Evening star., 1934-09-02
NATURAL TUNNEL
PROVIDES BEAUTY
Scott County, Va, Freak
Visited by Many; Railroad
UtiIizes Pathway.

The engineers of nature seem to
have anticipated the ultimate devel-
opment of the railroading facilities
in Scott County, Va, by chiseling a
nature tunnel through mountains OF
solid rock and providing an unusual
subway and shortcut course for the
steel-railed pathway generations be-
fore it was built.
This is one Of the strangest ex-
amples in South Atlantic States his
tory of benefits realized by man from
ancient geological upheavals. Motor
travellers and tourists, as they learn
about this wonder work, are visiting
Virginia's great Natural Tunnel.
The Natural Tunnel is located IL
miles west of Estillville in the famous
cattle empire Of Southwest Virginia
1t has many scenic attractions as
neighborS, including Burke's Garden,
perched 5000 feet above sea level and
encircled by the Clinch Mountain
range. Not far away is Bear Town
Mountain, rising 4,700 feet.
Burke's Garden is 10 miles long and
4 miles wide and looks as though at
one time it might have been the
fertile bed of beautiful mountain
lake. Close by Is Painted Lick Noun
tain, with its impressive wall-like
cliffs which decades ago were painted
by primitive Indian artists.
$50 Feet Long.
The Naturel Tunnel serves as a
subterranean passage through the
...o,~kn{,,e for Cfool> Cranl- ,t,1,io
ranger from 20 to 25 feet in width
The tunnel as designed by nature
takes the form of capital S, being
450 feet long and from so to $50 feet
wide. During colonial days, the
meandering cavern served as part
of the roadbed for a stage coach
route which served Southwest Vir-
ginia.
With the coming of the railroad,
Natural Tunnel was again utilized
transportation service The rock for
nation was studied to make sure that
the vibrations of railroad traffic would
not In time cause rock slides suddenly
obstructing the right of way. The
survey disclosed no such drawbacks.
In some places the roof of the
tunnel is 30 feet above the wandering
stream and the unitarian rails of
steel. The strata of this sturdy rock
formation are arranged in concentric
circles and strikingly resemble the
construction of man made dome.
The arch Of the grotto begins at
the floor at certain points, while at
others walls of sheer rock tower 80
feet high before the curve of the
dome begins.
Cliffs of Beauty.
The tunnel slopes gradually through
out its length, Stock Greek making a
total fall of 10 feet in passing from
one end Of the grotto to the other.
Many familiar with all the glories
of the Alleghanies say that there
is no grander scenery anywhere in
those mountains than that afforded
by the approach to Natural Tunnel
on the lower side. There an immense
wall of limestone rock forms high
beetling cliff which has assumed the
fascinating shape of a gracefully
curved horseshoe. After generations
of exposure, the walls of this towering
cliff have been colored in gorgeous
tints Of red, sepia and brown by
waters rich in solutions Of iron, lime
and magnesia which have trickled
over its face.
In some of the smaller clefts of
this cliff, cedars which have Been
dwarfed by their constant fight for
life under most unfavorable circum-
stances have survived and add their
touches of green to the picture.