Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-01-08
DOWN IN A SALT NINE
A eLIrreRiNo UNDERGROUND CITY
w,Th ITS PILLARS OF CRYSTAL
4 Dive Toto Fiatoaiss Night = Masses q
Many Tinted Crystals = Wonderful Col
onusds = 1sss wosk of Many Gen.
eratious q MinsrA


fCor London News
sLight few candles. WAS the order
passed Us We were leaving Winsford and
am under the impression that the hole
down below b like any other hole and
that the -few candles" will Just give US
light enough for the space of some three
or four Yards But We shall see We step
into our iron bucket The door thereof
is closed upon us The steel ropes ara
made fast The signal is given There
Is hesitating. trembling motion. and We
dive swiftly into plutoniau night straight.
sheer through = tunnel $50 feet deep and
feet and 8 inches across. the rim Of our
buc ,et now and again grinding, scraping.
humping. screeching against the narrow
walls After the nrst few seconds have
passed, one cannot tell. from ones sensa-
tons merely. whether one Is going up OF
down, or is suspended at rest There is
only the trembling Of the invisible steel
ropes and the scraping sound on the wallA
WONDERFUL SIGHT.
In minute more We touch the foor Of
the under wood with the lightress Of q
feather In the name of oil the fairies
and goblins, and gnomcs. and spirits of
the earth what have We thereg Oh!
Master robert. - few candles. The
city of Dis illuminated-this is what
meets nv astonished gaze Open spaces
endless streets turning and winding oil
in all directions. and outlined N spct3 OF
light. and in the farthest distance an
ornamental group of lights, rs If on Q
wall or some vast supporting pillar Ii
is as If one looks from some point Of
vantage upon the lights of q
town in dark night with
out moon or stars not town
with empty space over it. but town un-
de. q horizontal ceiling thirty three feet
above the pavement On th level ave-
ment the massed bands of tie British
army may play Strauss music. and the
whole of the London west end spin round
on light fantastic toe.
The first feeling of surprise over l ex.
anime my surroundings in leisurely de-
tail At some distance In front Of US
loom dark mass with . horizontal line
of lights half way up IL The three Of Us
MIR erdin, the guide. and my yself-ap-
proach it. each carrying q ligh d candle
across the floor. which appears TO be as
level as the floor Of q drawing room and
which is covered with . Thin carpet Of
sat fine as powder and dry rs tinder.
A MASS OF CRYSTAL.
Wherever the lights fall upon it. The
dark object glitters rs if it were encruste0
with rubies and diamonds 1t turns out
to he q huge square pi lar. extending
from floor to ceiling Each of its four
sides measures twelve Yards. il is thirty
three feet high. and it is ncth;.g bat q
mass of crystals At every twenty I've
yards. north south. east. west. staids one
of these gigantic columns all of them.
like this one. masses Of MANY tinted salt
crystals. and with the diamond flash dart
ing over their sides
The plan of this wonderful celonnade is
now obvious The miners have been cut
ting their way, sll these many generations.
through the solid rock salt. horizontally.
clearing smooth floor below their feet
leaving a smooth ceiling over tteir heads.
and. at the already named distance. those
enormous pilssters. whose function is to
prevent the roof-that is. the $50 feet Of
, the earth's crust, from falling in. The
ceiling is too high 70 respond very liber-
ally to the ticker Of our candle lights:
but in hundred spots it wrinkles like
stars peering through the clouds of night
They look As though they had the
strength of doom ihcse pillars. and were
destined to last to the crack thereof