Identifier: reportofvisittol00maso (find matches)
Title: Report of a visit to the Luray Cavern, in Page County, Virginia, under the auspices of the Smithsonian institution, July 13 and 14, 1880
Year: 1881 (1880s)
Authors: (Mason, Otis Tufton), 1838- (from old catalog)
Subjects:
Publisher: (Washington
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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here atleast one couple sought their introduction into the mysteries of weddedlove. Near at hand is the hollow column, a cylinder of great size, whichrises from the floor and disappears through the ceiling as a stove-pipe.The column is hollow, as its name implies, a stream of water havingworn away the center, through which, by means of a rope, an ascent canbe made to a chamber nearly 60 feet above. 10 LURAY CAVERN, PAGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA. Passing onward the visitor stops for a few moments to admire whatseems to be the retreating form ^f a lady in full party toilet. Her headis just hid by the jamb of the distant doorway; but rounded shoulders,delicate arms, shapely waist, and long, flowing skirt and train, profuselyornamented, all are there. The proprietors have named this the LadiesToilet, but some of the Smithsonian party suggested the (itle Cinderellaleaving the Ball. The iiath leads hence across Plutos Chasm, by theBridge of Sighs, to a rift bearing the grim title of Skeleton Gulch.
Text Appearing After Image:
The Grand Giilcli and Geyser. Here, 110 feet below the mouth of the Chasm, in the bottom of a narrowtrench, are the bones of what apjiears to have been a human being. Thevandalism of former visitors made the proprietor rather shy of the ex-ploring party; but as far as could be made out a man or woman lost inthe cave had wandered to the edge of Plutos Chasm, and, falling over,had here become entombed. Most of the bones are concealed by thetufaceous floor which has formed over them, but protruding throughand above this are to be seen the head of a femur with an inch or twoof the vertebral column, two or three small pointed projections resem-bling teeth, and a portion of a third bone undetermined. It was abso-lutely impossible to gain any information concerning these bones whichwould be of scientific value. The ground passed over is only one-fourth of the cave accessible, withbut little trouble, to visitors; and yet the fleeting hours invite return andcompel a speedy retreat. LURAY CAVER

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