Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1885-10-23
Knocking "a Hole I'm Cheat River
With ~ 32a.s0n Rock.

inst. About fifteen miles north of this
place, along the Cheat river, can be
seen some of the most rugged and in
spring scenery to be found in West
Virginia, if not i'm North America, east
of the Rocky Mountains. On either
side of the river, for probably half a
mile, there is perpendicular wall of
solid limestone about three hundred and
fifty feet in height. From the top OF
these walls, or cliffs, on the east side Of
the river, the craggy and timbered
mountain, with slope of about sixty
degrees, looms up more than two thous-
and feet. Near the top of this mountain
has stood for unknown ages great
rock. measuring twenty feet from top
to bottom, and averaging about eighteen
feet in thickness. 1t contains about
nine thousand four hundred and eighty
cubic feet of hard, tlintlike limestone,
and allowing one hundred pounds to
each cubic foot, the weight of the mon
ster was six hundred and forty-eight
thousand pounds, or three hundred and
twenty. four tons. Just below and
against the lower side of this rock was
large oak tree, which seemed to be the
only support the rock had to keep it
from dashing down into the river.
first heard of the rock few weeks
ago from party of Kingwood young
men who had been down i'm that region
examining an extensive cave, which
they explored from an entrance near
he bank of the river to considerable
distance in the mountain without find
ing either beginning or end, for in some
places it went far down into the earth,
and in other places far back and up into
the mountain. They said it was the in
tention of several persons who lived in
:he neighborhOOd to cut away the large
oak tree which stool below the rock
and give the rock start down the
mountain. On last Wednesday, the
9TH, one of the party received a letter
Informing him that crowd had been
organized and that work would begin
on Saturday, the 10th. went down on
Friday morning, and on Saturday went
to the scene. There were about twen-
ty-five persons present from the neigh
borhood. The work was done by COM
pany of six men organized for that pur-
pose. The tree was cut down and fell
crashing over a considerable prccipice
and lodged, but the great rock stood un-
moved. The next thing to do was to
find how much of the rock was imbed-
Ged in the earth. Digging aud shovel
ing continued for nearly two hours, and
owing to the steep slope on which the
men had to stand, il was no easy work.
Great care haG to be exercised also, for
it was impossible to tell at what moment
the rock would start laundering down
the mountain. 1t was decided to be too
dangerous to dig any longer, for the
rock was then appal emily in position
to lose its equilibrium from the slight
est touch. One of the men pushed
against it with his hands, but its weight
defed his strength. a lever was cut,
and fulcrum was erected. The lever
was soon bending beneath the united
weight and efforts of several men of no
ordinary size. | was up the mountain
probably twenty yards from the rock
to get good view of its course TO the
river, and Was watching closely for the
start.
Nov she goes!" came to my ears,
and could see the top of the great rock
going out from the mountain-now
slow, now faster, now a crash, and then
crashes upon crashes. The scene pre-
sented by that rock tearing and thunder
ing down the mountain can be mag
ined, but it cannot be described. 1t
had tendency to confound the sense
and bewilder the reason. Great trees
were torn from the earth and hurled
into the air like twigs in n whirlwind,
and the trunks of mammoth oaks were
torn and shiyered in quick succession.
On and on it went, making a clean cut
road from the start. The mountain
trem5led and the spectators stood spell
bound. The rock gained in speed as it
neared the river, which was in view at
the lower end of the great limestone
walls. 1t now struck the last precipice,
and, after going outward and down.
ward for more than two hundred feet,
it fell into the river with roaring
sound.
After the dust and leaves and flying
pieces of limbs had settled we could see
peculiar action of the water, but we
were too far off to discover the cause.
A walk of more than mile around, as
it was next 10 impossible to 60 straight
down the mountain from where we
stead of seeing the rock we saw the
water rushing from every direction
down into huge hole probably thirty
feet square. During the half hour we
were there not less than ten saw logs
were drawn into the whirl and disap-
peared.
1t is supposed that the cave extends
under the river, and that the weight of
the immense rock coming down with
such force and rapidity caused the roof
to give way. Whether or not the water
will soon fill the hole up and the river
flow on as before, will depend upon the
extent of the cavern and the existence
Of an outlet to carry the water from the
cavern to some other stream, or to some
other part of the country.
left that district on Sunday after
a..