The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-11-21
irIll.,oad atrll.
THURsDAY. NoVtsMlbe.ash g. le's
TIRE Caves.

GC IdfGSs$st4 ~
5s. .1,evas ara being uneartbed IN q way some
xn,,a.. alarsipi. since many peoples ust
hcc;n: 10 fear that the country Is about; 70
! ave In. That curiosity OF other days;
Veir,s cave, is become most pitiable, 50 for
! an ie surpassed by new discoveries. The
Pace Cave, OF which the Herald OF New
york has had vciuminous accounts. t'twith
MAPS" put the Weir's fraud under the
ground. and the line Of splendid coacnes
That formerly did a good business between
staunton and the cave was considered as
extinguished. The Page Cave put tne
famous ways and stalagnites and staiacsites
OF Augusta county into the dark. Sad tnai
s an institrtion OF such note should DC
: brought suddenly to grief by rival that le 90
long reposed quietly in its very balli~lck'
!. Thrice the Herald proclaimed the supremacy
OF the Page Cave, and thrice the peace Of
the Augusta Cave was slain. 81
But such appears to be the uncertainty OF
/ caye-supremacy In this country that the
Page Cave is not fairly in position before
another rival enters the arena and throws
xh7t into the distance so far that shere Is no.
thing left to boast Of. This last cave IS 10
Kentucky, and it would seem that 1t took as
nm insult the Virginia boast, and determined
/ 10 eradicate the Mammoth and Kentucky
too, and put an end at once to the claim Of
championship in caves by Virginia or any
!. other State. 1t is announced that this newly
unearthed cave stands near Glasgow juno
aion, kentucky; yet where that Is we know
not. The avenues OF this cave are said to
be very wide. A span Of horses can 6e
slriuen through them for eleuen miles. What
says Page county to that? 1t is further
stated that three rivers, deep and wide. bave
been found in the cave, one OF which is
naYigabie for fourteen miles. @sl
This cave has been explored for twenty
three miles in one direction and sixteen IN
another. 1t is reported that several 'smum-
mified remains, y ''reposing in stone COZ
fins ria good hit), have been found, and
that the mummified" things very much
resemble in appearance the Egyptian mum
mics. Our Page fellow-citizens ought to
have thought OF this point. ~ =sus
=. Tt Is said that this new institution at
Glasgow Junction far SURPRISES IN grandeur
the Mammoth or any other, cave yet dlscoy-
cred. a,m ..aa.c s.a.e-y ~.e-..
Now, this is cave worth talking about.
It; ashould be encouraged" We say so
Frankly, whether 1t gives offence or not. But
we should like to ask what is it expected to
make out Of cave? We have never had an
idea that one piece OF property OF that kind
would make anybody rich. All heretofore
known have come to grief, and what is TO DC
the fate Of the champions that have taken
their places? We think no great things or
them. They cannot be seen unless man
goes into them to see them. The question
is, How many people will go into them? We
won't, for one, and yet we are great
searchcr for curiositics. Many will go into
caves. we know; but when men SO in once
they seldom want to 60 in again, and thus
the number that want TO 60 into the colby
dripping vaults is diminished rather than
increased. Therefore we think caves are
not likely to be great, success. r.
Since, however, these rivalrics among the
caves are developed, we take occasion 10
suggest to those concerned the great cave
projected in the beginning OF this century
by Lieutenant JoHN CLEAvEs SYMMEs, ofthe
American navy. He said that the earth was
hollow, and that the interior might be reach
ed. through an opening in the crust. which
opening was accessible; and he begged
Congress to put a ship at his disposal with
which to find this opening. Now. although
Lieutenant sYMMss is dead, his son lives,
and has within few years past called pub
lie attention to his fathers theory, and in
yited assistance, that he might renew the
efforts nude by his father to acquire the
means to reveal the passage from the outer
side Of the globe to- this inner world OF
wonder and power. ",f,1
We offer the hint as possibly opening an
easy way to settle the question of cave SUI
premacy. Certainly the discovery of that
cave almost as big as the globe itself would
end the contest between the little interior
basins that men are Boosting about.