Originally published in The Leisure Hour (Religious Tract Society) vol.1 #3 (15 Jan 1852).
On a lovely morning towards the close of spring, I found myself in a very beautiful part of the Great Valley of Virginia. Spurred onward by impatience, I beheld the sun rising in splendour and changing the blue tints on the tops of the lofty Alleghany mountains into streaks of the purest gold, and the country seemed to smile in the freshness of beauty. A ride of about fifteen miles, and a pleasant woodland ramble of about two, brought myself and companion to the great Natural Bridge.
Although I had been anxiously looking forward to this time, and my mind had been considerably excited by expectation, yet I was not altogether prepared for the visit. This great work of nature is considered by many as the second great curiosity in our country—Niagara Falls being the first. I do not expect to convey a very correct idea of this bridge, for no description can do this.
The Natural Bridge is entirely the work of God. It is of solid limestone, and connects two huge mountains together, by a most beautiful arch, over which there is a great wagon-road. Its length, from one mountain to the other, is nearly eighty feet; its width, about thirty-five; its thickness, about forty-five; and its perpendicular height over the water is not far from two hundred and twenty feet. A few bushes grow on its top, by which the traveller may hold himself as he looks over. On each side of the stream, and near the bridge, are rocks, projecting ten or fifteen feet over the water, and from two hundred to three hundred feet from its surface, all of limestone. The visitor cannot give so good a description of this bridge as he can of his feelings at the time. He softly creeps out on a shaggy projecting rock, and locking down a chasm from forty to sixty feet wide, he sees, nearly three hundred feet below, a wide stream, foaming and dashing against the rocks beneath, as if terrified at the rocks above. This stream is called Cedar Creek. The visitor here sees trees under the arch, whose height is seventy feet, and yet, to look down upon them, they appear like small bushes of perhaps two or three feet in height. I saw several birds fly under the arch, and they looked like insects. I threw down a stone, and counted thirty-four before it reached the water. All hear of heights and depths, but they here see what is high, and they tremble, and feel it to be deep. The awful rocks present their everlasting butments, the water murmurs and foams far below, and the two mountains rear their proud heads on each side, separated by a channel of sublimity. Those who view the sun, the moon, and the stars, and allow that none but God could make them, will here be impressed with the conviction that none but Almighty God could build a bridge like this.
The view of the bridge from below is as pleasing as the top is awful. The arch from beneath would seem to be about two feet in thickness. Some idea of the distance from the top to the bottom may be formed from the fact, that as I stood on the bridge and my companion beneath, neither of us could speak with sufficient loudness to be heard by the other. A man, from either view, does not appear more than four or five inches in height.
Standing under this beautiful arch, we saw the place where visitors have often taken the pains to engrave their names upon the rock. Here, Washington climbed up twenty-five feet, and carved his own name, where it still remains. Some, wishing to immortalize their names, have engraved them deep and large, while others have tried to climb up and insert them high in this book of fame. A few years since, a young man, being ambitious to place his name above all others, was very near losing his life in the attempt. After much fatigue, he climbed up as high as possible, but found that the person who had before occupied his place was taller than himself, and consequently had placed his name above his reach; but he was not thus to be discouraged. He opened a large jack-knife, and, in the soft limestone, began to cut places for his hands and feet. With much patience and difficulty, he worked his way upwards, and succeeded in carving his name higher than the most ambitious had done before him. He could now triumph, but his triumph was short, for he was placed in such a situation that it was impossible to descend unless he fell upon the ragged rocks beneath him.
There was no house near, from whence his companions could get assistance. He could not long remain in that condition, and, what was worse, his friends were too much frightened to do anything for his relief. They looked upon him as already dead, expecting every moment to see him dashed to pieces. Not so with himself. He determined to ascend. Accordingly, he plied himself with his knife, cutting places for his hands and feet, and gradually ascended, with incredible labour. He exerted every muscle. His life was at stake, and all the terrors of death rose before him. He dared not to look downwards, lest his head should become dizzy; and perhaps on this circumstance his life depended. His companions stood on the top of the rock, exhorting and encouraging him. His strength was almost exhausted; but a bare possibility of saving his life still remained; and hope, the last friend of the distressed, had not forsaken him. His course upwards was rather oblique than perpendicular. His most critical moment had now arrived. He had ascended considerably more than two hundred feet, and had still further to rise, when he felt himself fast growing weak. He thought of his friends and all his earthly joys, and he could not leave them. He thought of the grave—eternity—and dared not meet it. He now made his last effort, and succeeded. He had cut his way not far from two hundred and fifty feet from the water, in a course almost perpendicular; and, in a little less than two hours, his anxious companions reached him a pole from the top and drew him up. They received him with shouts of joys but he himself was completely exhausted. He immediately fainted away on reaching the top, and it was some time before he recovered!
It was interesting to see the path up these awful rocks, and to follow in imagination this bold youth as he thus saved his life. His name stands far above all the rest, a monument of hardihood, of rashness, and of folly. We stayed around this seat of grandeur four hours; but, from my own feelings, I should not have supposed it over half an hour. There is a little cottage near, lately built; here we were desired to write our names, as visitors to the bridge, in a large book kept for this purpose. Two large volumes were nearly filled already. Having immortalized our names by enrolling them in this hook, we slowly and silently returned to our horses, wondering at this great work of nature. We could not but be filled with astonishment at the amazing power of Him who can clothe himself in wonder and terror, or throw around his works a mantle of sublimity.