Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-08-16
THE HARPER's FERRY CAVE.
A Complete Description OF the New
Subterranean Wonder.

erecting a large summer hotel here, at a
point to give easy access to the Subterranean
wonder and command view of the grand
landscape as we'll 1t has been known to
the adventurous boys of the neighborhoOd
for several generations as hole In the
ground, but recently two sons-in-law OF
Mr.. Rau, Messrs Beuter and Dick, OF
Wheeling, explored its mysteries and gave
the public the first knowledge OF Its
extent. Your correspondent followed close
after them and continued the work OF eX-
ploration as far as is now possible. The
Rauenhoehle is not so large as the Mann
moth cave nor so fine as Luray, but there IS
enough in il to suggest what may be made
of it with the expenditure of little money.
II is a mistake to suppose that caves, like
poets, are born, not made. The work neces-
sary to assist nature here is but to remove
the mud that has washed into the passages,
and clear the way TO the chambers beyond,
which are now inaccessible.
THE RECEPTION ROOM.
A ground plan of the Rauenho chile, as l
have explored and mapped it looks much
like cross between three dromedaries and
a dissolute fishing worm. 1t is long and
crooked, with an abnormally swollen head
and three humps, marking the main chamb-
ers of the cavern. The opening is in the
midst of clump of alders, on a slope fac
ing back from Bolivar heights toward the
Shenandoah river. Slide or Chamber down
a slope of about 80 degrees for about 60
feet, and you land in the first chamber or
reception room," about 90 feet long and
half as high and wide. The walls are
yellow stone wrinkled and full OF minute
holes, as though a heavy drapery OF old
lace had been petrified. From the left hand
side of the room short passage way opens
into The Chapel" cone-shaped room
about fifteen feet in diameter with walls
smooth as though polished with chisel.
Under the floor of the chapel and to be
reached by a tunnel breaking off from the
main passage further in is the vault, a
small room, clogged with earth. On the
right hand near the passage-way stands
"Rebecca at the Well" a fair representa-
ton in stone of a female figure with one
hand resting on pitcher beside it. A lit
tie way further in is the figure of a horse
in the attitude of springing from the wall
The head, the arching neck the fore legs
upraised and the trunk are there. The
hind quarters are still fast in the wall. as
though the chisel of the sculptor had been
arrested when the work of delivering the
animal from the rock was but half done
Passing on around the corner, sometimes
creeping and sometimes with the ceiling
high above your head, mounting up some
STEPS WORN IN THE MUD,
and by and by, hauling yourself up by the
aid of a rope tied around a big stalagmite
at the top Of the slope, you come at last to
a large chamber, walled in at the farther
side with sharp stalactites and stalagmites,
each several feet long and set close together
in a semi-circle, like upper and lower teeth.
CrOwding through between them you enter
lao | q. "a hn
floor from side to side is a succession of
long. narrow hollows and sharp ridges of
semi.transparent stone, as though muddy
water had suddenly solidiiied while brisk
wind was blowing it almost into spray.
The thin crests of the stone breakers crum-
BILE under the pressure OF ones
foot, the the room must be looked
at from the doorway if its
beauty is to be preserved. The main pass
age bends sharply to the right after leaving
this room. and in little alcove opening
into the solid rock wall and upwards about
dozen feet a spring of ice-COld water bub-
bles up and tricFies through a assure.
With this exception, the cave is quite dry
throughout The walls and the floor,
where the earth has not been washed over
il. is OF stone, some of it a fine blue rock,
which takes polish like marble and shows
a grain like walnut. Ii it will stand expos
ure to the weather, it will certainly prove
valuable as a building stone, and might be
used for the finer purposes OF sculpture.
Beyond the spring, i'll another chamber to
the left the Chinese Wall, a fine forma-
ton, similar to those of the frozen lake,
but larger, surrounds
THE JEWEL CASE"
the most beautiful formation in the cavern.
Small tapering stalactites, of a delicate
creamy white, depend from the roof. They
are hollow and thin as quilts at the lower
end, and at the point of each hangs drop
of water. When the light of the lamps is
thrown into the room, it Sparkles on
hundreds of tiny points, as though each
pendent was tipped with a diamond.
Leaving this beautiful room and passing
the Elephants Herd" as outlined in the
rock to the right OF the passage, you come
to the "Cork,Screw," twisted hole about
six feet deep through which, with painful
sQuirming, slender man can worm his
way down into low passage that leads off
to the right and brings up at the almost
Clcgged up entrance OF another large cham.
bcr.,
There are probably score OF these side
ways which can only be explored with
some assistance from a pick and shovel. A
few hundred feet further along what seems
to be the main passage, brings the explorer
to comfortable resting place in The
smoking ParlOr," large dry room, where
he can sit with his back against the wall
and smoke, before going TO the Funeral
Chamber" which, with grim propriety is
at the end OF the journey. \ stone coffin
| about six feet long, as for full grown man,
lies in the middle of the room, with a row
of stalagmiteS, like canjlestickes, about IT,
| This about One-half to three.quarters of a
mile from the entrance, is as far as one can
20 now. There is an opening from il into
another room beyond, but il is too small
for man TO crawl through, The cave as it
is now open is only suggestion Of
WHAT 1T NAY By FADE
with the aid of little labor. 1t is full of
such openings. The light OF the lamps
DOES not reach to any walls beyond and
pistol shots fired into them awaken echoes
which seem to come from the depths of the
hill. 1t seems likely that the necessary
improvements will be made. The Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad Company had a
couple of mining engineers examining it
last week and capitalists fron Maryland
have offered to put up a large hotel, open
up the cave and pay Mr.. Rau 4 handsome
percentage on the receipts.
Rudolph Ran, who owns the land about
the entrance TO the cave, IS tall, finely
built German, after the manly type of the
Saxon race. He lives like PATRON on his
farm of 600 acres of the finest land in the
Shenandoah valley, and around his ample
board gather Is children and grandchildren.
His father was q distinguished member OF
the German Reichstsg, or Parliament. and
took a prominent part in the patriotic
movement of lS4S, in which Carl Schurz
figured. He was tried for seditious
speeches and sentenced to Is years
imprisonment. His wife labored for his
release and finally secured his pardon
after five years imprisonment, upou the
condition that he would leave the country.
The condition was carefully kept secret
from the sturdy old patriot, who had before
refused TO accept exile as the price of lib.
erty. He was persuaded 70 visit this coun.
try TO see his son, this same Rudolph, who
previously emigrated. The Germans of
New York gave him a brilliant reception
when he landed, and feted him for several
days. He had contracted the consumption
in prison, however, and died within a year
Of his release.
GREAT aches from little toe corns grow"
D..