The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1878-06-08

vicinity seemed to know and caro-
but little about the discovery, Our
only guides were the moonshiners.
They sprang up the mountain like
cats. The weather was very warm,
and the ride very steep. We found
the crack without difficulty. 1t
runs along the edge of the peak,
and not across it. The crack ex-
tends along the sholf of the rock,
500 feet from the verge, It re-
sembles crack in an immense
brick work. The tissure is irregu-
lar. For some distance it is
vertical, but afterward becomes
horizontal and Sc remains It daily
becomes longer, but does not in
crease in width. In no place is it
wider than six feet. Stones we're
thrown into it, and all we're salts
fled that they could hear them
strike the bottom. a slope of red
clay on either side makes it dan
gerous TO exlmine the crevice, but
with some difficulty q log was
thrown across, and all peered into
it's depths. Blank darkness alone
could be seen. There was a smell
of dead leaves, but no scent of
sulphur. The ground was humpy,
and "Awlfords" cattle were watch
ing our operations over the rough
fence.
1t is evident that no earthquake
has caused the break. No one
claims to have felt shock since
1875, AMI persons living at the foot
Of the mountain declare that they
felt mono at that time. The spring
hns been exceedingly wet, and this
undoubtedly accounts for the
crcvice. A weeks rain might send
millions Of tons of rock down into
the valley In times past great
bl ocks have fallen out. Mr..
Dracllett, who lives at the foot Of
the mountain, says he has repeated-
ly seen these slides. One occurred
two weeks ago, causing great
crashing and roaring. Chimney
peak is gashed with fallen rocks.
Arches thousand feet long are
left by them, and craggy hips and
shoulders project from the noun
tain. Nor is this all. In two
places a whole section Of the nouns
tain has been split into rocks aud
sunk hundreds of feat below the
top. The rock appears to be q
coarse granite, lumpy with quartz,
Caves and assures are numerous.
Within the caves the quartz is set
so regularly that it looks like the
grain of tho rock. The crystals
undoubtedly lessen the adhesive
qualities Of the rock, and the slides
and strange noises once hoard in
the heart of Blld Mountain are
caused by the action of water under
the mountain. Tho rocks are un-
dermined, and sink, leaving caves
and crumbling peaks.
The whole country is q network
of streams. Three great whirl~
pools, from twelve to twenty feet
across, funnel themselves within
half a mile of Bald Mountain.
Fence rails are sucked into them,
and never roappear, Soundings
have been made, but no bottom has
been discovered Probably the
strongest proof of the water theory
are the wind crovices of Chimney
peak. A, hugo rcck elbows it's way
to the surface few hundred feet
above the base of the mountain.
This rock ia cracked in three places.
An icy wind rushes from two of
these crevices. AIandrakes, ferns,
shrubs and tops Of trees six hun
dred yprtls away are shaken by this
wind. Mr.. Freeman, living in
house mile distant, declares that
his cheeks are famed by this icy
breeze while sitting in the archway
of his log house. With all it's
strength tho wind is steady, and the
temperature the same both in winter.
and summer. The density of the
cold air sends it down into
the canon, making it q delicious
retreat in dog days. The cracks
are from twelve to fifteen inches
wide and about twenty feet long.
A few feet of blasting would un-
doubtedly open very large cave,
possibly resembling the ice caves Of
Mexico. The wind comes so strong
from the crevices that the hats Of
visitors are frequently sent spinning
down the side of the mountain, and
the mir is so cold that few breaths