The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-09-04
sTAUNTON, VIRGINIA, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 1890
VIRGINIA's WONDERLAND.
TIE SITE SELECTED FOR THE NEW CITY
OF SHENDUN.

VIRGINIA'S WONDERLAND.
TIE SITE SELECTED FOR THE NEW CITY
OF sHENDUN.
Glories of the Valley where Once Rode sheri-
dan, Torch in Hand, and where Stonewau
Struck Terror into the Invading Foe-For-
rests, Fields and Fines Astounding in Wealth
The Famous Grottoes.
Especial Correspondence, Charleston News and
Courier, Charleston, S. c., Aug. Il, 1901
SHENDUN, VA, August Especial
am in the famous Shenandoah Valley,
of which Gen. Sheridan said not very
many years ago. 81 have left it SO desc
late that crow must carry his hayer-
sack if he would cross it, 1t is hard to
realize that there was ever desolation
here. One sees nothing but a vast CYCLIC
rama of peace and plenty and beauty.
There is no region to which the sweet
summer time brings more loneliness
than to this portion of fair Virginia.
Standing on Cave Hill one sees spread
at his feet a veritable happy valley.
There are smiling fields, watered by
Hmpid streams, and cosy homes where
the stranger receives true Virginia hos
pitality. To the east stretches the Blue
Ridge, and on the west the Great North
Mountains rise range upon range until
they are lost to view. At the foot Of the
valley is the Massanutton range.
In i ktS UaI}au tho ypoat r.. olyco,, x.o-,
many laurels for his incompatible
wreath of glory. There" says the
guide, lis where he campod the night
after he whipped Fremont. See those
houses away yonder? That is Port Re
public, and over there is where the bat
tie Of Cross Keys was fought And so
the traveller is entertained by reminis-
cences which warm the heart and bring
to the cheek flush of pride. Now you
are charging down the mountain, then
you retreat to cover; or else you watch
the bivouac fires bordering on to-mor-
rows battle Then the battles which
desolated this fair valley nearly thirty
years ago are fought again, while you
listen to the guide, until you awake to
the beautiful reality which stands on
the scene of a sombre dream
Shendun is a new city which is being
built on the Shenandoah Valley Rail
road, about midway between Hagers-
town, Nd, and Roanoke, Va. The
Grottoes Company, which founded this
place, and which is rapidly developing
it, has indeed been fortunate in securing
such a site in such region There are
here many miles of fertile valleys where
the climate is magnificent, the scenery
picturesque and the drainage perfect
Only three miles away there is great
iron ore range of $4,000 acres, while
ninety miles to the southwest are the
immense Flattop and New River coal
and coke ranges.
In the surrounding forests there is
every kind OF timber that grows in Vir-
ginia and on every side, only three feet
below the surface, there is clay which
will make the finest quality of bricks. I
am afraid if l were to tell the reader
how cheaply houses are built here by
word would be doubted But if he were
here the bright prophesies of Shendun's
future would not appear at all incredi-
bio.
1t is only d few miles to the Valley
brach of the b. & O. railroad. Soon a
road will DE built across to it, thence to
the coal and coking regions which I
n a va On7lfionnd TNI,,,c IS
80 miles, the coal and coke will be
brought to the iron mines. A road is
also to be built. to connect with the
Richmond and DanYilla railroad.
But it was not of the material re-
sources of this section that | intend to
write. ] have only mentioned them as
Shendun's raison detre. We came out
to see the famous Grottoes, Of which we
had heard SO much, and if the journey
had been many times as long, and had
taken a week. am sure we would have
thought the time well spent. Visitors
of former years will remember that these
wonderful caverns were exhibited by
candle light, therefore their beauties
OONANt ~ pdo LII iICilCCUly LIE jGCUCo
About two years ago the company built
an electric light plant on the small
stream at the foot Of the mountain, and
now every chamber of this mysterious
palace is lighted by the torch of science
There are two caverns-Weyer's Cave
and Fountain Cave. The entrance is
about half mile from the station
hundred feet up Cave Hill. There is
little house at the entrance of Weyers
Cave, the larger cavern, which the SUI
nerintendent uses as an Office, All visi-
tors register here and rest a few mo-
ments, during which they are shown
and drawings of the inte-
rior of the caverns and beautiful speci-
mems OF staiactites and stalagmites
We were impatient to enter wonder
land, but the superintendent said that
we were too warm to risk the change in
temperature.
''Why, it's 54a in there and $40 out
here. It's stepping from summer into
winter, you see"
And as we stood at the entrance peer
ing into the gloom, we felt as if we stood
at the door of at immense refrigerator
What is the temperature of the cav
erns in winter - | asked
s'It is the same all the year round
After we had rested ten minutes we
buttoned up our coats for the descent.
About 30 feet from the entrance it is as
cold as in the most remote chamber 1t
is a walk of one and half miles as the
guide leads one from the entrance and
return. You go in by a circuitous
route, and return by more direct one.
The wonders OF the caves are the re-
suit of falling water on earth and rock.
The water drips so slowly that it is
scarcely perceptible, but the work is
going on all the time 1t is estimated
that it took thousands of years to pro-
duce the cavern we see to-day 1t is in
describable, and still one who has seen
it always attempts to describte it. AS
one walks through the silent aisles and
lofty chambers where no sound save the
soft dropping Of water distGrhs the air,
he thinks not OF the primitive cave
jewellers, but rather of those gorgeous
temples along tine Nile and thA terrible