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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ae3f9a5 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #67800 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67800) diff --git a/old/67800-0.txt b/old/67800-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d1ecc1b..0000000 --- a/old/67800-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3955 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Big Cave, by Abijah Long - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Big Cave - Early History and Authentic Facts Concerning the History and - Discovery of the World Famous Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico - -Authors: Abijah Long - Joe N. Long - -Release Date: April 8, 2022 [eBook #67800] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Stephen Hutcheson, Tom Cosmas and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BIG CAVE *** - - - - - - -Transcriber Note - -Text emphasis denoted as _Italics_. - - -[Illustration: Abijah Long] - - - - - vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv - - THE BIG CAVE - - _by_ - ABIJAH LONG - - _and_ - JOE N. LONG - - - Early History and Authentic Facts Concerning - the History and Discovery of the World - Famous Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico. - - - CUSHMAN PUBLICATIONS - 2440 East 4th Street - Long Beach, California - - vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv - - - - - © Copyright 1956 and 1958 - - by Mrs. Abijah Long, Joe N. Long, Mrs. Lou M. Wood, Mrs. Kaye I. - Williams, Ira B. Long, Mac A. Long. - - _All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any -form without the written permission of the copyright owners, except by - a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages not to exceed 300 words - in connection with a review in a magazine or newspaper._ - - - Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 58-13784 - - Printed in the United States of America - - First Edition 1956 - Second Edition 1958 - Third Edition 1961 - - - - - _We Dedicate_ - - _This Book to the Millions of Visitors who will - Follow our Father's Footsteps as They Come - to See and Enjoy the Mighty Wonders of the - Carlsbad Caverns._ - - - - -TABLE OF CONTENTS - - - Foreword 11 - - PART I THE DISCOVERY _by Abijah Long_ - - 1. We Move to Carlsbad 15 - 2. A Big Cave Is Discovered 19 - 3. A Business Venture Appears 24 - 4. The First Guano Is Mined 30 - 5. Life at the Camp 38 - 6. The Big Cave Is Explored 47 - 7. The End of the Beginning 53 - - - PART II THE FIRST 60,000,000 YEARS _by Joe N. Long_ - - 1. The Beginning 59 - 2. Life Enters the Caverns 64 - 3. The First Fifty Years 74 - - - PART III THE BIG CAVE TODAY _by Joe N. Long_ - - 1. From Above 91 - 2. From Below 107 - - Bibliography 127 - - -PICTURE CREDITS: - - ROBERT NYMEYER, FRONT COVER, BACK COVER, PAGES 68, 90, 92, - 94, 96, 98, 100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 112, 114, 116, 118, - 120, 122 AND 124. - - NEW MEXICO STATE TOURIST BUREAU, PAGE 110. - - - COVER PHOTO--Totem Poles in the Big Room - © by Robert Nymeyer - - - - -_FOREWORD_ - -(By the family of Abijah Long) - - -Prior to my husband's death in 1934, several of us had asked him to -write, in his own words, the story of his early life, especially after -moving to Carlsbad at the turn of the century. - -He was reluctant to write of his experiences in connection with the Big -Cave, as it was called in those days. But after considerable persuasion -on our part he did sit down and write what happened in those early -years following our move from Texas in 1901. - -Since many historians today appear confused as to the actual beginnings -of the Carlsbad Caverns, my children and I felt his words should no -longer be for us alone, and we have therefore made them available in -this form for all to read, and thus to know and understand more clearly -just what happened during those early days of the cave's discovery. - -My husband was always a very honest, though not always a prosperous, -man. He was as good as his word, and in return he expected everyone -else to be the same. At times, when he was forced to borrow money, he -left only his word of honor and his promise to pay as collateral. - -Nevertheless, we wanted to verify the facts in his story, and we -have spent two years in tracking down many of the men who shared his -experiences and in asking them to verify the incidents described. - -We found many of them still alive and living in and near the charming -community of Carlsbad. We found the people of Carlsbad friendly and -courteous in every respect, and always eager to help us in our endeavor. - -In gratitude for the kind assistance which met us everywhere, we -wish to give our thanks to the friendly people of Carlsbad who so -unselfishly assisted us in verifying my husband's account, especially -the following: - - Colonel Thomas Boles - "Dee" Harkey - Mrs. Simmonds of Happy Valley - Mr. and Mrs. John Queen - Johnny Forehand of Black River Valley - Mrs. Mary Queen Montgomery - Arthur Hoose - Wayne Crowder of Albuquerque. - -We wish, also, to thank Robert Nymeyer, photographer of Carlsbad, who -furnished the photographs of Carlsbad Caverns which we have used in the -text. - -Photographs of the lunchroom were furnished by the New Mexico State -Tourist Bureau, Santa Fe, New Mexico, for which we are grateful. - -We are also greatly indebted to various staff members of the National -Parks Service who have made valuable suggestions to improve the -technical accuracy of the manuscript. - -It is our hope that persons interested in the Big Cave, now known the -world over as the Carlsbad Caverns, will be enlightened as to the early -history of the cave as told here for the first time by the cave's -first owner, our husband and father, Abijah ("Bije"[A]) Long, and its -subsequent development as described by his eldest son, Joe N. Long. - - Mrs. Abijah Long - Joe N. Long (Jodie in the story) - (Mrs.) Lou M. (Long) Wood - (Mrs.) Kaye I. (Long) Williams - Ira B. Long - Mac A. Long - (Mrs.) Anda M. (Long) Brubaker. - - Carlsbad, New Mexico - November, 1956. - -[Footnote A: "Bije" was a nickname for Abijah. (Long "i" as in -"hide.")] - - - - - Part I - - THE DISCOVERY - - _By ABIJAH LONG_ - - - - - 1 - - We Move to Carlsbad - - -The distance from Goldthwaite, Texas, to Carlsbad, New Mexico, -is slightly less than 400 miles--just a good day's drive in an -automobile today. But in 1901 the automobile was something we heard -about--something we read about, and friends of mine told of having seen -a horseless carriage up in Dallas. People who did much traveling went -by train or horse and wagon--or, they walked. - -So when our family talked of moving West--talked of trying life anew -"somewhere else," the question of how to go was considered. Train fare, -we soon found, was much too high for us at the time. And with all our -worldly possessions the freight charges would be excessive. - -The answer--a covered wagon. - -It was hard for my mother to leave Goldthwaite, and my wife was a bit -fearful of the future in a strange land, but father and I thought our -future was brighter if we tried anew somewhere else. - -Besides my cousin, there were my two children, which completed our -party of seven. Heading West over the vast expanse of open Texas -prairie, I felt something of the thrill those early pioneers must have -felt, although the fear of trouble was not present, for being ambushed -by Indians was a remote possibility. - -Just the same, there was an air of adventure in the journey, for none -of us knew what the future held in store for us. We dreamed and hoped. - -We completed our journey to Carlsbad, a distance of almost 400 miles, -without any serious mishap. Oh, there were the usual little troubles of -a sick horse which slowed us up one day, and an occasional steep hill -which required we not only get out of the wagon to lighten it, but all -help push as well. - -Carlsbad had a population of less than a thousand in 1901,[B] and -although Carlsbad was the legal name, having been officially changed -two years before, everyone called the town by its original name, Eddy, -and it was, and still is, the county seat of Eddy County. - -[Footnote B: Population in 1950, 18,000.] - -The primary activity in and around Carlsbad in those days was ranching, -with a growing interest in mining of various kinds. I noticed many -people continually coming and going and thought that, since I would -have to get busy at something pretty soon, I would try the hotel -business. - -So, shortly after my arrival, I took over the Schlitz Hotel, which was -located near the railroad station at the corner of Canyon Street and -Mermod Avenue. The hotel boasted a dining room, and a large part of the -business came from many of the railroad workers, who, it seemed, always -had a good appetite and who liked good food and lots of it. - -That wasn't the only trouble I had, and after a few months I found I -didn't know enough about the hotel business to make a go of it, so I -gave it up. The name of the hotel was later changed to Bates, and some -time after that it caught fire and burned to the ground. - -The saloon business in those days was always good. Ranchers and miners -would come into town after a rugged week in the hills and spend much -of their pay for liquor. It looked to me as though this would be a -profitable enterprise and I decided to give it a try. - -My wife didn't like the idea at all and told me so in no uncertain -terms. However, I kept at it for a while in spite of her pleas. - -One day I took my small son down to the saloon to show him off to the -boys. That did it. That was the abrupt end to my venture in the saloon -business. My wife set up such a howl that in order to keep peace in the -family I decided to give up the saloon. Her opinion was always best for -the family anyway, and of course I was aware of the fact that this was -not the most desirable environment in which to raise children. - -So, what next? I had by this time acquired a few mules and thought I -might be able to use them in some way. I learned that the Joyce Pruitt -Company of Carlsbad was expanding its operations and was in need of -additional help in doing some freighting. - -I made a deal with them to do the necessary hauling and soon was quite -busy. - -One of the biggest of my expenses was for food for the teams, and I was -anxious to cut down the feed bill as much as possible. As a result, at -the end of each day I would take the mules out to pasture and let them -rest and graze. - -At this particular time I had the teams grazing near a place known as -Donahue Springs, now known as Oak Creek Springs. Water from the springs -was a necessity for the mules, and we used the water ourselves, as well. - -While the mules were grazing there wasn't much for me to do and I -used to explore the countryside wondering what else might lie in the -vicinity. Others came to Donahue Springs for water since in that arid -country water was not as plentiful as we wished it might be. - -One day a man by the name of Sam Evans and a Mr. Brown and myself were -exploring the countryside just to see what we might discover in the -area. Hunters and miners in that section were always telling of some -unusual find and anyone who went out of town kept their eyes open in -search of something that might turn out to be valuable. - -I suppose that is why Brown, Evans and myself were searching--just -looking around to see what we might uncover. - -At one spot there appeared to be a hole or cavity in the ground and I -called to my buddies, "Hey, come over here. There seems to be a hole in -the earth." - -In that rugged country a hole in the ground isn't exactly unusual, -but this one seemed to lead to quite a large empty space beneath it, -and the tone of my voice must have told the others it was not just an -ordinary hole, because they both came over to where I was right away. - -"What do you make of this?" I asked as they both gave the hole an -appraising glance. The three of us were puzzled because it wasn't just -a hole in the earth, but rather seemed to be the opening to a large -cavity underneath. - -"What do you suppose this is?" I asked again. - -"Any large animals around here that might have dug it?" queried Brown. - -"Possible," I reflected. "Let's have a look." - -I was eager to go below and learn more about this mysterious opening -in the earth, but it didn't seem to me that Evans or Brown shared my -curiosity. We looked for animal tracks in the vicinity, but couldn't -find any. - -"Who'll go in with me?" I received no response. It didn't matter. By -now I was so curious that I decided I would go in alone, if necessary. - -I went to my wagon and got a lantern and a ball of large fishing line. -Then I picked up all the rope I had, including the rope I used with my -mules, and hurriedly went back to the mysterious hole. - -I'll admit I was quite excited, and by now Evans and Brown were, too, -although it seemed to me they tried to hide their enthusiasm. Perhaps -they were just a bit afraid of what might be down there in that strange -cavity, yet didn't want to let on that that was so. - -I, too, decided to play it safe, so I took the lantern and tied it on -to the end of the rope and lowered it into the hole. All three of us -bent over the opening and looked in to see what we could see. - -As the light of the lantern showed on the sides and bottom of the hole -I could see that it was a large one. I particularly wanted to see if -there was any damp in the cavity, but the light didn't reveal any. - -By this time I was eager to go below and explore our discovery. "Who'll -go with me?" I asked. No response. - -"Well, then I'll go alone," I declared. - -And with that I fastened the rope around my waist, made sure it was -securely fastened to the ground a few feet outside the opening, and got -ready to go below. - - - - - 2 - - A Big Cave is Discovered - - -The three of us talked over the matter of my descent and several safety -precautions were formulated. About this time I decided I would be much -happier about the whole thing if I could persuade one of the others -to go below with me. At least one should remain on the surface at all -times in case anything should go wrong. - -"Sam," I said, "how about you coming down with me?" - -He seemed to want to see what would happen to me first, I guess, so I -then asked him if I went first would he follow. He said nothing. - -"We'll only stay down for a short while," I assured him. "Perhaps a -half hour or so." - -Sam did not like the idea of going down in such a place. I told him it -was easy, so I made arrangements to go down into this cavity and I did. - -After getting down in there I could look back out and talk to him, so -I finally persuaded him to come down, which he did. That left Brown on -top. - -We prowled around in there for some time, exploring the cavity, being, -as I remember, 75 or 100 feet deep. - -When we got ready to climb out of our descension, Sam said to me: "How -are we going to get out of here?" - -[Illustration: A portion of the author's original manuscript.] - -I told him that was easy. He said, "Go ahead." - -"No," I said. "You go first and then I will come out. It is easy for -me." - -Well, Sam made a trial to go out, but made a complete failure, coming -back down the rope in spite of me, and said, "I guess we are in here -for good." - -I told him I could go out in less than two minutes. - -He said, "Let's see you." So, out I went. - -Sam would not try any more, so I sent Mr. Brown to Carlsbad to get a -rope long enough that I might make a rope ladder out of it and lower it -down to Sam. - -Carlsbad was 28 miles away and, of course, travel was very slow with -horse and wagon. I knew Brown wouldn't get back before the next day. - -I called to Sam: "I'm sending Brown to Carlsbad to get enough rope for -a ship's ladder. You'll be able to climb that all right and get out." - -"How long do I have to stay down here?" was Sam's retort. - -"Until he gets back with the rope," I answered. "Probably tomorrow." - -"You mean I have to stay down here all night?" Sam's voice quivered -with fear. - -"Unless you have some idea of how to get out," I replied. - -I brought my wagons and mules over to the hole and proceeded to get -ready to spend the night there. In spite of Sam's anxiety he said he -was hungry so I got some food from one of the wagons and lowered it -down to him on the end of a piece of fishline. He still had the lantern -with him. I don't know how much he relished his meal, but of course he -had no choice; so, by the light of the lantern he ate his supper, such -as it was. - -Above, I fared somewhat better. - -Sam was quite scared, and he remained squarely below the opening, -which, by the way, was not over two feet in diameter. He had no desire -whatsoever to take the lantern and go exploring by himself. I really do -believe he meant it when he said he thought he was in there for good. - -I didn't sleep much that night, and I don't think Sam slept at all. No -matter how much I kept reassuring him that as soon as Brown returned -from Carlsbad we would get him out, he still thought he'd never see the -light of day again. - -Early the next morning, before the sun was up, Sam was calling me and -asking if Brown had returned. "Not yet," I replied, "but he will, -probably some time before noon." - -I, too, was getting a bit apprehensive, for I felt just a bit guilty -about Sam's predicament, since I was the one who had persuaded him to -go below--against his desire to do so. In order to slightly calm my -nervous tension I decided to take a short walk around the area in hopes -of making the time pass more quickly, for I now knew that I, too, would -welcome Brown and the rope he would be bringing. - -I didn't stray too far from our campsite and was looking around when -low in the sky I noticed a large number of dark objects. They seemed to -disappear on a hillside. - -Curiosity got the better of me. Knowing there was nothing I could do -until Brown returned, I decided to investigate. - -As I came closer I noticed the dark objects were bats--thousands of -them. They were, indeed, disappearing into the side of a hill--into -an opening that was much larger than the one which at the moment was -holding Sam Evans a prisoner. - -Having spent the night in search of food, they were now returning at -sunrise to spend the day in what appeared to be a huge cave. - -I was almost awe-struck at the sight of so many of these little flying -mammals, for I had never before seen anything like it in my life. - -As the brightness of the dawn increased the stream of bats subsided, -and in a short while only a few remaining stragglers were entering the -mouth of their home. - -Where could all of these bats go, I wondered. There must be an -exceptionally large cave inside to hold so many of them. - -I never have cared much for bats, but I was interested in seeing where -they lived. As I approached closer the whole side of the hill seemed -to open up. There, certainly, was an opening to something even larger -inside. - -Well, of course, I wanted to go in, right then, but I knew it would not -be safe to go into such a strange place alone. I had no idea of what I -might find, or what trouble I might encounter. - -By this time the sun was well off the horizon and I thought perhaps I -had better get back to Sam and console him lest he think I had deserted -him. I looked up the old dirt road towards Carlsbad to see if I could -see any signs of Brown returning, but all was quiet. - -I reasoned he would spend the night in Carlsbad and get an early -morning start for the return trip, which would get him here a little -before noon or so. - -"Sam," I called out, "how is everything down there?" - -"Get me out," he pleaded. "I've had all I want of this. I'm never going -into a cave again." - -I was quite excited about the larger cave I had just discovered and, of -course, I wanted to tell Sam all about it, but when he said he never -wanted to go into a cave again, I figured maybe he was in no mood to -listen, let alone share my enthusiasm. - -The best plan, it seemed, was to get his mind off his predicament so I -tried to get him to talk about other things. He kept talking about how -dark and cold it was down there in the hole, and when would Brown come -back so that he could get out and why was he so foolish as to listen to -me in the first place. - -All this time I was eager to return to the new, big cave where all the -bats were, yet I didn't want to leave Sam alone any more as I could see -he was getting madder all the time. So the morning dragged on for him -and for me as well. - -Every few minutes he would call out to me and ask me to look and see -if there was any sign of Brown. I had to keep saying no, but to say -anything else would have raised false hopes, and I just couldn't do -that. - -About noon I noticed a cloud of dust on the horizon in the direction of -Carlsbad, and as I watched it I could see it was getting bigger. That -meant Brown was almost here. When I told Sam, he suddenly came to life -again. I guess he felt like the condemned man who has just received a -pardon. - -Brown had gotten the rope, and we made a ship's ladder for Sam. We -quickly lowered it through the small opening in the ground, and I never -saw a man climb a rope ladder so fast before. Sam was mighty glad to -see the light of day again. - -Now that this ordeal was over I couldn't contain myself any more. I had -to tell Sam and Brown of my discovery, and I wanted them to explore it -with me. Certainly there was adventure ahead. - - - - - 3 - - A Business Venture Appears - - -"Early this morning," I began, "while waiting for you to return, -Brown, I took a walk around and noted a lot of bats going into a large -cave,--a really large cave. Let's go have a look at it." - -Sam didn't need to say a word. I could tell from his expression and his -disappointment that he had no desire to go into any