The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-09-03

Zee r,,ar Mace 10 he detained than fau-
~, -. cn,,id wel, he found. We worked our
,saw hot wpen showers to the AarS hasn
,,a;chborhood. spending night very ue-
nobffniIv at "The Graz, !" the former nonc
N General Turner Ashby, and the present
Bone NJ DIR. JacqueiiD Marshaii. im0cdt, :,
sselv opposite Is Rose Bank. where 0eh era
Asf1by was born and spent ms cary n.e.
Thouch the place has gone down very
mucb. Il is still !. beautiful Tor spaatson.
ON wednesday the 9th we feit MeTKn ,s,ll
fer Front Royal Ola Manassas tap. Inc
Gen is almost detile, as one woutd scaIc s
be conscious. that he was CROSSING .ns
mountain. Linden Is Just on the snmn ;na
IT. the Shenandoah are divided from
those emptying into the Potomac. gov ON
shis impromptu for Alters benefit:
~, ,Anoan. when the sun was high.
An cioudless stretched the azure sSS'
And bricft assumlner was ine eye
ar each tramp walking EaplcB.
tImust remark here that the parody on
Excelsior in my last letter was not orfes'
nal. but the quotation marks were ssiaa'
yertently omitted. 49,,
must leave the reader to lmagthe DCM
ye walked along, following Happy CIeehs
though part Of the road lay through D, sa.s.
.
20 Front Royai. Here we spent the nigb1.
notinr the sudden growth that the town mas
taken. as shown by the great NUMBER Oh new
hnjIdings growing up. We had q Few mo
1ne,ts chat with friend Lowell, OF the oeats-
.,eJ IN whom we are indebted FOR courtesles'
srhe newt day we set out for Lnray, ioiioW-
ino rho South Fork of the Shenandoah. On
oiir left was the Blue Ridge. with Its sweu-
inc slopes and sweeping curves, eXcitlpg
1he same emotions that would be produced
nv one OF Hayden's grand organ sym
phopies, while the Massanutten on tue
right. with its ragged, Jagged, crag-
ped outline, and the suggestion OF tne
yawDing ehasms within. stirred the soul
like the rugged majesty OF one OF bacIs
concertos. And anon the view OF rove!
valley, with limpid stream meanaer.hs
through il, would soothe the spirit IKE tue
~on.Iy. flowing melody OF Mendelssohn's
Snring Song. With these accompaniment
we trndeed over the twenty-five miles De-
tween Front Royal and Luray, arriving oy
moonlight Just as Jupiter rose ABOVE lhe
Blue Ridge and Venus set behind the Mas
sanutten. We pat up at the Rust House,
and after a delightful supper we lay down
to sleep the sleep OF the tramp and dream
of the wonderful cave. Mr.. Rust is one OF
the most attentive proDrietors we ever mel
and we would recommend him TO all Plsit-
ing the cave. :.
And the cave, itself-w5at shall say OF
itp No pen can describe it-no pencil de-
pict it. But this will say. by way Of pre-
1ude: have been in the Mammoth Cave,
and do not hesitate to assert, without quail
ficatioD, the unreasonable superiority OF
this. There you walk over much greater
space under ground, but IL is nearly all bare
rock, while here no rock is seen. For each
n form of beauty takes which at once de-
lights and bewllders the eye, and spreads
before the gazer fairy land in stone.
heartily endorse the statement OF q north
ern professor. that all the stalactlc lorna.
iiops in the Mammoth Cave were surpassed
i'm quantity and beauty in the Grand En-
trance alone OF the Luray cavern.
We made good use Of our opportunities,
going in twice in the morning (once Wild
two very green YOUNG countrymen ana
their sWeethearts) and once at night, when
the cave was illuminated in honor OF Gene
raj Beauregard and large party that came
over with him from Rawley Springs. In
this party we were glad to meet some plea
SAINT acauaintances from Richmond. The
entrance to the cave is down long flight OF
steps into large chamber, called the Grand
Entrance, in the centre OF which is Wash
iugton's Column. This column reaches
within few feet of the ceiling. and is thir-
ty feet thick in one direction and fifteen in
theiolher. 1t is draped, like the walls OF tile
room, with long pendants resembling lei
Giles. From a long stalactite near the GEN.
tire Of the room hung q chandelier, which
was brilliantly lighted at night, making the
first impressions OF the caveYery favorable.
Passing by formation which strongly re.
sembles the pre-Adamite Glyptodon, we
come to the Flower-Garden. No one who
has not seen 1t can imagine the graceful
stems and delicate blossoms, with which
you would fain adorn your button-hole.
Just beyond this the cave widens into a
beautiful amphitheatre, where one can
amuse himself by fancying all manner Of
shapes In the fantastic ornamentation OF the
walls. But that 10 true of the whole cave.
Passing over Muddy lake by bridge, we
enter narrow passage which leads under
beautiful natural bridge to the Fish Market.
Nothing more natural than these fish can
be imagined. Several different varieties can
be recognized. Some are cleaned and laid
open, some have their bodies curved as II
not quite dead, some are catfish and some
are shad. but all, as some one remarked, are
rocE fish. Our IS long-eared Lawrence OF
~->~
is as noice as ever I see." From here we
go through Elm Ramble to the edge OF
Pluto's Chasm-a mighty, yaWnlng abyss
five hundred feet long and seventy.nve leel
deep, with the Spectre Column rising pure
and white in the distance. Retracing GU!
steps somewhat, we come to the CrySta
Spring. Picture to yourself BASIN TWO OF
three feet in diameter, with scollopeo
border OF the most delicate pattern curV
ing in over the water. inlaid with tiny
white CRYSTALS. That is the Crysta
Spring. After taking drink OF ths
pure water we pass along a passage
which gives us view OF Piuto's Chasn
from one extremity, and right by US We
have Proserpine's Column, pure aud white
ne the Spectre Column, which we again SEX
i'm the distance. Passing on by Oberon's
17rotto we see Titunia's Veil falling snow
white over the yellow formations. AND
nov words fall. have confused idea OIL
sfalac,ites forty and fifty feet long, pendant
from the ceiling all around me, OF curtains
hanging in rich aud graceful folds, taperine
down to the thiuness of q kniie-blade; oil
frozen cascades and fountains. white and
clear as spermaceti, and in the midst OF al
this lies the Fallen Column, shaken from
the wall in an earthquake that must have
occurred several thousand years ago, for
the staaactltcs have formed upon it in It's
present position several feet thick. The
column lies like fallen monarch, for II as OF
immense length and twelve feet in diaReter.
After turning aside to see the CurioHs and
beautiful Bathroom, we passed under the
Fallen Column into the great Gothic Cathe-
dfal. Just over the entrance a lovely Gngers
wing DOnrs its blessing on oil who enter