THE CRYSTAL CITIES--THE SHOW-ROOM AND THE GRAND STALACTITES.
From "Lot's Wife" to "The Crystal Cities" is about 20 yards north,
through a hall from 9 to 15 feet high. On the right-hand side is a
concrete wall, which rises about 12 inches from the floor, to protect
the "Cities" from dust raised by the tramping of feet. At the end of
this concrete wall is a descent of two steps, which brings visitors in
full view of the exquisitely beautiful cave, in which there is a group
of dazzling Lilliputian cities, whose buildings are of crystallized
lime. The streets appear to be thronged with minute figures
"---- no bigger than an agate stone
On the forefinger of an alderman."
The sight recalls the Man Mountain and the wonderful Land of Lilliput,
upon which Lemuel Gulliver was cast, where cavalry exercised on the palm
of his hand, and infantry marched 24 abreast between his legs, which
were stretched out like those of a colossus. Imagination can supply the
Palace of Belfaborac in the metropolis of Lilliput, surrounded by
myriads of tiny statuettes, representing the kingdom in which raged no
less than six rebellions, excited by an imperial decree that eggs should
be broken only at the smaller end, whereas it had been from time
immemorial an article of faith that they should be broken only at the
larger end, and notwithstanding that their book of faith and morals
required only that all true believers should break their eggs at the
"convenient end." There is no evidence in these crystal cities, however,
of any rival factions corresponding to the "Big-endians" and the
"Little-endians" of Lilliput. The figures are crowded together like
masses of people before a hustings or at a cricket match, and the effect
is passing strange. They have been formed by water which has been
retained for a time in natural basins and then gradually percolated
through the floor, possibly to enter into the composition of crystal
cities in other sparkling caves. In this respect they resemble the
basins previously described. The crystallization formed in still water,
or in water which moves only downwards, passing slowly through the floor
as through a dripstone, is always characterized by extreme delicacy and
elaboration. The contrast between the "Lot's Wife" crypt and this is as
great as the distinction between the Dead Sea and the Garden of Eden;
between Gustave Dore's illustrations of Purgatory and Paradise; between
Milton's L'Allegro and his Il Penseroso; between the Pink and White
Terraces which until recently were the delight of New Zealand tourists,
and the eruptive mask of scoria which now covers their charms.
In this remarkable cave several distinctive features are presented. The
central horizontal line is well defined by an overhanging ledge, from
which hang some splendid stalactites. Several of them are of
extraordinarily large size, elegant form, and delicate colour. One, of
pure white, on the left-hand side of the cave, rests on the head of a
sturdy stalagmite which has grown from the middle of a mass of rocks,
sloping down to the base. A little to the right are two twin
stalactites, caricatures of the stretched out scraggy legs of some
very-long-cold-and-hungry man, and the most prominent central figures of
the ledge are two conical pieces tapering off to fine points, like
mammoth icicles. Above this ledge the formation of lime on the dark
rugged wall and roof resembles fleecy clouds in an angry sky. Below,
running back into the mountain, are the Crystal Cities, fenced in with
corrugated sparkling walls coped with shell-formation. A little beyond
is another wall of a similar kind, also gracefully curved in obedience
to natural laws, for Nature loves curves and wages perpetual war against
straight lines. In the distance are five or six other mural divisions.
