Co-discoverer Benton Stebbins received a stroke of good fortune with a letter from Reverend Horace C. Hovey of Connecticut. Hovey was a Methodist minister possessing a fascination for caves. He was an author and foremost authority on caves in the 1880's. Hovey wrote the Luray owners and requested permission to see the cave he had read about in the New York Herald. Stebbins knew at once that Hovey would be able to help him name the formations and his descriptions would be of inestimable help. Dr. Hovey immediately agreed, saying, “Christening is my business.” Even though a massive stalagmite, this impressive white formation was named Empress Column by Horace Hovey during his special arranged tour.