On the 23d of November we left the wretched tavern at the Natural Bridge, and returned to Staunton in a crowded stage, in which were four gentlemen from the state of Tennessee, members of congress, going to Washington. I took my seat as usual alongside the coachman, where I had more room and fresh air. We returned as far as Lexington by the road we left it. Having stopped for a short while here, I was the object of much curiosity to the German descendants who are settled here. The town of Lexington was first established about forty years ago, and it now contains eleven hundred inhabitants. In its vicinity upon a hill, is a large arsenal covered with zinc, belonging to the United States.
From Lexington we took another road which led us through the considerable villages of Brownsburgh and Middleburgh. The road was in some places very bad, and terribly rough; but we sometimes found a side road, which in that dry season was still very good; it ran generally through a forest. We saw lonely houses and met with many travellers on horseback, several of them were well dressed white women. All our coachmen in this state were whites; I was surprised at this, knowing that black coachmen could be had at a cheaper rate, and was told that in this state, blacks were not allowed to drive the mail stage.
On the 24th of November, after nine o’clock in the morning, we set out from Staunton in a hired coach, in order to pass by a circuitous route the celebrated Wier’s cave, and thence continue our journey to Charlotteville, whither we had sent our heavy baggage by the stage.
As far as Wier’s cave, eighteen miles distant, we had a good country road. We took our lodgings in a lonely house belonging to Mr. Mohler, a German from Pennsylvania, of Saxon origin. The way was through a hilly, woody country; many breaks in the earth presented limestone rocks, and announced the proximity of caves. For a sportsman this country must be delightful, for we saw in the woods two flocks of partridges, which left the road, only to give way to the passing carriage, and then settled at not more than ten paces from us. On the banks of the creeks we saw a great number of snipes. Mohler’s house is situated on a considerable creek, called the South river, which by means of a canal, works a grist-mill and forge.
The grist-mill belongs to a miller, who has also a whiskey distillery, and upwards of one hundred acres of land, with four negro slaves. He cultivates wheat, some rye, and a great quantity of Indian corn. His mill, a large stone building, is arranged very compendiously, and reminded me of the large steam-mill at Baltimore. There are only two pairs of stones, one for wheat, and the other for Indian corn. The boulted flour is conveyed to the upper floor by means of elevators, and spread upon it by a rake, which has a circular and horizontal motion, in order to cool it. He sends his flour packed up in barrels to Richmond, and even to Baltimore. The industrious Mohler has connected with his grist-mill, a saw-mill, and a mill to break flax, which is likewise cultivated, though not in a large quantity; this year, on account of the dryness, it has failed.
The entrance of the cave is about a mile and a half from Mohler’s house, and is situated in the middle of a steep side of a mountain on the bank of the South river. We crept down the hollow, every one provided with a taper, and came directly into a space where we could stand up; there were some beautiful stalactites, mostly in columns. This place is called the antichamber. Then we arrived at a hall called dragon’s room, from a stalactite, which is said to have the form of a dragon. Several of the stalactites are not unlike waterfalls; one of them is called Niagara Falls.
The following gallery is called the Devil’s gallery, from a figure standing in it; yet I found in this figure more resemblance to a statue of the virgin, than to that of a devil.
A whole stratum of the stalactites detached from the roof of the cavern, was as it were, suspended between heaven and earth, and afforded a fine view, especially as a new formation of stalactites took place between the roof and the suspended stratum.
A narrow hollow passage leads into a more spacious cavern called Solomon’s Temple; here are very singular and mostly foliated transparent stalactites, hanging from the roof down to the floor. Not far from that cavern is another, named hide-room, in which the stalactites hang down in form of hides in a tannery. Then we came into another vault, which is called the drum-room, because if a stone is thrown against the stalactites, they give a sound resembling that of a drum. Some of the stalactites having the form of sticks, and ranged in circles, produce all the sounds of an octave, if struck with a stick. You pass afterwards through a narrow passage, by an opening, which looks like an antique tomb in ruins, and is called Patterson’s grave, in commemoration of an individual of that name who fell in there. By means of a rather rotten ladder, you come now into a very high smooth saloon, eighty feet long, called the ball-room, in which benches are placed; I was told that visitors having ladies with them, entertained themselves here very often with dancing. Then you ascend another ladder, and creep on all fours through a narrow hollow, which has been partly enlarged by a mine, when you arrive at a natural, but very slippery staircase, called Jacob’s ladder, which you descend; then passing through a narrow dungeon, you get into a more spacious room, named Senate-chamber, when by means of a rotten ladder you reach a long gallery, called Washington-hall, from a large stalactite standing in the middle of it, and having the form of a statue, which is called Washington’s statue.
Not far from this statue, there is a small fountain, the water of which, though very thirsty, I did not venture to drink, having some days since experienced bad consequences from drinking water from limestone rocks. Next to this hall, is a place in which the stalactites covering the rock, have a shining crystalline-like surface, wherefore this vault is called the diamond room. Farther on, you get in a large saloon called the dining room, in which the stalactites represent something not unlike a side-board set with bottles and tumblers. In Washington-hall there is a heap of this filtered stone, called the hay-stack, and over it hangs another stalactite, having the form of a rake.