The way to farther advance is now more difficult and through a jagged
crevice of threatening appearance, but the trip is made in safety and
with comparative ease, and brings us into Notre Dame, one of the largest
chambers in the cave and perhaps the finest, although where so much is
fine that may be uncertain. The display of box work and crystal is
sufficiently gorgeous to do honor to the famous old cathedral of France,
the ceiling especially being a masterpiece of the builder's and
decorator's arts; but the grandest portion, which a visitor recently
returned from foreign travel called The Russian Castle, on account of
the magnificence of the large box work and pearly crystal masses, should
rather be known as the great cathedral's crowning glory, The Altar.
Another large room, the handsome Council Chamber, is entered just as
that Altar of pearl is lost to view; and from there an up-hill trip is
taken through a narrow crevice to Whale Flat, which is the natural
history room, with a large whale as the show specimen.
Going out from here we enter another crevice which serves as a steep
stairway descending to a lower level, and measures from top to bottom
one hundred and eighteen feet. This is called Rip Van Winkle's Stairway,
and although merely a high and crooked crack in the rock, is very
beautiful because heavily coated with crystal, the effect being
especially striking at the top where the crystal is partly worn away and
leaves exposed patches of red rock.
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