Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-09-10
LOST IN a CAVE.
Tho Dreadful Fate OF n Man In the Blue
Ridge Mountains.


Four or five drummers for Now
York houses were seated in the
smoking compartment of n Pullman
on q train homeward bound, and as
might naturally DO expected they
were swapping experiences.
1t is not necessary TO state here
that afidavits did not accompany
tho remarks of tho travolors.
by George" said solemn look
ing party representing a big dry
goods firm, Il had an experience
down in Virginia four weeks ago
that l hope will never bo repeated -
What was it," asked nattlly
attired shirt and collar man. For
get your private supply whom you
struck local option County?'
The solemn looking party paid no
attention to tho SlanderOuS insinua-
| ton.
Il Sundaycd, he said, lin a town
ut tho foot of tho Blue Ridge, and u
| young man there asked mo to go
with him to cave in tho mountains,
which had been discovered only a
| few days before, for the purpose of
exploring it. AS there wasn't any
thing olSC to do | accepted the invi-
tatiOn, and provided with lamps,
COmpassos and other exploring para
phCrnalia we drove out to the place.
about three miles from tho town.
No picked Upa country jay near tho
cave and took him along with us, as
no told us he had made two or turee
trips i'll during the last throo or four
days and had pretty good idea of
what it was like for half milo or
so. We went in III good shape and
got along fairly we'll until wo were
and at last, after tight squeeze
through the only opening in the
main hall, we emerged into the
grandCSt auditorium to be found
anywhere in these United States,
Ill wager money. 1t was 100 foct
to the dOmo, 200 feet across, and
then all about it, as if support
ing tho dOmo, were hundreds of
pure white columns twisted into
perfect Convolutions as if by ma
chinery. Tho whole vast space was
glittoring area of whitonesS, which
caught the light of our lamps and
reflected it back in myriads of rays,
making tho most splendid scene I
have ever witnessed.
1--WE stood spellbound for many
minutes, then began to move about,
going in and out among the pillars,
as if in forest. ! have no idea how
far they extended, for, after some
time, l looked about for my oom-
panions, and thoy wore gone. l was
scared in a minute and began to
shout, but received no answer. Then
l tried to find my way out Half an
hour later l STUN bled ON our guide,
worse scared than was, and he had
! done what tho rest of US had-got
lost in admiration of the beauty of
the place and wandered away reck-
leSSly. We shouted ourselves hoarse
for the third man, but got no re-
sponse, and then began to look for
q way out. Luck is with some peo-
pie sometimes, and as it happened
we found tho entrance and hurried
out for help. Three hours later we
had 90 men i'll there searching, and
they kept it up for "a hours without
finding our man. Neither did we
find him at the ond of As hours And
what Il dreadful time the poor fellow
had He wandered around in the
silent darkness for l don't know
how long. Tho bats covered him
and clawed him. He fell over a preo.
ipice into pit of freezing water
Driven by hunger, on the third day
no ate bats raw whenever he could
catch them. He bruised and tore
himself on the sharp rock. He
screamed for help and fought the
white pillars as if they had been
ghosts pursuing him and finally be-
came raving maniac. 1t was hor.
rible, horrible, and the worst of il
all was that we never found him."
The listeners were so unnerved by
the dreadful recital that for a mo.
ment no one spoke. Then the shirt
and collar man gave an uneasy
cough, which made everybody jump
nervously.
We'll, he said, giving himself 6
shake, how in thunder did you
know what happened to him if you
never found him?"
This timely inquiry relieved the
pressure at once, and a vote was i'm.
mediately taken that the solemu
looking party pay for tho drinks
New York Sun.