Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-07-30

Cave. 1t took three hours ride il
hacks, through hot sun, over tn
mountainous roads, through the verdan
and luxurious valleys, crossing streams
with now and then stOppage at cOun
try houses, to get cool drink of til
clear, pure, limestone water, the seen
growing more beautiful and grand a
we progressed, till about IL o'clock W,
arrived at the hotel near the cave en-
trance, kept by Mr.. Mohler, the owne
of the cave.
Taking the proprietor's son as chap
erone, we soon got to the entrance, ant
sat down for few minutes in hous
which guards it, to get cool, as the diff
ference in the atmosphere is very grea
outside being so degrees in the shade
and inside the cavern it is but 54 de
grees. Each of us was provided with (
candle, fixed in tin holder, which th'
ladies said looked like q four-scoOp
the candle being on the concave side
shielded our eyes from its light, while
it threw the glare on the surrounding
beauties-something on the principle O
a dark lantern. The objects in the cave
have been named after events and
things which they seemed to resemble
in the minds of the first observers. The
following is the order in which they
appear as you proceed: Statuary Room,
Shell Room, Cataract, ,Solomon's 8 Throne,
Drapery Room and Drum. This is a
perpendicular shaft of limestone drin-
pnig, or inches thick and about G
feet wide, connecting the floor with the
ceiling. and when struck by the naked
hand, sounds like base drum Then
comes the Ballroom, 100 feet long by
rs wide; Senate Chamber with ceiling,
30 feet high; Washington Hall, some
Psi feet in length, and ranging from II
to % feet in width, with large stalag-
mite in the centre, which the guide
called after the Father of his Country.
The ceiling here slopes upward from a
height of 80 feet to 60 at the other. 1t
was Illuminated with candles, adding
greatly to it's beauty, causing corrusca-
tions from the minerals around us. AT
the guides request, the ladies here sang
several sweet hymns, which sounded
strangely grand, away down in the bow
els of the earth. Miss Marriott, the
leader of Calvary Choir. Baltimore, car
ried the soprano. Then came the Fat
Mans Misery, a narrow defile from one
chamber to another, which afforded
considerable merriment at the expense
of one of the party, whose rotund form
squeezed through the narrow aperture
with difficulty. Following was the
Bridal Chamber, which, of course, the
ladies were specially interested in: the
ceiling here was 80 feet high. Then
Bonaparte Crossing the Alps, Tower of
Babel, Natural Bridge and Rising Moon.
The Oyster Shell, which is a perfect
marvel to look at, consists of two mas
sive slabs of rock, which have parted
by some convulsion of nature, and
formed like an oyster shell, with it's
mouth gaping, precisely like some of
our choicest bivalves. Winter Scene,
River Styx, and finally, Jacobs Ladder.
The whole route, away down In the
dark abyss of eternal night, was greatly
enlivened by the presence, witty re-
marks and repartee of the ladies in the
company, making comments on the ap-
pearance Of the different curious objects
presented to our view, as well as the
unhesitating manner in which they
followed the guide in the unknown
depths. All of the party gathered relics,
as usual. A refreshing drink of pure,
crystal-like water was obtained in the
centre of the cave from a stone Jar,
which catches the drippings from a
spring percolating the mountain far up
over our heads. A tumbler had been
left some five years back in part of the
cave where water from above dripped
on it and in it, forming complete in
crGstatinn OF limestone inside and out
side the glass.
AT our reappearance in the sunlight,
after two and a half hours Journey,
which, blythe by, didn't seem like half
an hour, we almost imagined we had
been ushered into a Turkish bath, so
great was the thermometrical change
There was universal gasp for breath
by the crowd. Dinner being ready, we
eagerly sat down and literally devoured
the many solid good things set before
u.s.. One OF the party complaining of
sickness before entering the cave, no
dinner was ordered for him, but we
noticed he afterward called for plate,
and began work with gusto seldom
witnessed in a sick man. We all re-
turned to the city about dusk.
The great day Gf the Convention was
Thursday, when the "rustics" from Har-
risonburg and their friends from the
surrounding country poured into this
town in continuous stream from early
morn until afternoon. Ihis school, like
st. Paups, Baltimore, has become quite
noted for its proficiency in music, and
consequently the vast audience (for the
church couldn't hold them) expected
much, and It is fair to say they were
not disappointed. In listening to the
grand choruses, with their beautiful
swelling harmony, we couldn't refrain
from letting our thoughts wander to the
scenes of eternal music hereafter, and
the sublime conceptions of Pytha-
goras, Plato, Newton, Shakespeare, Mil
ton, and othera, as to music constituting
the sopl OF the planets.
Yours truly, S. G.. s.