Notes: Jerry Wilson poses in the Grand Arch with his hearing tube in his left hand and a magnesium ribbon burner and reflector in his right. Magnesium wire and ribbon was first introduced for photographic lighting in 1862 and was widely adopted in a variety of lamp designs.
Jenolan Caves, then known as the Fish River Caves, came under New South Wales Government control in 1866, becoming only the second area in the world reserved for the purpose of conservation and the following year Jeremiah (Jerry) Wilson was appointed as the first "Keeper of the Caves"; a position he held until 1896.
Wilson not only explored the already known Elder and Lucas Caves but later discovered the Imperial, Left Imperial (now known as Chifley), Jersey and Jubilee Caves.
When Wilson first explored the Mammoth Cave in the 1860s he would get lost regularly. On one unfortunate outing, his candle extinguished and he was lost inside the cave for three days before he felt his way back to the exit.
The caves were open to tourism early, but there was little protection from visitors damaging formations, until souveniring was banned in 1872. In 1884 the name Jenolan Caves was adopted, an Aboriginal name meaning 'high place' as it is named after Mount Jenolan nearby. Magnesium was expensive and guides would only fire up the burner to illuminate a particularly fine formation.
In his right hand Wilson is holding a magnesium ribbon burner of his own invention, used to illuminate cave interiors for visitors. In his left hand is a tube hanging over his right shoulder, attached to a mouthpiece, which he used for a hearing aid.
"Being almost stone deaf, thanks to measles, he wears a coil around his neck with a mouthpiece at one end. If you put the mouthpiece to your lips, Jerry rams the other down his left ear." From: Jenolan Caves as they were in the Nineteenth Century, John R Dunkley 1986.
The photo was taken in the Grand Arch where enough daylight penetrates for a photo without flash, see comment below.
Format: B&W photograph by Henry King
Licensing: Attribution, share alike, creative commons.
Repository: Blue Mountains Library library.bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Part of: Local Studies Collection PF2953
Provenance: Jim Smith
Date range: 1880s
Links:
www.earlyphotography.co.uk/site/entry_M42.html
photography.tutsplus.com/articles/a-brief-history-of-phot...
Tags: australia nsw jenolan caves caving cavers Jeremiah Wilson guides limestone history
Notes: Located adjacent to a group of helictites in Moloch's Grotto, the Gem of the South is a fine group of white drip stones, described by Oliver Trickett as "an entrancing piece of Nature's unrivalled workmanship".
Format: B&W photograph
Licensing: Attribution, non-commercial, share alike, creative commons
Repository: Blue Mountains Library library.bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Part of: Local Studies Collection PF84
Provenance: BMCC
Date Range: 1951
Tags: australia nsw 'blue mountains jenolan caves caves jenolan temple baal gem south cave formation stalactites stalagmites dripstones history
Notes: "The Indian Canopy, 14 feet high and 6 feet wide, is probably Jenolan's most beatiful example of this abundant type of formation. It is delicately tinted and fresh-surfaced amid dull and ancient neighbours", Dunlop, 1975.
It is now used as Jenolan's logo.
Format: B&W photograph
Licensing: Attribution, non-commercial, share alike, creative commons
Repository: Blue Mountains Library library.bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Part of: Local Studies Collection PF83
Provenance: BMCC
Date Range: 1951
Tags: australia nsw blue mountains orient cave indian canopy jenolan caves history
Notes: This shows the new two storey timber building erected by Jeremiah Wilson in 1887 to accomodate 30 guests.
Format: B&W photograph, John Paine
Licensing: Attribution, non-commercial, share alike, creative commons
Repository: Blue Mountains Library library.bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Part of: Local Studies Collection PF989
Provenance: John Falloon
Date Range: 1888
Tags: australia nsw blue mountains jenolan caves caves house John Paine' history
Notes: The extension of the caves road through the Grand Arch was completed in 1896, enabling visitors to drive direct from Mount Victoria.
The driver of the 1902 De Dion is identified as Axel Burnett (‘Bert’) Beckman (1881-1951), who married Rebecca Haslop in 1907 while still employed by Mark Foy at the Hydro Majestic. He later became a guide at Jenolan Caves. Also in the front seat is Susan Baxter, Mark Foy’s granddaughter. Between them is Mark Francis Foy Jr (1898-1961). Elizabeth Foy, née Tweedie (1863-1940) is seated in the rear, wearing her customary large hat. Beside her, in the shadows, is an unidentified woman. Standing on the road are two cave guides, James Carvosso (‘Voss’) Wiburd (1866-1942), and John (‘Jack’) Edwards (1866-1908), who is leaning on the fence. Both started working at Jenolan in 1885. Wiburd is wearing his official uniform, but Edwards is in casual clothing, and probably came to see the novel sight of the car. (Jim Smith)
John C (Jack) Edwards
Birth: Mar 1866 - Cumberland, England
Death: 10 Aug 1908 - Jenolan Caves, NSW
"Through wounds accidentally received from falling over a precipice at Jenolan Caves" (Ancestry.com)
Format: B&W photograph, Charles Kerry
Licensing: Attribution, share alike, creative commons
Repository: Blue Mountains Library library.bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Part of: Local Studies Collection PF993
Provenance: BMCC
Date Range: prior to 10 August 1908
Links:
Jim Smith - bluemountainshistory.com/HO2571/hobbys-outreach-vol30-no4...
JENOLAN CAVES. (1908, December 18). Lithgow Mercury (NSW : 1898 - 1954), p. 3. Retrieved August 20, 2018, from nla.gov.au/nla.news-article219291737
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