Stories of persons and places in Europe . e. The richest quicksilver mine in Europe, exceptingthat of Almaden, in Spain, is at Idria, in Carniola. Where the interior of the earth does not contain treasures, it abounds inmammoth caves, grottos, caverns and underground passages, lakes and riv-ers. All the southwestern strip facing the Adriatic Sea is hollowed out bythese caverns. At Adelsberg, in the Julian Alps, is the largest one inEurope. Its walls and roofs shine with brilliant spar as if they were setwith gems, and in all the rooms and passages are curious shapes, resem-bling things of the
Stories of persons and places in Europe . e. The richest quicksilver mine in Europe, exceptingthat of Almaden, in Spain, is at Idria, in Carniola. Where the interior of the earth does not contain treasures, it abounds inmammoth caves, grottos, caverns and underground passages, lakes and riv-ers. All the southwestern strip facing the Adriatic Sea is hollowed out bythese caverns. At Adelsberg, in the Julian Alps, is the largest one inEurope. Its walls and roofs shine with brilliant spar as if they were setwith gems, and in all the rooms and passages are curious shapes, resem-bling things of the upper world, as if Nature had been repeating them herein statuary. On entering a roaring noise is heard, which grows louder andlouder, until the narrow passage opens into a gigantic chamber. Here thelight of the torches reveals a black chasm through which a river is thunder-ing along fifty feet below. This chamber, which was once supposed to bethe extent of the cave, is only the vestibule. A laborer working here some Austria-Hungary. 257. liiiii:li!lsw years ago, accidentally broke the screen 6f stalactite that had closed theway to the rest of the cavern. Beyond this rims a passage a mile or more in length, spreading ont occa-sionally into great halls, where glittering stalactites have extended down-wards until they touch thefloor. Groups of these havegrown together, forminggigantic columns, from thetop of which pillars branchoff with slender arches run-ning along the roof in deli-cate tracery. Sometimes the rich whitestone streams down in ruf-fles, brilliantly transparent,sometimes it spreads outinto branches and leaves,cleaving to the crevices ofthe cavern, like a tree grow-ing in ruins. Sometimes thestone starts up from thefloor in tall masses like sol-emn sentinels sheeted inwhite. In one place is a greatwhite lion ready to spring,in another a spreading ban-yan tree, here a bell, whichresounds when struck; therea pulpit, where a guide ap-pears gesticulating like apreacher;
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookidstoriesofper, bookyear1887
