The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1891-02-05
THE SUNNY SOUTH.
The Land of Magnollas. The Husuling
City Of the South

The Land Of Magnollas. The Hustling
City of the South
Persuant to request I send you few
notes concerning the trip as seen
through pair of northern eyes. We
considered ourselves in Dixie as soon
as we crossed the Ohio into Louisville
Ky. Here we found the beginning of
great change from white attendant
to black one. The minute you enter
one of these southern hotels a sable
son of Africa is at your heels and so
continue until you leave. He expects
to be tipped for his ever faithful and
watchful care. A broad smile illum-
ines his face at the sight of dime,
while quarter causes his hat to rise
upward and his body bends like bow
ing machine foorwards. It takes an
army of "coons' to do the work at one
of these southern first class hotels.
Everywhere we 60 now since leaving
Louisville, it is II recon-" Il done told
var so" II dunno for de life of me
whar it am" Eyes sab, dat was befo
de wah." We can now tell while sit
ting at the dining tables by hearing
the talk of white man, whether he
lived north or south of the Ohio.
At Louisville we witnessed a tobac-
co sale of leaf tobacco. Five hundred
tons were disposed of principally to
New York and Massachusetts, buyers.
It is brought to the warehouses and
casked in packages, hogshead sizes,
and from there shipped north for man
ufacture. From Louisville we went
direct to Mammoth Cave, 80 miles
southwest and from thence 81 miles
to the Cave hotel. Here commences
surprise to the tourist that makes
chill steal over him; for supposing the
rate to be similar to other roads he
modestly passed up dollar for
round trip ticket, when the agent po-
litely informed him five dollars was
the exact fare. So the fun begins. The
hotel EFFORTS $3 per day, and rs cents
for costume to enter the cave. The
fees for guides are low. Two dollars
for each person for short trip and So
for the long one. We Jour party of
fve) started into the cave at 20 p. m.
and returned at IL p. m. What indie
scribable beauties What inpenetrable
darkness! What feelings of sublimity
impress me as he wends his way, with
lamp in hand, following his guide.
Here in Star Chamber, there in Grand
Avenue; in Old Arm Chair, where the
most distinguished persons in this and
in Continental Europe have seated
themselves. Bottomless pits, Hercules
columns, Royal Altar where women
who upon earth have vowed never to
marry, have come to wed, that they
may keep sacred their VOW. Here
few years ago couple were welded
by a distinguished bishop and stand
ing before this mammoth Altar of
Stalagmite and Stalactite columns
vowed while Gin ca tn and on earth"
they would forever honor and obey. 1t
is singular fact that a woman who
before this trip could with difficulty
walk but mile should here walk sew
en- over rocks and lodges. Here the
mercury stands at SIS degrees the year
around, night and day, winter and
summer; it neither rises nor falls. The
air is singularly pure. The water in
the springs is of the same temperature
as the air. At the Cave entrance the
wind blows strong enough inward to
put out your lamp, while $50 feet from
the great iron barred door, it is nearly
calm. In summer the air is outward
from the cave, singular phe omena
No one can realize the full sense of
what darkness is, until he is left alone
, without his guide or lamp in one of
these many chambers. In the Star
Chamber the guide leaves you and re-
lieves you of your lamp, saying it is
now necessary that you sit here while
I show you a sunset, a storm, a sunrise
and full glory of a bright day. Alone
. we gaze upward 40 feet and on the in
crustations of lime stone appear to be
thousand stars in company of lone
> comet. The stars are sulphate of soda
J crystals glistening like diamonds.
Soon we hear the roll of thunder, while
across the ceiling of our rocky room
fit black clouds. Soon the glorious
rays of the morning sun appear and
J with it came the sound of barking
dogs, growing cocks, bleating lambs
and winnowing horses. The guide
soon appears with his lighted lamps
and we learn he is an excellent ventril-
oquist. He jokes on his way at every
important place. At a spring he
stopped and from it he dipped glass
of the water saying this is wondering
Willie's spring. Why is it SO called
said L? "Oh because I am wondering
if he will ever GOMEZ said he. After
passing through very difficult pass
age where we bent our backs many
times, he said let us rest here mo-
ment. [ don't like to go through that
place. Why, said one of our party?
Oh, because it makes me stupid. Here
in this cave are some stone huts re-
naming, part or strange sanltarl-
: UNI. Here some consumptives dwelt
five months, thinking that never
changing temperature would be sure
curative. One died at the end of the
fifth month. The others lost faith and
sked to be carried out, which vast
done and which resulted in death o
all four in three days. Some people
3 have come here to visit this wonder
and after getting inside the iron door,
have become filled with fear at the
impenetrable darkness and stoutly re-
3 fused to proceed farther. Here must
1 one realize that charge, follow your
guide and fear no danger" No one
a is allowed to chip off any spar, or parts
sRafs cary ys on fragments 5s Of
: ed a law for the protection of the heirs
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