Evening journal., 1922-07-05
Wonders Beneath the Ground
TarbOro, N. C.. June 27. 1922.
BY G. GRAY CARTER

Tarboro, n. c., June 81. 1922.
1 must tell you about the shenan-
doah Caverns. They are so wonder
full that l look almost hopelessly
upon the job of trying to describe
them, particularly in writing; for
my thoughts will race ahead of my
pen.
These magnificent caverns are sit
uated about three miles from Mt.
jackson. which is in the Shenandoah
Valley. They have been opened but
recently and hence are little known
to the general public, which believes
that the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky
and the Luray Caverns of Virginia
are the only ones worthy of notice.
Strange to say, the Shenandoah Cav
ems are situated unostentatlously
under a hill on which Is one of the
big apple orchards of Virginia, a fact
which was rather disappointing to
me, for 1 had imagined that they
would be in the widest part of the
Blue Ridge or Susquehanna Noun
tains.
Let me start. however. with the
trip as we left Mt. Jackson at s
o'clock on Thursday morning, June
something or other. in the year Of
our Lord one. thousand nine hun
dred and twenty-five.
About two miles from this little
town we saw the sign Shenandoah
Caverns." together with the usual
advertising matter. Of course. We
pulled off to the right onto a dirt
road. which led us through a rolling
country for a mile or so, and dropped
us at the entrance to the caverns.
That entrance is certainly thoroughly
modernized in that It consists of
stone building with ticket window,
cement flooring. etc, even including
electric light.
But we were not interested in the
entrance: we wanted to go down
into the cave proper. I must confess
that as we started down the seventy
nine steps which led to the top
floor" of the cave, l kissed my dol
lar and a-half goodbye, and pre-
pared to have n good laugh at my
self for being taken in by such
hoax. But when hit that first level,
/ forgot to laugh. l was spellbound.
Somehow or other. my thoughts flew
back to that place In Coney Island
my remembrance of 1t is very dim
the devil used to jump !
out at Bayard and me. and where |
the big spider used to tangle us all |
up. The first impression defies de-
scrlption. 1t was all such a curious
tumble of vari-colored stalactites
and stalagmites; such a confusion of
hanging draperies of stone and lime
stone pipe organs; that l should be |
al a loss where to start in describ- |
Ing them.
Immediately to the right. serving |
as an introduction to the beauties |
that lay beyond. was the Diamond |
Cascade. sparkling and glitterlng, |
almost like falling water, cleverly |
lighted by concealed electric bulbs
a huge waterfall cut in stone by the /
Sculptor of the Ages" magnificent
beyond comparison.
Further along came a series OF
beautiful formations which one,
aided by a fertile Imagination, could
,onjure up into a multitude of hg-
Tres: replica of the leaning Tower OF
Pisa. and of the Acropolis, which, by
he way, our party named. and even
oy a stretch of Imagination. of the
Roman Coliseum. sprang into view in
-apid succession. And. strange to
say. peeping from the ceiling" as
4 to guard these ancient buildings,
was the head of the hOmely little
almost perfect in outline.
In another corner stood huge eie-
ohant. while on the wall beyond
vas the clear impression OF Polar
,ear. the figure of pure white. SEEM
ngly almost leaping from the red
ish rock in which II was imbedded.
At the entrance of one of the
rooms" sat an aged Indian. rather
beaten. to be sure, but there,
as If to guard the Sc
rets of the place from prying eyes.
Several OF the rooms were SPLEEN
idly curtained with old tapestries.
ONE of which really looked as IL
hey had been woven on gigantic
ooms. There was sharp contrast all
round us, too so that we saw the
ublime and the ridiculous at one
lance. for. side by side with n
ich old pipe organ was beaui-
strip of bacon or a
ross section of a chocolate-covered
e cream brick.
From one room TO another we