The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1902-07-16
THE NATURAL BRIDGE.
An Interesting Talk Apropos OF the BiIi
for ~ National Park There.

tory Introduced bill last week pro-
viding for the purchase of Natural
Bridge b. the national government and
the development of the land just about
the bridge into a national park. Like
every ono else in the state Mr.. Flood
regards the Natural Bridge as the equal
of Niagara Falls, and looks upon 1t
as q wonderful work of nature which
should bcl1ng to the government and
be ieolously guarded. In this he has
the hearty support of many represen-
ta;ives from other sections of the
country and the entire Virginia dele
cation.
In one of the house galleries when
Mr.. Flood walked to the speakers desk
and presented his hill 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 n reporter, the Natural Bridge
is estimated as one of the most inter-
esting things in Virginia. Jefferson,
who was its first owner. spoke of 1t as
famous place that will draw the at
tention of the world John Marshall
called il Gods greatest miracle in
stone. Clay said IL was a bridge not
made with hands, that spans a river,
carries q highway and makes two
mountains one Those men visited
| the bridge Mt 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 7 don't believe all the pic
lures in the world would indicate its
solemnity and grandeur. Ic is a sin
| gle block. of limestone, with many
shades of color. wide enougi to span
Broadway and high enough to throw
in the shadow the turrets of Trinity
church. The walls are as smooth as
il cut with chisels. The height of the
arch rs almost 215 feet. about half that
of the Washington monument. Its
width is 100 feet and its span is clear
80 feet. Birds high in air pass under
the blue arch. The place is full of
echoes. Lightning struck the bridge
in 1873. and hurled down an immense
mass of rock but there is no sign Of
its displacement on the bridge itself.
The history of the Natural Bridge
Is remarkably interesting. 1t was men,
toned first, | think, by Burnaby in
1853, who spoke of 1t as a natural arch
or bridge joining two high mountains,
with considerable river underneath
| A bloody Indian fight occurred near 1t
about 1870. Washington, when a sur
veyor for Lord Fairfax. visited 1t and
carved his name. where 1t can now be
seen. During the Revolution, the
French organized two expeditions to
visit 1t.
From their measurements and dia-
grams a 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
1174. 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 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 | have indicated,
were taken from that book. Unfor.
tunately, the book was accidentally de-
stroyed in 1S45. and only part of IT
remains.
"Above the bridge is an immense
glen. probably once 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 1912 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 plateau 1890
feet above the sea and comprises about
200 acres. 1t is about two miles
away from the James. s."-Washington
Evening Star.