Morning journal and courier., 1882-03-01
rFICE 400 STATE STREET.
Price Four Cents.

What could be more delightful? The views
 from its many windows across the valley to
 the mountains are lovely and picturesque.
 We visited the famous cave that night, and
 again the next day, and the next after that.
 No description that have ever read has done
 1t justice and do not expect to write one
 that will do so. I will only attempt to give
 you just a glimpse of some of its wonders.
 The prevailing color of the cave is bronze
 rich, bright bronze enlivened by formations
 of pure sparkling white, with occasional deli
 cate colors. Some parts of the cave look to
 be as old as 'the everlasting hills," and g
 great deal older; others seem fresh from the
 hand of the Creator, and scarcely finished.
 There are heights and depths did not deem
 possible; stupendous huted columns that defy
 all description; petrihed waterfalls and frozen
 cascades of depth and breadth most aston
 ishing and wonderful; rifts and ehasrns that
 suggestive of all that is terrible, and one is
 fitly named for Pluto himself; stalactites and
 stalagmites beautiful in structure, delicate in
 color, and so arranged as to form lovely little
 alcoves, hooks and grottoes, to which they have given fanciful names. There are springs
 and lakes of the clearest water, with crystal
 bottoms and sides; draperies of incredible
 dimensions, reaching from the ceiling almost
 to the floor, separated as they approach the bottom in folds and fringes; some falling In shavl-like folds, the corners hanging down.
 translucent, variegated and striped, others
 falling full and long and dripping, suggesting
 the idea of a wet blanket There are high
 rooms with ceilings fretted with myriads of
 small stalactites, festooned passagewsys with
 various forms of drapery, end mantlepieces
 with fringed lambrequins. An architect
 might get an inspiration from the arches and
 domes and columns which nature so layishly
 displays in this subterranean palace
 will mention 8 few of the more noted
 points without attempting to go into detail
 to 0iv thdu1 in their order The fish
 market attracts much attention from it's long strings of maekerel hung up, just dripping from the water, natural as life. The Sara cen's tent is 8 romantic grotto. The Em- press column is an e1quisitely white shaft thirty feet high, with a pinkish, shell like tinge diffused over the upper portion; and by it's side Is beautiful rich bronze statue glistening in the light. magnificent dou- ble column is named for the eminent savans of the Smithsonian Institute, Professors Henry and Baird. 4 fallen stalactite of huge proportions lies across our path, under which we pass, as if under bridge Proserpine's Pillar rises fair and lofty before us; while down in the dark chasm of Pluto, a little distance off, stands her specter, sepulchral, ghastly, shooting up from the thick darkness below Oberon's Grotto and Titania's Veil deserve more than a passing glance. Giants Hall fills us with awe we traverse its corTi- dors gaze through it's arches, wind around among it's statues and admire its fantastic draperies. Brands Cascade is of wondrous | beauty, at which we look again and again, never satisfied with looking. The mag nifcenE Cathedral with it's sonorous Organ delays us long enough to hear music from it's ponderous pipes as they are struck by the l hand of the guide. AS we see all these rooms, | domes arches and grottoes lighted up with | electricity, we, in a measure, appreciate the | grandeur and subhmity of the spectacle | The electric light enhances the beauties of ! the case a hundred fold, giving clearer and | more extended view Of these wonderful for I nations than could be possible in any other | way.
