Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1879-04-07
r-7.n FAYE 1t Eur6J.

IUsAY, PAGE COUNTY, March ibis
grr.; ng;cra, curiosity has been the satl ct OF
much rev:ca2er ccnme3!, 5us no detailed do
s,,:ation Of i. las appeared 10 ycur columns SO
s.r 8 az aaatc. TIE f:ioHiog may there
fore b. acceptable 10 your readers. Ihs travel
CT o. tbs turnpike leading Westward from Luz
ray to Newmarket may observe on tic right
hard, aud about mile from town, slop!rg
bit,.ile, which has evidently been under GULL
ya;ion Ter scne.at;css, smooth, aud without
proiaciCS rocks CT aGy appearance O. 1atu1ai
wi!dGcss. 4 more conncu place aau unfu-
nao;i: epo: c;ud scarcely be imagined. A new
bulldog, nearly completed, marks tue entrance
to the cave which name 1t bears Tor want OF
better. The place is rather collection OF vast
grottoef, vaults, mlno passages. mimic noun
fa;1 scenes, CUFFS, prscipiccs, filled Tlth gro
tcsarc limestone termatio3s, iptio;e 10 variety
and We. pesrirg general resemblance, the pic
turesola disorder CT nature everywhere prevail.
ios. Visitors hagiug Invested themselves CT
sure. tllous cio,hiog, aad # they are wise, ru!
on oye.alIs that mud CT con;ac: with dsm2 rock
will not il urc; are each provided with candles,
sc Hhic:i :, reflector il attached, and proceed to
dcsc.nd Iocg flight OF stepa between Two solid
vais el s0asopry, unit! they react door ro
sumt!iDg !Lc curanco to dungeon. "a CO.
.aviog The gloomy portals the sudden change
from the iisht If day to that afforded by dtz
IN Gins, is So great that for several minutes
oDiy darkness is visible. The suddea outward
rush G.: YARN air IS very noticeable, aud IN
SUMMER i. is said tie roVcgse IS the case, as the
tcn;pcrature Of the cavern ID never higher than
GO aud lower than 81 degrees. No difficulty oil
rasri:gti2n is felt, and the only small IS that
Gsupu"sg whioh nay he detected iG any sub
tcrraueau chamber. Tho eye having hecomc
adcnted 10 tho gloom visitors fed themselves
in apace sou,e swenty feet high and sixty in
width, and about eighty feet below the surface
Of tho ground. Tie floor consists Of humid
earn pleasant to walk upon. Ga all sides arc
Guacr formations, occasionally o. sl,te coIof
b1, principally Of light broRo, which is the
Prevailing bue un!il the interior portions Of the
cave arc rescatd, whera mes. of tho fornsliors
arc Ct! creamy Wilderness aud Gistcn like tho
iroG.n soOw. Passing to the left grotto IS
cLt.rcd. ia which selac:itca. clustering thickly,
hang 60! lar abCvG tho head. Returning, the
man pathway is then ,raver5ed 90 strongly
cownward i1cEioe, and, when necessary, wooden
csu:eways, bridges AID steps afo provided
IG!1itH III vlrlcsy ere the OH cs which met
the cgc. Now passing through lofty passages
with roor loat 10 tho gloom gb3ve, and weird
shapes and forms looming IN lie darkness Gu
either side now clIDbina STEPS to poiot some 50
fee: high DOW passing with b@ot back through
ave.uo4 not five feet high, thc rock overhead
IS s5Ild az the ridge itself, nov RSz'ng toto q
yaTriag chasm, seemingly b0ttouIess, and cz.
iaaCiag Oh. Of sight 10 right ard Left; now co.
t:r!ag q vast chamber l02 feet lOug, 6S feet
wide and CO feet high, where, the Coming SUM-
ncr. i. is proposed to hold bail now winding
through Intricate PATHS where 40 individual.
With the organ o! locality enlarged on his crs1i-
un 20 tie s;Z3 OF a hens egg, would utterly tail
10 cxirlca.c himself without guide. Inc Oh
ICES scattered everywhere bear but ianclad
rcscc, alanco to familiar things. yet 10 many 10
sisnGos the likeness is remarkable. A pl!c, OF
sta.uaIy chilled by some an Indian woman and
child group CT o3!al, The eulralli OF g hog.
aa eagles ving. natural arch not two feet
10 Width, bridging o deep chasn, rows Of h5h
wLi:h nlyar get dry, q strata oil rock strongly
resembling bacon, hugh gull extending 50
feet from be ttoal 10 roof. ard probably $50 yards
long, q fairy pool Ct limpi1 water, agreeable
to The taso, hcnricd in With marble. cbislled
Dg Naturc's haGd. Thi!o above are punlbeflass
snow Rhi;c stalaclitc5 ffonl which tho water
gently falls into the basin below, transparent
stallcttas, with shawl patterns showing through,
pariiious suspended from abovo, yards 10
width aGd height, yet not oGe foot thick, monu
Ice5ls 6! which the Empress Column, - feet
high. is the tiaes.; 1 bridal chamber, so-uallsd,
which, ifiumiuated By the electric light, would
rival tic Alnanbra Chamber Of tho Crystal
PGlBcs. London, in richness and speDGor, mas
sg1 fields CT dgopcrT, avafanohes, Gs It Vera,
suddenly stopped Ia their downward plunge
aui ;u7o.A 20 stone, torrents and cltaracts at
opcc mOtiol!csl aud sl!ent, a cf0np OF staluaIy
fa!y is ilct high, 81 Angels Wing Ct huge
proportions, ard o mos. marvellous rascnitlaGc2,
l. grave yard with fit tombstorc1 aud head aui
foot st0Gts in their proper PLACES & at column
lily lcct high BY measurement. aud another
CT great SIZE, doubtless weighing hundreds OF
tJus, suspended IA lIll air sor!e forty t1et from
;aG root ABOVE, and extending to within loot
from the ground. yet not touching 1t &: any
point, ;iugo stalactites which. upon being struck,
CIV, forth dcleir, gong-hko tones that revcr.
herato through the cs7eras with sound weird
AID uacarthIY. These arc some OF the principle
o!j:ct7 which meet the view. Boholders soon
become weary OF reiteratlrg expressions or %
toriohncut and pass onward meek and perhaps
awe struck OF This wonderful freak Of nature.
Call aloud. and the vuicc echoes along the lofty
arches a5 though ia g o,thedral; be silent, and net
souod s heard save Tho mo1oionous drip, drip.
drip Of water ialling from anumerable staisclites
above upon innumerable staagmtea below.
4 guide offered to conduct us to acmo newly
discovered portions no; yet open to The general
public; 50, mounting ladder from tho bali
room, VIC reached rocky hillside, where no
human being could retain footing we're it not
for tho friendly stalagmites; thence squsziog
through places impossible to men With much
aGipo5o issue, and goirg almost on all four5,
VIC crossed fissuro not over yard IN width,
but the bottom Of which has not yet been
found. for ere OF the pronrietors has been let
doSn at the ED Ct a ropc over fifty feet, aud
can iod 70 trace Of one; thence crawling along
:ho steep side CT gulf. holding firmly to
friendly projections With ouc hand and to The
candesticS With tho other-to drop the latter
would envelope US in total darkncst; to let 20
tho form;r or tikc single false step. would
Gccc:sitate our making the abrupt and dsas-
trcu5 acquaintance Of Jagged rccks fell forty
feet below. At loDgth We were rewarded for
our pains by view OF now chamber aud the