Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1880-10-09
Next appears "Pluto's Chasm," rs

feet deep and 500 feet long, with its
"Spectre Column" 40 feet high, un-
der the magnesium light rising grim
and ghcstly from the dank depths Of
the rocky fissure.
We observe that the deeper we
penetrate the Caverns the tairer and
mere transpart mt the formations be.
come. "Procerpine's Pillar" ""Titan-
las Veil, ""Saracen's Tent" Angels
Wing" the "Sultana," Bird" and
Empress Columns" exemplify this
characteristic. Many features, men,
toned and unmentioned, are snow
white. The dress train of cinderella
Leaving the Ballroom" is resplend-
ent type of the softest illusion.
Brands Cascade" and Frozen Foun-
tain are similarly distinguished.
"Bird Column" is moreover marked
by the we'll defined form of bird
cliuging t, the surface near the sum-
nit, while a neighboring column is
turreted by the statuesque image of
an Indian Squaw."
Of darker hues, the Double" and
"Sca!e" columns, and the "Tower of
Babel are remarkable for the pecu-
liararities their designations indicate.
Ths most notable feature in this
class, perhaps, is the "Fallen Column, :"
massive pendant broken from the
roof and welded by capitalization to
its present contacts. Ifthe statement
Of some scientist concerning this col
umn be well founded, it was at least
eight thousand years old when it tell |
The "Organ" is a series of inverted
pipes, which, struck from the low
tones on the right to the high on the
left, constitute an inverted scale also
Every lover Of music (and who but a
traitor to humanity is not p will be
deeply impressed with this adamant-
inc emblem of our most popular in
strument, let fall here by the mystic
mechanism which fashioned the finty
furniture of this primeval arcade.
The Crystal" Imperial" and
"Casket" springs are pretty pools CT
flowing, translucent water-stopping
complacently in clear-cut, angular
troughs, chiseled as by artistic force,
in the solid rcck. The brown, sponge
like bottoms give the liquid sparkle
which nothing additional can heighten
The Ballroom" commodious
chamber equipped for dancing, is a
feature whose significance is weaken
ed, if not shocked, by the incongruous
contisuity of a "Cemetery"-a toler-
a ble miniature city Of the dead.
lying beyond, "Campbell's Hall, "
lately opened, is replete with sugges-
tive types, and evidently the vesti-
bule to chambers enahrining scenes
reserved TO re-tempt the explorer.
Retracing our steps we pass toward
the entrance via skeleton Gorge" a
dark defile between the rifted sides of
a tow ering boulder. In nearly the
lowest recess several bones, evidently
human, protrude from the rock. This
fated creature, lost perhaps in the
vain effort to reach again the blessed
light, lard down at length and died
in utter hopeleasness ; or, clambering
along the brink Of precipice above,
toppled to his death in the abyss. In
his fate ard in his rock-bound bones
there is &C mething which recalls the
story of Prometheus in Scythia. y
Hurled in to Tartarus, the tutelary
representa- i've Of manhood was liberia.
ted by Chi rons entrance to Hades
But of wha t age and race are these
uncrumbled. and uncrumbling bones Q
memorial snd who shall rescue them
frcm this deathless grasp of adamant
Vast qu est;ons, to be sure, concerning
tie stone buried remnants of this vic
tim of Old Mortality. Perhaps they
shall stand erect again upon the sum
NIT of recovered, crystallized sphere
in the gold en- age foretold alike by
the harp of prophecy, the pen O.
evangelism, nd the voice of devout
science. In his cycle it was small
thing to die, even in the gloom of {
cavern but in the halcyon, luminous
days of the A.rcadian future deatl
would be a disaster which woult
startle the Universe
Locking above, below, around, We
asked ourselves-"is darkness a sub
stance?' The gloom of the night o
horror sent upon Egypt was palpable
besides, the schools of modern philo 9