The Press., 1884-06-26

u6dNY, dllu uuu0lOuo. LhC huhAlO0o VI vehicles which met the party had been gathered from the entire country round about. The rain made covered wagons desirable, and half of the teams were open farmers wagons, and many of them springless. We got place in comforta- ble wagon, but behind two very tired
 horses, wearing homemade harnesses.
 The two miles seemed of uncommon good
 measure as we toiled up bill after hill,
 through the mud. In pleasant weather
 and with the regular hotel stages the ride
 must be enjoyable through the fine foliage
 and along rapid streams, with frequent
 glimpses of river, mountain and valley
 scenery.
 Arriving at the group of fine hotels, all
 under one management, we disembarked.
 The great wooden village of hotels, the
 crowd of excursionists, the sight of gim-
 crack embellishments about the grounds, had by this time unfitted us to school our
 minds for communion with nature, and as
 we started down the path, which the guide
 board said went under the bridge, we felt
 more like picnic party, going to cheap l pleasure ground and E7aeaU that we should
 be disappointed in the object of our journ- | ey.
 The path led down a raviue beside lit
 tie stream that tumbled along to keep pace
 with our own rapid descent. Soon the
 stream flows into larger one, and we turn
 to follow that up, finding ourselves now in
 canon of almost perpendicular sides.
 Our little group pressed on, and soon turn
 ing point of rocks every one involuntarily
 comes to stand still.
 Before us, in almost awful grandeur, fix
 ed as the eternal hills, stands the ''Natural
 Bridge of Virginia" which had so inspired
 our awe in the old geography pictures of
 our school days
 | For moment not word. When ut
 terance came it was chiefly expressive of
 the inadequacy of language to describe the impression made. The solitude and si-
 lence of the surroundings, and above all
 the impression that will come over one that the Almighty architect had a design
 in the creation of this structure, thus
 bridging the great chasm, fills the most
 frivolous mind with awe. This is not an
 accidental piling of rocks. Arch and sides
 are one solid seamless mass, and the round- ed arch could have been little more mechan- ical in design if hewed by the hand of
 man. The height of the bridge, including thickness of arch, is 215 feet, span about
 90 feet, though the width of the canon at the bottom is but about 45 feet. The width of the bridge is 60 feet in the center, increasing at the ends It is covered with considerable soil, in which grow great trees, which with shrubbery so conceal the Assure that one may cross, as is often done, without being aware of it. The road over is much travelled thorough
 fare, and the valley cannot be crossed else- where for considerable distance. The view from the top is quite as wonderful as - from below, but less pleasing. One invol- ? untarily draws back from the frightful 5 chasm, after brief glance, and goes below : . for another look upwards
 \ The land on which the bridge stands < and 157 acres adjacent was by King George 7 e III, in 1774, granted to Thomas Jefferson, h who built cabin there, and took much II peasure in showing the property to friends, \ and in anticipation of the worldwide mo- e e toriety that he felt sure must some day V pertain to 1t.
 e e The estate belonging to bridge and ho- . tels now embraces 1000 acres or more.
 The hotels have accommodations for 400 tIe guests and ample room for their enjoy ni 1 ment, and good board is furnished for $3 u per day, $17.50 per week, and $60 per >s month in summer, and $50 per month ID l le spring and fall, with no charge for use oi ID grounds. The vicinity has many objects of interest, as ''the lost river," ''saltpete1 1r 1r cave, "lace water falls" GOO feet high), y etc.
 l. The excessive number of guests at the UlluC Ol OuI NlSlU WtS d DdI UO lul1 6uJOy- .. ment the hotels being over run Rooms 'S gave out early, and cots were assigned un, , til these were exhausted. To the merry o: : dancers who spent the night in the pavil L i lion, burying whatever feelings war might ,n have engepaered, this mattered little, but ,o ,o we were tired and desired sleep, and there 'e didn't seem to be sleep enough on hand to $ go around among such crowd.
 n ,e We met at the bridge @ portion of an. 7i other editorial excursion party who had r been further south. They pressed our party 1T |. to join them in Q visit to Luray Cavern, It and some did so, though most of the party, lt t fatigued already and feeling that a day in iV to which so much would necessarily be y crowded would be too laborious for enjoy. u ment, held to the original program. o- As we shall now take leave of the Chesa- peake and Ohio railroad (although we pro. 'o pose to construct another letter from the
 experiences of the trip) we shall again ie thank all connected for kind courtesies. , ,n This young road has already attracted the m tmo notice of capitalists, tourists, and business 'n travellers, and these know of reasons, be. 5; side those we have given, for expecting o1 la it great future. It is officered by wide lo awake men, many of them from the north 'e It is rock ballasted, thoroughly built, and It run on business principles, with view to c- comfort, speed and safety The 75 mile P. section, from Richmond to Old Point Com nt fort, was built Tn seven months and eleven a days, that limit being fixed from the start Ill in order to have the road open for the IT, e Yorktown centennial The line was over ol the sadly famous Chickahominy swamps e. Major Gordon of New York, the engineer le in charge, first tried gang of stalwart ne Germans, picked men, for the work, but is these wilted under the hot sun and ma 1 o1 larial atmosphere, and many found graves ia there. Other selections were alike unfor or tunate, until finally he fell back upon the le negroes, and these pulled him through y completing the work in time The colone CT has an exalted opinion of the negro as H. laborer docile, willing and enduring y But he must be phlegmatic man who e, could work under so energetic and untirine ve man and not be infused by some of hif T, spirit A man of his push and nerve could ld grapple with impossibilities if any one could
 m The c. and O. road, with its skirting o fe mineral and farm lands, must build ur eee along its line string of wealthy com or munities. The blue grass and lumber re a gions of Kentuckyy, the coal, iron anG re lumber of West Virginia, the grazing lands K, with their adyantaoes for sheen raiSino