 This morning we brsnched of out of the | region of the electric light into less frequent | cd portions of the cave We climbed into | CampbslIs avenue, passed through consider l able mud, stumbled over great many httle, | stubby, round-top stalagInites, in order to | see the mermaid a scaly column with fringe \ of brown crystals. Again we took another | direction and scrambled up slippery heights, | over sticky walks by rocky paths, till we reach Broodus Lake, @ circular sheet Of | water, clear and limpid. and well worth the \ trouble of climbing to see Step over fl KeTs ssff55 nSSs-rrsde.a-4-SeaaaEfed 1ft1ar | but finally ventured, making stepping sStones | of the low. stalagmites, and using my hands | to help me slid on down into basin, which | was once a lake One side of this basin is II crV6talllZeQ ana OIQhmGulS1 lAG sO NAAA 9 | row of stalagmites of unequal lengths which | look like turrets. This appearance | gives it the name of Castles on \ the Rhine, To make the resem- blance still more striking, there are forma- | tions at the base of each little turret where 1t | ioins the wall that look like cornices- We | went around the other side of the castles in- | spectinp various objects of interest, until we | reach the main hall again, when Mr. Camp \ bell, the fearless explorer and trusty guide | who originally discovered this cave, suggest | ed that we take look at Hovey's Hall and | balcony So we took up our line of march | again through low, broad gallery, and soon | reached the corridor leading to the place. As we stand upon this balcony, most ex- ! auisite and massive drapery hangs over our | heads in scarf-like folds and beautiful colors. and frsm out ths folds points | A baby hand carved from alabaster. | We look down from this lofty balcony into | the chasm called Hoveyis Hall. which Is He- cessible by stairway. Great stalactltes hang from the roof as far as the eye can I reach The opposite wall of this chasra is covered by marble cascade, and OF an over \ hanging ledge sits lovely winged angel, not | only aWhite as alabastern but Rlabastes t. self The fairy form rests on the dark rock as serenely as if reposing on bed of roses There are many beautiful things which every visitor will see that I have not alluded | to. such as washington's Pillow, the Ball Room and the little cemetery close by IT. | tan,s Blades, the Angels Wing and Helen's Scarf, white with border of crimson; the
 Imperial Spring, the Twin Lakes and the
 Coral Spring. There are many grotesque figures and ressmblances, such as the Camel, the Lion Mohammed's Coffin, the gigantic Tooth, Elephants and BufAloes-
 On Saturday morning we turned our faces l northvard again The day is lovely and we | % on at peaceful rate, feeling quiet and i subdued ourselves; and our surroundings are in accordance with our feelings. The valley is resting in the sunlight and the mountains | seem in repose. All is calm and content. | We have nothing to do or to say unh some | one makes the remark as we draw nes1a sta tion, 'This is a new city" The gentlemen look out of the windows all curiosity to see it. They scan the horizon in vain. Pres | ently some one says, II see Capa- city Of
 9, 600 lbs on the side of car. A poor
 iokel but about as well as we could do after
 two or three days under ground
 | The scenery through which we were pass ing was very fine, but my thoughts went back
 to the cave. We brought away with US & lovely little red brown mouse in cage, | which attracted considerable attention from | our fellow passengers. It Is the color Of a l red squirrel on the back and head, is white
 underneath, and had very large brown eyes | Mice few rats, some spiders and worms i near ths entrance, and single rabbit are all
 the animals that have been seen in the cave. | There is nothing that unscientifc people
 recognize as vegetation in the cave. There
 are some delicate stem-like formations which 1 very learned botanists consider growths, aud give them correspondingly long name. The temperature of the cave is about 54- |,
 and always the same summer and winter.
 There is some peculiarity in the atmosphere | of the cave which renders it very comfortable
 and pleasant The water is constantly drip ping about you, the walks are wet, pools and lakes and springs are in every direction, yet
 the chilly dampness which we often feel in
 the outside air is entirely absent here, and your clothing even is not damp. In summer
 the cave is much drier than it is now. All | the parts that are shown visi- tors are easily accessible, the walks
 are dry, bridges span the chRsms and l rifts, and stairways take You up and down
 the various heights. The only fault have
 to find with it is that it is so crowded with
 beauties and wonders. You see so much in l so short time that you can hardly classify and arrange what has been seen. But there remains in your mind a vision of exceeding
 beauty. Halls, arches, arcades, draperies, grot toes, alcoves, hooks, waterfalls. statues, cres-
 cades, and corridors, are arranged as to leave a lasting impression of a weird. won--
 derful astonishing, surprising creation uH