Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-06-24
GIRLS0N THE BRIDGE
HOW THEY LOOKED AT ROCK
BRIDGES GREAT CURIOSITY.
Cascade--Caught In tho Cave
and Rescued.


as to the appearance of different countries
as viewed by different people. but the idea
of seeing things. in different lights was
never more forcibly impressed than il
was few days ago by gay party
of young ladies from a weil-known
Virginia college who we're dong" the
Natural Bridge. They had read of 1t in
Biographies, and bad seen innumerable
pictures taken from every point. but the
real grandeur of this work of nature when
actually seen was too much for quiet en-
joymeDt "0h, how cute cried one
What she meant by this no one knows,
but she seemed TO be perfectly enfaptured
with the great limestone walls, smooth
and clear-cut. rising 100 feet to the per-
tectly-rounded arch above.
@. W. AND THE RAo.K.
where did Washington stand when be
threw tho stone? / don't believe he
2l5 feet" But they found Washington's
name. There 1t was on the vest side
nearest the south entrance, the Nv"
showing out plainly Just above ledge of
rock. while a little above that some enter
prising person, said to be carpenter, had
written the name Wolff. 1888" as If try
ing to outdo the Father of his
lUt1 uhU Ituu fDOub luc tuSlt
in the arch above and there IL was Just as
plain as could be with his great wings
spread, his beak open. and his right eve
PLAINLY visible. IL IL more plainly visible
from the north side. Here they stood for
hours looking for the lion, which IS SAID
to be in the eagles claws and
which was considered a good omen
during the Revolutionary war. Some
with good imaginations saw the British
IL. ~ 10. 10
is there, and must be nearly fifty feet
from tip to tip. Then there was the pro-
file of woman on the ledge of rock at the
south entrance. just as plain as life. ms
was only found last summer as we'll az
the face Of an Indian, with his character
istio long. high forehead. just above 1t,
discovered at the same time.
THAT AMBITIOUS ANDERSON.
II required no Imagination to see these.
They are there. They show better from
the centre opposite the wall, where ap-
pears the name of +. J. l.. Anderson.
But the greatest curiosity Is prairie
wagon with two horses right in the mid
die of the west arch just between two
shattered stones and Immediately above a
ledge of rock. No one but gay party Of
girls could have brought out these little
curioslties. Other people pass through
daily and never see them without having
their attention called to them. Again
on the north side stands the clear profile
of the old man who guards the bridge.
His teeth are gone and he is bald-headed.
but his immense chest shows the effect OF
the mountain air around the bridge.
When they reached the north side and
found the small-looklng hole in the arch
from which dropped the cotton stone
in 1888 q cry of "Oh, NY goodness, did
that great stone fall from that little hole y
But that little hole was nearly 200 feet
above. The crash made by the falling of
that stone walked up people two miles
away.
RECKLESS PIPER.
Nothing pleased the young ladies more
than the story of the reckless James
Henry Piper, q student of Washington and
Lee University. who IN 1878 excelled
George Washington by climbing higher
ON the walls than The Father of
his Country" did. The wall bears
the name Of "Piper's Stairway" now.
while Washlngton's name Is only 80 feet
above the stream on the other side. How
in the name OF reason Washington got
there without ladder the young ladies
could not see but the fact remains that
&c. W." is there, though very dim from
age. Pulpit Rock was tame to them, only
none would view the stream below with
out a rope around them.
Saltpetre Cave was no curiosity. wat
if the powder used in the Revolutionary
war was composed partly Of the stun
from that caveY But Lost river drew
them III bunch. A liver running along
on the surface. clear and cool: coming
from nowhere and az suddenly disappear
Ing, was indeed a curiosity. MANY min:
utes were spent watching letters and
bits OF paper disappear IN the bowels OF
the earth
ILLUMINATED CASCADE.
Really the prettiest sight at the Bridge
is nature assisted by the hand of man. The
stream running from the hotel through
the glen down the precipice Is pretty and
picturesque. but when lighted up with
calcium and barium lights at night and
viewed from the many little bridges
along its course it surpasses descrip-
ton. Here frothing cascades, play
ed on by prismatic lights, forming
punches of rainbows dancing TO kiss the
lambert moonbeams. joyously rush on to
the sleeping pool below. Just below this
cascade IL to be seen the two giant arbor-
vit;e, one standing IN all its pristine glory
and the other lying PROSTATE. spanning
the stream forming natural bridge upon
which an elephant could cross.
IN THE CAVES.
The real gavety of the trip was only
brought out when the party reached the
recently-developed cave, three quarters OF
mile from the bridge. In single file,
headed by fat newspaper-n assisted
bv well-known Rockbridge lawyer and q
Washington aud Lee University man. each
party with d candle picked his way around
amongst the stalactites overhead and the
stalagmites underneath, which shoot up
or down in the most grotesque and gene
rally artistic manner.
DISPATCH MAN CAUGHT.
In many places there was only room
enough to permit of squeezing through:
but after the newspaper man succeeded
by gong sideways the Others followed.
In the famous Watkins Glen, in New
York, there is place known as Fat Mans
Delight "a walk. The DISPATCH man
found one here-unexpectedly to bin :
for all at once he found himself TANNED
between two stalagmites and there re;
NAMED. blocking up the only .wav until
the Rockbridce lawyer priced him out.
RoCKBRIDGE COUNTY
is one of the oldest as one of the wealthiest
IN the State, and can boast OF many other
attractions besides her natural cur1ositles.
Her soil is rich and fertile, and her pro-
ducts are corn, wheat, and barley. The
outlook for these crops IS frst-class. In
mineral wealth she will compare favoraoly