Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-07-19
HELL HOLE.
ATsrribIs BottcmIsss Pit, Ia Grani
County, W. Va,
Which IS the Wonder Of Tourists andthe Ave
Of the NatiVes---CuriOus Stories and
Terrible and Romantic Disappear -
aness Told OF,
-, o,r.,O0Aasno, a. a. s..Ssy Reglssr.

these grano Nest virginia nOuueeAH'i 49,
here, along the Seuth Branch OF the Poto-
mac and The innnmsrAbls runs and creeks,
which empty into il, the sport may be en-
loved 10 perfection. So wild and pictures
Que is the scenery and so primitive the sur
roundinss. thar although the traveller is but
twenty.four hours from Cumberland and
thirty from Washington City, he seems when
once in these mountain Businesses to be
quite on the extreme limits Of civilization
and far removed from the teeming popala-
ton which in reality swsrms 50 closely
around him.
Elevated as this whole region is from
l5OO TO $500 feet above the level OF the
sea the atmosphere even in midsum-
mer. ia alsays cool and refreshing BY
day. while between sun down and
sun rise the mercury nightly sinks to
5O0 or as, and blankets and hickory hires
sre things -
The present summer in this West Virginia
uilderness has been an exceptionally pleas
ant enc. Frost several times quite heavy,
has been of almost weekly occurrence, and
has twice vhitened the grass around our
tent in our tour days stay, while a. write
the local paper from s., George, forty miles
northwest, notes fan Of snow IN the Land
of Canaan, that paradise for fishermen and
hunters which covers more than onehst
the surfsea Of Tucker county, immediately
aoioiI.ia, til county u GTsnt.
fhs coau;sy hsrra50I's IS Ss-y shiny set
tied, the iphaaiLanls being mostly gathered
along the line Of the neS railroad being
pushed into TIE bsart OF the mountains by
Senator Henry q. Davis. James G. Blaine,
Secretary Bayasd and Other capitalists and
politician, or are scattered in the feS small
villages which are to De found
At Long Intervals
in the river valleys The area Of cultivated
land ia extremely small, the vast mai J
of the territory being clothed 10 a dsnss
growth of black walnut and other valuable
hard woods. Game Of all kinds, including
deer and bear, is plentiful, and no incou-
siderable portion Of the scsnty revenue of
the people is derived from the hides Of wild
animals. In fact no region east OF the
Rocky Mountains can hold out so many at
fractions to the sportsman and the only
reason can give for the presence Of so few
hunters and fishermen is a sheer lack Of
knowledge OF the manifold inducements held
out by Nature.
Strange IS it may seem, the population of
this region is intensely Republican, Grant
county having for generation given tEo-
thirds majority for the candidates OF that
party. although she counties surrounding il
on three sides are Intensely Democratic.
The people, rude and uncultnrsd though
they are, are
Generous to q Fsult,
and milk and honey, 6gurstiyely speaking
sre shoWered upon the stranger who may
happen to be within their gates in q way
not to be despised. The prices Of nsesssa-
ries and delicacies in the way of products
of the soil and proceeds Of the chase are
ridiculously low, and my experience here
inclines me 70 think this the region wherein
originated the likeness of the much abused
silver dollars TO the full orbd moon. for
certainly the natives have very exsggsr-
ated ides Of its size and value. On several
occasions during the present tour of my
self and conrsde a silver quarter has pur-
chased supper bed and breakfast tor both.
and although the couch was often the hard
floor and the covering the modest and uuas-
suming army blanket of many days and |
much hard usage, the provsnder Of chick
en-, honey, eggs, hot corn bread, milk aud |
delicious trout seemed food almost worthy |
of the gods Eud better beyond comparison |
than could be procured az city restaurant |
for twenty times The sum charged here.
There are many natural wonders in this |
out-of the world region, and yesterday the |
mouotony of camp life was varied by visit |
to one OF them, the locality known far and |
wide throughout the South Branch country |
as the He'll Hole. This is an uucouth name,
but to visit the spot justiGes the title in the
mind Of the beholder.
rhis Terrible Abyss
is on the North Fork, west of Ritenour. at |
the side of 8 little stream which gurgles |
unsteady down the mountain, and is to the
lower or left hand side of the road which
leads through the Harmsr HillA The
chasm, circular in shape, is about fifteen
feet in diameter almost perpendicular, and
is believed BY the inhabitants near by to be
bottomless lis 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
opT bussnd feet in length, have been made
i Is past, but as yet without avail, and
lighted lanterns and torches lowered to q
depth of
Many Hundred Feet
have revealed nsught but rough, irregular
walls of solid rock Provided with q stop
watch, dropped q heavy fragment OF rock
Dver the edge Of this ysEning gull, aud the
LAST faint sound which came back to my
ear was at the expiration OF fourteen Sec
onds. From this, making due allowance
for the resistance OF the air. the transmits
sion Of sound, and the implements TO the
stone caused Sy the uneven Sdes, cAleu-
lated depth Of 3, l52 feet inches, presum,
ing of course, that the last audible sound
was coused BY the rock striking the bottom
The people, who have for many years re-
gsrded this gigantic well with something
akin to awe, tell many stories OF 1t and OF
the objects animate and insnimste. lneiad-
ing at least one human being, which have
been
In its Unsuitable nav. A hne Wnite P'ue
tree, with 8 slender stem, straight as an 81
Row and over one hundred teeE high, $1,000
pn the steep slope few dozen yards from
the MYSTERIOUS hole. Two of Isaac Hsr-
mars sons concluded 70 venture up ana cur
the tree for troughs Il fell with the top up |
|biIl and starting to slide, disappeared oodl-
by into the Hell Hole and was lost TO view,
|the terrorstrieken young men Who peereo
cautiously over the edge being unable 70 see
|the slightest trace Of the tree except Ies
bits of bark and branches chnging here ana
there to the jagged rocks. ...;so,..
But other and more serious aeeioenIs
have occurred at the Hell Hole. About ten
wear. AGO a partially blind peddler, who was
making his way south along the north FORK
from Msrt;nsbnrg TO White Sulphur Springs,
disappeared suddenly in this vicinity a
searcb was made for him, and bis trsii
finally struck and followed up to the very
brink Of o
Thu sr,,nos;t;on N that IN the dusk OF me