VANDALS have attacked a cave formation only recently unearthed at the Wilkinson Quarry in Hamilton Parish, the Mid-Ocean News understands.

It has been alleged that pieces of stalagmites and stalactites from the cave, described by Environment Minister Dennis Lister as "one of the largest, most impressive" ever to be found in Bermuda, surfaced in a Hamilton bar soon after news of its discovery was made public.

"There was some initial damage to the cave when it was first discovered," a source told this newspaper. "There was as much as 30 feet of rock material that was blasted off the tip and some of that material fell and then, in the very first days of its discovery there were a few anecdotal stories being told of the removal of some stalagmites and stalagtites which showed up in a bar in Hamilton."

The initial damage and the vandalism were both confined to the lip of the cave, the source added.

"If (the damage) is put in perspective of the whole cave, it's confined to the beginning, where the entrance is. The rest of the cave is intact. Generally in cases like this, there's a lot of suspicion and mistrust between (developers and those interested in protecting the cave).

"But that's not what's happening here. (Quarry representative) David Summers as well as members of the Wilkinson family were genuinely outraged at the damage that had been done."

A second man, however, who called the Mid-Ocean News but did not wish to be identified, said it was his impression that the Wilkinson Trust - the quarry's owners - would have preferred the cave to remain a secret. Its existence, he said, was only made public after the information was leaked by one of the quarry workers.

"They've previously found a lot of caves that haven't been publicly identified. This only leaked out because one of the workers mentioned it to someone. I don't think they were going to say anything at all but after that, they had no choice. They were afraid that someone might have come along and stopped them from blasting."

The man, who visited the cave with a quarry employee shortly after it was discovered, said much of its front was "wrecked because of the blasting".

"My personal opinion is that they should stop blasting there altogether. There are a lot of caves in the area and they don't know what they might come across or what damage they might do. There are a lot of caves they've found previously that apparently was never drawn to the notice of the public."

Construction workers blasting at the quarry uncovered the cave - the fourth on the Wilkinson Trust property - by accident only this February. A Stop Work Order was placed on any further blasting or quarrying operations in the vicinity of the cave and the owner of the property, Wilkinson Trust, was instructed to take whatever steps were necessary to protect the cave.

According to Government's Director of Environmental Protection, Thomas Sleeter, necessary steps to protect the cave had been taken by the Wilkinson Trust.

"The cave has been closed and sealed off to prevent any unauthorised access," said Dr. Sleeter. "From our point of view, the Stop Work Order is still in effect. There is a no-blasting zone from 200 feet around the cave. This cave is in an active part of the Wilkinson Quarry. The general public has never had access to it. There were initial reports that people were taking things out but we moved very quickly to limit unauthorised access.

"It's not safe. There are liability issues, material could fall from the ceiling. I think following the report (of the cave's discovery) there were all sorts of people trying to get in. A lot of people love caves. They are a unique feature and they add and contribute to our bio-diversity.

"People are often curious and, unfortunately, there are some people who, if there's a new cave, will try and sneak in and take something from it. They break things that can take a couple of hundred years to grow. That's vandalism."

All reports reveal the cave to be home to a diverse variety of geological and flowstone formations.

"The Wilkinson's Quarry cave is said to contain the largest area of active flowstone cascades found in Bermuda," the Environment Minister said on the floor of the House of Assembly shortly after the cave's discovery.

"One flowstone formation, resembling a stone waterfall, extends for over 70 feet from the cave entrance down to the edge of the lake. The lake is a significant feature in itself, with two large pools connected by a channel that curves around the buttress-like flowstone formation. It is a unique and irreplaceable treasure that must be properly protected and preserved and thoroughly examined."

A Government survey of the cave was conducted by world-renowned cave biologist Tom Iliffe, as well as an independent survey of the area by an expert hired by the Wilkinson Trust.

Soon after the cave was discovered, vice-chairman of the National Liberal Party and environmentalist Graeme Outerbridge (pictured) urged Government to ban all quarrying in Bermuda as a means of protecting the island's cave formations.

When contacted yesterday about the vandalism, he repeated his plea and questioned whether proper care had been taken to monitor the cave's access.

"It goes back to what I originally said. I don't know where Dr. Illiffe is on his survey but I think it should be in the interest of the Ministry of Environment to protect that place. Things like this are so valuable and any destruction can only be construed as malicious, illegal activity of some kind.

"It includes all the damage that's being done to public parks which is becoming a real issue. We have an increasing population in Bermuda of people doing what they will in areas that need preservation. I would think that (the quarry) would have security there (as a matter of course).

"One has to wonder whether the destruction was malicious and occurred to devalue the cave so quarrying can continue, I don't know. I would think something should have been done to make it as secure as possible but it's obvious that at the beginning, it was not."

Quarry representative David Summers was off the island yesterday and could not be reached for comment.