Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-11-20

and averaging abOnt eighteen feet
in thickness. II contains about
niue thousand four hundred and
eighty cubic feet Of hard, flintlike
limestone, and allowing one hun
dred pounds to each cubic foot;
the weight Of the monster 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 a large oak tree, which seemed
10 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 King
wood young men who had been
down in that region examining an
extensive cave, which they explor-
ed from an entrance near the bank
of the river to a considerable dis
tance in the mountain without find
lug either beginning or end, for IN
some places it went far down into
the earth, aud in other places far
back and up into the mountain.
They said it was the intention OF
several persons who lived in the
neighborhood to cut away the large
oak tree which stood below the
rock aud give the rocka a start down
the mountain. o. last wednesday
the 7th, 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 10 tie scene.
There we're about twenty-five peg
sous present from the neishbor-
hood. The work was done by a
company of six men organized for
that purpose. Tue tree was cut
down and fell crashing over a
considerable precipice and lodged
but tie great rock stood uDmoved.
The next lhing 20 do was TO fod
how much Of ,be rock was imGed-
ded IN tae earth. Digging aDd
shoveIing continued for ne 'r'y Two
hours, aud owing % ile s'eep.
slone on which rne t. g" lad o
stand, it was no elsy work
Great care lad to be exc =
cised also, or it WAS iUJpssl'
be to tell ar what moment ,'e
rock would start tbunde. ing down
the mountain. lC WAS decided to
be 100 dangerous to dig any logger.
for tue rock was then apparently
in a position 20 lose its equilibrium
from the slightest iouch. One OF
the meu pushed against jI with his
hands, but its weight defied his
strenghtb. A lever was cut, and
a fuIcrum was erected. The lever
was soon bending beneath tue
united weigbr and efforts Of several
men o. no ordinary size. was
I'D the mountain probably twenty
yards from the rock to get a good
view of iLs course TO tue river, and
was watching closely for the SCrt.
sNow she goesD came to my
ears, and | could see the top OF the
great rock going out from the
| mountain-.~uow slow DOW tdSter'
| now a crash, ,and then crashes upon
crashes. The scene presented Oy
| That rock tearing and laundering
down the mountain can be mag
| ined, but it cannot be described.
1t had tendency TO conlound the
sense and bewilder the reason.
Great trees were loru from ne
earth aud hurled into the air like
twigs 10 a whirlwind, and the
trunks of mammoth oaks were torn
| aud shivered in quick succession.
| On and on iC went, making a clean
cut road from Tue start. The
mountain trembled aud the spec
tarors STOOD spellbound. Tue rock
gained in speed as IL neared lbe
river, which was ia view at tue
lower end Of the great limestone
| walls. 1t now struck the last
| precipice, and, afCer going outward
| aud downward for more than two
hundred feet, it fell into the river
with roaring sound.
Alter The dust and leaves and
flying pieces of limbs had settled
we could see a peculiar action of
| Che water, but we were too far of
TO discover tue cause. a walk OF
more Ian mile around, as it was
next to impossible 10 go straight
down he mountain from where we
were, brought us 20 tie river, but
instead OF seeing the rock we saw
the water rushing from every dhec-
ton down into a huge aole ep'oOa
bly, thirty feet square. Daring the
half hour we were the.e not less
than ten saw logs were drawn into
the whirl and disappeared.
; It's supposed that the cave ed'
tends under the river, aOd tdat toe
weight of tue immense rock CON
ing down with such force and
. rapidity caused the roof to give
wav whether or not the water