more caves, even if -the entrance was on the side of a hill where he could safely get out. - -"Not me," he exclaimed in no uncertain terms. "Damn your cave. I'm -going back to Carlsbad, and the quicker I get started, the better." - -Sam would have it no other way, and since I felt partially responsible -for his feeling the way he did, I decided to take him back to Carlsbad. - -However, I couldn't get my mind off the new cave. I had to know what it -was like inside. So, I made immediate arrangements to return. - -I didn't want to go alone, so I inquired around and found two men who -said they would be interested in going back with me and explore the -cave. - -The three of us set forth on the 28 mile journey to Donahue Springs, -Andy Fairchild, a fellow I knew only as Lynn, and myself. - -[Illustration: Andy Fairchild] - -[Illustration: Jacob "Jake" Lynn] - -They kept asking me about the cave, and I told them all I knew about -it, that thousands of bats apparently made it their home, and that the -entrance was quite large. That was all I could tell them because I had -returned with Sam and Brown without even looking inside. - -When we arrived at the spot both Andy and Lynn were quite excited. -The cave was deep enough so that a rope ladder would be necessary in -order to reach the bottom. I had brought back the same rope ladder we -had used to extricate poor Sam, so we didn't have to waste time making -another. - -We soon had it securely fastened outside the entrance and then I said, -"Well Andy, would you like to go first?" - -"Heck, no," he replied, backing away. "You just went into one cave and -said it was an interesting experience. Why are you afraid to go into -this one?" - -For a moment I thought I had another Sam on my hands. Then I realized -he was right, and also that I had instigated this cave hunting party, -so why shouldn't I lead the way? - -If I backed out now, there would be no cave exploration, so, without a -further word being said, I began to lower myself into the mouth of the -cave. - -Down, down, down I went. As I looked up I could see two heads peering -down at me. They both wanted to make sure I reached the bottom safely. -A moment later my feet touched a pile of rock on the floor of the cave. -It was so dark that I couldn't see anything except the dim outline of -the nearest wall. - -"How ya' coming?" Andy shouted down at me. - -"I made it all right," I replied. "Come on down, and bring that torch -that is in the back of the wagon. It's black as night down here." - -Lynn ran to the wagon to get the torch as Andy prepared to come down -the ladder. He came down more quickly than I did, probably because I -had blazed the way and he knew it was safe. - -Before I knew it, Lynn had entered the opening and was coming down the -ladder. In my excitement I forgot to ask him to remain outside for -safety's sake. If the rope ladder should slip or in any way become -insecure, we could never have gotten out and would surely have died in -the cave. - -But my attention was certainly not on safety at that moment. I was much -too excited about what we would find. - -We lit the torch, but the cave was so large that the light of our one -torch didn't help much. - -Our first concern was whether or not a bear or some other wild beast -might attack us. We searched the floor of the cave for tracks, but not -a sign of man or beast did we see. The floor of the cave seemed devoid -of any evidence of any walking creature having preceded us into this -mammoth underground cavern. - -Occasionally a bat would sail by, missing us by inches. - -With the dim light of the torch we looked around and were struck -speechless by the immensity of the great cave. We inched along over -the floor of the cave which at times was rocky and difficult. We -encountered large boulders and had to climb over them. - -"What do you make of it?" asked Andy - -"Biggest thing I ever saw underground," I answered. "Seems like we're -suddenly in another world. Notice that peculiar odor?" - -Lynn, who had been the most quiet of our trio, spoke up. "Animals of -some kind," he said. "But I wouldn't know just what." - -As we proceeded further the smell became stronger and more pronounced. -Our caution increased, for I know all of us expected at any moment to -see some animal lunge out at us. We kept our eyes open and, with the -torch held above our heads, were able to see several feet ahead of us. -Beyond that the outline of any object was too dim for us to definitely -make out what it was. - -The animal odor was getting stronger. We were definitely nearing -something, but just what I didn't know. As a result of this uncertainty -we slowed our pace, stopping every few feet to listen for any sound, -yet nothing did we see or hear. - -At any moment I was sure we would see two moving balls of light race -toward us, which would indicate the eyes of some wild animal, but as we -progressed further inside the cave our fears were unfounded. - -Finally the smell became quite pronounced and at the same time we came -upon huge mounds of something which was unlike the rest of the floor of -the cave. - -I glanced upward, and on the walls and ceiling of the cave I had the -answer to the smell. - -"Bats!" I exclaimed. "Millions of them. This is where they live. And -those mounds beneath them are the result of their living here. Why, -there's enough fertilizer there to ..." - -I didn't finish the sentence. As far as the eye could see, which wasn't -too far in that dim light, there were piles and piles of guano, which -is the commercial name for fertilizer created by animals of this type. - -Now our fears were ended, as we felt relatively safe from bats, even -though there must have been millions right there over our heads. Now -they were asleep, but shortly after sunset we knew they would suddenly -come alive and head for the cave entrance, where they would fly off -into the night in search of food. - -By morning they would again form that black, funnel shaped cloud I had -watched previously as they re-entered their home--a home that must have -been theirs and theirs alone for countless centuries--if the huge piles -of guano at our feet was any indication, and it surely must have been. - -In places these piles of bat deposit reached almost to the top of the -cave. Later we found that this guano reached almost a quarter of a -mile in length and stretched some 75 feet in width. Some of the piles -later proved to be over a hundred feet deep! - -Even the crudest calculation would have shown that there was enough -guano here to merit the cost and trouble of getting it out of the cave -and selling it commercially. At that moment I decided to stake a mining -claim on the cave. - -We felt that for one day we had seen enough and were ready to head back -to the entrance and call it a day. The bats were apparently the sole -tenants of the cave, for we saw no evidence of any other living thing -ever having invaded its dark, vast interior. - -Lynn headed up the ladder first and I asked him to go to the wagon and -get four small cloth sacks for me. When he dropped them through the -opening, Andy and I went back to where the guano was and filled the -sacks. I wanted to have the guano tested to make sure it was of good -enough quality to make my contemplated mining operation worth while. - -It would be silly to go to all the trouble of getting this guano to the -surface and into Carlsbad, only to find that it was of inferior quality -and not worth the cost and trouble of extracting it. - -"How are you going to get this stuff up to the surface?" Andy asked as -I was filling the sacks. - -"By Ned, I don't know, but there's a way, and I'll find it." - -As we wound our way back to the rope ladder, Andy and I each had two -sacks of the guano, one in each hand. We made it up the ladder and out -into the open again. - -"Now I'm going to do something about marking this place, to show I've -been here." A short distance from the entrance to the cave was a mescal -pit, possibly left by Indians. - -"Here, Andy, give me a hand," and with that we began gathering several -large stones and placed them one on top of another until we had a pile -some four or five feet high. This would have to serve as a marker until -the claim could be completed. - -"Well, what do you think, Lynn? Was it worth the trip?" I asked. - -"Didn't know there were so many bats in the world," he replied. - -"The size of that cave is unbelievable," was Andy's comment. "How big -do you suppose that cave really is, anyhow?" - -"That's anybody's guess. Maybe we saw it all today, and maybe we saw -only a small part of it," was my humble answer. - -"Bet that entrance is a busy place at sunrise and sunset," Lynn -observed. It was clear to see he was more interested in the millions of -bats than the size of the cave. "I'd like to get more torches and see -more of that bat cave." - -"Some day we will," I replied. "Right now we're heading back to -Carlsbad. I'm not going to waste any time filing a mining claim." - -And with that the three of us climbed aboard the wagon and headed down -the hill. - - - - - 4 - - The First Guano Is Mined - - -News spreads fast. Soon everyone in Carlsbad had heard about the big -cave that Lynn, Andy and myself had been describing. Many of the people -thought it was just a story we had cooked up and wouldn't believe us. -Of course it was known there were caves in the Guadalupe Mountains in -that area of the state, but no one thought the cave we described could -be as large as we claimed it was. - -My first job was to take care of my claim and I promptly attended to -this important matter. I got the necessary papers in Carlsbad and -returned as soon as I could to the big cave. I filled out one set -of papers and placed them in the monument Andy and I had built. The -duplicate set was taken back to Carlsbad and filed with the County -Clerk. - -Now everything was all set for me to begin operations. The guano, I -learned, was commercially acceptable, which meant that I would have a -market for the product, and that my time in bringing it out of the cave -would not be wasted. - -It took me several weeks to get all the details straightened out and -find a crew of fellows who were interested in working on the job. It -was more than simply going to the cave, taking out the guano, and -hauling it back to Carlsbad. - -[Illustration: Abijah Long's original claim to the Carlsbad Caverns] - -[Illustration: Amended Notice of "Big Cave" Mining Claim (Handwritten)] - -[Illustration: Ammended Notice of "Big Cave" Mining Claim] - - AMENDED NOTICE OF BIG CAVE PLACER MINING CLAIM - - Notice is hereby given to all whom it may concern that A. Long, a - citizen of the United States, over the age of twenty-one years, - located what is called the "Big Cave" Placer Mining Claim which is - hereinafter particularly described on the 28th day of March 1903 - and thereafter to wit: on the 16th day of June A.D. 1903 filed the - notice of the location for record in the office of the probate - Clerk and office Recorder of Eddy County, New Mexico. Which notice - was recorded in Book 1 of Records of Mining Claim at Page 149, - and whereas, appears from said notice, as recorded, that the same - is defective, in the fact that it fails to properly describe said - Mining Claim as located. Now therefore for the purpose of amending - and correcting, said location notice, I the said A. Long do hereby - give notice that I located that certain Placer Mining Claim of - ground in accordance with the Statutes of the United States, and - the laws of the territory of New Mexico, the said 28th day of March - 1903 in the County of Eddy, territory of New Mexico, which is by - me called the "Big Cave" Mining Claim and which is particularly - described by meets and bounds as follows, to wit: Beginning at a - stone mound erected by me at a point about 20 feet west of the - entrance to what is known as the Big Cave. Situated about in a - Southerly course from Walnut Canyon and about one mile therefrom - and about 25 miles in a southeasterly course from the town of - Carlsbad, and about one mile in a southeasterly course from the - Donahoe Springs, in the foothills of the Guadalupe mountains. From - said stone mound, running north 300 feet to a stone mound, which is - the northwest corner of the claim, running thence east 1500 feet to - a stone mound, which is the northeast corner of said claim, thence - South 600 feet to a stone mound, which is the southeast corner of - said claim, thence running west 1500 feet to a stone mound, which - is the southwest corner of said claim, thence north 300 feet to the - place of beginning. Covering in all about 20 acres of land. Said - claim contains valuable deposits of Petroleum, Oil Clay, Building - Stone, Guano, Phosphates, and other kindred substances situate in - the Eddy County Mining District. This amended notice is made by me - this 19th day of November A.D. 1903. - - ABIJAH LONG - - Filed for record November 19th 1903 at 3:20 o'clock P.M. - - W. R. OWEN, Probate Clerk and Recorder. - By N. CUNNINGHAM, Deputy. - -[Illustration: Charles Hannsz - -Supervisor of transporting guano to Carlsbad] - -Much work had to be done before we could even touch the guano. The -road up the hill, if it could be called a road at that time, had to be -cleared and widened and in places leveled because it was so steep. - -I had hired eight or ten boys in Carlsbad to assist in this work, and -it was all carried out under the supervision of my brother-in-law, -Charlie Hannsz. It proved to be no easy task to remove the large -boulders, dig up thickets of cactus and other desert shrubs, and make -the roadway smooth enough to allow heavily loaded wagons to pass -smoothly. - -At best the road was not very satisfactory, but it was the best we -could do, so we had to use it. - -Now that the road was done, the next part of the operation could begin. -Since the entrance to the big cave was some distance from where the -guano was located, I tried to figure out some way of making that haul -much shorter. - -On one of my trips into Carlsbad for supplies I heard of a man by the -name of Victor Queen who might fit into our company. As a result I -looked him up, since I had heard he had had mining experience. - -"Had any experience mining guano?" I asked him. - -"No," Victor replied. "But it doesn't matter much what you take out of -the ground--the problems are pretty much the same." - -"Well," I explained, "we have to haul this guano quite a ways to the -exit, and I think there must be a way to abolish all that trouble." - -"Can't you sink a shaft right over where the guano is located?" he -suggested. - -[Illustration: Victor Queen] - -[Illustration: J. H. Lockhart] - -"It might be a tough job to tunnel down," I mused. - -"Just use a bit of dynamite," was Queen's solution. - -"I've never used the stuff, and I sort of hesitate to experiment. What -do you know about it?" - -"Used it in Mexico quite a bit. Saves a lot of digging time, and -there's no need for danger if a man knows what he's doing." - -"Believe that might be our answer. How about joining us?" - -Next day Victor Queen was deciding just where to dynamite a hole -through to the guano. He was assisted in this powder work by Arthur -Sinclair and Johnny Forehand. Among the others who were loyal workers -were John Queen, Victor's brother, Wayne Crowder, and John Lockhart. - -Blasting the hole proved to be no easy task, but eventually we achieved -our goal. This first shaft was sunk in 1903, and it seemed then that -the major part of our effort had been completed. - -Getting to the guano was one thing, and getting it out was another. -When we got the shaft sunk we found we would have to build a platform -underneath in order to more easily raise the guano from the floor of -the cave to the shaft entrance. - -What appeared to be a simple job at the start proved to be rather -difficult and perilous, but under the supervision of Johnny Forehand -and Arthur Sinclair the platform was completed and it turned out to be -a good job. - -Once again it seemed that the actual mining of the guano could begin, -but again we had miscalculated. Attaching a pulley and a rope to the -top of the shaft, we lowered an iron bucket, shoveled it full of guano, -and the first load came out. - -At this rate it would take forever to get a pay load to Carlsbad. We -had to find a faster method. - -[Illustration: Wayne Crowder, Sr.] - -[Illustration: John Queen] - -[Illustration: J. F. Forehand] - -By this time my finances were dwindling fast, and in order to continue -I found I was compelled to seek outside assistance. Many people -hesitate to have anything to do with a mining operation, figuring there -is too much risk to merit any financial backing. But with us the mine -wasn't guesswork because we could see the guano and knew there were -many tons of it waiting to be brought to the surface and shipped to San -Francisco. - -As a result, I soon made a contract with the Ramsy Brady Company of -Carlsbad whereby they would assist financially in the backing of the -undertaking in return for a half interest in the profits. - -With that important detail out of the way I was ready once more to give -my full attention to extracting the guano which had so far remained in -the big cave in spite of all our endeavor. - -Now we were ready to complete the final stage of our operation. - -Since the iron bucket was much too slow, we decided some quicker means -must be found. We held a consultation and several ideas were suggested. -The best seemed to be to build a track out of 2×4 lumber and construct -a small car or wagon to run on this track. Matt Ohnemus of Carlsbad was -assigned to this job, and he built us a strong and sturdy car which I -was sure would serve us well for a long time. - -It was similar to the hand cars used on the railroad, except that we -were forced to use wooden wheels, the iron variety not being obtainable. - -Our system was now changed. We would scoop up the guano in shovels and -place it in sacks. Eight or ten sacks could be loaded onto the car and -hoisted to the surface. - -The sacks, of course, were sewed across the top before being placed on -the car. Johnny Forehand proved to be a master at sewing these sacks. -He was fast and accurate, and many of the other fellows learned to -speed up their sewing by watching Johnny. - -I was really quite fortunate in having acquired such a fine bunch of -fellows to work on the operation. They all seemed to adapt themselves -quickly and well to any job assigned to them, and furthermore they -seemed to take an interest in their work. - -One of the big reasons for this was that all the men knew there wasn't -too much work in that section of the state, and therefore they were -eager to keep the jobs they had. Also, the cave seemed to possess a -certain degree of mystery for the men and they felt a certain amount of -daring and adventure connected with the whole operation. - -Working with guano can't be classified as a glamorous operation. The -very nature of the substance--bat deposit--has a rather disagreeable -odor and it takes a while to get used to it. Also, there wasn't much -circulation of air in the big cave with the result that the smell had -been bottled up there for centuries and we were getting the full effect -of it. - -From time to time fellows would quit or leave for one reason or -another, and whenever a new man started in he would comment on the -odor, and then we were conscious of it, but otherwise we grew so -accustomed to it that we didn't notice it. - -The men were human, and just like men everywhere, I guess. They worked -hard during the day, but during their off hours they liked to partake -of the pleasures men normally like. - -Of course we were 28 miles from Carlsbad, so the fellows couldn't go -that far to spend their evenings. They were, therefore, forced to -provide their own entertainment in our own camp. - -Life in and around the big cave was never boring. There was something -happening every minute. New men, it seemed, were the target for pranks, -and my boys soon became adept at staging them! - - - - - 5 - - Life at the Camp - - -New men were always nervous about going into the cave. A mine is -one thing, but a cave! And people back in Carlsbad were continually -enlarging their yarns about the adventures we were having in the "big -cave" some 28 miles away. As a result, all new men who came to work had -illusions about this mysterious cavity in the earth where bats dwelled -by the millions. - -The boys thought new men were fair game--for anything. Take for -instance the time a new man came out to work at the cave and the boys -decided to have some fun. - -They asked the tenderfoot if he would go down into the cave for a -shovel, and the man obeyed. As soon as he reached the bottom, a voice -boomed out of the darkness: "What are you doing down here?" - -The man, not knowing anyone else was underground at the time -was so scared he could hardly talk. Finally he uttered, "Why, I -have--a--well--I have come to get a--a shovel!" - -"Now lookee here," boomed the voice again. "I've lived in this cave -nigh on to 50 years, and now you guys think you're going to take it -away from me. I'm going to kill you!" With that a gun fired at close -range. - -The new man, scared out of his wits, fairly flew up the ladder and -headed for open country, as fast as his legs would carry him. As far as -I know he is still running, for none of us ever saw him again. - -Another time we had a young Mexican boy working in the cave sewing -sacks. One day he got upset over something and suddenly decided to -quit, saying, "Me voy, me voy!" (I am going, I am going.) - -It was really nothing serious, and we pleaded with him, trying to -explain to him that the matter was not important, that we liked him and -wanted him to stay as we needed him. Furthermore, it wasn't easy to get -men to remain at the cave. - -Our pleadings were of no avail, for he started out and we couldn't stop -him. He jumped on the car and