The New York herald., 1878-11-06
THE LURAY CAVERNS.
Exploration Of Wondrous
Caverns in Virginia.
CHAMBERS OF sTALACTITEs
Beauties Of Coral Cascade
and Giant Hall.
LURAY. Page County. Va. Nov. 4. 1873.

LURAY. Page County, Va, Nov. 4, 1873.
The exploration OF the caverns which take their
name from this little village. and which are now des-
tined to become famous one of the worlds won
ders still continues. Each day-almost each hour
develops some wonder. and it remains an open
question whether the beautiful mountain county OF
Page is not the upper crust Of vast succession OF
subtcranean mysteries. On every side OF the already
discovered and explored caverns is found passages
and outlets to yet unknown regions and most OF
which far impossible. owing to the lack Of
means and the absence of necessary machinery with
which to operate and open them up. It is
than probable that the proprietors. with
III eye to their own interests. will conhne
their operations below to the limits of the
thirty-eight acres which they were lucky enough
to purchase when Of them, Mr. Campbell.
first discovered the rabbit hole at the base OF Cave
Hill. And by the way, it is more than likely that tho
fortunate discoverers aud adventurous explorers will
sncounter considerable trouble in maintaining their
right and title to the cavernous property which they
bought at commissioners sale, for even now the
former owners exhaustng all the legal talent OF
the county endeavor to regain possession of It,
Of course the lawyers will encourage them in this
bfort long as there remains chance to get re-
Miner and prospective big fee.
THE cAvKRNs tss
AS already described in tho HEnAID the discov-
aries located under knob spur of the Nassau
mutton range. about mile little over west Of
this village The entrance, which has been sunk to
depth sufficient to admit Of putting in an ordinary
door, is the east side of the hill, and the main
cavers. after running north for about four hundred
and fifty yards turn or in northwestery direction.
extending probably mile ~ far AZ explored.
The descent TO the door Is thirty feet in day
Light, and many below in the darkness when stand
ing the floor of the vaulted and extensive ante
chamber. as it has been appropriately called This
compartment Is about eighty by ono hundred feet,
with the rugged ceiling ranging from thirty to forty
feet and is decorated with of stalacttes and
large column in the centre reaching nearly to the
roof II by Is feet extent 1t is very handsome but
II dssigned for the purpose of antechamber, does
not compare with the gorgeous draperies and magni-
cent spectacles In the rooms beyond.
THE SOUTHERN TIER CHAMBERS.
Excepting tho faint ray Of daylight that penctates
from the doorway, the darkness is intense, and can
Hes. the only artificial light yet within tho Of
he proprietors the Of Luray brought
into active requisition Each visitor. guide and
ager is furnished with dip and the party starts on
Its tour of exploration. When first went In the party
consisted Of about thirty persons all natives but your
cODSlueraDle
with tho locomotive headlight which was kindly fur
nished by Colonel L. 7. Smith.
Of the superintendents Of the Chesapeake
and Ohio Railroad locomotive headlight
had never been in the Luray Valley before, and
this avantcourier Of railroad. which they have been
vainy expecting for years. hailed with delight.
not only good omen Of future railroad, but
curiosity scarcely surpassed by the cavcrns them
selves. Leaving the antechamber and proceeding to
the left through low arch, the party passed sue
cessively through entire suit Of beautiful cham
bers resplendent and dazzling with stacta Of every
possible shape and color. In many instances these
chambers resemble grottoes. and the floors are as
much objects Of curiosity tho walls and ceilings.
from the fact that the stsagms Is just grand and
beautiful the stalacta The main curiosities how
in this range the blacksmiths shop. called
because of the close resemblance of two small staag
mites located near apparent CRATE for furnace,
bear TO anvils. The shape Is almost perfect. and
blackened incrusation, evidently the result Of
mineral in the earth above. in the white staactites
strengthens the illusion In another chamber is
small statuette which the enthusiastic imaginations
Of tho natives have tortured into Q model of Napo-
Icon. cannot say that the likeness in this instance
is good as that in the case Of the anvils in the
blacksmith shop Next is the 'sOratory" where tho
uted columns Of an immense sheet of stalacts sur
mounted by canopy looks exactly like organ In
church.. the colors only differing and being moro
brilliant in the light Of our candies than possibly
be described. Then comes low-arched passages lead
ing to four unexplored rooms beneath this range In
another chamber is exact picture Of an eagles
brilliant stalactitcs Of every color At the further
end of this tier ~ . large chamber, in which il u
curiosity named the Leaning Tower. and which also
has miniature lake with clear water. Tho Leaning
Tower s huge stalsctite hfteen feet in diameter and
some twenty-five long, which has broken away from
the dome and now lies In an inclined position From
the peculiar formation at is top this may have hap
pened some thousands of years ago. This ended the
southern range and returning TO the antec hamber
where two muscular mountaineers were employed TO
carry the headlight, we set forward to explore tho
wonders to the west and northwest. .4
THE WESTERN RANGE.
The route In this direction In impeded by chasms,
gullies and hills; but with singular ingenuity the
made the ascent and descent OF the latter easier by
comfortable wooden stairways. But immense
amount OF aoor mas yst 70 pe expended 70 make the
safe the average tourist and visitor will require
guide with candle is the leader, the headlight
and the party following, we passed through long
corridor. and suddenly far beyond the rays from the
reflector opened to our view large chamber or am
phitheatre. in which were columns reaching the
roof. and around which galleries and col
onnadcs OF great extent and the most massive
construction; These galleries stretched away out
port than that by which they were attached to the
walls, and looking as IL their immense weight must
some time cause them to break loose and crash
ing down to the floors beneath awakening the echoes
with subterTanean thunder The staactitioal speca-
corridor we cross a bridge over Muddy Lake which.
tho proprictors inform me. they had at
hrst to navigate by small boat but
In which there is not now drop of
water, and one can account for ts disappearance
where 1t went TO. hill is then assembled and ad-
vancing short distance the rays OF tho headlight az
is termed. III every direction discloses to i'm
fmense vacuum with the roof Immediately above our
heads and yawning chasms below every side.
Away TO the right and beyond the hill arc tiers of
galleries fty feet from the ground below and over
hanging Of the great chasms. We took the route
stalactites, both walls and ceilings. but of
which entirely devoid of stalagmites. This is
chamber about one hundred feet square, and has
In IL three lakes which accounts for the total absence
Of salaginits. These three lakes In reality three
springs. OF which there nearly one hundred In
the far as discovered, and all of them,
without cxcnntinn exauiaitelx heautflil On the