The Red Cloud chief., 1884-06-06
The Lurav Caves 70 Virginia.

lie IerA, the organ OF the MaSSacnu-
sets Institute of Technology. publishes a
description of the Luray Caves in Vir.
cinia. which have been known to the
bubble for the past five years. They
were discovered in 1873. The writer OF
this paper says:
The entrance to the cayerns is through
u narrow passage about twenty-five feet
in lcngia, leading into , Don CT mod
craze s.ze. where the attention Of the
visitor IL arrested by the hundreds of
s,aiactiteI and stalagmitrS around him,
forming all sorts of curious shapes. BIT
one suon learns TO regard these things rs
common, and c~ontentcily hurries on
with the guide TO see ONE of the Won
,.srful rrsemblanceS to tho things of the
outside world.
Adjoining the grand entrance hail il an
apartment called the fish market, where
the lime mas 80 taken the shape of strings
of tish that the resemblance Ia our
own 'iSh markets is quite apparent,
though the writer WAS at a loss to deter.
mine the peculiar species. Some, how.
ever. better vcrsed In tho science
IF zoology, unheSitatingiy pronounce
them to be a species of bass, perch,
shad. mackcrel, ETC.: at least, SO SAYS
the guide. Winding through various
corridor leading into rooms of differ
n dimensions. and passing by gigantic
columns and deep gorgcs, notably the
rift called Pluto's Chasm, about seventy
five feet deep and five hundred feet in
length, through which We ere told the
god is supposed to have borne Proser.
pine Ia the under wOrld-we finally
come to the Giants Hall. which is Is
peciaiiy interesting as containing the
organ and the fallen column. a huge
mass Of limestone twenty-five feet in
length. the age of which. as estimated
by Somc scientists, Is several millions Of
;carS-
This statement may at first seem
strange. butafter considering the follow.
ing experiment we no longer doubt the
assertion. A glass tumbler WAS placed
beneath some dripping lime wafer, hat
tho tine taken to form an incrustatiOn
might DC observed. and at the end Of five
Years 81 crust not more than one eighth
Of an inch in thickness was formed under
the most favorable conditions. The
organ is composed Of stalaotites and
>~.alagmites. which have formed CON
;inuouS columns from ceiling to floor,
which not only rcsemblcd the pipe. Of
an organ bat to some extent give forth
actual musical sounds. soft and sweet.
The writer regrets To = v however, that
Yankee Doodle" was the tame whose
notes dcstscratel the sanctiiied cathe-
dral of the deceased giant
The Wet Blanket is, however, voted
by al the most perfect and interesting
phenomenon in the ave. In a dark
co-ne of tie cavern the lime has tie
form of "a large sheet suspended from
the roof. Towards the end of this sheet
have b-en formed, by the precipitation
of iron. two red bands about two inches
in width. Which. with the yellow color
ciyen 10 il BY the dripping water, take
IN the appearance of a veritabe wet
blanket.
Gf especial scientific interest are the
hclic'it"' rare formations. which pro-
yect horizontally from the walls Of the
cave from two 20 three inches. These.
the g~u;i--5ouk tells Us. are due To slow
capitalization taking place on n surface
bar-lv mCist from material conveyed to
the point OF growth by q capillary move
mcut- II Is hard 10 control the desire
10 pull Of these hclictites and other
specimens as il passes along. But the
Of this will power is helped in a
great me;Sure 10y 1.-THE mechanic spirits
of this under world. nome and imps"
in the shape Of little darkiea, ..who dart
from shadow 10 shadow. behind column
and angie, Ia watch that we DO no harm
Ia the marvellous handiwork." There
is. a further induccment to
keep ones hands of, in a fine of from
five Ia one hundred dollars for every
specimen broken. II is, therefore. rather
An Expensive place for over Jealous
hunters; but the writer would
all Others who travel South bv
bcartifUl Shenandoah Valley TO
spend 4 day at Luray and see for them
its wonders.
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