The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-08-05
THE CAVES OF BELLM AR.
The Magnificent Underground Wonder at
MatanzaS.

The chief glory of Matanzas is the
Caves of Be llmar, the Caves of the Beau
tiful Sea.
Two toilers at Matanzas were one day
busy at their lime-kiln, when suddenly
the bottom fell out of it and their plan1
went down, down. Fortunately the men
did not go with it, and, when they haa
collected their scattered wits, they reas-
oned among themselves that they had
found gold mine. A secret society Oh
two was formed at once; and, while one
stood guard, the other bought up all the
ground il sight. They bought it scheap,
for thc owners thought 1t Was solid dirt.
Then came the exploration. Down
went the Cuban until his spirit failed
him and no man who has descended
since has blamed him for not going on
until be touched bottom. Back again in
the light of the sun he had a wonderful
story of an immense temple, floor, walls,
and a roof all jeweled with diamonds.
This is the Gothic Temple. into which
visitors are first ushered today, majestic
cathedral of nature. where the stalactites
lousy festooned arches through the CEN
turtles. Here though the temple is with
out altar or pulpit, the bishop of Matan-
zas held a memorable service in 1907. a
throng in populace, supplied choir, ana
gorgeously vested priests united with the
mitred bishop to send the roll and swell
of chant and anthem echoing through the
torchlit marvel within the hollow OF the
rock. They talk of that service yet IN
MatanZas.
There are nearly ten miles OF walks
through this maze of natures Wltchery,
and still not all the recesses are explored.
From the Temple you pass into the Gal
lery of Ioicles. Thousands of pendant
points of translucent crystallization
CLEAN from the ceiling, each with an an
sverings talagmite rising to meetssit from
the floor. 1t would be impossible to
name the myriad forms that here are
shaped in alabaster image,
Each visitor finds new likenesses which
no other had discovered, and very sdull OF
eve and witless must that wanderer be
who does not leave as the way-mark OF
his visit some wonder no longer nameless.
Thus an American lady, when going
through the caves in the seventies, dis
covered the perfect image of pig. At
least, q fair, white a1abaster pig it looked
to her, and SO she named it; and today
your guide will tell you of her and show
Won the American Lady's Pig.
Among the fairest of the airy creations
that have been fashioned here by nature g
mysteriously skilled workmen are the
Lady's Skirt, falling in soft, sheeny folds
of snowy muslin, with even q dainty
fiutEd rufle at the bottom; and the Nir-
GIN Mantle, q robe of delicately tinted.
satipy texture, studded with myriad
gfistAning brilliantS, and in rich graceful
drapery seeming all ready for some fair
and pure one to throw about her form.
Then there is the Lake of Dahlias. for all
. the world like garden Of dahlias that
had been flooded with water and then so
quickly frozen that not single yellow bud
or petal had bad time to curl or dro9p,
and theirs in all their beauty they lift
themselves above the lake. Here are the
Three Angels. who sit side by. side and
weep, their faces yelled, their wings
dropping. Here also is the Vase of
Flowers, carved. one feels compelled to
believe, out Of single dazzling pearl, a
thing of beauty thought one American
when he offered for it two
thousand dollars; but that button
hole bouquet he never wore. Cuba has it
still.
One splendor more, frozen waterfall
Sheet and spray and snowy foam caught
in the act; and, as the guides wave
their torches back and forth behind 1t,
every flashing, clubbing particle seems
surely falling; yet SO radiant IS the down
pour that it is well called the cascade of
diamonds George T. Lennon in
Christian Endeavor World.