began to pull the ropes and in that way -propel himself to the top of the cave. - -Ropes in those days were not too well made and they wore out fast. He -didn't know, and, in fact, we didn't either, that the rope on the hoist -was ready to snap. - -Up he went, almost to the top, and then--snap. Down came car, Mexican -boy and all, right smack into a waiting load of guano. He was covered -from head to foot--just a leg sticking out. - -He didn't move, and we were sure he had been killed. We started digging -and soon uncovered a very much alive but very scared little fellow. The -guano had cushioned the fall. - -Apparently he thought we somehow caused the fall to prevent his escape, -for he never tried to run away again, and soon became one of our best -workers. - -Incidents like this were not good for the morale of the men. The -pranks, of course, were harmless as far as danger was concerned, but -natural risks were always present. - -Sometimes the pranks were meant to be harmless, and they were to the -men, but it worked a hardship on us who managed the mine. I remember -one day Victor Queen, who at that time was in charge of operations, had -to go to Carlsbad for supplies. - -"Johnny," he said to his brother, "I'm leaving you and Wayne Crowder in -charge while I'm gone. Keep the men busy. I'll be back as soon as I can -make it." - -Wayne was a good worker and always reliable, but like lots of men he -enjoyed a good laugh and often went to long ends to get it. - -"Johnny," he said, "you engage the Mexicans in conversation. I'm going -to fix up a ghost and we'll have a little fun with them." - -While Johnny Queen was talking to the Mexican workers about everything -he could think of, Wayne made a large paper man, then tied a string -to it and dangled it from the roof of the cave in a dimly lit section -which hadn't been explored too much. - -The Mexicans were quite superstitious about the cave, and Wayne knew he -would get quite a rise out of them when they saw this ghost-like figure -rising out of the semi-darkness. - -He didn't have long to wait. Signaling to Johnny that the scene had -been set, the conversation stopped and the Mexicans were sent into the -cave in the vicinity of where the ghost had been rigged. - -Panic broke loose. Every Mexican in the group quit, scampering out of -the cave and heading for Carlsbad. They were scared. But so were Johnny -and Wayne. They knew how hard it was to get men to work in the cave -and, with this mass exodus of workers, they would be in for a hard -lecture from Victor when he returned and found what had happened. - -They pleaded with the frightened men, but it was useless. They had seen -that white figure with their own eyes. They had heard the cave was -haunted; now they knew that what they had heard was true. Come back -to work? Not in that cave! Some picked up their belongings, while the -others were in too much of a hurry to get out of that section of the -country. - -When Victor returned and learned what had happened, he nearly fired -John and Wayne on the spot. Needless to say, John and Wayne had learned -their lesson, and they were much more careful about what they tried on -the workers in the future. - -On one occasion a man by the name of Priest came out from Carlsbad to -see the cave and learn how guano was being taken out. The boys were -always ready to oblige anyone like this, so they told him to get on the -car and they would take him down. - -The car hadn't gone very far when the steel cable on the drum slipped a -bit and the car suddenly dropped about a foot. - -Priest was so frightened he began to pray. The boys thought that was -quite an incident, seeing a Priest pray on a cable car going after -guano, and they always got a bang out of telling it. - -That car contributed its share of incidents at the cave. One other time -we had just received several hundred empty sacks and were preparing to -send them below where the men could fill them with guano. - -Generally the workers in the cave would walk the ladders when they -wanted to go into the cave or come out. But this time there were three -boys who decided they would get a free ride as long as the car was -going anyway with the sacks. So they jumped on. - -Sitting gaily on the sacks they appeared ready for a thrill, so they -called out to the whim man, "Let 'er go!" - -He did. - -The boys were asking for a fast ride, so he decided to give it to them. -He forgot to take into consideration that the weight of the several -hundred sacks plus the weight of the three boys was too much for the -car, and as it gained momentum in its downward plunge the brake gave -way. - -The car was now falling freely of its own weight, and in an instant -would crash at the bottom, totally wrecking the car and possibly -killing the three boys. - -I happened to see the whole thing, being right there at the time, and -before I could think what was happening I had instinctively grabbed a -4×4 timber close by and rammed it into the whim. - -Smoke billowed from the 4×4 as it hit the whim. The car slowed up just -as it hit the bottom. - -From our position at the top of the shaft we couldn't tell how hard the -car had landed, nor could we tell if anyone had been badly hurt. - -Just as I was about to call down, I heard one of the boys call up, -"Can't you take it a bit slower? We'd at least like to have a little -conversation on our way down." - -I knew from that jesting that there couldn't be too much damage, -otherwise he couldn't joke about it. We soon learned that no damage -had been done since I had injected the 4×4 into the whim just in time. -There were a few bruises, but that was all. - -Life at the cave was somewhat rugged at first because we didn't have -many of the comforts of home. At first we would sleep in the wagons, -then we brought out some canvas tents from Carlsbad and this made -living much more comfortable. - -As operations continued I had hoped to build some sort of small house -and move my family out to be there with me. But my time was so busy in -the early phases of the operation that I had little time to think of -anything but getting the guano out of the ground. - -[Illustration: Artist's conception of Long's move to Big Cave area.] - -After a while things became more or less routine and I could then -think of some more permanent living quarters for myself and family. -My brother-in-law, Charlie Hannsz, also had more spare time now that -the roadwork was done and the initial construction chores had been -completed. - -Since he was a fine carpenter, I let him have the job of building more -permanent living quarters. - -We found the most satisfactory type of housing was what we called tent -houses. These consisted of boxing plank for the floors, with the wood -also extending about half way up the side or wall of the house. The -upper half of the wall was canvas, as was the roof. - -These houses were relatively easy to build, and served our purpose -adequately. After the first house was completed, we built another for -my father, A. B. Long, and my mother. Then we built another for Charlie -Hannsz and his family, making a group of three houses. - -My wife made our place quite comfortable inside. She was an immaculate -housekeeper and she had the knack of knowing how to make our little -tent house look like a home. I felt quite contented living there. - -The food problem was a difficult one, for all our supplies had to be -brought out from Carlsbad. At first my wife did all the cooking for -the men, but this job soon became too much for her, especially as the -operations at the cave grew and more men joined the force. - -Eventually the men had to make other arrangements for their meals. -Most of them did their own cooking, or they would divide up into small -groups and take turns cooking for the rest. The Mexicans would cook -their own meals off by themselves as they seemed to prefer a different -menu from the rest of us. - -This section of the state was good for cattle grazing and this was -quite an industry in itself at the time. There was a man by the name of -Simms who had quite a herd near the cave and sometimes during the night -we could hear these animals near our camp. - -One morning, as the boys were entering the cave to go to work, they -discovered that one of the cows had fallen into the cave. In trying to -reconstruct what had happened, it looked as though one cow had hooked -another, causing one to fall into the cave. - -[Illustration: Artist's sketch shows family cabins set up near cave's -entrance.] - -The boys butchered the animal right there, carrying the cow out piece -by piece. I have often wondered if Simms ever knew that we were -enjoying fresh steaks from one of his herd! - -Often on evenings or Sundays the boys would get together and hold what -they called a Kangaroo Court, thus helping to pass the time away. -First, they would select one of their number to serve as judge. - -Then, from the group, one of the fellows would be selected for some -misdeed he had committed while on the job that day. After the testimony -was heard, his fellow workers, who served as an impromptu jury, would -decide the verdict, which was most always "guilty," and the judge would -impose the sentence, such as requiring the guilty culprit to take a -small pail and a coal oil lantern and go back into the deep recesses of -the cave alone and return with the pail full of water. - -Entertainment during the evenings varied, depending upon the mood of -the men and what their particular likes and dislikes were. Card games -were always popular, and a hot game of poker was the favorite with most -of the men. - -Many times after they had finished a busy day in the Big Cave they -would roll out a tarpaulin, deal out the cards, and proceed to have a -gay time. - -More than once these games would last all night, or until one man would -win all the money and the rest had no more cash to play with. - -Johnny Queen must have been lucky at love because he certainly wasn't -lucky at cards. In practically every poker game he would soon lose -all his money and would be out. On cold nights the fellows found the -playing not very comfortable, and after a while they got the bright -idea of asking Johnny to build a fire for them, since he was only -watching anyway. - -This Johnny did, using sotol[C] for fuel. Sotol is a type of desert -plant that grew in the area around the cave. With a warm fire to -comfort them, the games would go longer than ever. - -[Footnote C: Sotol--a desert plant (dasylirion) having a stiff stalk -and crowded leaves.] - -Johnny, however, couldn't understand why he should gather fuel and tend -fire while they enjoyed all the fun, so he got the bright idea of -charging the players a dollar. They were glad to pay. Needless to say, -there were many nights when Johnny ended up with more money than most -of them did! - - - - - 6 - - The Big Cave Is Explored - - -After the mining operation had been under way for some time I found I -wasn't so busy and had a little free time to myself to sort of rest up -and think of something besides getting the guano to the surface and off -to the Hawaiian Fertilizer Company of San Francisco. - -More and more I began to wonder just what this Big Cave was like beyond -our immediate area. Many of the men also wondered, and often suggested -that some day we form an exploring party and see what it was like. - -We decided to do just that. A day was decided upon and the necessary -preparations and precautions were made. Of course, we had no idea of -what lay ahead of us, nor how far our journey would take us, and I -reasoned therefore that it would be better to carry too much with us -than too little. - -First of all I rounded up all the available lanterns that weren't -otherwise in use. Then I got all of the candles we had, a supply of -matches, and all of the cord in the cave. We had a lot of cord because -it was the cord we used to sew the guano sacks. - -We also carried a supply of food, for we meant to really go a great -distance. Of course no one had to go, but most of the men wanted to -see what mysterious wonders lay beyond the site of our immediate guano -operation. - -Fortunately there were a couple of men who didn't seem interested, -preferring to remain outside. This was all right with me, for if any -unforeseen emergency should arise, we could depend upon them to send -for help. - -We decided how long we would be gone, and I told them that if we were -not back by a certain time, they were to organize a search party and -come looking for us. - -I told them that we would light the candles and place them at intervals -along the way, and also we would string the cord along the entire -distance, both methods being used in order that we could easily and -quickly find our way back, as well as to assist a rescue party in -following our trail should such prove necessary. - -With all of these precautions being made, the suspense of our -undertaking grew, and the men were quite excited and eager to get -started, yet I was in no hurry to proceed until I was sure everything -was in readiness, for although we were to be gone only a matter of -hours, no one knew what lay ahead and I preferred to be well prepared -for any emergency. - -So, at our appointed hour our journey of exploration began--the first -journey into the Big Cave--the first time Man had ever set eyes on its -matchless wonders. How little we knew then that in the years that would -follow millions of others would enter this cave to view the beauty and -grandeur that Nature had been in the process of creating for countless -centuries. - -At times the going was pretty slow due to the uneven floor of the cave. -Big boulders often had to be moved to one side, and when they were too -heavy or were too well lodged in the floor to permit moving, we had to -climb over them. - -Generally the direction of travel was downward as the Big Cave seemed -to go deeper into the earth. We were going in a westerly direction and -the cave seemed to take on a maze of large connected rooms. - -We would enter one and then, as we would pass out the other side, seem -to enter another. - -Many times we stopped in bewilderment of the beauty that lay before us. -The fellows in the party often kidded about the trip and were pretty -much in gay spirits, but as they would enter these magnificent rooms -which man had never seen before, they became very quiet, letting their -eyes soak in every detail that the light of our lanterns brought out. - -We all seemed humble amid God's handiwork, and I noticed many of the -roughest men in the party became suddenly reverent as though they might -be entering some great cathedral. - -I never knew exactly how the other men felt about all this strange -exhibition of beauty, but I could see it had some effect upon their -lives. A rough bunch of men usually don't say much about this sort of -thing. - -As for me, I wondered if anyone on the outside would believe our -stories when we told them what we were seeing. Actually, I felt it -was a big dream, and that I would soon wake up. I had heard of caves -before, but I had never heard of anything this large or filled with as -much beauty. - -All of us felt that each turn would be the end and we would be able to -terminate our trip and return. But each time we would discover a deep -shadow which would turn out to be another tunnel or entrance to another -large cavity or room, often more colorful and appealing than the one we -were leaving. - -At times there would appear to be no further trail. The boys would -flash their lanterns around and find an outlet, sometimes so high above -us that we couldn't reach it without a ladder. Then we would find -another on our own level and we would be on our way again, leaving a -world of beauty for another fully its equal. - -In one place we came upon what looked like an iceberg, but of course it -was a rock formation. In another we came upon a green pond of water. - -Everywhere we saw stalactites formed through countless years of the -dripping of water, each drop leaving behind its minute portion of -calcium or other chemical composition which eventually forms the -pendant. The fellows constantly referred to them as icicles, since they -resembled them so exactly. - -Underneath many of the biggest ones were the stalagmites, the "rising -statues" formed by the drips from their counterpart above. Every one, it -seemed, had a style and shape all its own. - -The colors were in a class by themselves. We saw all the colors of the -rainbow, from pale pinks to deep maroon--from pale sky blue to dark -purple. Many had a softness which no artist could duplicate. Others -were as bright as a Mexican cafe, and the Mexican members of our party -took an extreme delight in seeing these vivid hues. Apparently they had -missed, in America, the bright colors which are so abundant in their -homeland. - -Almost any formation known to man could be seen as we inched our way -along. Castles, monuments, animals of all sorts, a gremlin, the devil, -a bridal veil, totem poles, all of these and hundreds more were easy to -visualize everywhere around us. And with but a little Imagination we -could see many more. - -It was time to turn back, and I could feel the reluctance of the men -in the party to do so, but if we did not arrive back at our appointed -time a search party would start after us, and I saw no reason to create -false fears with those on the outside. - -The return trip was much faster than our trip in, simply because we -knew what to expect. Also, we did not stop so long to look at the -magnificent splendor, and also because the candles and string told us -exactly where the trail led. - -It was interesting to note, however, that as we would enter a room from -the opposite direction from which we had originally entered it, it -appeared much different, sometimes so much so that we thought we had -not entered it previously. Of course, the candles and string proved we -were wrong, but the difference in perspective was amazing. - -When we finally arrived back at the entrance the members of the party -spent hours telling the others what we had seen. It was interesting to -hear the different descriptions from the men and to see how each man -had noted something different yet of course we had all been along the -same route. - -After this we often took trips into the cave and would explore -different rooms and tunnels which we hadn't seen before. It seemed that -there was no end to this maze of underground caverns. - -Accidents were relatively few on all of these trips, and I think it was -because the fellows all realized that if any of them got hurt it could -be serious. The trip back would be a hardship on those who might be -required to carry an injured man back to the entrance. - -When my young son, Jodie, (Joe N. Long), was about 5 years old, he -began to take quite an interest in our conversations in which we would -describe the many incidents that took place daily in the Big Cave. - -[Illustration: - - Abijah Long Joe N. (Jodie) and Andrew B. - Long Long - - (Taken about 1904) -] - -Finally Jodie asked my father to take him into this big hole in the -ground. We didn't think it safe to take such a small child into the -cave, but Jodie kept insisting. - -However, Jodie won out. One day his grandfather led him to the cave -entrance, the one where visitors now enter, and took him inside. From -that day on we were besieged with all kinds of childish questions. - -The incident is worth mentioning because, as far as I know, Jodie was -the first child ever to enter the Big Cave. - -We never did see any forms of life in the cave, other than the millions -of bats which made it their home, but on one of our trips into the -inner chambers the boys found a large bone. They brought it out to -examine it more carefully. It was much too large to be a human bone, -and when the boys tried to break it they found it was very hard, -resisting for a while the blows of their sledge hammer. - -The bone apparently was in a state of semi-petrification. We all -speculated as to how it could have gotten into the cave, and every man -had his own theory. Some said an animal must have fallen into the cave, -such as Mr. Simm's cow had done, but lived to stumble on into the cave -where he starved to death. - -The fellows thought this theory unlikely because if it were true, other -bones would have been found at the same spot. - -Another theory was that a cave man centuries ago had killed some wild -beast and had taken a leg of meat into the cave where he made his home. -Meat and man had long since ceased to exist, but the bone remained. - -At least we couldn't offer any sound reason against this theory, but it -seemed almost fantastic to accept it. - -The only other theory which seemed at all plausible was that some wild -animal, such as a bobcat or lynx, had at some time lived in the cave -and had brought in the leg of a deer or moose and left it there after -having eaten the meat from it. However, there were no tracks of any -kind in the Big Cave, hence that theory had little support. - -How the bone got there still remains a mystery. - - - - - 7 - - The End of the Beginning - - -After the guano operation had been going on for some time I could see -that it wasn't turning out to be as profitable as I had originally -thought it would be. With the vast quantity of guano under ground, and -with our efficient method of extracting it, I wasn't able to realize -what I felt was a sizeable profit from the time and effort involved. - -Of course there were lots of factors that entered into the operation -which do not meet the eye. For instance, when the guano was brought to -the surface it was filled with moisture, and I was paying the freight -charges to San Francisco by the ton. - -Yet when the guano arrived in San Francisco, the Hawaiian Fertilizer -Company would pay only for guano that was dry. So, when I found I was -paying freight on unwanted moisture, I stopped that in a hurry. - -I built a series of drying racks or platforms