The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 8 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and PrivateJefferson, Thomas
History
The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 8 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and Private
Jefferson, Thomas
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783; United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865
At the Panther gap, in the ridge which divides the waters of
the Crow and the Calf pasture, is what is called the _Blowing
Cave_. It is in the side of a hill, is of about one hundred feet
diameter, and emits constantly a current of air of such force as
to keep the weeds prostrate to the distance of twenty yards before
it. This current is strongest in dry, frosty weather, and in
long spells of rain weakest. Regular inspirations and expirations
of air, by caverns and fissures, have been probably enough
accounted for by supposing them combined with intermitting
fountains; as they must of course inhale air while their reservoirs
are emptying themselves, and again emit it while they are filling.
But a constant issue of air, only varying in its force as the
weather is drier or damper, will require a new hypothesis. There
is another blowing cave in the Cumberland mountain, about a
mile from where it crosses the Carolina line. All we know of
this is, that it is not constant, and that a fountain of water issues
from it.
The _Natural Bridge_, the most sublime of nature's works,
though not comprehended under the present head, must not be
pretermitted. It is on the ascent of a hill, which seems to have
been cloven through its length by some great convulsion. The
fissure, just at the bridge, is, by some admeasurements, two hundred
and seventy feet deep, by others only two hundred and five.
It is about forty-five feet wide at the bottom and ninety feet at
the top; this of course determines the length of the bridge,
and its height from the water. Its breadth in the middle is
about sixty feet, but more at the ends, and the thickness of the
mass, at the summit of the arch, about forty feet. A part of
this thickness is constituted by a coat of earth, which gives
growth to many large trees. The residue, with the hill on both
sides, is one solid rock of lime-stone. The arch approaches the
semi-elliptical form; but the larger axis of the ellipsis, which
would be the cord of the arch, is many times longer than the
transverse. Though the sides of this bridge are provided in some
parts with a parapet of fixed rocks, yet few men have resolution
to walk to them, and look over into the abyss. You involuntarily
fall on your hands and feet, creep to the parapet, and peep
over it. Looking down from this height about a minute, gave
me a violent head-ache. If the view from the top be painful
and intolerable, that from below is delightful in an equal extreme.
It is impossible for the emotions arising from the sublime
to be felt beyond what they are here; so beautiful an arch,
so elevated, so light, and springing as it were up to heaven! the
rapture of the spectator is really indescribable! The fissure continuing
narrow, deep, and straight, for a considerable distance
above and below the bridge, opens a short but very pleasing view
of the North mountain on one side and the Blue Ridge on the
other, at the distance each of them of about five miles. This
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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