Year: 1879

THE NATURAL CURIOSITlES OF


SHENANDOAH.


The following interesting letter from
an intelligent friend was received by
the editor few days ago, and will be
read with much interest by the admirers
of the architectural fancies of Nature.
That Shenandoah abounds with subter-
ranean curiositles is evident from the
face of the country. We know OF sew
eral caves which have never been ex-
plored, and which only require a little
enterprise to unfold beauties which
they certainly possess to the curious.
The splendid cave described by our
friend, is calculated to excite attention
both at home and abroad, and the gen
tlemen composing the exploring expe-
dition, deserve great applause for their
adventurous enterprise. The next party
which we intend accompanying, we
hope will make additional discoveries,
calculated to place Ruff'uers Cave in
the first class of the curiosities Of the
Valley


The descent for ten or fifteen yards
is rather narrow and is at an ,angle of
torty-fve degrees, it then takes hori-
zontal direction, until we are brought
at a distance of about one hundred
yards from the entrance, to the first
room which, from its situation, we call
ed the Lobby. The passage approaches
this room about ten feet above the level
of its floor, and at some places it is per
pendicular, but the descent into the
room, is down the rocks somewhat in
the form of steps. This room contains
some specimens of beautiful spar.


Here We tried 20 take the bearing of
the room, but found from the proximity
of minerals or some unknown cause, that
the instruments were rendered wholly
useless Leaving this room, we proceed
ed in a direction which seemed TO be
west and south west, and down the side
of the mountain. This passage has
something the appearance of large
stairway. After descending, as we sup
posed a quarter of a mile, the passage
becomes very straight and smooth, and
gradually enlarged until we perceived
that we stood in front OF room, whose
dimensions, from the light of all our
candles, we could not discover. TIE
entrance here, rs in the room which We
first entered, was ten or fifteen feet
above the level of the floor. After few
moments however, by clinging to the
projections of spar, which here appear
ed like large icicles, the whole party
stood safely upon the floor of this great
room. Here all the wonders and mag
ni6cence ofthe subterranean world, burst
upon US at once. We found that we
stood in a room, the area of the whole
floor was equal to quarter Of all acre.
Immediately before us, and within a
few feet of the centre of the room, arose
a vast column or pillar in great degree
combining the architural proportions;
and run up about twenty-five or thirty
feet and supported the dome Of this i'm
mense ball.


This column stands upon q block or
pedestal about three fee: in height, and
the shape where it rests upon tits about
the thickness of a mans body. 1t then
swells gradually until it becomes, at the
distance of twenty feet from It's base,
about the size Of barrel, whence it
continues Of the same size, until it grad
ually enlarges into its capital, where it
reaches the dome. Strange TO tell, this
vast column is as regularly and beauti-
fully futed or grooyed as if 1t had been
done with the cbisel of the sculptor.


About fifteen feet from the main pill
lar, stands two smaller ones, about ten
feet in height; and just a: their base
and nearly between them, is small
pool or basin of water. Here the whole
party sat down, and unfolded their va
rious bundles of provisions and refresh
ments, and sticking their candles to the
different pillars, enjoyed their cool col
lation, with such appetites and spirits as
were naturally superinduced by exer-
else and the novelty of the scene around
US. We perceived now for the first
time, by the united glare of all our can
dies, that the whole of the arch of this
immense hall was hung with the most
beautiful stalactites,and variegated with
almost every possible variety Of colour.