in the western section of -Carlsbad and let the guano remain there until it had dried out. This -kept a pay load from reaching market and was one more operation which -ate into the profits. - -The freight to San Francisco at that time cost me $9 per ton. The -guano was $2.25 per unit, $1 for phosphoric acid, and $1 for potash per -ton. - -One answer would have been to find a closer market, as that would have -cut down the high cost of freighting, but there was no other market, so -we were forced to continue sending the guano to San Francisco. - -With some products the manufacturer sets his price, based on cost of -production, but with us we had to accept the market price at the time, -or else not operate. - -When these problems were becoming more complex and I couldn't see any -good solution, a man by the name of Patterson who lived in Carlsbad -offered me $500 cash for my equipment and the work I had done at the -Big Cave. I immediately accepted his offer. - -And then, what did he do but turn right around and hire me as foreman! -So, for some time after that I continued the operations at the cave, -but of course not as owner. - -It seemed as though the extraction of the guano was not intended to be -a paying proposition, for the Big Cave changed hands many times after -that. - -Little did any of us know then that the Big Cave, known in later years -as the Bat Cave, would some day be worth millions as a sight-seeing -attraction and would completely dwarf the income derived from the guano -operations. - -Of course that eventually came about, beginning in 1923. President -Coolidge proclaimed the area Carlsbad Cave National Monument in October -of that year, and a great amount of publicity during the years that -followed prompted thousands of tourists from all over the world to come -to see what some writers have termed "The Eighth Wonder of the World." - - * * * * * - -Former Owners of Carlsbad Caverns - - 1905--Santa Fe Railroad. (Owned east portion over Bat Cave. 40 acres.) - 1906--C. F. Hagan sells one half to H. F. Patterson of Carlsbad. - March 26, 1906--T. W. Teague of El Paso. - April 19, 1906--The El Paso Guano Fertilizer Company. - April 21, 1908--G. M. Cooke. - September 12, 1909--J. D. Lanford sells to Carlsbad Guano Fertilizer Co. - -T. A. Blakely held a patent to the east wing of the Carlsbad Cave, -where the guano beds were worked extensively. In 1942 the Government -purchased this tract from Mr. Blakely. - - -[Illustration: Letter from U. S. Congress recognizes Long as cave's -discoverer - - PHIL. D. SWING COMMITTEES: - 11TH DIST. CALIFORNIA IRRIGATION AND RECLAMATION - PUBLIC LAND - FLOOD CONTROL - EXPENDITURES IN THE EXECUTIVE - DEPARTMENTS - - Congress of the United States - House of Representatives - Washington, D.C. - - December 24, 1930. - - Mr. H. F. Shepherd, - Deputy in charge, - United States Customs Service, - Calexico, California. - - My dear Mr. Shepherd: - - - This will acknowledge your letter regarding Mr. Abijah - Long who is the original discoverer of the famous Carlsbad - Caveren in New Mexico. - - Sincerely, - - [Signed: Phil. D. Swing] - - - PDS:DCM -] - -Well, that's my story! That's how it all began. I'm glad to see that -the Federal Government has taken over supervision of the Big Cave -and has made it available to people from every land in order that -they might enjoy its unsurpassed beauty which first greeted us 'guano -miners' back in 1903. It is gratifying to me to have been a small part -of the early history of the Big Cave, now more appropriately called -"Carlsbad Caverns" and known all over the world. - -I am also grateful for the privilege of having known and worked with -these men, many of whom grew with Carlsbad and turned out to be -prominent citizens of the community. - -Times may change, but the great caverns will remain for countless -centuries to come, just as they have been for years without number. -Now, in the hands of the government, their preservation is assured, so -that your children and my children and their children after them will -be able to witness, unmarred and unchanged, these wonders of God's -handiwork. - -And you'll be thrilled just as we were, when you see them for the first -time, and you'll marvel, as we did, that anything in the world could -exist, so strange, so large, so utterly beyond description. - -Man may build his temples and his shrines, but as you stand there, -a mere midget in any of the several mammoth rooms, you will feel a -certain humbleness come over you, and you cannot help but feel closer -to your God. - - - - - Part II - - THE - FIRST 60,000,000 YEARS - - _By JOE N. LONG_ - - - - - 1 - - The Beginning - - -How old are the Caverns? When did they begin to form? Are they growing -larger today? What changes, if any, are now going on? - -These are questions which everyone who becomes interested in the great -Carlsbad Caverns wants to have answered sooner or later. - -To some of these and many similar questions the answers are difficult -to obtain, for when the Caverns were being created no man was around -to watch the process and to report his observations first hand. As a -result, we have only the word of geologists and other scientists who -have specialized in the study of the earth, its formation, and the -changes that have come about through the countless ages since our world -began. - -No one knows how old the Caverns are. All man can do is to estimate, -and he bases these estimates on a study of conditions he finds within -the cave itself, in the surrounding countryside, and from a general -knowledge of the earth and how it has evolved. - -Probably the area itself began to form about 200 million years ago, -during the Permian period of geologic time. - -The area at that time is supposed to have been either an inland sea -or a shallow extension of the ocean. During this Permian period the -earth's surface was changing. Mountains were rising and the waters were -receding, thus greatly enlarging the land areas. Amphibian life was on -the wane, and reptiles began to appear. - -Great thicknesses of limestone deposits were made during these -countless centuries, some in the form of a reef now known as the -Capitan limestone. Contemporaneous rock behind the reef is called the -Tansill formation. It is in these rocks that the Carlsbad Caverns are -located. - -Since Permian time geologists think the seas may have risen again -and covered what is now New Mexico, leaving sediments that have been -largely removed. About 60,000,000 years ago, during the Cretaceous -period when coal was being formed elsewhere in the world and dinosaurs -roamed the earth, the land was uplifted, perhaps producing cracks and -crevices in the limestone. - -Geologists at one time believed the Caverns were caused by the action -of water as it flowed down through the limestone, dissolving as it -did so minute particles of the stone. Today, however, that theory has -been discarded, since a more careful and detailed study indicates the -Caverns to have been formed by phreatic solution, their development -resulting from a two-cycle method of creation. - -The Caverns can be said to be a natural cavity in the earth formed by -the solution of rock by subsurface waters. Actually, there are two -great geological processes involved in the formation of the Caverns. -The first came about as the water hollowed out the underground -chambers, and the second took place when the formations of stone were -created in these underground openings. - -To be explicit, we can only say that the Caverns are large crevices -or cracks in the limestone which have been enormously enlarged by the -constant solution of the rock into the underground water which filled -these indentations. - -In order to understand just what the two-cycle method means and how -it can exist, we must first understand the two conditions under which -these operations of nature can take place. - -Water, as it seeps downward into the earth, tends to seek what we shall -call its own level. This would be a point where everything below is -saturated with water, the water table of the region. Above the table -water works downward due to its gravitational pull. Below the table -there is only rather slow movement of water. - -The area above this point is known as the vadose zone, and below this -point the area is the ground-water or phreatic zone. - -Any farmer who has ever sunk a well knows how important it is that his -well reach below the water table if he is to be assured a continuous -supply of water. Well owners also know that the water table can rise -or fall due to any of several natural causes, such as an abundance -of rainfall for a few seasons, or any great lack of rainfall for an -extended length of time. When the water table goes below the lowest -reaches of the well, no more water can be pumped, and it is necessary -to extend the well further into the earth until it again goes below the -water table and reaches into the saturated area where water is abundant. - -The water table is not constant around the world, even though water -seeks its own level. The water table might be high in one section of -the country, low in another. It might be kept high by an abundance -of rain, or remain low due to outlets such as springs or underground -seepages. - -The vadose-water area also varies, and the effects created by the rise -and fall of the water table in one section of the country, for example, -might be vastly different than the effects in an adjacent territory. -This explains why any action of underground water in one area is not -necessarily duplicated in an apparently identical area close by. - -With an understanding of the two water zones, and the demarcation line -between, we can more readily comprehend just how the Caverns were -formed. - -Geologists are now pretty well in agreement that the enclosing rocks -of the Caverns were located in the ground-water zone under saturated -conditions. As we already know, large cracks existed in the otherwise -solid limestone. - -Then, for many, many years the ground water dissolved the limestone, -enlarging the cracks bit by bit, until the huge Caverns were formed. -At this point the water table was lowered, and, in time, the Caverns -ceased to exist in the ground-water zone. Following the lowering of -the water table, the Caverns were nothing more than empty holes in the -earth. Now the second phase of their "growth" was to begin. - -When the ground water could no longer continue its constant gnawing -action on the limestone, the Caverns had reached their maximum size. -From now on they would begin to fill up again. - -The second of the two cycles consisted of mineral deposit brought about -by water seeping downward from the surface, carrying lime for the -secondary formations which are today one of the great features of the -Caverns. - -Water in the vadose zone, seeking the ground-water level, would seep -into the top of the many rooms and galleries. Each drop contained a -minute portion of limestone. - -Some drops would remain on the ceiling, where the moisture would -evaporate, leaving a tiny ring of limestone deposit behind. As these -limestone deposits accumulated they formed a pendant mass resembling an -icicle which is called a stalactite. Drops falling to the floor would -produce deposits known as stalagmites. - -Sometimes the stalactites and stalagmites would join and a solid pillar -would be formed. - -In the rocks enclosing the Caverns are various deposits of other -minerals such as iron oxide which are often carried in minute -quantities within the seeping water and deposited on the stalagmites -and stalactites. These minerals are responsible for the many different -colors that may be seen in many places within the rooms of the Caverns. - -Some of the formations have a very live and transparent appearance, -looking somewhat as though they might have just been given a thorough -coat of wax. Actually, these formations are still active. That is, they -are still covered with water and the age-old process of depositing the -small particles of carbonate of lime contained in the water is still -going on. In cave parlance they are "alive", that is, they are still -growing. - -In the Carlsbad Caverns today about 10 per cent of the formations are -"alive". Water is seeping in around them and working its wonders. It is -this presence of water that gives them the polished, radiant look. - -When the water no longer reaches the formations, they "die", i.e., they -no longer continue to grow. They lose their sheen and lustre and take -on a powdery appearance. - -Geologists differentiate the two primary effects of seeping water -in the creation of the formations in caves. Those that are created -by water dripping from above, as in the case with stalactites and -stalagmites, are referred to as dripstone formations. Those created by -the flowing of water over a surface are called flowstone formations. -In some rooms of the cave, formations made of flowstone are quite -abundant. This is to be found mostly on the floors of the rooms, or on -walls where a large volume of water is present. These formations have -been referred to as masses which resemble ice that forms on a cold -winter's day near a stream of water. Others have described them as -"cascades frozen in stone." - -An additional phase of the cave's development has been described by -geologists as the period of collapse. During the centuries when the -entire area was saturated with water, limestone blocks on walls and -ceilings were weakened by solution, later to crash to the floor, -leaving the room larger than ever. This collapsing continued after -the cave became "dry" but ended once stability was achieved. Park -naturalists tell us no rock has fallen within the cave for thousands of -years. - -So ends the first stage of the history of the great Carlsbad Caverns, -their gradual growth and formation over periods of millions of years. -Man was still centuries away when their beauties were being created. -But were other forms of life inhabiting them? - - - - - 2 - - Life Enters the Caverns - - -At the time the limestone beds were beginning to crack, which we noted -was some 60,000,000 million years ago, the huge reptiles and other -prehistoric animals were playing hide and seek on the surface above the -site of the developing Caverns. At that time the cave hadn't yet been -formed--the underground seepage of water was just beginning to find the -crevices below the gypsum and rock salt and begin its erosion which was -to continue slowly for so many centuries. - -Recent forms of life seem to have a more or less direct bearing on the -bat, and scientists remain quiet on what forms of life, if any, used -the cave for their domicile between the earliest times and the arrival -of the bat. - -At least, the nocturnal creature is a sure resident, for he still makes -his home there, and in numbers running into the millions. - -But when did the bat first inhabit the cave? That is difficult to -answer, except to say that it was several thousands of years ago. - -How can scientists be so sure the years are so many? There are several -ways in which they have been able to establish that the centuries have -been numerous since the bats first discovered this haven. - -One of the best is by the guano deposits found on the floor of the -cave. Observations have shown that the excrement from the bats -accumulates at the rate of approximately one-half inch per year. Thus -25 years is required for a foot of the substance to materialize. This -would indicate it would require about 1,000 years for 40 feet to -accumulate. - -Unfortunately, the exact thickness or depth of the guano deposits was -not carefully measured when my father first discovered them, but I have -heard him describe them many times as being at least 100 feet deep in -places. That would be almost conclusive proof that the bats had been -living in the cave for at least 2,000 years! - -It should also be remembered that as guano ages and dehydrates, it sort -of packs down, so that although a half inch of guano might be deposited -in a year's time, several years later this guano will have decayed and -packed down to half that thickness. - -This would extend the time to far more than the estimated 2,000 years, -but just how much is extremely difficult to estimate. - -Also, the amount of guano growth varies with the years, for when -insects are plentiful, bats gorge themselves and the guano deposits -are much greater than in lean years when their food supply is low, -sometimes to the extent that the bats will go elsewhere for one or two -seasons, at which times there is no guano accumulation at all. - -At one time, during an exploration of the cave some years ago, a -scientist discovered the remains of a bat sticking out of the side of a -stalagmite where it had undoubtedly fallen from its perch above, having -perchance died of old age. - -With no disturbance to blow its remains away, it rotted there and the -stalagmite grew over it, so to speak. Scientists, estimating the rate -of growth of stalagmites, were able to calculate approximately how long -ago the bat had fallen. The head and wing bones were barely discernable. - -It is also known that the bats have moved around in the cave, for their -tiny skeletons have been found in remote sections at points where the -bats are no longer found clinging to the ceiling for their daytime -sleep. Such findings indicate one of two possibilities; one, that some -bats might have gotten lost in the cave and died there, away from their -normal resting place, and, second, that previous openings have since -been closed, due to various earth movements, forcing the bats to use -new openings and thus change their location within the cave. - -Scientists place little credence on the former possibility because bats -seldom get lost. They can find their way in any dark cave or passageway -and know how to get out the same way they went in. - -The second possibility is the most likely, that centuries ago there -were other openings to the cave through which the bats entered and -spent the daylight hours. As old age overtook them they would die and -fall to the floor. Then, as subsequent earth movements closed the -openings, the bats would find new doorways to their daytime abode. -This also accounts for large quantities of guano which were found in -portions of the cave where no bats were to be seen sleeping on the -ceiling above. - -There are eighteen species of bats to be found in New Mexico, and -thirteen are known in the Carlsbad region. In the United States as a -whole, scientists have classified over 251 varieties of these winged -mammals. - -Of the thirteen found near the Caverns, eight are known to have made -use of the cave at one time or another. Old skeletons have been -found in remote sections of the cave which have been identified as -those of the Large Pale Bat (_Antrozous pallidus_), wing bones -of which were found in one of the innermost rooms; the Big Brown -Bat (_Eptesicus fuscus_), a skull and wing bones having been -discovered in an inner room; House Bat (_Myotis incautus_), -several skull fragments of which were found in one of the lower rooms -of the cave; Red Bat (_Nycteris borealis_), two old skulls of -which were found on the floor of one of the deepest rooms; Cave Bat -(_Myotis velifer_), evidenced by imperfect skull fragments found -deep in the cave; Great Hoary Bat (_Nycteris cinerea_), largest of -the northern bats, possessing silvery grey fur and not normally a cave -dweller, but wing bones were found in the cave, indicating they may -have lived there at one time, and the Little California Bat (_Myotis -californicus pallidus_), whose presence was indicated by a skull -picked up amid the dust and debris of a low, inner room. - -The chief resident of the caves for centuries has been the Mexican -Free-tailed Bat (_Tadarida mexicana_), also sometimes called -the guano bat because its species is especially noted for the huge -quantities of commercially excellent guano it produces. - -The Free-tailed Bat is distinguishable from the northern bats by its -extended tail which reaches about an inch beyond the interleg membrane, -by its short fur, and by a strong odor not found with other species. -They also possess short, stubby ears, will weigh between 10 and 12 -grams, and prefer caves more than most any other species. - -The life of the bat is somewhat of a mystery to the average person, -partly because they seclude themselves during the day in places -relatively safe from discovery, and venture out at night when humans -are not around and couldn't very well see them if they were. - -Bats resemble the ordinary field mouse in appearance, except for their -large, expansive wings. They are mostly insectivorous, living almost -exclusively on insects they catch while in flight, chewing their prey -into the finest bits with their sharp teeth. A bat will eat enormous -quantities of food between sunset and sunrise, and on the basis of -only two full meals a night will consume an amount almost half its own -weight. - -Their diet consists of beetles, flies, and other flying insects, most -of which are enemies of civilization; thus the bat is economically a -valuable animal. - -They leave the mouth of the cave at dusk, heading first for a drink of -water at the nearest available spot, then spend the night in search of -their food. As the sun's rays begin to appear in the east they fly back -to the cave where they dig their tiny claws into the ceiling and remain -there sleeping until the sun sets in the west and the cycle starts all -over again. - -Due to their habits they have few enemies, the great horned owl being -one. Very wide awake at night, he often catches an unsuspecting bat, -chews the flesh, letting the bones drop to the ground where they remain -as evidence of the owl's dinner. - -The mating season is normally in March. Along about June the young are -born, with this species only one to a female, although in some species -a litter of four is born. - -The single baby will weigh a fourth as much as its mother. Upon birth -it clings to its mother's body night and day until it is strong enough -to fly by itself, remaining tight even while the mother flies into the -night in search of food. