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.
