Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1922-07-20
The Shenandoah Caverns.


Virginia The famous Valley Pike,
now link in the New York to Atlanta
highway, is traversed yearly by thous-
ands of automobile tourists properly
intent upon seeing America first, and
no enc has adequately seen America
who has not visited one or more Of
the cayerns in the Shenandoah Valley.
Until recently the only caverns thar
were accessible to the public were the
celebrated Luray Caverns, in Page
county, and Weyers Caves, in northern
Augusta county, near GrOttoes. How.
ever, within twelve months, the End
less Caverns, near New Market, in
Shenandoah county, have been thrown
open to the public, and on May 81 an
other cavern near Mount Jackson, also
in Shenandoah county, made its first
bid for the public favor.
The latest-opened caves have been
named the Shenandoah Caverns. They
are about three miles south Of Mount
Jackson and two miles west of the
Valley Pike, with which they are con-
nected by macadamized road. They
are close to Shenandoah Caverns sta
ton, on the Harrisonburg branch OF
the Southern Railway, and are readily
accessible both to the automobiist and
to the railway tourist Commodious
rest rooms are provided near the rail
way. The visitor descends into these
caverns by a concrete stairway and
soon sees the first stalactites which APP
pear as stout daggers of crystallzed
lime carbonate, hanging like icicles
from points where surface water drips
from the limestone roof. AT the foot
Of the stairs is the spacious anteroom
to a long chain of -vaulted cham
bers connected by narrow passageways,
forming in general plan a gigantic
letter S, all illuminated by cleverly
concealed lights. Attractive natural
decorations are found in every room.
Here the side walls are covered by
lluted veneer done in crystal stucco,
there in graceful drapery hang creamy
lambrequins in ruddy-tinted stripes.
From place to place, singly or in
groups, are pendant stalactites and up
rising stalagmiteS-the first inverted
narrow cones fed by trickling films
of lime bearing water; the second pill
lars or columns fed by scattering drops
of the water. Giving free rein to fan
cy the visitor finds resemblance in
these caverns deposits to whatever he
NAV choose from the realms of the
earth or Of the waters under the earth
The beasts and the birds are there,
and some of the fishes; silhouette por-
traits of celebrities, towers and min
arets, dungeons and domes, hanging
gardens, high cliffs mantled by pattern
ed growths Stimulating the dainty cor
alline fungus of moist summer groves
In one room midway down the chain
the show piece is a narrow 30-foot
cascade of white glittering crystal
ffanked by twin falls Of pale translucent
ocher. AT the base and to the rear of
this diamond cascade, visible by peer
ing between slender columns of orien-
tai alabaster, is the "Fairy's Secret"
tiny pool Illuminated in due season
by animated torches, presumably car
ried by brood of phosphorescent lar
vac of some insect, perhaps a small
fly that is commonly present in such
caverns.
AS he progresses from room to room
the visitor is apt to think each succeed
ing chamber superior to the last, blu,
whether or not This is true all are
likely to agree that the most charming
of all is the one that completes the
inbound trip. At the end of the de-
ve!opcd portion OF the cavern cham
Der OF high vaulted roof suddenly gives
place to a iow-ceiled room containinS
a 'aNe!ct in which are mirrorcd a null
titude of delicate stalactites pool
of thousand crystal pendants, the
very quintessencc Of the subtcrranean
charms.
According to A. c. Spencer, of the
United States Geological Survey, the
caverns of the Shenandoah Valley are
far more numerous than the casual Wis
itor would be likely to imagine. The
rocks IN which this broad trench-likc
valley has been eXcavated by water
are mainly limestone, and wherever
these rocks occur the existence of cav
ems is indicated by two unfailirg