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -The famous bat flight--a nightly occurrence at the Caverns.] - -The habits of bats vary in respect to their living quarters. When -insects are abundant, the size of the bat population increases, having -been estimated at times to be as high as 7 million in the Carlsbad -Caverns alone. As the supply of insects decreases, so does the number -of bats. Where they go, and whether or not the same specific bats -return in times of insect plenty is not definitely known. - -One of the first surveys of the bats in the Caverns discovered that the -number seems to grow in the fall, indicating that the cave was used -primarily as a home principally for hibernation during the winter. - -More recent observations indicate that, at the present time at least, -the bats winter somewhere else and live in the cave only during the -summer months, going elsewhere to spend the winter. Recently several -thousand bats were banded by naturalists and of those which have been -returned, one came from Jalisco, Mexico, some 800 miles south of the -Caverns. - -If both observations were correct, and it may be assumed that they -were, for both were made by naturalists, then the habits of the bats do -change, but what prompts these changes is still a matter of speculation. - -Other matters of speculation are just how the bat flies so accurately -in the dark, darting swiftly past innumerable objects yet never hitting -one of them. Scientists call this phenomenon "echolocation," a sort of -sonar principle by which the little mammals let out a high frequency -squeak and judge the distance of objects by the time required for the -echo to bounce back to their sensitive ears. - -Another mystery is how they find their way unerringly back to the cave, -in the early morning as well as after a sojourn to some other area of -the world, and how they know when the supply of food has increased to -the point that it is sufficient for them to return. - -Visitors to the cave often wonder how the numbers can be estimated. -7,000,000 is a lot of bats. This has been reduced to a relatively -simple calculation. Cavern authorities counted the number sleeping in -one square foot of space, found between 250 and 300 could squeeze into -the area. The number of square feet of ceiling space occupied by the -sleeping creatures was then multiplied by the bats per square foot, and -the estimate was reached. - -Life in the cave, it seems, has been governed by the bat, and even this -little fellow can hardly be said to live there. Actually, he only -sleeps there winters and during the day. He can't live in the cave all -the time since there is no food there for him. - -Are there any living creatures that dwell in the cave all the time? -Only those that can find food in the cave, and since the eternal -darkness prohibits photosynthesis which is vital to all growing plants, -other animals or insects would find a food supply almost practically -nonexistent, at least any form of plant food. - -Yet there are cave crickets. One species was found which was entirely -new to science, and they named it after the Caverns, calling the -species _Ceutophilus carlsbadensis_. Their eyes do not seem to -function, apparently depending upon their long antennæ to guide them. - -But what do they eat? The contents of their stomachs have revealed bits -of insect remains which they have scavenged from the piles of guano. -Thus the cave crickets depend upon the bat for their existence. - -The cave worm, actually an insect's larva, and a small spider also make -their homes in the cave. How long these insects have lived in the cave -is anybody's guess. Naturalists think the first few crickets may have -fallen into the cave and remained there due to the abundance of the -food supply, living peacefully and multiplying at leisure. - -But this cricket's Shang-ri-la lost its comparative safety one day, -maybe centuries ago, when a cave mouse is thought to have fallen in. -He found the crickets abundant and tasty and, since he couldn't climb -out, stayed in his new subterranean home. Maybe later Mrs. Cave Mouse -met the same fate and together they became parents and grandparents of -litters who have lived in the cave ever since. - -The cliff mouse also lives his complete life cycle in the black depths -of the Caverns, and together with the cave mouse they have a carefree -existence, for none of their natural enemies live in the cave. - -Any herbivorous animals which might have fallen into the cave would -soon die, for the only vegetation to be found in the cave, aside from -a certain amount of mold, exists in scant proportions near the cave -entrances where there is some light and a little moisture. Thus only -carnivorous or insectivorous animals or insects could exist in the -vegetation-free depths. - -Of the animals which occasionally frequent the cave, the cacomixle, -commonly known as a ring-tailed cave cat or even just "ring-tail," is -perhaps the best known. This slender raccoon-like animal doesn't spend -all his time in the cave, for he is able to crawl in and out, but he -does raise his family in the cracks and crevices of the walls, and eats -an occasional cave mouse or guano bat. Outside he eats fruit and other -small animals and insects. Apparently they have never been too numerous -in the Caverns. - -The only other animal to have made the cave its home is the great -horned owl. His nests have been found in considerable numbers near the -entrances where he has been living for countless years in comparative -safety. But, like the bats, he ventures outside in search of food, and -spends his nights away from the cave, so at best he, like the ringtail, -is only a part-time resident. - -So the cricket depends on the bats, the mice on the cricket, and the -ringtail on the mice. Thus is the life cycle within the great cave. - -But when did man first visit the Caverns? That question is indeed -problematic and may never be definitely answered. The early Folsom -people have been traced to an encampment site some fifteen miles south -of Clovis, New Mexico, which they occupied some time between 10,000 -and 15,000 years ago. Chipped stone dart points associated with a -post-glacial species of bison have been found imbedded in the earth in -rock strata going back that many years. - -These wandering hunters were known as "Bison Nomads" and it is not at -all improbable that they knew of the cave and frequented it. They could -have been the first humans to have entered it. - -Then, approximately 2,000 years ago, or at about the beginning of the -Christian era, the Basket Maker Indians began to roam this southwest -area of the continent. They may have been the physical descendants of -the early hunters, but from a standpoint of culture they are credited -with having brought agriculture from some focal point in Mexico much -further south. - -The Basket Maker Indians lived in this area for some eight centuries, -and archæologists mark three distinct periods of their civilization. -The Basket Maker I people did much hunting and probably roamed the -hills and valleys while the maize was growing, moving on to new areas -after each harvest. The Basket Maker II group built simple dwellings, -lived in caves, and grew numerous vegetables, including squash and -beans. The Basket Maker III group established permanent villages, fired -pottery, and elaborated on weavings established by both of the earlier -groups. - -The Basket Maker Indians are definitely known to have visited the cave, -for their pictographs have been found on the entrance walls. What is -more, skeletons have been found in the cave, some buried in baskets! -These were found on shelves in the walls. Other skeletons were found -buried beneath piles of guano far back in the cave, together with bits -of pottery and broken arrow points. - -As to how much the Indians used the cave remains speculative. Some -archæologists believe the cave was used mostly as a tomb, while others -think the Indians may have lived in the cave for a certain length, -basing this observation on the bits of pottery and other remains found -along ledges within the walls. These, they point out, definitely were -not buried with a body. - -Most likely the cave was used for both purposes, for it served the -Indian well as a place of refuge and defense, and it appears that the -living quarters were located within a close radius of the entrance. -Any more extensive use of the rest of the cave would have left more -evidence, archæologists say. - -But that was well over a thousand years ago. How about recent times? - -Several authorities mention the fact that the existence of some form of -bat cave or hibernation den was known to ranchers in the Carlsbad area -as early as 1880-90. Great swarms of bats would rise out of a mound in -the earth at dusk and go winging their way into the horizon. At sunrise -they would return. - -Was this the present Big Cave? Southern New Mexico contains numerous -bat caves and many were known at this time. The existence of a new one -didn't seem to overly excite the ranch hands, for exhaustive research -has failed to reveal any positive knowledge of the existence of this -particular cave as such prior to the time my father noticed the bats. - -Millions of pounds of guano had been taken out of the various bat -caves in this area by late 1900, and if anyone had stumbled onto -this particular cave prior to my father's discovery, they would most -certainly have immediately taken out a claim and proceeded to mine -the guano, for there was so much of it that it assumed gold mine -proportions. - -The fact that my father was the first to take out a claim seems proof -enough that he was the first to actually find the cave and, realizing -its economic potential, did what any other person would have done, -simply, take out a claim. It was the first ever recorded for this -particular 20 acres and his claim may be seen today on pages 149 and -152 of Book I in the Eddy County Courthouse at Carlsbad. - - - - - 3 - - The First Fifty Years - - -The discovery of the Carlsbad Caverns was not an earth-shaking event at -the time. Its true value as a spectacle was to wait almost 20 years. -Had it not been for the huge quantities of guano, my father and his -friends might not have been especially interested in the cave, that is, -sufficiently so to explore it further, since there were so many similar -caves in this particular area of the State, and the discovery of one -more didn't unduly excite anyone. - -But because the guano looked like a worth while business proposition, -the cave got more than casual consideration. - -My father knew it was larger than some of the others in the area, and -he gave it the title "The Big Cave." It was also referred to as "The -Bat Cave" because of the millions of bats which would fly out of its -mouth each evening, only to return in equal numbers the following dawn. - -In those days it was primarily a guano producing cave and, except for -occasional explorations by the guano miners and their friends, there -were no extensive trips into the underground chambers by scientists. -Only the commercial aspects of the fertilizer producing activities were -recognized. - -The guano was shipped to California distributors and was largely used -in the fruit orchards there. The operation was not too profitable, as -my father found out, and after he sold his equipment to Mr. Patterson -the property changed hands many times. In 1906, for example, there -were three different owners, and there was some splitting of ownership -whereby an owner would sell a part or half his interest. - -Also, there were other sections which were owned by independent -operators. Prior to 1906 the Santa Fe Railroad owned 40 acres over the -east portion of the cave. - -By around 1912 the bulk of the guano had been removed and activity -around the cave ceased. There were little spurts of renewed interest -from time to time, but there was actually little news about the cave -for several years. - -In later years people have often speculated as to whether or not the -great Carlsbad Caverns would ever have been discovered had it not been -for the attention caused by either my father's discovery quite by -chance, or from the dark clouds of bats which emanated from the cave -each evening. - -We know now that even if those two events had never occurred--even if -there were no opening on the surface of the earth, if there were no -habitation of bats, the great cave would have indeed been discovered. - -And historians now like to think that the cave was actually discovered -twice. The first, as we know, was when my father stumbled upon it quite -by accident back in 1903. This was the discovery of the guano beds, the -beauty and grandeur of the Caverns being secondary at that time. - -Then came what historians have since called "the rediscovery!" - -And it, like the first discovery almost 20 years before, came about -quite by accident! - -At the end of, and immediately following, the first World War, around -1919 and 1920, the United States Government Commission of Reclamation -was constructing several dams along the Pecos River some 20 miles east -of the site of the big Bat Cave. The purpose of the dams was to impound -river water for irrigation of the surrounding agricultural lands. - -But for some strange reason the dams didn't seem to be doing any good. -The water seemed to disappear underground. The Commission felt it was -useless to consider the construction of any more dams in the area until -the mystery could be cleared up. - -They took the matter up with the U. S. Geological Survey, and again the -question was unanswered. It seemed strange that the water could not be -held and used to irrigate the surrounding farm lands. - -The U. S. Geological Survey said they felt the problem was of -sufficient value to merit a complete investigation. They would, they -said, send a party to the site to see if they could unravel the riddle -of the river's strange behavior. They advised that no more dams be -constructed until the source of the trouble could be determined. - -The assignment was given to Dr. Willis T. Lee. - -He pondered the situation and knew from experience that there were -several possible solutions, yet he couldn't do much more than hazard a -guess as to what the trouble might be. He also knew that when nature is -concerned he might stumble onto an entirely new reason. - -Before he left Washington, Dr. Lee had reviewed all the available -information on the geological formation of the earth in the area and -was quite well informed on its composition. - -Now, on the land itself, he began to study the situation from every -angle. He found the limestone strata throughout the entire area were a -bit different from that which he had previously seen in other parts of -the world. - -Gypsum and salt are soluble in water, and when the dams were built -they obviously raised the water level several feet above its natural -contours or limitations. The water would then find its way into these -alternate layers and would seek lower levels, dissolving the rock salt -and gypsum as it did so. With nothing to hold it behind the dams, the -water would disappear into the earth and reappear again many miles -below the spots where the dams had been built. - -While Dr. Lee was in the vicinity, he decided to have a look at the -famous Caverns of which he had been hearing so much, and was promptly -invited to see these underground wonders since he was so close to them. -He knew of the existence of the many bat caves or guano caves in the -southeastern part of New Mexico, but had not suspected they contained -any real beauty. Now, for the first time, he was to learn otherwise. - -Prior to this the United States Land Office had sent Mr. Robert Holley -to survey the Caverns, and by the time Lee visited these underground -chambers, Holly had surveyed some three and a half miles of their -interior. It was Holly's report which brought about the designation of -the area as the Carlsbad Caverns National Monument. - -Dr. Lee was enthusiastic in his description of the great Caverns as a -thing of immense size and beauty. Here was something that had been kept -a secret long enough, he felt, and the government should do something -about them. - -His report was the spark that set off a chain reaction. Now, for -the first time, national magazines began to publish reports of this -huge, fabulous cave in southeast New Mexico. In the latter part of -1923 several articles appeared based on Dr. Lee's descriptions of -the underground wonders. Now, at last, the world was learning of -the existence of this fairyland of unmatched scope anywhere in this -country, perhaps in the world. - -But prior to this time the National Geographic Society had become -interested in Willis Lee's findings. Certainly this was worthy of the -Society's attention. Accordingly, they set up a grant of $16,000 to -finance the first full scale exploration of the Caverns. They selected -Dr. Lee to head the party. - -Dr. Lee's mission this time was much different. He wasn't concerned -where the underground waters were going. Rather he was set upon finding -and reporting the scenery about which he knew the world would want to -hear. - -His subsequent report in the National Geographic Magazine (January, -1924) marked the first full scale description of the Caverns, and for -the first time the public saw a series of pictures of the beauty of -this underground wonderland and read something about the various rooms, -their gigantic size, and the extent of the formation. - -Dr. Lee's party didn't find a smooth paved road from the town of -Carlsbad to the site of the Caverns. By contrast, the 28 miles of -hilly, bumpy, dusty road were covered by automobile in about two -hours. The road had been used primarily by the fertilizer companies in -transporting the sacks of guano to Carlsbad for shipment to California. - -At this time there were several dwellings at the entrance to the cave, -an engine house and two hoisting shafts. - -The exploring party engaged Jim White as a guide to accompany them -below. At this time Jim White probably knew the Caverns better than -anyone else, for he had lived in the vicinity of the caves for more -than a dozen years and had served as a guide for many persons who had -made trips below to behold the beauties to be found there. - -Jim had talked of the cave and its marvels to anyone who would listen, -and for years had tried to stir up some enthusiasm for the wonders -that lay beneath. He had explored much of the cave and could talk -intelligently about it. Obviously, he was the best guide that Dr. Lee -could have found. - -The descent at that time was not a very glamorous undertaking. Dr. -Lee's party entered, two at a time, by standing in an old iron guano -bucket and letting the "elevator" engine slowly lower them more than -150 feet below the surface. The wire rope fastened to the bucket ran -over a pulley at the top of the derrick and was manipulated by the -engine. Dr. Lee was apprehensive of the contraption, but it never -failed his party. - -In that early and historical excursion into the great Caverns, Dr. Lee -noted the weird, eerie effect the shadowy forms, high ceilings, and -irregular floor and walls had on his group. They found it difficult to -believe what they were seeing. Below, the opening above them became but -a speck of light. - -They noted the great distance from wall to wall, the many alcoves, the -roughness of some walls, the polished smoothness of others. - -Some distance from the foot of the shaft they came upon a large pit -some 150 feet deep which they called Yeitso's Den. The name was later -changed to the Devil's Den. - -This part of the cave was much as the surging waters of the past -several million years had left it. Travel was slow and dangerous. Steep -walls had to be climbed and it was necessary to cut steps in the stone. -The forward progress was indeed tedious in those early days. - -Dr. Lee's report to the National Geographic Society was filled with -descriptions of the colorful stalagmites and stalactites, the beautiful -formations of flowstone and dripstone, and the subject matter to be -seen in the formations all around them. He was equally impressed by -the "chambers of unbelievable dimensions," some of which were "several -hundred feet wide" and ceilings "so high our lights won't touch them." - -He measured the smallest of three rooms which he entered after his -journey down the main corridor, which he describes as "slow and -laborious." The room measured 160 by 140 feet. "The middle room was -three times this size, and the first room was even larger," he said. - -He noted the "curtains" formed of onyx created by the deposit of lime -carbonate dripping from above. The ceilings were found to be covered -with curtains of these stalactites which had grown together during -the ages. At times they met with stalagmites to form solid pillars of -seemingly carved formations. - -At times the floor was rough and covered with fallen blocks of stone. -In other places it was quite smooth and flat, obviously the result of -years of solutive action by water. Stalagmites do not grow in areas -covered for any length of time by water, such as an underground pool. -In one place the stalactites were so slender and numerous that Dr. Lee -referred to them as resembling "a porcupine in posture of defense." - -Dr. Lee's group gave names to many of the rooms and formations, many -of which have since been changed. But one which has stuck with all -explorers, both before and since Dr. Lee's excursion, is the Big Room. -This underground colossus impresses everyone who sees it, and Dr. Lee -hesitated to estimate its dimension. "Over half a mile long," he said -at that time, "with a