The herald., 1894-09-02
.LURAY CAVERNS OF VIRGINIA,
Wonderful Subterranean Halls
Of the Old Dominion
Finely Illustrated in Glimpses of
America.
Eloquent Description of Weird Forma-
lions Surprising the I'm
sxery Of Aladdin's
Cave.

Cave.
Allusion has been made heretofore to
the wonderful Lursy csverns of Vir-
ginis, OF which several beautiful illus
trstions appear in Glimpses OF America,
the HERALD's premium book. These
csverns attract visitors rom all parts of
the globe. They are the most brilliant
and remarkable subterransan halls OF
the world. The following is good de.
scription, written by recent visitor:
At SEINE period, long subsequent to
its original excavation, and after many
large Htalactites had grown, the cavern
was completely filed with glacial mud,
whereby the drip-stone was eroded into
singularly grotesque shapes. After the
mud had been mostly removed by flow
ing water, these eroded forms remained
amid the new growths. To this contrast
may be ascribed some OF the most etrik-
ing scenes OF the cave. The many aud
extraordinary monuments OF aqueous
energy include massive columns
wrenched from their place in the ceiling
aud PROSTATE on the floor; the hollow
column 40 feet high and 80 feet in diam
eter, standing erect, but pierced by
tubular passage from top to bottom tho
leaning column, nearly az large, under.
mined and fitting like tho Campanila Of
Pisa; the organ, q cluster of stalactites,
dropped point downward, and standing
thus in the room known as the oathe-
dral besides vast bed of disintegrsted
carbonstes left by the whrling food in
it's retreat through the great space called
the Elm Ramble.
The stalactite display exceeds that Of
any other cavern known, and there 10
hardly square yard on the walls or
ceiling that is not thus ornxmented.
The old material is yellow, brown and
red, and its wavy surface often shows
layers like the gnarled grain OF costly
woods. The new stslactites growing from
the old, and made of hard carbonates
that had already once been used, are
usually white as snow, though often
pink, blue or am Der -colored. The size
attained by single specimens is sur
prising. The Empress Column is
stalagmite 35 feet high, the other 50
feet high, mass OF snowy slabastsr.
Several etslactites in the Giants hall
exceed 30 feet in length. The small
pendants are innumerable; In the can
opy above the Imperial Spring it is ss-
timated that forty Thousand are visi-
BILE at once.
The Cascades are wonderful forma-
tions, like foaming cataracts caught in
mid.air. and transformed into milk
white or amber alabastsr, while the
Chalcedony Cascade displays a variety
of colors. Brands Cascade, which is
finest of all. being 40 feet high, and
almost az wide, IL unsullied and wax.
like white, each ripple and braided rill
appearing 20 have been polished.
The Swords of the Titans are mons
trous blades, eight in number. 80 feet
long, three to eight feet wide. and one
to two feet thick, but are hollow and
drawn down to an extremely fine edge,
filing the cavern with tones like tolling
bells when struck by the hand. Their
origin, and also that OF certain so.called
scarfs and blankets exhibited, Ia from
csrbonates deposited by water trickling
down a sloping and corrugated surface.
Sixteen of these alabaster scarfs hang
side by side in Hovey'e balcony, three
white and fine as Grape shawls, thirteen
striated like agate with every shade OF
brown, and all perfectly transparent.
Down the edge of each tiny rill glist-
ems like silver, and this 10 the ever fly-
ing shuttle that weaves this fairy fabric.
Streams and true springs are absent,
but there are hundreds OF basins, vary
ing from one to fifty feet in diameter
and from six inches to fifteen feet in
depth. The water in them is exquisitely
pure, except a. it is impregnated by the
carbonate OF lime which often
forms connections, called, accord
ing to their size. pearls,
eggs and snow balls. A large one 10
known as the cannon ball. When frac-
tured these spherical erowths are found
to be radiated in structure. Oalcite
crystals, drusy, feathery or fernlike line
the sides and bottoms of every water
filled cavity, and, indeed. constitute the
Variations of level at different periods
are marked by rings, ridges and ruffled
margins. These are especially strongly
marked about Broadus lake, snd the
curved rsmpsrts of Castles on the Rhine.
Here, alse, are polished stalagmitee, a
rich buff slashed with white, and Others,
like huge mushrooms, with velvety
coat OF red, purple or olive tinted crys-
tails. In some of the smaller basins 10
sometimes happens that when the ex-
cess of carbonio acid escapes rapidly
there is formed, besides the crystal beds
below, film above, shot like
sheet OF ice across tho
surface. The quantity of water
varies greatly at different seasons;
hence some stalactites have their tips
under water long enough to allow tas-
sells of crystal to grow on them, which In
drisr season are again coated over
with stalactits matter, by which singu-
lar distortions are occasioned. Contin-
uous stalactites are often enwrapped
thus till they assume an almost globu-
lar form, through which. by making 8
section, the primary tubes appear.
Twig. like projections, lateral outgrowthe.
to which the term helictits has been
applied, are met with in certain por-
tions OF the cave. and are interesting by
reason OF their strange and uncouth
contortions. Their presence lie partly
due to the existence of diminutive fun.
gus peculiar to the locality, and desig.
mated from its habitat. mucor stalacttis.
The Toy Shop is an amusing collection
of these freaks of nature.
While in Chicago Mr.. Charles L.
Kshler, a prominent shoe merchant Of
Des Moines, a., had quite serious time
of it. He took such severe cold that
be could hardly talk or navigate, but the
| raa 1T Cba ~, ha ri ~. No,1n