The central one is gracefully bent like the letter S, but not quite so
much rounded at the ends. Between the outer wall and the rest is an open
pear-shaped space, in which are four small domes and two conspicuous
figures. The principal of these is "The Queen's Statue," a pleasing
stalagmitic form of pure alabaster, about 20 inches in height, and
standing on a pedestal of white, shading off to brown. It does not
require much imaginative power to see in this image a representation of
some royal personage clad in ermine robes. The proportions are good, and
the pose is exceedingly graceful. Near to the Queen's Statue is another
notable stalagmitic object, formed in three sections, indicating periods
of rest between. First there is a foundation of white limestone
formation. Then there is a columnar growth of a few inches, with a
distinct joint between it and the base. Superposed is a dome-shaped
summit, not unlike the back of a human head of that kind which
phrenologists call "intellectual;" and between this and the lower
portion is another well-defined joint at the nape of the neck. It is
peculiar, but not regal, in appearance. The topographical aspect of the
Crystal Cities is something like that presented by a bird's-eye view of
a piece of country, in which everything is much foreshortened, as in the
case of the Katoomba Colliery and mining township in the depths of the
Kanimbla valley, when seen from a cliff 1,000 feet overhead. Giant
eucalypti are dwarfed to the proportions of pot plants. Tall tree ferns
resemble starfish. Stalwart workmen are reduced to pigmies, and the
railway seems like the double line at the foot of an account in a
ledger. The various walls in the cave are supposed to encompass separate
cities. The old English idea of a "city" is an incorporated place, with
a cathedral and a bishop. In America all incorporated towns with a
mayor and aldermen are spoken of as cities. But modern cities are not
walled like those in the caves. The latter accord more with ancient
cities which were intramural. For "cities" are ancient. Cain built one.
Walled cities were numerous in the land of Canaan. But from the Cities
of the Plain to the Apocalyptic City of Gold, with foundations garnished
with all manner of precious stones, it would be difficult to imagine
anything more brilliant and sparkling than the Crystal Cities of the
Jenolan Caves.
Passing from the Crystal Cities to "The Show-room," about 20 yards
north, several charming features present themselves for admiration,
among which are conspicuous a glittering cascade, terraces of warm brown
colour, reticulated; and also a pure white, delicately-made shawl
hanging from the roof. The height of the crypt is about four feet, and
its breadth 12 feet. The floor is mitred at the side, and between the
shell borders are little forests of figures. Some elegant Doric shafts
extend from the floor to the roof, which is adorned by many sparkling
stalactites. The Show-room itself is a marvel of beauty. Its name
indicates that it is a place of splendid exhibits, and it is
appropriate. The cavern is 12 feet high, 12 feet wide, and about 40
yards long. Some of its principal features are remarkable for their
elegance, and the most striking figure is distinguished by classic
grace. It is a stalactite of purest white, seven or eight feet long, and
from a little distance seems as smooth and round as though it had been
turned in a lathe. It tapers very gradually, and its termination, which
is thickened a little, rests on a stalagmite equally symmetrical, but
formed in sections, each layer--of which there are about a
dozen--indicating separate periods of formation and times of rest. This
peculiar stalagmite stands on a dome marked by similar lights and
shades. It is the centre of many varieties of cave ornamentation. For
the most part the stalagmites are dumpy and poor, but there are numerous
shelving platforms hung round with gorgeous stalactites, and above them
are pieces of intricate formation, both floral and coral, of different
classes of excellence. There are magic haunts and silent chambers with
coruscations like twinkling stars on a "moon-deserted night." Nature has
cast over the whole of this cave a spell of exquisite beauty.
[Illustration: THE SHOW-ROOM.]
Near to the Show-room is the cave of "The Grand Stalactites." It is only
about 10 feet by 13 feet, but its massive grandeur is so impressive that
the pleasure it produces is "akin to pain." Some of the stalagmites are
enormous. Their summit is lost in the masses of huge stalactites which
depend from the roof, and they rest on beautiful brown terraces and
mounds, covered with scintillating reticulation. The elephantine
stalagmites, like the stalactites which hang between and about them, and
in several instances descend nearly to their base, are of dazzling
whiteness. The massive pillars are so close together that the
intervening spaces look like columns of jet, and thus we have "buttress
and buttress alternately framed of ebon and ivory." The majesty of this
cave haunts you. When the magnesium lamp is extinguished and thick
darkness once more casts its veil over the magnificent scene, the vision
of beauty dwells in the mind like a memory which stirs the depths of the
soul.