ceiling some 200 feet high." - -Big as the room was, he felt it was equally remarkable for its numerous -dripstone decorations, their variety and size. Some, he noted, rose to -50 feet in height. - -He found some stalagmites were still "growing," for they were darker in -color than those no longer alive, indicating the presence of water and -continued growth. As the supply of water ceases they become lighter in -color, almost powdery. - -One of the largest he described were the Twin Domes, which he said were -more than 100 feet high and some 200 feet across at the base. They -are, today, much the same as he first observed them and are one of the -favorite formations of all cave visitors. - -In the light of Dr. Lee's primitive torchlight, the base showed up -a dark green, with the grooved pillars light cream in color, both -glittering and sparkling as the light struck them. - -Other interesting observations by the party included the location -of extinct seeps on the floor of the big room, the basins of which -were up to about 50 feet in diameter, pedestals of onyx resembling -toadstools and so called by the party, and an underground series of -chambers through one of which flows a stream of clear water. - -Dr. Lee's party was unprepared for the vastness and extent of the -Caverns. Although his group had come prepared for a sizeable task, the -job overwhelmed them. Although they mapped much of the underground -passageways and rooms, they could see much was left undone. - -But what they had done was enough to prompt the United States -Government in declaring the site a National Monument. On October 30, -1923, Secretary Work announced that President Coolidge had proclaimed -the area a National Monument. - -Now it was official. If the government proclaimed it as a National -Monument, it must be worth a visit. So thought many people throughout -the land as they read about it in the many national magazines that ran -descriptions of the Caverns based on Dr. Lee's findings. - -My father's original holdings consisted of 20 acres. Now that the -government had taken over, the size was increased to 700 acres. - -Spurred by Dr. Lee's first exhaustive article in the National -Geographic in January, 1924, people began to travel to this underground -land of wonders. Diplomats, governors, people of all walks of life -wanted a first-hand glimpse of what had been found. - -There were no adequate facilities with which to accommodate them. Silk -hats in guano buckets didn't look exactly right. Improvements were in -order. - -Dr. Lee reported how preliminary his work had been. More exploration -was needed, and as a result he returned to the Caverns in the spring of -1924 in order to further extend the work he had started when he first -saw them. - -Exploration began the middle of March and lasted for six months, during -the heat of the summer when it was as high as 115 in the shade--and, as -Dr. Lee says, there was no shade. Yet inside the cave it remained about -56 degrees, which is constant the year around. During this time the -party played host to the Governor of New Mexico, the Governor of Texas, -the Director of National Parks, and many other high ranking dignitaries. - -Dr. Lee and his party set up their camp at the mouth of the Big Cave, -using tents and the rough board shacks left by the fertilizer company -years before. Their closest source of water was a spring about a mile -away and their supply had to be carted by horse or burro. - -While working in the cave the members of the party used kerosene -torches, but upon discovering that these gave off more smoke than light -they abandoned them in favor of gasoline lanterns. - -In order to safeguard themselves, they would unravel balls of twine as -they explored remote sections and passageways. In this way they could -always find their way back to safety. Some of the members of the party -were hesitant to wander far from the well-worn trails, apparently -afraid of the unknown and admitting their weakness. Others allowed -their curiosity to dominate their fears and were continually searching -for new finds. - -The party obtained its supplies from Carlsbad, about 28 miles away, -and during the summer months the fruits and vegetables were kept in a -special "refrigerator" in the cave where the cool, even temperature was -put to constructive use. - -The party's first task was to improve the various trails. Large rocks -were pushed aside and, where this was not possible, safe ladders were -constructed when the obstructions could not be circumvented. - -On Dr. Lee's previous trip he did not explore the many small chambers -and rooms leading off of the main halls and central areas. This time he -made these deviations his specialty. Numerous nooks and corners were -explored and mapped. Only those that for reason defied access were left -alone and kept their secrets sealed within. - -The entire party was amazed at the ornate beauty they found all around -them. Many of the rooms were being seen by scientists for the first -time, who would subsequently describe these colorful wonders so that -all the world would know. - -Of the Dome Room he later wrote "from the arched vault hang pendants of -ornate character and on the wall are sheets of delicately colored onyx -resembling portieres looped back in graceful folds. One is impelled -to touch these folds before he is convinced that they are cold, hard -stone." - -In another chamber Dr. Lee noted how some of the stalactites would ring -when struck lightly with a stone or metal instrument. One that was -broken revealed a small trickle of water within. It was, said Dr. Lee, -excellent drinking water. - -Further on the party found a large hole which was 100 yards across and -almost one third that deep. Onyx marble was to be seen all around, on -the walls and the ceiling which was some 200 feet above the floor of -this indentation. - -Climbing down a wire ladder, Dr. Lee and his associates found several -"fountain basins" many of which had a crust of onyx which resembled -somewhat the ice that forms over a small body of water in the winter -time, after which the water recedes leaving the thin sheet of ice -suspended in air. - -Other unusual formations were the many pisolites, small, spherical -bodies of hard stone which jewelers call "cave pearls." Some were -immovable while others were loose, probably never having been able to -fasten themselves due to the continuous agitation caused either by a -flow of water underneath them or from water above dripping down around -them. These "cave pearls" grow from a tiny beginning through hundreds -of years by the constant deposition of minute quantities of calcium -carbonate left by the dripping or flowing water. Those still active -are moist and glistening. The dead ones are pale, with a powdery, dull -look. Because of the fact that these "pearls" resembled eggs in nests -of stone, the room was called the Rookery, a name which has remained -ever since. - -In places where water drips at just the right frequency, the water will -splash to the surrounding walls, leaving as it dries there its small -particle of calcium carbonate. In places it hardens to form funnel -shaped vases. In other places it dries too rapidly, leaving a soft -powdery accumulation. - -Still another formation was the "helictites" which are certain types -of stalactites which didn't know which way to go. They appear to defy -the laws of gravity, for they may start in one direction and then dart -off in another direction. Such formations were caused by certain types -of crystallization. Some chemicals will "grow" upward as they dry and -expand, and this is probably one explanation, although it may not apply -in every case. - -By the early fall in 1924, when Dr. Lee and his party had completed -this second thorough study of the Caverns, he was most enthusiastic -about what he had seen. His observation at that time describes the -underground wonders exceptionally well. Telling about the exploration -in September, 1925, issue of the National Geographic, he said: - -"The Carlsbad Cavern, New Mexico, is the most spectacular of -underground wonders in America! For spacious chambers, for variety and -beauty of multitudinous natural decorations, and for general scenic -quality, it is king of its kind." - -The party had covered a total of some 23 miles, which they had -patiently mapped and surveyed, photographed, and described. The -"rediscovery" had now been completed--and in grand style. The next -descent into the great cave was to be by the public itself, and in -ever-increasing numbers. - -In order to meet this onrush of sightseers, improvement of the -interior of the Caverns and the approach from above ground was deemed -necessary. Now that the area was a National Monument, the Government -gave its attention to the area. Because of his great interest in, and -knowledge of the Caverns, Dr. Lee was appointed the first custodian. He -served without pay. Jim White became an unofficial guide, later being -appointed a park ranger by the National Park Service, finally becoming -chief ranger. - -Now, with some system of procedure mapped out, improvements began in -earnest. All of the major trails were greatly enlarged and smoothed -over so that their passage by the public would be safe. Lighting of the -halls and chambers was also begun, although most of the illumination -was furnished by the lanterns carried by the guides and members of -touring parties. - -In 1927 the Government could see the Caverns were beginning to take -hold as a show place, a vacation mecca, and additional help would be -required. They sought a man who could take complete charge for the -Government. Someone suggested a man who was at that time in charge of -the volcanoes on the Hawaiian Islands, Colonel Thomas Boles. Here, they -felt, was a man who could do what was necessary at the great Caverns, -and as a result Colonel Boles was appointed the first Superintendent in -that year. - -During the cave trips at this time everyone carried a box lunch, for -a full scale trip below required the best part of a day. With the -increasing attendance the government decided an underground lunchroom -would be an added convenience for the visitors. - -[Illustration: - - CARLSBAD CAVERNS - - WITH SURFACE SUPERIMPOSED -] - -Accordingly, in 1927, a suitable room over 700 feet below was selected -for this purpose, one of the guiding factors being that it was located -approximately at the point where the visitors passed at noon-day. - -Picnic tables were set up and box lunches provided cafeteria style -to the hungry travelers whose appetites were heightened by the brisk -journey in the ever-cool atmosphere. - -As interest in the Caverns continued to increase, the Government -realized the site was worthy of more than simply a monument rating. The -matter was taken up before Congress two years later, and on May 14, -1930, Congress voted to make the area a National Park. - -It is also significant that it was at this time that the official name -became the Carlsbad Caverns National Park, the big caves being named -for the town of the same name some 28 miles northeast and which has -always served as the chief supply point for the vicinity. - -The surface area was also enlarged at this time and was extended to -include several more acres. On February 21, 1933, it was enlarged to -include more than 10,000 acres. - -It was at this time that the greatest improvement yet to be made at -the Caverns was undertaken. This was the installation of the elevator, -which was completed in 1932. The lift is 754 feet and shortens the -walk-in trip by about one and three-quarter hours. The elevator -lets its passengers out at a point adjacent to the Big Room and the -lunchroom. Installation of the elevator made it possible for elderly -people and those who were not physically capable of walking in through -the natural tunnel corridor to view the magic wonders of the great -subterranean fairyland. As soon as it was completed, a great many more -people came to see the great Caverns. - -Walking into the Caverns is a thrill within itself and, since the trail -is downhill, few people find it much of a chore. Going out is something -else again, and the great majority of people who walk in are glad for -the opportunity of taking the elevator up to the surface 754 feet above -them. - -In 1939 the Park was extended to include some 49,000 acres, and -within this area are 30 other caverns, some of which have been quite -extensively explored while others are relatively unknown. In the main, -most of them are similar, though none begin to compare with the -Carlsbad Caverns in size, and the details and formations often differ -as well. - -Three years later the Government purchased the east wing from T. A. -Blakely. This was the section lying for the most part over the guano -beds which in previous years had been worked so extensively. The -purchase of this last segment put the entire known area of the great -cave in the hands of the government. - -In 1946, Colonel Boles, the park's first superintendent, who had served -through 19 pioneering years, was transferred to Hot Springs National -Park. By that time he had spoken to well over 2 million visitors, many -of whom were world famous. He says he has made over 5,000 complete -trips through the Caverns and on each "I saw something I missed -before." Much of the early progress was due directly to Colonel Boles' -leadership and foresight. Today, having retired from the National Park -Service, he makes his home in Carlsbad, where he serves as public -relations counsel for the Potash Company of America. - -Donald S. Libbey followed Colonel Boles as Superintendent of the -Caverns and he in turn was succeeded by R. Taylor Hoskins. During the -first eight years of his office, Supt. Hoskins says almost 3,000,000 -people paid to see the limestone creations which many have tabbed "The -Eighth Wonder of the World." Those who make the underground tour come -away feeling that appellation can't be far from right. - -Though the government spent some money years ago in improving the -Caverns and preparing them for visitors to see in safety, the returns -on that investment are now counted. Although the park receives somewhat -over a quarter of a million dollars appropriation from the federal -government each year, it returns almost twice that amount, the sum -being obtained from tourist fees and similar income. - -Yes, these first fifty years have indeed seen many changes within the -Caverns. Nature's work has been protected and left intact, but the -lights, the lunchroom, the elevator, the improved trails, and the many -other improvements have been made by man for man's enjoyment of what -the ages have bestowed--what the centuries have given him to see and -enjoy. - -Already people from the four corners of the globe have beaten a track -to the Caverns' door, to behold in amazement and wonder and awe. Many -millions more will come in the years ahead, and their children in the -years after that. Here, some 700 and 1000 feet below the surface of the -earth they will marvel at the work of the centuries--that began some -60,000,000 years ago. - - - - - Part III - - THE BIG CAVE TODAY - - _By JOE N. LONG_ - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -Visitor's Center Building--Completed in 1958] - - - - - 1 - - From Above - - -When the traveler finally decides to include a visit to the Carlsbad -Caverns in his itinerary, or perhaps make a trip to the Caverns an end -in itself, he procures a map of the Southwestern United States and -searches for the little town of Carlsbad. Far down in the southeast -corner of the state of New Mexico he will find this colorful little -community, resting serenely some 40 miles north of the Texas--New -Mexico line, about a hundred and sixty miles east of El Paso, and about -a hundred miles northeast of the Mexican border. - -Carlsbad is now a thriving little city of approximately 20,000 people, -situated on the banks of the Pecos River at an altitude of slightly -over 3100 feet. It is often referred to as the potash capital of -America, and the growth of the potash mines has had a direct influence -on the increase in population, which has been quite rapid in the past -few years. - -Carlsbad was settled in 1888 and at that time was known as Eddy. In -1906 the Government purchased what remained of a private irrigation -system which had been destroyed by a flood of the Pecos River two -years before, and developed it into the Carlsbad Reclamation Project. -This assured adequate irrigation to the surrounding fertile lands -and reduced to a great degree the danger from subsequent floods. As -a result, agriculture flourished and has continued to be of prime -importance in and near the area. The soil is especially adapted to the -growing of alfalfa and cotton. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -Air view of the entrance and surrounding area.] - -The visitor can reach Carlsbad by air, rail, or automobile. Continental -Airlines provides daily airplane service to the Carlsbad Airport, and -connections can be made with nearby cities on all of the major airlines -flying through this section of the country. - -The Santa Fe Railroad operates regularly scheduled trains to Carlsbad -from Clovis, connecting with transcontinental trains to Clovis from -coast to coast. The Southern Pacific connects at El Paso, as does the -Texas & Pacific, and the Rock Island. - -But there is little doubt that the great majority of visitors come via -the family automobile. From U. S. Highways 60 and 380 to the north -the motorist turns south on Highway 285 through Roswell and Artesia -to Carlsbad. Here Highways 62 and 180 intersect, going from Carlsbad -to Whites City, 20 miles south of Carlsbad, where a turn-off on State -Highway 7 takes the traveler seven miles to the Caverns' entrance. - -Airplane passengers and those coming by train will take the same motor -route from Carlsbad, since it is direct, and the only route from that -city. Special busses known as the Carlsbad Caverns Coaches make the -trip at frequent intervals, and also operate from El Paso, which is -about 145 miles away. - -As the Caverns-bound sightseer heads toward his objective from Carlsbad -or El Paso, he will find himself in the heart of the desert. There -is hardly a tree that is more than head-high. Visitors seeing the -desert for the first time will marvel at the yucca and sotol along -with other less majestic desert vegetation. The stately yucca points -its bloom skyward and is a thing of beauty in the spring. Among its -grass-like leaves are often found mockingbirds, thrashers or cactus -wrens, who like to build their nests amid the security afforded by the -spine-tipped bunching of the limbs and branches. The uppermost point of -the sotol sometimes reaches as high as 15 feet in the air, while the -yucca, often referred to as the Spanish bayonet, occasionally looms to -25 feet. Indians used its leaves for baskets and its roots for soap, -and the sotol served the Indian as food, both cooked and raw, the crisp -rich centers tasting much like celery hearts. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -Cavern Entrance] - -There are several other species of cactus, and to the newcomer -these will be a new experience. Besides the Devil's Head and the -branching cane, one sees the thousand-headed cliff cactus, the large -leaf "prickly pear", various kinds of mescal, and numerous smaller -varieties. The octopus-like ocotillo, spreading its fingers outward to -the sky, is numerous, picturesque, and unforgettable. - -The traveler who is fortunate enough to make the trip during the -spring months will be extra rewarded by seeing this desert flora in -bloom. Every color of the rainbow will be noticed, but primarily the -desert blooms of cacti are for the most part quite pronounced in the -lighter, soft colors, especially in the light pinks and yellows. A few -give forth edible fruit, and many are known for their ability to hold -moisture, often a lifesaver to man and beast. - -What trees there are will be found mostly along the banks of, or -adjacent to, small streams or rivers which supply them with the water -their roots must have. Besides several species of oak are the black -walnut, black cherry, New Mexico maple, junipers, Mexican buckeye, -the small green ash, an occasional pine struggling for existence, and -numerous mesquites. There are also several nut and berry trees which -have long been helpful in preserving the wild life that inhabits the -area. - -Desert wild flowers accentuate the land in spring with their dots of -red, yellow and blue. In places they are so thick as to resemble a -crazy quilt of many hues and shades. - -Although the area gives the impression of a barren wasteland to the -inhabitants of less arid regions, there are many forms of wild life -which for countless centuries have made the area their home. Although -the Red man's arrows and the white man's bullets have reduced the herds -of wild game which once roamed the hills and valleys, there are still a -sizeable number which may occasionally be seen. - -Among these are the gray mule deer, still found in the narrow gulches -and on top of rocky ridges, jack rabbits which continue to multiply and -dart rapidly hither and thither, being most noticeable at dusk, rock -squirrels which dwell primarily in the rocky cliffs, and numerous kinds -of rats which seem to have little trouble eking out an existence. - -Occasionally an antelope is seen, but the great herds of buffalo are -now almost entirely gone, as are the mountain sheep, the Merriam elk, -the bear and wild turkey. The latter two were sacred to the Red man and -were protected during his inhabitation of the Western United States, -but the coming of the white man left no bird nor beast in safety. