar having been
prepared the night before, the
mountain was climbed early in the
morning. A circuitous route had to
be taken to reach the caves mouth,
five hundred feet up the precipitous
and in some places perpendicular
mountain side. After much painting
and blowing (affording great amuse~
ment to the guido our party, con-
sisting of Mr. Gray, of Charlotte,
the guide and the reporter, reached
the desired point, and no time was
lost in effecting an entrance
Torches and lanterns were lighted,
a matter accomplished with some
difficulty on account of the rush Of
the cold air passing out of the cave.
The entrance is only two and half
feet high by four feet wide, so down
we go on all llfoms and crawl through
Tor some five feet We move eau
tiously forward, assisted by daylight
for the first twenty feet, when the
passage makes bend to the left,
and torches are required for the
next hundred feet, daylight then
again being perceptible, coming
in through window four feet wide
and two feet high. Twenty feet
further the entrance passage is IN
tersected by five other apartments
of the same character as the one by
which we entered, two of greater
and three of lesser dimensions, one
leading to The window opening upon
the perpendicular face of the noun
tain, the other through the solid
gntiss lunning faterally and at
hight angles with the sides directly
towards it's centre, some ascending,
others descending.
FOLLOWING THE MAIN PASSAGE
until dalk, without the aid Of our
toi ches, prevailed, Il grand spectacle
was presented. The rugged walls
rose n,.jestically on either 81 !. efor one
Il 'nurcd feet, ragged, sharp pointed,
shaggy-looking rocks and huge
bolders, seemingly covered with
myrlads OF diamonds, each one re-
fiecting rays of light, shining,
spal k. ing, flashing all the colors of
tie rainbow before our dazzled eyes.
Huge masses of granite jutted forth
on i'll sides, small fssurcs nestled
away invisible except to close in
spection, as if ashamed of their
smaliness. A solitary bat, aroused
by the light, flightedly dashed itself
against the walls in frantic efforts to
regain its wonted gloom. Large
flakes OF granite, some forty by
eighty feet, partly scaled from the
sites, still remained undetached
like half, detached weatherboard
fastened at one end. Particles of
rock, some Weighing tons and othors
ground to powder, lay scattered
around in greut profusion, and, far
above from where we stood, Il sun
beam family struggled through
small crevice above the window,
barely tinging the darkened wall
hike the touch of fairy's golden
wand.
A better idea can be obtained of
the appearance ana
CHARACTER OF THE GAVE
by imagining large cavern running
over five hundred feet into the
mountain, about three hundred feet
wide, ranging i'll height from twelve
to two hundred feet, and divided
into six smaller caves, separately
partitioned by walls of gneiss, vary.
ing from ono to sixty feet in thick
ness, all connected either above or
below the partitions. These caves
all have n junction inside, only two
obtaining egress to the mountain
side, one through the mouth and the
other through the window. The
mountain passage runs due east
directly into the heart Of tho monn-
tain over three hundred feet down
ward ut first, and then changes it's
course, winding almost spirally, in
some places perpendicularly, grow
Ing gtudually smaller, until obtainil &
an altitude Of two hundred feeC
from it's bottom.
The next two longest nearly
equal to the one just dosci ibed in
extent, but do not take spiral
course. The other three have an
a1xoro co aino ,{ al.>1.k ln1s lla Il.