The Jenolan Caves.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 12 February 1891, Page 2

The Jenolan Caves.

The news of the discovery of further cares dt Jeriolari ill New South Wales leads ua to review a few of those that have previously been known. The caves are of limestone formation, and are described as being not only the most picturesque feature in tlie western district, but as being one of the great sights oi that Colony. The ctlvss are iri & limestone belt from 200 to 400 yards wide — an old coral reef. There are explored five great caves, the Imperial, (with two branches) the Cathedral, the Nettle the Arch, and the Elder. The roof of the " Arch " cave is described as a marvel. " All over it, all over the inner arch of such a dome as would crtp ftt Peter's, immense masses of rock seem litterally to hang. They resemble a drooping skirt of gigantic garments, fossilised, turned into a dull grey stone, which, impregnated with iron and copper, have assumed mysterious tints and blends of dark red and green. Whenever an open space is left, it is quaintly mottled with mildew, and over all there is a gloom, perpetual shadow, mystery, a sentiment of another world." The first marvel in connection with the Imperial cave is a chamber, called the woolshed, which is 20 teet broad and of a noble height, and owing to the dropping of water, particles of limestone, there have been deposited shapes resembling fleeces, of various sizes, which appear to have been hung on benches, or -spread;- upon the floor. In the flicker- . ing light they appear as soft as newly shorn wool. Other caves opening out from this one, are the Vestry, the Architects Studio which has many colums and a noble Gothic Arch, the Margaretta Cave, Helen's Cave and the Lucinda Cave, which is rich in shawls of purest marble and alabaster, which hang from the roof and drape the walls. If a magnesium light be thrown behind J them it is said that they appear to be semi-transparent, and. of varied and delicate tints. Further on lies the Jewel Casket, a cavern of 1 crystals, Katie's Bower, again rich with shawls. I The guides regard the right hand branch of the Imperial as the richest treasure house of their realm. "It i is a continuing scene of bewildering beauty — a succession of treasure stores, of palaces, of fairy playgrounds of most beautiful and sacred grottoes, of triumphs and trophies of fairy work hung upon the walls or buried in little chambers in the rocks ; of vast distances and lofty domed retreats, where stand solitary snow white columns, as if the builders and furnishers of the place had turned themselvhs to stone, that so they might dwell with and watch over their treasures for ever." We now learn by cablegram from Sydney, that " A new cave has been discovered at Jenolan by a party of explorers, who, entering by the right Imperial Cave, proceeded by Ridley's short cut into the Elder Cave, at the top of which they branched off to the left. Here they found an incline of 20ft, over which they lowered themselves by a rope, and finding their further progress blocked, broke away the rocks, and the opening thus made entered a new cave, a magnificent chamber 300 ft long, and varying in width from 6ft to 15ft, and in height from Bft 6in at the lowest point to 20ft and 25ft at the highest. The formation is described as being infinitely more varied and of greater extent than any of the other caves, and those who have seen the far famed Imperial cave, may therefore imagine some of the beauties of the new discovery. The stalactites and stalagmites resemble a forest of firs. A proposal has been made to call the new cave Jersey cave and the department of Mines will probably approve of tins suggestion."