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -Statue--Green Lake Room] - -Along the banks of the nearby Pecos River one may see geese and -ducks, and occasionally one can find a crane, a heron and perhaps a -soft-shelled turtle. Scaled quail are in the vicinity, as are Mearns or -fool quail. Buzzards, several varieties of owls, swifts and flickers -are a few of the many wild birds which dot the countryside. - -On the ground there are several kinds of snakes and lizards. There are -several varieties of non-poisonous snakes such as the bull snake, the -Mexican black snake, the coachwhip, the ring-neck, and several species -of water snakes. Three poisonous snakes are found, the black-tailed -or "Texas" rattler, the prairie rattlesnake, and the large western -diamond-back. - -Lizards are quite numerous and will be seen by any traveler who keeps -his eye peeled along the roadside from which they suddenly dart, -running swiftly to the other side of the highway. There are several -species which consist of the rough, scaly rock lizard, the smooth, -slender whip-tail, the brilliantly colored collared lizard, and the -bar-tailed lizard. There are several smaller species including the -horned lizard, often referred to as a horned toad. Scorpions and -spiders are numerous, and there are many other smaller insects that -inhabit the area and serve as a source of food for the birds, reptiles, -and small animals. - -As the journey to the park continues the visitor passes by small adobe -shacks which may serve some cowboy or sheepherder as the necessary -shelter while tending his herds. Range cattle are numerous and -occasionally several goats will be seen. An old prospector or "desert -rat" who can't stand the hustle of city life may perchance be found -out on the dry, arid wasteland hoping for a find within the hills or -neighboring Guadalupe Mountains which by now are quite plainly visible -to the west. - -Stretches of the land are alkaline, white as though touched by the -fingers of Jack Frost, and now and then a dry lake reveals only the -sodium given up as the water evaporated and left its soft white lining. - -Beyond, the Guadalupes loom up a deep purple on the horizon, darkened -by the foliage of pine trees that populate the peaks of this mountain -range which reaches a height of almost 9,000 feet. It is the first -mountain range to be encountered by the traveler coming from the east -after having journeyed across the flat plains of Texas and the other -midwestern states. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -Along the trail in the King's Palace] - -For the visitor who is coming from El Paso, the Guadalupe Range must be -crossed, and the pass is located next to Guadalupe Peak, the highway -reaching an altitude of 5,288 feet at this point. Guadalupe Peak is -the highest mountain in the Guadalupe Range and it is also the highest -point in the state of Texas. - -It was near this spot that the Butterfield Stage passed on its way from -St. Louis to San Francisco. The famous trail passed the southern tip of -the Guadalupes near Guadalupe Peak, coming this far south in order to -avoid the snow covered Rockies which made winter travel impossible and -summer travel difficult. In 1857 the Butterfield Stage brought mail to -the little settlements in southern New Mexico, giving the people there -a more frequent contact with the rest of the world. The Butterfield -Line was discontinued four years later, yet the history of its brief -existence lives on in the minds of New Mexico residents today. - -The Guadalupe foothills are covered with shrubs and hardy vegetation, -growing above the limestone, shale and gypsum below which are harbored -numerous caves similar to the Carlsbad Caverns. There is Deep Cave, -appropriately named by Carl Livingstone, its discoverer, and Slaughter -Cave, also known as New Cave, which is one of the best known. It has -been explored and contains many beautiful and unique formations. Some -of the cavern sequences in the motion picture "King Solomon's Mines" -were filmed in New Cave. Difficult access to its entrance keeps it -closed to the public. - -McKitterick Cave is located near McKitterick Springs, some 18 miles -west of Carlsbad, and holds fond memories for many of Carlsbad's -older residents. They recall how, as long ago as 1885, the gay young -blades would take their ladies fair on a trip to the cave as a form of -amusement, leaving early in the morning and packing a mid-day lunch. - -Others, not as famous, are Hidden Cave and Cottonwood Cave--part of -more than thirty in the area well enough known to have names, and -only a few of more than a hundred smaller caves which perforate the -foothills in the area. Many of these are located within the park -boundaries. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -Under the Guillotine--King's Palace] - -At the edge of the boundary, the traveler arrives at the turn-off -point to the Caverns' entrance. If the journey is made in winter, zero -temperatures can be expected at the coldest times. In summer the desert -heat may reach 100 and often does. Winter or summer, the route is open, -for the Caverns never close, being open to the public the year 'round. -In winter the sandy soil may be buried under a blanket of freshly -fallen snow, the air with a light snap and crystal clear 'neath a warm -winter sun. In the summer months a bluish desert haze often filters -down on the surrounding countryside, but it does not stop even the -slightest breeze from whipping up a soft funnel of dust from the dry, -parched earth, or sending a tumbleweed rolling along a haphazard path -towards an undetermined destination. - -But the traveler's destination by this time has almost arrived. Highway -No. 7 leads seven miles up Walnut Canyon road through rocky mesas -covered with choice examples of desert flora, and well they might be -nice, for now, inside the park boundary, park laws protect their safety -and no one is allowed to touch them. They live their normal lives -secure and aloof from man's sometimes destructive inclinations. - -The visitor is now within the more than 45,000 acres that constitute -Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The paved highway that leads to the -Caverns' entrance is indeed a decided contrast to the wagon wheel trail -followed by Dr. Willis Lee and his party of explorers which first -covered the route by automobile in 1923. His engine was overheated and -steaming after taking two hours to make the trip from Carlsbad. - -Now, at last, at the entrance to the famous Caverns, the visitor is -excited at the thought of what he is to see, but few anticipate the -real treat that is in store for them underground. - -Here, at an altitude of 4,350 feet above sea level, is found the -natural entrance to the cave. Park regulations are studied in order -that no bounds may be overstepped. No living thing may be touched or -disturbed, thus assuring protection and perpetuation of plant and -animal life within the park. The walls of the Caverns may not be -touched, defaced, scratched or marred in any way. Canes or walking -sticks may not be carried except upon permission of a park official, -who will decide if such cane or stick is necessary for the owner to -make the Caverns trip. - -No dogs are allowed in the Caverns. They may be kept in the kennels -provided for the purpose at a nominal charge. Cameras may be used -on the surface, but within the Caverns they may be used only on the -special photographic tour, full information concerning which may be -obtained from the superintendent's office. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -King's Palace] - -There are no accommodations for camping or overnight lodging within -the park, but motels are available at Carlsbad and smaller communities -along the highway in either direction from the Number 7 turn-off. - -Tiny children will not appreciate the beauties of the Caverns and -their lack of interest will detract from full enjoyment of the trip by -their parents and older members of the family. Accordingly, the park -service maintains a day nursery where children may stay during the trip -of their families below ground. The charge is $1.50 per day, which -includes lunch. - -Before going below the visitor should make certain his clothing is -adequate. The temperature in the Caverns remains at a constant 56 -degrees the year around. The winter visitor is usually well equipped -with proper clothing, but the summer visitor, dressed for the hot -summer temperatures above ground, may become quite chilled after a few -moments in the sudden change of some 30 to 40 degrees. Consequently, -warm clothing should be worn for the Caverns trip, which should include -a medium weight coat or sweater plus heavy skirt or trousers. High -heeled shoes are not recommended for the journey, and a change to the -low heeled variety is strongly suggested. - -The trip through the Caverns requires approximately four hours, and -a box lunch may be taken if desired, but the added inconvenience it -imposes is hardly worth the trouble since a large lunchroom with a -capacity for serving 1,200 people per hour has been established in one -of the rooms below and each tour stops 40 minutes for lunch at this -spot. - -And now, armed with all of the essential information concerning the -park, the Caverns, and the regulations concerning the forthcoming visit -to Nature's fairyland, the visitor is eager to get on his way. - -Park rules prohibit anyone entering alone or without a guide. Trips are -conducted every day in the year, beginning hourly in the summertime -when the tourist season is at its height, and being less frequent -during the winter months. - -Children under 11 years of age are admitted free when accompanied by -an adult who will be responsible for their behavior. The admission for -adults is $1.50, including tax, and with the ticket in his hand the -visitor waits for the next tour to begin. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -Sheet Stalactites--Queen's Chamber] - -As the guide collects the many sightseers together who will form his -party, the enthusiasm for the trip within each individual mounts to a -high tension. At his beckon the members of the party move toward the -natural entrance--ready to begin an experience not quite like anything -they have ever seen or known--an experience that will linger in their -memories as long as they shall live. - -A view of the Caverns is just ahead! - -A park ranger briefs the party on the early history of the Caverns, -describes its geological aspects, and reviews once again the rules -visitors must observe on their trip below. Then, as he flicks a switch, -the first section of the black hollow in the earth becomes illuminated. -With a swish of his flashlight he directs the members of his party to -follow. - -The trip through the Caverns has begun! - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -Elephant Ears--Queen's Chambers] - - - - - 2 - - From Below - - -Of several ways to enter the Caverns, only two are permitted today by -the National Park Service. One is through the natural entrance and the -other is by elevator which takes the visitor rapidly down 754 feet to -a spot adjacent to the lunch room and the famous Big Room. The true -adventurer--the visitor who wants to really see the Big Cave from the -beginning, much as my father first saw it, will prefer to enter through -the natural opening with the regular tour. Visitors not in the best of -health will go down by elevator, but they will miss much of the fun and -excitement. - -As the tour passes into the mouth of the natural opening the warm -sunshine soon gives way to the yellow incandescence of the man-made -light which illuminates all the passageways and underground chambers. -The cool cave air is soon felt, and the warm coat or sweater is already -appreciated. The guide points out the important features that should -not be missed, and answers questions from members of his party about -the cave, its history, formations and development. - -Visitors today have a sloping paved trail to follow--far easier than -the rock strewn path the early explorers crawled over in their thirst -for a view of what lay below. Steep climbs have been eliminated by -sharp switchbacks which lengthen the walking time but make the descent -much easier. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -Draperies--Papoose Room] - -As the tour continues, the descent begins to steepen and the walls -change in both composition and texture. Solid rock predominates, -appearing much darker than around the entrance. An occasional pale -color is noticed in the illuminated areas, and a few moments later the -first stalactite is seen hanging from the ceiling. - -Shortly the tunnel divides and the party will follow the trail as it -leads to the left. The guide points out that to the right is the Bat -Cave, that portion of the Caverns where the millions of bats live and -where the great guano deposits were found. It extends over a half mile -back in an easterly direction and is not a part of the tour. - -At this point the trail levels somewhat and the visitor finds himself -in the Auditorium, a large room where the Ranger pauses for a brief -explanation to the group. Members of the party will be surprised at -how well the guide's low voice can be heard, a phenomenon due to the -excellent acoustics of the room. - -All eyes are absorbed in the ever-changing spectacle that is unfolding -before them. Next comes a low ceilinged passageway, followed by a clear -pool of water from which rises a lone column. The formations along the -way are getting larger with each step, the coloration is more vivid, -and the variations are great indeed. - -Formations at times suggest the ancient cliff dwellings found at Mesa -Verde, and one wonders if the early Indian did, by chance, ever inhabit -them. Suddenly, as the descent drops rapidly, the ceiling is some -125 feet above and the visitor finds himself at the Whale's Mouth, a -formation with slender stalactites enhanced by clever lighting which -indeed does resemble the interior of that sea-going mammal's jaws. - -As the ceiling rises still more, the party enters the Main Corridor, a -tunnel almost a mile long which leads directly to the most picturesque -rooms of the Caverns. The descent is for the most part uneventful and -rapid, and the guide points out some of the unique formations along the -route such as the American Eagle, which has a wingspread of 12 feet, -the Baby Hippo, others resembling sea foam and waves, and the three -Little Monkeys perched well towards the ceiling overhead. - -[Illustration: The Lunchroom ] - -Along the walls of the Main Corridor one may see small openings which -reveal an inky blackness that may cover up some mysterious room or -hallway. Someone in the party asks the guide about it. He explains that -there are many such openings in other rooms of similar nature, but -since they have nothing different to offer from what is already being -seen, the Parks Department has not opened them to public view. - -Have the Caverns been fully explored, someone asks. No, he replies. To -date about 23 miles have been mapped and surveyed, and many openings -into large chambers are known to exist, but their size is unknown. -Perhaps even larger rooms lie close by. No one knows. - -The formations continue to change in size, shape, and contour. -Stalactites hanging from the ceiling look as though some little elf -might have hung them there the night before, using a spindly stalagmite -to stand on as he did so. The visitor has been so absorbed in what he -has been seeing that he is startled to hear the guide announce that -the party is now 600 feet below the surface. That is further than the -Washington Monument is high. - -The most picturesque portions are now to begin, he says, but the first -of them will require some climbing. For that reason, those not quite -up to the task may take a short cut to the lunchroom which is a brief -jaunt to the left. The rest will head on past the Iceberg, the largest -"loose" rock in the Caverns, which is estimated to weigh about 200,000 -tons. It once "fell" from the ceiling, but the fall was gradual. The -delicate stalactites grew later. The ceiling at this point is some 358 -feet above. - -If the visitor thinks he has seen something up to now, he is due for -a surprise, for a few moments later the winding pathway leads to the -first of the many scenic rooms for which the Carlsbad Caverns have -become so famous. Appropriately named the Green Lake Room, this first -of several similar chambers is breath-taking in its beauty. Its name is -derived from the small green pond seen to the right of the trail, which -is fed by drip water from above, a pool so clear its depth is easily -seen. - -On the ceiling above are huge masses of stalactites, at times so thick -as to form curtains of stone, varying from reddish brown to a light -grey, intriguing in their staggered form and defying description by -even the most talented poet or writer. On beyond the pool the visitor -marvels at the Veiled Statue, a pillar of dripstone which resembles a -frozen waterfall and which began its existence about 100,000 years ago. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -The Painted Grotto--Big Room] - -Many visitors have said at this point they have had their money's -worth. This one room alone was worth their whole trip. Actually, they -aren't yet quite half way, and there is more to come. - -Continuing on past the Frozen Waterfall and the Bashful Elephant, both -named for the effect they give, the traveler enters the King's Palace -which, to some, is the most ornate of the many chambers the entire -Park has to offer. Thousands of stalactites hang from the ceiling, at -times resembling stringy mosses hanging from the limbs of trees. Some, -appearing to hang at a slight angle, give the impression the "stone -moss" might be swaying in the wind. Underneath there is a noticeable -scarcity of corresponding stalagmites, and geologists think the floor -at this point was at one time covered with water, which would prohibit -the formation of the "floor icicles." - -The eye roams over ever-changing forms with no two quite alike, and the -immensity of the room alone is sufficient to remind man what a small -mortal he be, after all. At the far end of the Palace are seen two -pendants, stalactite and a stalagmite which come within a fraction of -an inch of kissing. Now dead, they will never touch; hence the name, -the Frustrated Lovers. And, as though they might have been the King -and the Queen, they are found at the small passageway that connects -the King's Palace with the Queen's Chamber, another room of similar -shapes and decoration which do indeed remind the visitor of the ornate -finery to be expected in Her Majesty's domicile. The countless rows of -stalactites look like driplets of finely woven lace, stretching over -much of the ceiling not unlike the frills of a canopy one might expect -to find adorning the Queen's bed in her castle. - -One unique and different formation is known as the Queen's Draperies, -which are found at the southwest side of the room. They are a form of -massed stalactites grown together so evenly that they resemble a huge -drape from which the wrinkles haven't been ironed out. But the unusual -feature is the ability of this stone to absorb light and reflect it -moments after the light has been extinguished. These portieres are the -highest in the Caverns, being slightly over 40 feet. Throughout the -rest of the room one feels as though he must have interrupted Mother -Nature while she was busily experimenting and trying to decide what to -do next, having left behind her first efforts for the world to see. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -The Chapel or Dome Room in the Big Room] - -The paved trail continues through a low, rocky passageway at the -far end of the Queen's Chamber and presently the party finds itself -in the Papoose Room and in one of the lowest spots in the Caverns, -approximately 875 feet below the surface. Here the stalactites have -grown together in such a way as to resemble huge curtains of stone -which appear much like a sheet of lava which has slipped through a -crevice and then hardened. - -Here, too, are numerous needle-like points protruding down from the -ceiling as though sharp pointed pins had been pushed through from -above. Areas on the floor remind the visitor of a growing rock garden, -yet there is not a green leaf anywhere to be seen. Nevertheless, few -gardens offer any more beauty or color than these gentle formations -along the edges of the Papoose Room, smallest of the scenic chambers on -the trail. - -Here the party must retrace a few steps, returning through the King's -Palace, leaving this time by the eastern end, entering a small -passageway which leads to a series of sharp turns and switchbacks made -necessary in order to climb the rather steep grade ahead. - -It has now been an hour and 45 minutes since the visitor left the outer -world behind, and the up and down climbing has done its part towards -working up an appetite. But if that hasn't been enough, going up this -zig-zagging hill should complete the task and make anyone ready for -something to eat. Appropriately enough, it has been tagged Appetite -Hill, and uses 60 feet to accomplish its task. - -A moment later the party passes by a room of rocks which looks as -though it was noon hour at a rock quarry, and the workmen had scurried -off at the abrupt blow of the whistle, not caring in what manner of -disarray they left their chores. But in this case it was Nature's -workmen who left--untold hundreds of years ago--never to return. -Labeled the Bone Yard, it features an alcove where the formation -resembles a huge sponge--rock eaten away or dissolved by the continuous -action of water which, at times, resembles bone formations. - -After having seen the more colorful scenic rooms, many visitors give -this spot scarcely more than a fleeting glance, but geologists find -here exacting evidence as to the Caverns' beginning. After the Swiss -cheese effect was created the water was in some manner diverted and, in -the absence of drip water, no stalactites or stalagmites were formed. