The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-10-02

beautiful stiffness. These last give forth
the most beautiful tones when struck with
a rod, far deeper and clearer than the notes
of a silver bell At the head of the fifth
fightstands most singularly shaped stalag-
mite. Above this is beautiful little grot-
to, which, though difficult of access, will
well repay glimpse. The right side of
this grotto is bounded by a great white
mass, foaming out, as it were, like a fall OF
foaming water, from the ceiling of the
chamber, and streaming down the wall in
folds of glistening stone. From the top of
the fifth flight most singular contrast
meets ones eye. To the east is seen the
intermediate gloom of the first chamber,
while the stairs descend at his feet into
most beautiful grotto hung with stalactites
of all imaginable forms. Descending the
stairs, which are bounded to the right by
an enormous boulder covered with rich,
chocolate-coloreG formation, we stand be-
fore gigantic stalagmite some nine feet
in height, which is shaped exactly like a
great demijohn, handle, nozzle, and all.
ANOTHER DESCENT.
Hence descends most wild looking and
precipitous passage leading down some fifty
feet into the bowels of the earth. Its low
entrance is overshadowed by two of the
most indescribably lovely objects-the
Angels Wings. These are two immense
sheets of stone about eighty feet long by
three wide, of rich creamy color, hanging
in wavy folds from the stalactite-covered
roof. And these folds, though the wings
depend at an angle of about forty-fve de-
grees, flow through their length in perfect
ly natural position. This is popularity
to be observed in all other formations of
the same character. The wings, as before
mentioned, are of creamy color, but, on
holding a light behind the beautiful trans
lucent sheets, we see them to be tinged
with red Passing under the lovely object
just described, pause to take last view-a
view which will never be forgotten.
Hence down most precipitous fight of
steps, we enter the second chamber, about
five feet high, at whose bottom the only
footing beside the boarded way over which
we pass is a tumultuous mass of immense
boulders, thrown about in the utmost con-
fusion To the left of the stairs is an i'm
mense fall, much larger than that before
mentioned, whose adamantine waters stream
down into eight or nine separate rolls of
stone, called the organ pipes, on which
nearly whole chord may be struck in
notes of silvery melody. The walls of the
Organ Loft are covered with the most fan
tastically shaped coral like formations,
which are surprisingly beautiful. In the
wall to the rightof the ninth flight of stairs
is tiny little grotto about foot in diam
eter, whose bottom is covered with what
seems to be mass of small snakes writh-
ing about in sinuous folds.
THE DEVILS CANON.
Descending from the Organ Loft by a
flight of nearly perpendicular stairs leading
through dangerous tunnel, the sides of
which are covered with beautiful forma-
lonesome convoluted like immense shells
and other hanging down in thick, tapestry
like curtains-we enter another chamber
if chamber it may be called-whose floor,
walls, and roof are formed simply of gigan-
tic boulders, hurled about above and be-
meath us in most dreadful disorder. Here
we pause to gaze up the Devils Canon, a
wild-looking gorge filed with immense
boulders, which stretches far up above us,
and through whose dark depths we are
startled to catch CLEAN of light; for on
our descent from the preceding vault one
of the guides has slipped aside and lighted
! oba xxyhIn ha
canon makes its way. This chamber we
will visit on our upward journey. Those
mysterious forces which pass countless dark
ages in performing their delicate work amid
the gloom of the lower realms have put
forth all their marvellous powers in beauti-
flying the wall to the left of the pathway
with ethereally delicate formations. The
Flower Garden, as it is called, extends
down the side of the passage nearly 100
feet, and is filled with blossoms far more
delicate than any to be found in the whole
range of the vegetable kingdom. One may
form some idea of their delicate beauty if
he imagine each and every atom of water
which has been undergoing these protean
changes for an unknown period to have
been suddenly transformed into a snow
crystal, and that these crystals, in their
expansion, had been forced out of the rock
into lovely blossoms, each covered with
spines so delicate that they break at touch.
Although many of the blossoms are partly
tinged with rich dark brown, their inner
depths CLEAN as purely white as driven
snow.