Huntsville gazette., 1885-09-05
A BOTTOMLESS ABYSS.

West virginias Great Natural Curiosity
The Wonder of Tourists and Natives.
There are many natural wonders in
this out-of-the- world region and yester-
day the monotony of camp life was
varied by visit to one of them, the
locality known far and wide through
out the South Branch country as the
He'll Hole This is an uncouth name,
but to visit the spot justifies the title in
the mind of the beholder. This terrible
abyss is on the North Fork, west of
Ritenour, at the side of little stream
which gurgles musically down the
mountain and is to the lower
or left-hand side of the road
which leads through the Harmar
Hills. The chasm, circular in
shape, is about fifteen feet in diameter,
almost perpendicular and is believed
by the inhabitants near by to be bot
tomless. Its situation is at the bottom
of deep. rocky gorge and the scenery
is unusually wild. Many attempts to
sound this mysterious well by lines
some of them one thousand feet in
length, have been made in days past.
but as yet without avail, and lighted
lanterns and torches lowered to q
depth of many hundred feet have re-
vealed naught but. rough, irregular
walls of solid rock. Provided with 4
stop watch. l dropped heavy frag-
ment of rock over the edge of this
yawning gulf. and the last faint sound
which came back to my ear was at the
expiration of fourteen seconds. From
this. making due allowance for the re-
sistance of the air, the transmission of
sound and the impediments to the
stone caused by the uneven sides. l
calculated depth of three thousand
one hundred and fifty feet four
inches, presuming. of course. that the
last audible sound was caused by the
rock striking the bottom.
The people, who have for many years
regarded this gigantic well with some
thing akin to awe, tell many stories of
it and the objects animate and in
animate, including at least one hui
man being, which have been swal-
lowed up in its Unsuitable NAV. A
fine white pine tree, with slender
stem, straight as an arrow and over
one hundred feet high, stood on the
steep slope a few dozen yards from the
mysterious hole. Two of Isaac Har-
mars sons concluded to venture up
and cut the tree for troughs. 1t fell
with the top up hill, and starting to
slide, disappeared bodily into the He'll
Hole and was lost to view, the terror
stricken young men who peered eau
tiously over the edge being unable to
see the slightest trace of the tree except
few bits of bark and branches cling
ing here and there on the jagged rocks.
But other and more serious accidents
have occurred at the He'll Hole. About
ten years ago partially blind peddler,
who was making his way south along
the north fork from Martnsburg to
White Sulphur Springs, disappeared
suddenly in this vicinity. A search
was made for him, and his trail finally
struck and followed up to the very
brink of this fearful pit The SUPPOSE
ton is that in the dusk of the evening
the old man walked to the mouth Of
GAC nOAC, dll uuCOHSClOuS VI uduScI,
and stepped Of, to fall to as yet un-
known depths.
There is also legend current among
the good people of this portion Of
Grant County that, away back in the
early days Of the century, when the red
man had not long been gone from the
North Fork Valley, that young girl,
disappointed and heart broken at the
course of her lover, had made her way
to the mouth of He'll Hole and, de-
posting in little pile on flat rock
the few simple love tokens received in
happier times from her betrothed, had
leaped into the fearful depths before
her.
On another occasion valuable horse
fell into the pit. and last winter dog,
while pursuing rabbit, took the direc-
tion of the Hole, and, catching his prey
on the edge, lost his footing and both
animals were engulfed. Tourists have
dropped tons of rocks into the He'll
Hole, but its dark secrets are still un-
revealed and probably will ever remain
unknown, an object Of mystery and
wonder to the passing stranger and of
terror to the inhabitants of the region
in which it is situated Wheeling Regis
ter.
The S0tltrlluu Re3iey commantino