GENERAL IMPRESSIONS.
When the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon she went to
Jerusalem with a great train, with camels that bore spices and large
quantities of gold and precious stones, and fully satisfied the
curiosity commonly attributed to her sex. She proved the wisdom of the
far-famed monarch, admired his house and its appointments, the apparel
of his servants, the attendance of his ministers, and the magnificence
of his daily table; and, according to Josephus, she said: "As for the
report, it only attempted to persuade our hearing, but did not so make
known the dignity of the things themselves as does the sight of them,
and being present among them. I, indeed, who did not believe what was
reported by reason of the multitude and grandeur of the things I
inquired about, do see them to be much more numerous than they were
reported to be." Or, as the verdict of "the Queen of the South" is given
in the Authorized Version of the Old Testament, "I believed not the
words until I came, and mine eyes had seen it; and, behold, the half was
not told me." A similar testimony will be borne by most visitors in
regard to the magnificence of the Jenolan Caves, and "the multitude and
grandeur" of the objects which excite surprise or challenge admiration
at almost every step. Jenolan is a veritable wonderland, as well as a
most interesting geological study. It presents features sufficiently
sublime to touch the deepest chords of the human heart: forms
sufficiently graceful to charm the artist; situations affording novel
material for the romancist; configurations, transmutations, and
fascinations to move the soul of the poet; and vast, silent cathedrals
which inspire a feeling of devotion, for--
"Nature, with folded hands, seems there
Kneeling at her evening prayer."
Some of the best photographs which have been taken of the most prominent
features of the caves give an idea of their grandeur, but it is only a
poor one. They convey no impression of their delicate sheen and dazzling
beauty, of the gradations of tint and colour; of the mystic crypts and
charming contours. A good photograph may aid those who have seen the
caves to fill in details, but even to the most imaginative person who
has not had the pleasure of a personal inspection it cannot possibly
convey anything like an adequate sense of the thousand and one charms
which elude both the photographer and the artist. There is as much
difference between the pictorial illustration and the reality as there
is between a vacant stare and an eye filled with lovelight and sparkling
recognition. And the same remark will apply in greater or lesser degree
to verbal description. Words are altogether too poor, and it may be
folly to attempt to describe the indescribably beautiful. Among the
numerous inscriptions in the cave book, a visitor has given his judgment
upon this point very bluntly. He says, without periphrasis or
euphemism--"The man who would attempt to describe these caves is a
fool." Still, these articles as they appeared in the _Sydney Morning
Herald_, have at least brought the caves prominently before the public,
and perchance in their present form may be of use to future visitors.
On leaving the Cimmerian gloom of the Imperial Cave, and emerging into
the clear daylight, the sensation is strange, for after being two or
three hours entombed in the heart of the limestone mountains, the
darkness seems as natural as night. It is joyous, however, to be back
again in the sunshine, and to find that--
"There is a tongue in every leaf,
A voice in every rill."
CAVES UNEXPLORED.
And as you glance once more along the limestone mountain ridge you
wonder what hidden beauties yet remain to be revealed. To the north from
the Devil's Coach House numerous caves are known to exist, and it is
probable that some of them may present features more remarkable than any
yet discovered. The creek, which runs quietly along, has on its way some
oblique outlets before it sinks into the earth, and recalls, with its
surroundings, the pleasure-place of Kubla Khan,--
"Where Alf the sacred river ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to the sunless sea."
The first of these caves is very deep, with a steep ascent. The curator
has penetrated it to a depth of 160 feet. He was lowered into one shaft
100 feet perpendicular, and found in it a number of interesting bones,
which he sent to the museum of the Department of Mines in Sydney. One of
them resembled the tusk of a tiger, and was thought to be too large to
have been in the jaw of any Australian animal extant. The next known
cave is called the "Glass Cave," on account of the transparent beauty of
its adornments, which are equal to those of the Imperial Cave. The third
is unexplored, but there is reason to believe that it is very extensive.
The fourth, which seems to run southward, is also unexplored. Some time
ago the curator was lowered into it, a depth of 80 feet, but he has not
been able to make any examination of its interior. Next is the Mammoth
Cave, so called because of its vast chambers. One of these is estimated
to be upwards of 300 feet high, 100 feet long, and 100 feet wide. It
contains a large amount of formation, the prettiest portions of which
are about 200 feet from the floor. The roof is so high that the
magnesium lamp is hardly strong enough to bring it into view. There is a
very long and wide chamber leading from this towards the south, with a
large number of "drops" of from 100 to 150 feet, many of them
unexplored. The length of this chamber is about 10 chains--that is,
one-eighth of a mile. From this the curator was lowered into another
chamber of vast proportions, and from 60 to 100 feet deeper down,
through solid limestone. At the end of its undulating floor he came to a
river about six feet wide and nine inches deep, the water of which was
running in a strong stream. Round about are many little caverns full of
bones. The next is the Bow Cave, to which reference has previously been
made. It is a small cavern, and, as has already been explained, there
were found in it six bullock bows, together with two harrow pins, and a
pair of hinges; supposed to have been "planted" there by McEwan, the
bush-ranger, about the year 1839. This cave has about it numerous small
drives not yet explored. Farther on is a pretty cave, running, with a
gentle slope, two or three hundred yards into the mountains, and
containing numerous chambers and water-holes. Five or six of these
chambers only have been explored, and they contain some very handsome
stalactites. Farther on are two or three other caves, to the entrance of
which only the curator has been. Above all these caves a strong stream
of water sinks suddenly into the ground. It is believed that this feeds
the river in the Mammoth Cave, and afterwards flows into the Imperial,
and comes to the surface again in Camp Creek, on the other side of the
limestone range, where it bursts up suddenly from between the boulders,
as though there were underneath them a broken 42-inch city water-pipe.
On the south side of the Grand Arch are several known caves. The curator
has been lowered about 100 feet into one of small dimensions, with a
large chamber from it, containing many sonorous stalactites of large
proportions, as well as much elaborate formation. Next to this is a
cavern called the Specimen Cave. It is about 20 feet deep, with a large
number of bones on the floor, which has been broken away. The fracture
shows that it was largely composed of red clay. The broken face is full
of bones. This cave would be worth special examination, because it is
believed many of the bones belonged to animals which have disappeared
from New South Wales. Farther on is a cave into which, five years ago,
the curator was lowered about 240 feet. At a still greater distance,
three miles from the Cave House, is a cave, with a strong stream of
water flowing out of it. That is the farthest limestone visible on this
side of the mountain. The stream sinks into the ground at a short
distance after it leaves the mouth of the cave. It is believed that this
water runs underneath all the caves on the south side into the Lucas
Cave, and is not seen again until it re-appears under "The Bridge." The
range of limestone rocks seen from the Cave House extends north and
south five-and-a-half or six miles. At each end water in considerable
volume sinks into the earth suddenly and re-appears in caves near the
centre of the valley; the northern stream flowing through the Imperial
Cave, and the southern through the Lucas Cave. Both streams come to the
surface in Camp Creek, and chatter away towards the sea.