Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1885-11-28
The Natural Bridge of Virginia.

The great Natural Bridge is To-
Gated in the south eastern part of
Rockbridge county. 1t is reached
by either the Shenandoah Valley or
the Richmond and Allegheny Rlil.
road. From the cars We ascend to
high ground, two and one half
miles distant. The land surround.
ing the bridge is now owned by
company, who have by different
purchases come to possess $500
acres. This they are converting
lnto!a mountain park, which III
time will be one Of great beauty
anu attractivenesS. They had
built All observatory Oh u com.
manding hill, three fourths of
mile from the hotel, which gives q
magnificent view Of the valley of
the James, of the Blue Ridge for
distance Of one hundred miles, and
OF the peaks of Otto, beyond,
which rise to the height Of 1920
feet.
Standing on the bridge, your
first surprise is to see the deep,
narrow chasm beneath you. 1t is
only 2l5 feet from where you stand
to Cedar Creek below, but the dis
lance seems much greater because
of the perpendicular walls on eth
er side, only 100 feet apart. You
had better not trust yourself long
to lean upon the railing and look
down, lest you grow dizzy. 1t is
from the edge Of rocks at the side
q taeepraa Sc ah aaEssEaru
best view oftte chasn. The depth
is appalling. There are few such
ravines on the continent.
But you must go under the
bridge to get the best view Of that
structure. Standing directly un-
der it, you may look up and have
some realization of the magnitude
Of the place, and Of the span Of
stone above you. Twenty-eight
psrsons might stand on your head,
forminga living pillar, before the
head of the topmoSt one would
touch the under side of the bridge.
Then there is 5j1 feet of solid rock,
100 feet wide, fixed in the rocky
walls which stand on either side.
The space beneath the hole, the ex-
istence of which forms the bridge,
is Of such dimensions that it would
require 1,440,O 900 cnbic feet ofstone
to fill it up.
From a point about 200 feet
above the bridge you get the best
view Of it. 1t stands before you in
all its masSiveness and sublimity.
You may have expected to see
much, and you are not disappoint.
ed. The pictures so familiar to you
have failed to give you just coll
ceptlon Of the object itself. All
great objects of interest usually
have associated with them many
inferior things, which are supposed
to add to their attractiveneSs. So
we were told of the cave, aud the
falls, the American eagle, and the
profile; and we saw them all; but
the wonder Of the Natural Bridge
is the bridge.
The thought is ever present in
the mind. How came this bridge
to be? What were the forces of ma
ture which produced it, and when
was it forme,l9 a careful study of
the inclination of the strata Of
rocks at and above the bridge. and
the topography of the surrounding
country, leads us to reject the com
mon theory that it was formed Ivy
the force Of water. There may
have been, and probably was, in
the remote past, a much larger
stream flowing down the raviue
than there now is; but no stream
that ever ran here could have done
what was necessary to form this
bridge. 1t seems more probable
that there was either more or less
of a bridge here from the Begin
ning-tllat is, from the time earth
assumed it's present permanent
form; or that this is the remains OF
a cave which once ran through
this ravine, therest ofthe roofhav-
ing fallen in and been carried away.
Whatever the explanation gifts or
igin, it is one of the great, grand,
massive, sublime works Of nature;
and whoever, with a love for the
beauties and wonders which the
hand of the Creator has fashioned,
travels that way, will be amply re-
paid.