Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-09-23

FoiI. JJHU G15 iGls.u uu tual hiCu VI taih,
sod The hcIs:a, &. 9 susis pace. crept onward.
Soon the sig was black, and then the storm
tura: aad ohaa;d tho sloep from lha tired driv.
er's Us, for G negro bs.ca water Worso than o
ca. u FIVE micutes the rain IVES pouring
do8r. Sitting ca the bex beside this son Of
Aries cline Grd clad 10 o waterproof Of Mr..
CooGyeatG make, | never cr'yed anything
moro 10 s:cinS that oakley get wet. The rain
and soon had him as vet as 0 sponge. Fully
aTsko uOw no used his whip, and just as the
sun burst through tie clouds We reached the
tavern.
"W aetes tae bIidge?' asked Hallst.
Over there abou! Two buadred yards, an
swarsd the hos, pointing to blind path lead
ing down the Ii !.
why, thia beats me-" said Parker, II
thought the Natural Bridge was hemued in
enid tho ecrges of the mou1tsio."
Ny friend wss not tho oc!y ore Of the party
who vas surprised. for all thought with him,
when the truth is that for Two or three miles
aEousd tie bridge tie land ia quietly rolling.
Gud as 70 doscsnd6d downward and reached
the bottom, &c suddesly look IN.
There tho Natural Bridge. said the guide.
"Where?' ohc,ussd our party.
We looked w, gnd ss the guide books would
seq. With rs7sreut awel" There, 10 its ma
j.siy, WIS tho supendous work of nature
Kevaren! to5h Stupopdcus humbug! 1t is
the GGmnslast fraud (excusa tic profanity but
really wncn Dos has ridden thirty miles behind
broken aosa team and played out da1key, to
witness shat Cur eyes rested upon, it is enough
to max, us wish that We had never been born.
Now bcras what We SAY: stream running at
tho bji:0n OF q ra7ine that had tunneled hole
through huge rock, nothing more nor ess. 1t
ia aDou. IS Insignificant looking affair as We
cau imaa,.e. The bridge seems about the
s'a,, hciehI width and txpsnse of bridge
oross!og the canal that va see all along the tow
path, IS. that. and 20 more aTe Inspiring or
spirii ih.ii!iog than they are. There are no
toH5Iipg u!ouaa!a rsrgss bu. the land is roll
isg, aa.i ever tie top If the bridge runs the
main lurGpika, and unless your attention is
called ~ ,ha iec: yoc would never suspect that
there gss bridge. nstursl or otherwise, that
sou vera passing over.
We stood underneath tbs UNIQUE freak Of
patnfo. which is really all it is. The proportions
are deceptive. for in attempting to throw stones
&c tia top buEs. off two euspsndsr buttons.
spr:iued my arm, Knocked tho heel of my boot
!auad ho7 lofty tia height really is--,oo high
!Gr ny e:s:.
Then We looked around fur where young
GeorGe Washington performed his tsat OF
cliM5icg up tue cliff. Alast another OF the
Illusions Of our youth is gone. So far az knife
being aJie to Gu. foot stops. wjy even corps
Of s,onccutters with drills oou,dn't DO it, for
tbs Cliff is nearly perpendicular and ilclines 10
ware. IL is composed OF iron ors aad flint
tia: would tu:n tas edge OF any cold ohisel.
end roI!iirg but dynamite could effect it. Ii
George got cd that Cliff be climbed it the usual
way, ani iiia aat crawl up ike lizard or fly up
I:kc a bal. After stumbling about in the ravins
oVa. he stoGgs. va made our wy to the top.
hopin. 70 have our enthusiasm aroused there.
Il 5a5 hard bill to clim5, but NO reached the
rarapat, aad looking down it was the same IS
lookiag IRAN the!a.tic windoS Of FIVE story
hous,, nod TN inmousiy of tho elevation Of
huadrei end ilisy feet didn't strike tho beholder
dumb
SEQ thcr, said .ha guide, pointing to tree
that grew Gu! of tie bank; tLeras where bsau-
tiful mai Zen stood and all alone stepped out on
The roots snd blew kisses to
Hold on there; have head that tradition
before; Dad to show The guide something, l
tool; \ long stride and stood On the traditional
spot another Illusion gore; the tree was hrm
in the roots, and there was absolutely no danger.
VIZ lul5 REnuo ptupeuooNo
work of nature" % the reading books have 1t,
on All slider, but failed to b, struck with lis
grsndtu.. 1t cannot begin to compare with
hundred pisces ia the State. It dwarfs into
nothing bsside tie wild, towering and rugged
beauty of Hsrpel's Ferry; nor is it worthy of
mention beside the Hawks Nests. the cliffs at
NeI River, the awful majesty of Bald Knob.
tho w;:d beauty of Clifton Forge, rot to speak
OF tho Lu.sy caverns and lofty banks of piled
rocks that border the great Kanswha river. A
rda B,ong the Chesspeske and Ohio rosd will
chow TO tho en!rarced ego Of the tourist score
Of more lovey. nore majestic, more grand
acenes than this natural bridge As strange
work of nature it is worth LOOKING at when the
traveller passes that way but as one Of the great
curio5lies of the worlds wonders it is not what
Il is CRACKED up to be.
Ely letter has spun cut longer than intended,
go will conclude socond with an account OF
IIesiGg.on. CHAssEUR.
Th3 ues Efstcl cabinet has bean de6oiteIy