The St. Mary banner., 1902-09-27
THE NATURAL BRIDGE
An Interesting Talk Apropos OF the Bin
for National Park There.

An Interesting Talk Apropos OF the Din
for = National Park There.
Representative Ford OF Virginia,
whose territory embraces Rockbrldsa
county and other mountainous terri
tory, introduced a bill last week pro-
viding for the purchase or Natural
Bridge by the national government ana
the development of the land Just about
the bridge into a national park. Like
every one else in the state Mr.. FLOOD
regards the Natural Bridge as the equal
of Niagara Falls, and looks upon 1t
as wonderful work of nature which
should belong to the government ana
be jealously guarded. In this he has
the hearty support Of many represen-
tatives from other sections OF the
country and tho entire Virginia dele
cation.
In one of the house galleries when
Mr.. Flood walked to the speakers desk
and presented his bill was one Of his
constituents, who lives near the bridge,
Charles II. Paxton. The latter was as
deeply interested in the measure as
Mr. Flood up in Rockbridge," he
said to a reporter, "the Natural Bridge
is estimated as one of the most inter
esting things in Virginia. Jefferson,
who was it's first owner, spoke of it as
famous place that will draw the at
tention of the world John Marshall
called it Gods greatest miracle in
stone Clay said it was a bridge not
made with hands, that spans river
tcarries a highway and makes two
mountains one.' Those men visited
the bridge at the cost of long, trying
stage journeys, but they were not the
only ones attracted to Rockbridge to
see it. Monroe, Benton, Jackson, Van
Buren, Sam Houston and no one knows
how many Others undertook the same
journey at the same cost. Today in
terest in the bridge seems to have
grown with the country. 1t has be-
| come necessary for the railroads to
build new stations and to adjust their
schedules to include Natural Bridge.
exactly as they long ago included the
great summer resorts on the main
line.
Those who have seen the bridge do
not require to be told about it. But
for others l don't believe all the pic
lures in the world would indicate its
solemnity and grandeur. lC is sin
gle block of limestone, with many
shades of color, wide enough to span
Broadway and high enough to throw
in the shadow the turrets of Trinity
church. The walls are as smooth as
if cut with chisels The height of the
arch is almost 215 feet, about half that
of the Washington monument. Its
width is 100 feet and it's span is clear
80 feet. Birds high in air pass under
echoes. Lightning struck the bridge
in 1873, and hurled down an immense
mass of rock, but there is no sign OF
it's displacement on the bridge itself.
THE history of the Natural Bridge
Is remarkably interesting. 1t was men.
toned first, think, by Burnaby in
1859, who spoke of it as a natural arch
or bridge joining two high mountains,
with a considerable river underneath
A bloody Indian fight occurred near it
about 1870. Washington. when a sur
veyor for Lord Fairfax, visited it and
carved his name, where it can now be
seen. During the Revolution, the
French organized two expeditions to
visit it,
From their measurements and dia.
grams q picture was made in Paris,
which for nearly half a century was
copied in Europe and America as cor,
rect. The original tract was granted
by the king to Thomas Jefferson in
1774. After Jefferson became presi-
dent he visited the place, surveyed it
and made the map with his own
hands. The next year he returned
taking two slaves, Patrick Henry
and his wife. For these two the for.
mer president built a log cabin with
two rooms and directed one to be kept
open for the entertainment of strang-
ers. The slaves were never manumit-
ted. Jefferson left here a large book
/ for sentiments and the sayings OF
Marshall and Clay l have Indicated
were taken from that book. Unfor.
tunately, the book was accidentally de
.stroyed in 1S45, and only a part of it
remains.
"Above the bridge is an immense
glen, probably once a cave, which ex.
tends for mile to Lace Water Falls.
There is much to see in this glen-a
saltpetre cave, worked for inter dur.
ing the War of 1872 and by the con.
| federates in 1862, and Lost River, a
subterranean stream which shoots out
Of cavern high in the wall and disap.
pears in another nearly opposite
| Above the arch some one has carved
Whoever drinks here shall return
Natural Bridge park is a plateau 1900
| feet above the sea and comprises about
zuv0 acres. 1t is about two miles
away from the James. .'-Washington
Evening Star.
Why the Tip Was Refused.
In Europe the tip to the cabmen in
excess of his legal fare is a well-estab.