Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-08-03
CURIOSITIES.
A Few Interesting Paragraphs Given for
What they are Worth-Read and Draw
Your Own Conclusions.
A WONDERFUL CAVE.

WONDERFUL CAVE.
About mile from the market
town of Adelsburg. in Austria. and
three miles from Trieste, is to be seen
the most wonderful cavern in Europe,
and possibly in the world, called the
Adelsberg Cave, and which has been
explo, ed for length of nearly 1900
yards, as far as a subterranean lake.
This cavern consists of several grot-
toes, from sixty to eighty feet high.
The interior resounds with the noise
of water, as a little river runs COM
pletely through it, forming many
cascades on its way, and being finally
lost to view in fissure. This river
continues it's subterranean course for
about eight miles, and after time it
disappears into the caverns of Laase,
whence it energies as a navigable
river called the Laibach. The en-
trance to the cave of Adelsburg is
illuminated by hundreds of candles,
and transparent curtain composed
of large sheets of crystaliized lime
stone, is seen hanging from the roof.
The vast hall or ballroom is about
$50 yards from the entrance. It is
300 feet long and 100 feet high, and
is adorned with transparent stall
actites of every kind Of fantastic
shape and form. Until the year
1918, this ballroom was the only
part known; but at this date the
wall Of stalagmite was broken
through, and series of chambers
exposed to view possessing . cathe-
dral like appearance, from the stall
actities in many instances forming
vast columns, by meeting the stalag.
mites below. In the Adelsberg cav
ern, numerous specimens are found
of the proteus, q kind of lizard that
dwells in the bottom Of the cavern
lakes.
THE HEAD OF RICHELIEU.
Cardinal Richelieu was buried in
the vaults of the Sorbonne. At the
Revolution the Sorbonne was pill
laged for five days. The magnificent
mausoleum of Richelieu was saved
with difficulty by the Intervention of
Lenoir; but q certain NJ Cheval con.
trived to possess himself of the en-
balmed face of Richelieu, which
seems to have been severed from the
back part of the head. For while
he boasted of his relic, but time
came when he was afraid it might
compromise him, and he begged an
abbe called Armez to relieve him of
it. The abbe carried it with him
into Brittany and gave it to his
brother, who, finding that the skin
which covered the face was likely to
decay, had it vanished with q yellow
varnish used in bird stufing. So it
remained until about sixteen years
ago, when one day a man arrived at
the Tulleries with a smell casket un-
der his arm, which he presented to
Napoleon I'LL, who found that it
contained the mask of the great car
dinal. Finally, after SO many vicis-
situdes, it was restored to its place in
the mansoleum of the Sorbonne.
Before this, however, a drawing was
made from it, which is reproduced in
the Gazette. Very ghastly it looks,
but still strangely lifelike, with the
long white mustache falling over
compressed lips, and the shaggy eye
brows over empty eye sockets, and
the Roman nose still giving an i'm
posing character to the face.
INGENIOUS wooD-cARvINa.
A remarkable specimen of wood,
carving has been exhibited to the N.
Y. Times by our townsman, P. w.
Converse. It is a cane presented to
Sumner Southworth of Williamstown,
Mass, a friend of Mr.. Converse, by
Alanson P. Dean of OsweRo, and ia
the work of the latter. The cane ID
of American boxwood, the handle
being formed of the root of the tree
Mr.. Dean has taken advantage OF the
natural curve by carving it into q
symmetrical and artistic ornament
Just below the curve is figure Of I
a lion destroying q serpent, the lat
ter in its death struggle coilinl
about the body of the lion. Furthel
down are carved the name Of th,
recipient of the gift the date and
other inscriptions and the remainde
} of the shaft is inscribed with maxime
, such as "Continued cheerfulness j
the most manifest sign OF wisdom,
J scripture texts and sacred and my
/ theological emblems. The whole j
most elaborate and elegant. and th
J extraordinary part of It all is tha
, the only implement used was an OF
, dinary jack knife. We doubt If th
} equal Of this unique work has eve
been produced.
THE MARBURa ARCHIVES.
3 An interesting discovery has n
3 Gently been made in the Marbur
J, archives, in the shape of thirty lare
!, parchment volumes containing th
0 official documents relating to tn
!, employment of Hessian troops b
3 British Government and to their pa
o ticipation in the American Revolt
Y tionary war. These volumes N
j. only contain the entire diplomat
negotiations between the Landgra'
il of Hesse and Great Britain, but al
f the complete correspondence of th
a prince with his Generals in Americ
a with excellent sketches and maps
l. the localities of the Hessian hea
3 quarters.
it A West Hill man bought thr
10 dogs of a South Hill neighbor, prol
, ;e;no fo nav S1k for them For loI