ing about 600 inhabitants. Those seeking a shorter route to the caverns may now go by rail directly to the spot over the recently-completed Shenandoah Valley Railroad. To select quarters for the night, to eat a sumptuous dinner, and to don their old clothes, occupied the party but a short time, and then all were ready to mount the tally-ho for the cave, which is situated on the north side of the turnpike about a mile west of the town. The entrance is near the summit of a rolling hill.

Before entering, the party listened to an interesting account of the search for the cavern by Mr. Stebbins, and, under the instruction of Professor White, observed carefully its topographical and geological environment.

The Blue Ridge and Town of Luray from Cave Hill.

For many years a small cave has been known in one of the hills near Luray, but it was not until August, 1878, that this wonderful freak of nature was discovered. This was due to the curiosity of Mr. B. P. Stebbins, a traveling photographer, who was convinced that the old cave was only a part of other similar formations. After diligent search, numerous diggings, and considerable expenditure of time and money, with no little ridicule from the villagers, he was rewarded by the brilliant discovery. Andrew J. Campbell, of Luray, was the first to enter the cave.

At this point Page Valley is several miles wide, and is bordered upon the east by the Blue Ridge, and upon the west by the Massanutton Mountain. The general surface is considerably diversified, and the

rock stratum out of which the cavity has been excavated appears frequently on the surface throughout the neighborhood. The cave, therefore, is not in the side of a mountain, as most of the party had supposed, but at least four or five miles from the mountain ranges on either side. It has no obvious relation with them, except that its origin was partly coincident with their origin, and with the excavation of the valley by erosion. Indeed, it must be remembered that this gnawing away of material has produced not only the valleys, but the mountains themselves as they now exist, although they have such a considerable elevation above the lowlands.

The rocks throughout the whole of this region have been much displaced, having been flexed into great folds, the direction of which coincides with that of the Appalachian mountain range. In fact, these

folds are a remnant of the results of that series of movements in which the whole system primarily originated.

The rock out of which Luray Cavern has been excavated is a compact, bluish limestone, not very evenly bedded, and weathering ruggedly on account of its heterogeneous texture. The few fossils discovered indicate that this limestone stratum is of Lower Silurian, probably belong. ing to the Trenton period.

The position of the cave in the middle of an open valley, distant from the mountains, and so much below their crests, shows that it was hollowed out toward the close of the epoch within which the formation of the valley took place. The character of the erosion leads to the conviction that the excavation was effected subsequently to the formation of the great folds referred to above. It is also plain that the foldings took place after the close of the Carboniferous period, because the strata of that period and those of later date are known to have been involved.

It is thus evident that the geological date of the origination of Luray Cave, although it is carved out of Silurian limestone, is considerably later than the close of the Carboniferous period. None of the facts yet ascertained warrant a more definite conclusion concerning the limits of the antiquity of the souterrain, and the most recent epoch at which it might have been formed is the Tertiary. It is highly probable that the date of its origination is not more ancient than that of the Mammoth Cave or the Wyandotte.

The history of its production is, of course, divided into two periods, namely, its excavation and ornamentation. The latter was wholly produced after, and perhaps long after, the chasm was finished. The cavity was wrought by the same agencies that produce all such effects in limestone formations, namely, by the erosion and by the dissolving action of water holding carbonic acid in solution, and coursing through previously formed fissures in the rocks. These cavities gradually become enlarged into chambers by the falling and removal of loose material to lower levels, and even through open outlets to the general drainage of the country.

The ornamentation of the cave, composed of lime carbonate, in the form of stalactite, stalagmite, calcareous tufa, travertine, cave pearls, calcite crystals, &c., has been produced by the precipitation of that mineral from solution in water, formerly percolating freely through the crevices of the rock which formed the ceiling, after the process of hollowing out was completed.

