A pictorial description of the United States; embracing the history, geographical position, agricultural and mineral resources (1860) (14591306500)

Identifier: pictorialdescrip00sear (find matches)
Title: A pictorial description of the United States; embracing the history, geographical position, agricultural and mineral resources ..
Year: 1860 (1860s)
Authors: (Sears, Robert), 1810-1892. (from old catalog)
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, R. Sears
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation



Text Appearing Before Image:
e road leads up the steep mountainsside ; then, winding around its summit,suddenly conducts us again to the valebelow. After a succession of these upsand downs, the traveller ascends themountain in which the cave is situated.The first object of interest to the visit-er is the entrance to this undergroundworld; but for this he looks in vain.He sees only a large white building, sur-rounded by a variety of outhouses, oc-cupying the centre of a clearing of smallextent. Having procured a guide at the ho-tel (without whom no one is permittedto enter the cave), I was conducted downa steep declivity to the right of thehouse, until we entered a deep gully,through which courses a small streamof water, among broken fragments ofIocks, scattered about in wild confusion.Following this ravine for a number ofrods, we turn suddenly to the right, andthe mouth of the cave is before you.But little effort seems to have been madeto change its natural appearance, andthat little has greatly marred its beauty
Text Appearing After Image:
480 DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. and interest. The sublime in nature,like great men and noble deeds, shouldbe left to appear in its own native orna-ments. The descent is somewhat abruptand unpromising—a confused mass ofunsightly rocks is all that meets the eye.We advance until the appearance is likethe gray mists of the early dawn, whenthe lamps are lighted, and preparationsmade for the subsequent exploration.Soon after the descent, the passage isthrough a door built of rough stones,through which rushes a strong currentof air, that at first produces an unpleas-ant chilliness ; this, however, graduallywears off, as we advance into the moreextended galleries of the cave. Thebottom over which we pass was once,tsvidently, the bed of a river. It is nowdeeply marked by the feet of oxen, andihe wheels of carts, once employed herein the manufacture of saltpetre. Theavenue gradually increases, until theeye, unaccustomed to the surroundinggloom, tries in vain to trace the outlineof t