The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-09-22
VACATION NOTES,
wEYER's GAVE,

From Basic to Shcndun the diste
Ia miles-a beautiful drive down tn,
Hver. Along this drive there are many
real elegant farm houses and more macnif-
cent barns. We passed one farm on which
large barn had just been completed, the
second built on the same site during the
summer. A day or two after the first was
completed, it was lightning struck ard
burned TO the ground. The builder said it
was not quite to suit him anyway and he
raked away the hot embcrs and began the
| erection of another. There are no prctticr
or better farms In the world, than along
the entire route.
shendun is another one of the boom
towns In the Shenandoah Valley. The
street cars run hithcr and thithcr through
the hay fields, with here and there q tray-
eier. The same man A. d. Wright, who
manages the X. & ID. eating house st
Charlottesville, is also manager of an cl-
egant hotel at Shcndun. He docs a good
business as Shendun is something of a
summer resort, besides, tn housands of pco-
pie go there every season to visit Weycrs
cave. 1t is west Ct tic city in 4 small
mountain, the foot of which is approached
by the street car line. 1t is nearly a ouar
ter of mile to the mouth of the cave
which Is about half way to the top of the
mountain. 1t is fenced off securely to
shut out intrudcrs There is an Office at
the entrance provided with lock and key so
the guide Can shut in the squad and shut
out the world. On this hot August day
there were two squads and two guides en-
tered the office at the same time-abont
eighteen or twenty. After registering our
names the guide said he would take our
tickets which we did not have ut that time
and he rcconed at once that a dollar apiece
would do as well. We thought that was
about as steep as Table Rock and since
that time VIC have been studying up some
scheme to charge non-resi,lcnds of the
county for looking at this wonder. We
telelcphOned somebody over ia Shendon to
turn on the lights, then went out at the
back door Of the oilice and the guide
unlocked the gate that stood across
the entrance, and asked us into
the hole in the lock and key act, and this
time We were Shut in the world. We had
some anxiety about the guides taxing good
care OF that key. We then made Il Grad
ual descent for about two hundred feet aud
grouped ourselves in what is very properly
termed the reception room. 1t was bril-
liantly lighted up with electricity. Here
our round and plump guide, who is quite
classical in everything but form, gave us
an c1tcmporancous lecture on how to
make an exploration Of the cave pleasant
and profitable, and that was that each one
must draw very literally on the powers of
his imagination. But we did not have to
imagine that We. had been transported into
&:'.'."'r ;l.,.r 80. " ", .ui...: r.l;,"y ~. =.
';''n, h"'d. y" l",.i",; Al 5:I,> tA,> ln.
Ihu.nr!nrteT !,ai ?iHid"ul" !miicI from 80
10 80. Cold chiIs ran over US The la,Iin;
had provided themselves viii, sin,cr
! wrli:a, but al &YG,. L"r,.,mc cliIatjZcU anl.
by vigorous walking Ec:t comfortable.
! Vi" |sTr IS nhuu: scvcn tigi!ths ~ a
mile in 'rnGth. Ii reg hires about onv hour
and half to view it, and this docs no.