With these preliminary observations the party equipped themselves for their subterraneous journey each with a tin frame holding three lighted candles. The cold current of air around the mouth of the abyss warned them that their comfort would be enhanced by a heavy coat to enable them to sustain the shock of a sudden change in temperature from 960 to 560 Fahrenheit. The first descent is down a broad flight of square stone steps to a landing 50 feet below the surface. A short walk along a narrow passage leads to the vestibule, or entrance chamber, an irregularly shaped room 35 feet high and nearly 200 feet in diameter in the widest portion, the walls descending and contracting in an erratic and picturesque manner. As this was the first cave experience of most of the party, the unexpected magnitude of the chamber, the almost tangible darkness, the great variety of massive and curious forms, the ghastly shadows flitting about with their feeble candles, filled up the measure of expectancy. Indeed, had there been no rooms beyond far surpassing this one in every respect, all would have been perfectly satisfied. A very remarkable object in this chamber is Washington's Column, a monster pillar, nearly 25 feet in diameter, and very handsomely fluted.

A long, arched, irregular space beyond the vestibule, studded with fungoid and stalactites, has received the name of the Vegetable Garden, from the exquisite varieties of the incrustations. The botryoidal stalactites excited the admiration of the whole party. Wandering through this space, the explorers descended a well-built wooden staircase to Muddy Lake, passing across which over a wooden bridge, they were shown the Bear's Tracks, curious indentations on the tufaceous covering of a ledge, very strongly resembling the scratches made by an animal holding on by its claws. The next point of interest is the theater-a suggestive title from the resemblance to a great audience hall.

Ascending to the left the party came to the Fish Market. Here, on the side of a projecting wall, or series of escarpments, depend hundreds of sheet-like stalactites, mimicking most wonderfully rows of fish exposed for sale. Indeed, one has no difficulty about the identification of the species of bass, perch, shad, mackerel, &c.; some being gray all over, others having black backs and white bellies, and the illusion being perfected by a sufficient trickling to give a slimy, fishy appearance to the objects. All pronounced this to be the most curious, though not by any means the grandest and most impressive, object in the cavern.

From the Fish Market the path to the right leads to the Elfin Ramble, a low, open chamber, from 1 to 10 feet high, 600 feet long, and 300 feet

in breadth. Crossing the Ramble by a deep trench cut through the travertine floor and the cave clay, the party stood on the edge of Pluto's Chasin, a rift 500 feet long, 70 feet deep, and 10 to 50 feet across, and with lighted candles in front of them sought to penetrate the darkness. Fifty candles combine their ineffectual fires to dissipate the gloom, but they only serve to indicate the locality of their possessors. Here is the awe-inspiring spot in all the cave. There is greater beauty, richer variety of form and color in many places, but no view stirs the sense of dreadful mystery like that from the balustrade of Pluto's Chasm. Following the guides down a long, rocky descent, which bears away to the right past the edge of the chasm, the party reached the bottom of this dark chamber. From this point a fine view is obtained of the Specter, a tall snow-white stalagmite, looming up in the darkness in a very ghostly manner. This is a cul de sac, and it is necessary to retrace one's steps to

the Fish Market before making a new departure. Indeed, the astonishing fact was that the whole cavern occupies such a small area. In Mammoth Cave one can walk more than ten continuous miles without doubling on his tracks. At Luray the chambers branch off in most fantastic form about the entrance until one is entirely bewildered. Again, in Luray Cave there are no contracted squeezes, no crawling, no breakneck climbings, no miry pools, but one may get about with almost as much ease as in the open fields.

On the side of a rocky ledge by the path leading to the Fish Market is a miniature lake, in which the formation of calcite crystals is yet going on. It is a very beautiful object, the snow-white crystals forming a pleasing contrast with the brown color of the surrounding rock.

The Grotto of Oberon is reached by crossing the Chasm. Here is a diminutive fountain surrounded by innumerable stalactites of great beauty. Just beyond lies the Bridal Chamber, so called on account of the delicately veiled stalactites and stalagmites occurring there. Until one