St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-05-01
The Luray CaVerIls.
SOME INTERESTING NATURAL WONDERS
IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY.

IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY.
The wonderful caverns of Luray are,
:s perhaps everybody knows, in the
limestone of Page County and Page
County Is in the Shenandoah Valley
of Virginia. The way thither from
Washington is through a part of the
country that in itself is not especially
interesting though the day we made
the trip it was something to see the
sun shine, as he shone that day on the
muddy Potomac, on the bare lodges
where the frost glistened like silver
veins, on the negro sitting on the fence
with II chicken in his arms and hoe
cake in his minds eye, on the willows
turning yellow by the river and on the
high bluffs at
HARPER's FERRY.
Is there a spot in America better
known than this little village, through
whose narrow streets crept our foot
sore boys in blue, and our brothers in
gray, so ''sairly misguided"
On little building in big white let
ters, is printed "John Browns Fort"
and beyond are the ruins of the U. S.
armOry, destroyed at the beginning of
the civil war to keep the arms and the
means of making them from the rebels.
Our train waits ten minutes, while
with uncovered heads we cluster about
an old negro on the platform and sing
John Brown" then we ego marching
on" America is making history. The
The mark of blood is on this spot
Somebody recites Whittiers "JOhn
Brown of Osawattomie," somebody
tells story. Here are song, legend
and poem, but Heaven forbid that we
have more at such fearful price.
Presently we run down the SheHan-
dOah Valley.
THE BLUE RIDGE
rises beautiful and shadowy behind her
tilmy veil and old Massanutton looks
admiringly across at her half concealed
charms. There is a craning of necks
from doors and windows to catch IA
glimpse of CharlestOwn, where John
Brown Suffered" more than twenty
years ago. Then we reach Riverton
where the two branches of the Shen-
ahdOah meet and we are in the Luray
valley and near Front Royal, made
memorable by Stonewall Jackson's val
ley campaign. The little town of Lu-
ray was filled by first one army and
then another, and the pigs and chick
ems paid tribute to each.
LURAY MUD
is deep and it is soft and red and the
stickiest kind of mud that ever stuck.
Virginia soil may be sacred, but it
clings like the most vilely prOfane
habit. And so we rode a mile from
the railroad station to the cavern with
the mud ''a- weighing down, a-weigh-
ing down." not us indeed, but the car
riage and the poor horses.
The preconceIved idea of entering Il
cave is of going into an immense rift
in the side of IL mountain, but ut Luray
we simply walked into cottage,
wasted much time in il dispute as to
whether we should wear our outer gar
ments or leave them outside, and final
ly walked down cellar and found our
selves in a--well, what A room
called the Entrance Hall and we pause
to wonder, but the guide hurries us on
saying "There is nothing here" We
follow him bewildered. Who could
have dreamed of anything like this |?
There is no cavern
so FAMED FOR ITS BEAUTY.
Mammoth Cave, far larger, is almost
bare of stalactic formation, while one
needs to go to Luray again and again
to famiiarize himself with the wonders
that continually open before him.
The Fish Market is IA flvorite place
with the guides for there the little
Jokes about crock fish" is to be made.
as the light flashes on the glistening
scaly things hanging row upon row
against ihe wall. Close by them are
the potatoes, apparently hanging in
clusters as they cling to the vine when
pulled up by the roots. The botryoids
claim the name of The Vegetable Gar
den and near by is The Flower Garden
where the roses are of the same slow,
beautiful growth. 1t is an enchanted
palace-a land of mystery and dreams.
when will the hundred summera die.
And thought and time be born again2''
rises to the lip. But it is not ques-
ton of one hundred summers here OF
even one thousand (think of one thous.
and summersl but scientists tells Us
that the Fallen Column, huge stalac-
tife weighing 10 tons, was millions OF
years growing, and that the wheat ha,
ripened on the sunny hills abont Luray
four thousand years since it fell.
Now this monster is in a state of de
cay. A sharp stick may be thrust int,
it and even the finger nail will scratch
it. We pass along through
THE TALL MANS MISERY,
where the shortest among Us mus
creep with bowed head so low is tn,
ceiling, and come To Il long, uarrow rift
! a seemingly bottOmless abyss, in th'
rock. This is PIutO's Chasm through
which he. bore his lovely bride to hi.
dark abode in Hades and just beyond
1 Proserpine's pillar CLEANS white AM
stately in the laDplight. The Empress
Column is one of the most beautiful O
the stalagmites, rising from a darl
base to IA snowy crown at the summit
The guide flashes his hand light int
Oberon's grottO and we lean fOrwar,
] iDstinctively to see the elfsh kin
spring out from behind the richll
carved arches and pillars hung witt
gracefully festoOned curtains. Perhap
he is not at home. Perhaps he ha
! gone in search Of his queen, for yOnde
a white drapery -,
TITIASA's VEIL
is carelessly tossed upon "a pillar wher
the fairy might have flung it on he
J way to Diana's bath, one of the man
crystal pools at our feet. Here is tn
Saracen's tent. The folds of the draI
cry on one side touch the ground, o
the other they are carelessly lOope