The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1870-11-19

THE CAVE OF BEILAMAW, IN CUBA w hat.
ever advantage, as to extent, other caves may
possess over Beliamar, surely none in the world
can surpass its wondrou> wealth of rare and eX-
quisteiy beautiful crystallizations. Nature
seems to have exhausted her fancy in producing
these myriadS OF gu amt form, and curious COM
biuation-. The stalactltes are sinyularly capri.
cious and beautiful. From the Mantle of Col.
unhus' to the newly formed delicate tut es and
coues, scarcely an inch in length, there exists
every intermediate variety or size. Some are
fat and transparent, and viii! vibrate when
struck, with a sound as clear and melodiOus IN a
silver bell Others are tube.llke, hollow, twist
ed or curved. sometimes branching like coral,
at others hanging like hooks, or darling shar ply
upward. According to the accidents of their
position, they assume at times entirely different
forms. Now they are frozen dribblets along the
yellow surface Of the rock again they have
worked themselves into grotesque friuges, or are
SC Hoped into delicate frills new they are like
glittering serpents flashing wildly in the torch.
light; then the rock Is coated a. it with "a heavy
frost and again, the shapes take the form of
crucirles, OF cornucOpi9, or OF flowers tinged
with delicate colors aud resembling dahlas and
roses.
In the complex web which they form it is
difficult at times 30 separate the stal c,tes from
the ,t,l .smites The latter form, in some placef
VI
patterned Lace; they hang like the rich dr.pery
OF silken robes; or like mOtioUless Cascades of
glittering diamonds they extend, wave after
wave, and told after fold from the ceiling to the
floor. Sometimes they assume the most gro
tesque forms and reese lblances; here and there
We see them about the floor like devotees kneel.
ing before fantastic idols, in silent and eternal
adoration again they seem like weary travellers
stretched OUT 20 rest at noon on tie cool grass
Dat 4
and naked .svage- gathered in dread circles
around the council fire to plot the war.path or
to plan the chase
Aud all this Is accomplished simply BY the
combination of water aud lime A feeble stream
of water permcates the limestone above, and fiji.
tiers through it, Carrying along some minute
PARTICLES OF line III solution. AS this water
drops from the root OF the cave, or dribbes along
the surface of its WALL. it leaves behind it these
calcareous particles, which, in the form of car
Donate OF lime, harden and are crystaliized
forming II thousand cap,icious figures. II the
drops tall from Lhe roof, the form j. generally
that OF n pendent tube or elongated cone. ter ini.
mating IN a keen point 10 which every additluu-
al drop from above naturally rui>. E,ch drop
remains there suspended for "a ,npiu.nt, contE.
butinl its intinitcssin,a! quu' at lime toward th,
leugthcning of the stula, ute Down. ard il tht,.
falls to the ground, cntryns WIN II the r..id ue
OF the lime, which il th.rr DEPOSITED -nd rry,.
taliH,s. contributing tu ihr slpw,h OF tho ,.,.
lagmite upward. Thus every 4top tend- to ia.
crease the two formations
I, the dribblet OF water, however, flows along
the surface of u rock then IL leaves the lime be.
hind it to mark its devious path III the form OF
dehca,. tr4cety aud friuges. 1t the quantity
water j. large, then the cascades and curtains
and snow.drii,S formed. The roof of the
cave, it, walls, and It's floor, are thus ali, at the
same time, being oruamcnted through the agency
above described. Considering the extreme slo W.
ness of .he process, how many ages it must have
required to ayglomeratc gigantic masses of crys.
allix alton like that called the Mantle sf Col.
nbus" Aui yes this, Necessarily, i. not so
cid H. the cave itself
Caves suoh A. Be.lrmHr are 10 ba met with on
"A smaller scale in all thc c.trhreuus formation.
on the island, where natural b,id-cs, tunnels,
and u Jtrrr,nean river are likewise found
The or. yiu OF tie g We uf Bell mar m,y he due
I, volcanic 4c'iau; hu, Il 4, mor- pritmb,y ow.
ing 10 the gradual erosion o. yielding STRAIT. by