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -Altar in the Chapel--Big Room] - -A few steps more and the visitor finds himself in a huge room with a -massive rock formation hanging from the ceiling as though it might fall -to the floor at some prearranged signal. Huge boulders dot the sides -of the room, between which are many narrow white benches and tables. -In the center of the room are long aisles which carry the visitor past -waist-high counters on which have been placed hundreds of box lunches. -Yes, this is the famous lunchroom, 754 feet below the surface of the -earth, and just about the most popular room for those who have been -hiking for the past couple of hours. - -The guide announces there will be a rest of 40 minutes--ample time to -eat a noon-day meal and rest a couple of tired feet. It seems that no -matter how many people enter the lunchroom, the line past the counters -never stops or is held up. Designed to accommodate 1200 an hour, as -many as 2000 hungry sightseers have been clocked picking up their lunch -and beverage in that time. The lunchroom is operated by the Cavern -Supply Company under the supervision of the National Park Service. - -Visitors who took the easy way into the Caverns, via the elevator, -arrive at the lunchroom as their first stop. From this point they -continue their limited tour of the Caverns pretty much on one level. - -With so many people in this one huge room a long way from the outside -atmosphere, someone asks the guide if the air doesn't become stale and -musty. No, he replies, the air changes naturally every 24 hours. How -much longer does our tour last, another wants to know. This is the -halfway point, says the guide, and we have about two hours more. - -Here many a traveler pauses a moment to absorb what he has seen--the -beauty, the magnificence, the grace and charm. Mother Nature does her -work so well--so thoroughly. But the guide said there is more. How can -there be more--how can anything match what has already been seen? Man -is indeed a humble creature, the tiniest detail in the great heavenly -scheme. Great though man's work may be, God's work is ever greater. - -The rest period is over. It is time to go on. In a moment the party is -once again assembled in the main passageway section which connects the -many rooms, and turns to the left past "hanging mosses" and honeycombed -fissures into the famous Big Room, largest underground chamber known -anywhere, and unsurpassed in length, width and height, variety and size -of formations, number of colors to be seen, and value to geologists due -to the many finds that have been made. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -Temple of the Sun--Big Room] - -Here the remainder of the 4-hour tour will be spent. The trail around -the perimeter of the room is one and a quarter miles and, although many -sections and alcoves are actually under one huge roof, the visitor -usually feels he is in a series of separate chambers. One reason is -that the big room is shaped roughly in the form of a cross, the length -of the "staff" measuring some 2,000 feet while the "cross-arm" is -slightly over half that length. 2,000 feet is almost 4/10 of a mile! - -Two hours is not enough to see everything the big room has to offer. -Many small formations are not seen but must be discovered. Every -visitor sees something new--something no one else within the party has -noticed, for the formations are countless and the resemblances they -offer are equally as numerous. - -The elaborate indirect lighting system has been designed to reveal the -largest, most beautiful and ornate of the spectacles to be seen, but -a flashlight aimed in a dark corner is likely to reveal formations -resembling a Mermaid, Frog on a Toadstool, Queen's Necklace, Weeping -Willow Trees, the Petrified Forest, and countless others, limited only -by man's imagination and his ability to seek them out. - -But the larger formations which have contributed to the fame of the Big -Room include Giant Dome, Hall of Giants, Rock of Ages, and the Temple -of the Sun. - -No two people see quite the same thing when they enter the Big Room. -It is so huge and there is so much to greet the eye that at first -everything is taken in but no one thing is seen. Then the eye begins -to settle on one formation at a time. One of the first is the Hall of -Giants, so named for the size of its principal formations; the huge -Giant Dome, a massive, light grey stalagmite flecked with tinges of -orange, stretching upward some 62 feet above the ground, making it the -largest upward growth in the Caverns, and behind it the Twin Domes, -similar in structure and formation, though not as high and therefore -not as old. - -As the party continues one listens to the whispered observations of the -members. Looks like the inside of a great Cathedral, says one. Oh, no, -answers his companion, too eerie and spooky for that! - -The beauty continues to defy all description. The color in the Big -Room, too, is appealing to the eye, no doubt enhanced by the deft use -of colored lighting. No, says the guide. Only plain light bulbs are -used in the thousands of feet of wire strung throughout the Caverns. -Any color you see was put there by Mother Nature herself. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -Temple of the Sun--Big Room] - -Creeping along the north side of the Big Room the party passes by -Fairyland, a group of fantastically shaped stalagmites recalling the -fairies from childhood tales as they go about their sprightly tasks. - -Next to be seen is the Temple of the Sun, named for the many colors -found shimmering on its sides and base. It is a huge stalagmite from -which hang many stone icicles from a dozen or more layers, the curtains -of icicles pink in color mounted upon a stone base of blue. - -Thousands of inverted spires rain down from above, and on the ground -the crinkly rock formations resemble pop-corn in color and appearance -although not hardly in flavor! This same pop-corn formation is seen in -other parts of the Caverns and geologists say this condition resulted -after stalagmites had grown to a considerable height, following which -the cave was flooded for thousands of years with water, the excess -lime from which accumulated in the tiny globules which give the bubbly -appearance. - -Further on is the Totem Pole, a tall, slender stalagmite whose parent -stalactite never had time to form due to the rapid rate of the dripping -water. Standing pretty much alone, it sticks out like a large suhuaro -cactus stalk against a cloudless sky. The outside "skin" is about as -rough, but the spines are missing. To others it resembles a group of -men's hats thrown carelessly into a pile, one on top of the next. What -it lacks in color, it makes up for in its unique appearance. - -The floor of the Big Room is a reddish brown color, and at this point -the visitor sees numerous rounded mounds of stones, looking much as -though a stalagmite might have gotten a good start only to be engulfed -in water and be polished down to this semi-globular formation. That is -probably just what happened, leaving these half-buried basketballs to -remain in exactly that fashion for eternity. - -A sudden right turn brings the party to the famous Jumping Off Place, -which in reality is one of the entrances to the Lower Cave. The trail -passes midway between floor and ceiling, approximately 150 feet in each -perpendicular direction. Here the floor of the Lower Cave approximates -900 feet below the surface. - -An easier entrance provides access to the cave which may be entered by -those who care to do so, although it is not a part of the regular tour. -Lower Cave shares honors with the Papoose Room as being the two lowest -points on the underground tour. Also, they are the furthest west. Here, -with the limit reached, the pathway begins its return trip. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -Giant Column and Twin Domes--Big Room] - -On once more, lily pads, huge boulders, and clusters of flowstone along -the walls greet the visitor as he heads for Mirror Lake, a small, -crystal-clear pool that is well named. On beyond is the Bottomless Pit, -a dark hole with mysterious implications that received its name from -the first explorers who thought the title would intrigue all who saw -it. From the trail the light of a spotlight has trouble in penetrating -the depths of the pit, adding to its ghostliness. Actually, the pit -has a bottom some 140 feet below the rim where the visitors pass, -but unlike many other attractions of the Caverns which were named by -those who first saw them, the name of the Bottomless Pit has remained -unchanged. Other of the Caverns' features have been renamed two or -three times within the past few decades. - -As the column of silent visitors marches silently along the return -trail the Big Room takes on a new look. Indeed it does not appear to be -the same room where the party entered slightly over an hour ago. All -sense of time and direction are lost in the myriad of decoration, light -and shadow, gigantic, often grotesque formations, and the serenity of -this underground heaven. - -Passing quietly ahead the traveler pauses at the largest "living" -stalagmite within the known part of the Caverns, the Crystal Spring -Dome. Generally dry, this part of the Big Cave is moist, and water, -dripping slowly from the ceiling above, is still depositing its minute -quantities of calcium on the mighty Crystal Spring Dome as it has been -doing for countless centuries. - -The Crystal Spring is perhaps 20 feet high and resembles a bushy -Christmas tree laden with snow, its branches drooping under the massive -white blanket. The dripping water is depositing its lime at the rate of -about 2½ cubic inches a year, although this rate varies depending upon -the amount of moisture descending from the ceiling above, and also upon -the amount of lime contained in the water. - -This constant application of moisture keeps the white, plump stalagmite -glistening all the time, and the excess moisture, unable to evaporate, -forms into a small pool at the base of the dome, known as Crystal -Spring. - -[Illustration: © BY ROBERT NYMEYER - -Rock of Ages--Big Room] - -In an adjoining area is the celebrated Rock of Ages, a gigantic -stalagmite, stately in position and dramatic in location, thought to -be one of the oldest forms in the Caverns, although its exact age is -not known. For years it marked the end of the Caverns Tour, and an -impressive ceremony conducted by the guides consisted of a short talk -followed by the singing of the old favorite, "Rock of Ages." No visitor -could ever forget this inspirational ending to a breath-taking tour of -God's underground handiwork. The Rock of Ages became almost a symbol of -the Caverns tour in the minds of those who had taken it. But, as the -crowds of visitors increased, the park officers found they could not -continue this service. - -Its discontinuance brought protests from former Caverns visitors who -had remembered this final closing gesture as the high point of the -tour. Rippled layers give the Rock of Ages a shape all its own, and it -marks the end of the journey through the mighty Carlsbad Caverns of -today. - -It is now nearly four hours since the traveler entered the big natural -opening to the cave some 700 feet above him. His sweater feels good, -though he isn't as cold as he had first supposed he might be, for the -constant walking during the 2¾ miles which the full trip requires has -kept him relatively warm. - -Before saying good-bye to the Caverns he likes to pause a moment at the -entrance to the Big Room and look back, for one last glimpse of this -largest known room in the world, man-made or otherwise. Above him some -285 feet is the bedecked ceiling, the highest point in the Caverns, and -suspended by the longest unsupported arch known in the world! - -The human mind can't quite believe it, yet there it is. And as the -visitor slowly turns to thoughts of the return trip he revolves in his -mind the beauties he has seen. - -He will find the elevator takes him quickly and safely 750 feet upward -to the surface where the warm sunlight appears exceedingly bright to -human eyes, which, in the intervening hours, have become accustomed to -the gentle illumination found in the Caverns' otherwise inky blackness. - -Within his own mind the visitor knows he will never forget the -indescribable sights he has seen, but how can he tell others of the -size, the intricate design, the scope and beauty that he has witnessed? -Pictures help, and these may be purchased at the souvenir stand near -the entrance. Views of all the better known formations in color are -obtainable, as well as booklets telling about the history of the -mammoth Caverns and how they were formed millions of years ago. - -Man enters the great underground fairyland a bit apprehensive and -sometimes skeptical as to what he will see, finding it hard to believe -all he has heard of the Great Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico. But -some four hours later, as he once again greets the light of day, he -recollects how Man has been responsible for some pretty remarkable -shows, it is true, but now he is convinced that Mother Nature herself -puts on the biggest, the most colorful, and the most spectacular show -of all! - - - - -BIBLIOGRAPHY - - - National Parks Folder on Carlsbad Caverns - New Mexico, The American Guide Series - Animal Life of the Carlsbad Cavern, by Vernon Bailey - National Geographic Magazine, January, 1924; September, 1925; - October, 1953 - Science American, October, 1900; December, 1923 - Science, December, 1923; November, 1924 - Sunset, May, 1924 - Mentor, August, 1925 - Literary Digest, November, 1924 - The New York Times, October, 1923 - Natural History Magazine, December, 1947 - Bulletins of the U. S. Geological Survey - - - -[Illustration: The famous bat flight--a nightly occurrence at the -Caverns.] - - - * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber Note - - -Some text was moved to avoid paragraphs being split by illustrations. -Transcriptions of the text for images of printed documents are -provided to assist the reader. As a handwritten and typeset version of -Amended Notice of "Big Cave" Mining Claim were presented and labelled -the same, "(Handwritten)" was added to the caption of the first image -to distinguish them. Several transcribed copies contain typos as given -in the original. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BIG CAVE *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Big Cave</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>Early History and Authentic Facts Concerning the History and Discovery of the World Famous Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Authors: Abijah Long</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em;'>Joe N. Long</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: April 8, 2022 [eBook #67800]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Stephen Hutcheson, Tom Cosmas and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BIG CAVE ***</div> - - - - -<div class="figcenter" id="cover" style="width: 305px;"> - <img src="images/cover.png" width="305" height="450" alt="The Big Cave, by Abijah Long and Joe N. Long" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_3"></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">- 4 -</span></p> - -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="abijah_long" style="width: 398px;"> - <img src="images/abijah_long.png" width="398" height="551" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption">Abijah Long</div> -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">- 5 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="pyramids_top" style="width: 430px;"> - <img src="images/pyramids_top.png" width="430" height="29" alt="" /> -</div> -</div> - -<h1>THE BIG CAVE</h1> - -<p class="tdc"><i>by</i></p> - -<h2>ABIJAH LONG</h2> - -<p class="tdc"><i>and</i></p> - -<h2>JOE N. LONG</h2> - -<div class="figcenter" id="swirl" style="width: 55px; padding: 4em;"> - <img src="images/swirl.png" width="55" height="16" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="pmt4 pmb4 tdc">Early History and Authentic Facts Concerning<br /> -the History and Discovery of the World<br /> -Famous Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico.</p> - -<p class="tdc">CUSHMAN PUBLICATIONS<br /> -2440 East 4th Street<br /> -Long Beach, California</p> - - -<div class="figcenter" id="pyramids_bot" style="width: 430px;"> - <img src="images/pyramids_bot.png" width="430" height="29" alt="" /> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">- 6 -</span></p> - -<p class="tdc">© <span class="smcap">Copyright 1956 and 1958</span></p> - -<p class="tdc pmb2">by<br /> -Mrs. Abijah Long, Joe N. Long, Mrs. Lou M. Wood,<br /> -Mrs. Kaye I. Williams, Ira B. Long, Mac A. Long.</p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any -form without the written permission of the copyright owners, except by -a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages not to exceed 300 words -in connection with a review in a magazine or newspaper.</i></p> - - -<p class="pmt4 pmb2 tdc"><span class="smcap">Library of Congress Catalog Card Number</span> 58-13784</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">Printed in the United States of America</p> - -<p class="tdc"> -<span class="smcap">First Edition 1956</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">Second Edition 1958</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">Third Edition 1961</span><br /> -</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">- 7 -</span></p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>We Dedicate</i><br /> -<br /> -<i>This Book to the Millions of Visitors who will</i><br /> -<i>Follow our Father's Footsteps as They Come</i><br /> -<i>to See and Enjoy the Mighty Wonders of the</i><br /> -<i>Carlsbad Caverns.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">- 8 -</span></p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">- 9 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="TABLE_OF_CONTENTS">TABLE OF CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - - - -<table summary="ToC"> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">Foreword</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#FOREWORD">11</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">PART I THE DISCOVERY</td> - <td class="tdr"><i>by Abijah Long</i></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"> 1. We Move to Carlsbad</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Part_I_1">15</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"> 2. A Big Cave Is Discovered</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Part_I_2">19</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"> 3. A Business Venture Appears</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Part_I_3">24</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"> 4. The First Guano Is Mined</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Part_I_4">30</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"> 5. Life at the Camp</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Part_I_5">38</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"> 6. The Big Cave Is Explored</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Part_I_6">47</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"> 7. The End of the Beginning</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Part_I_7">53</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">PART II THE FIRST 60,000,000 YEARS</td> - <td class="tdr"><i>by Joe N. Long</i></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"> 1. The Beginning</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Part_II_1">59</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"> 2. Life Enters the Caverns</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Part_II_2">64</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"> 3. The First Fifty Years</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Part_II_3">74</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">PART III THE BIG CAVE TODAY</td> - <td class="tdr"><i>by Joe N. Long</i></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"> 1. From Above</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Part_III_1">91</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"> 2. From Below</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Part_III_2">107</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">Bibliography</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#BIBLIOGRAPHY">127</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - - -<p class="pmt2 caption3nb">PICTURE CREDITS:</p> - -<p class="ind3em">ROBERT NYMEYER, <a href="#cover">FRONT COVER</a>, <a href="#back_cover">BACK COVER</a>, PAGES <a href="#Page_68">68</a>, <a href="#Page_90">90</a>, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>, - <a href="#Page_94">94</a>, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>, <a href="#Page_100">100</a>, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>, <a href="#Page_108">108</a>, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>, <a href="#Page_116">116</a>, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>, - <a href="#Page_120">120</a>, <a href="#Page_122">122</a> AND <a href="#Page_124">124</a>.</p> - -<p class="ind3em">NEW MEXICO STATE TOURIST BUREAU, PAGE <a href="#Page_110">110</a>.</p> - - -<p class="tdc"> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><a href="#cover">COVER PHOTO</a>—Totem Poles in the Big Room</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">© by Robert Nymeyer</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">- 10 -</span></p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">- 11 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="FOREWORD"><i>FOREWORD</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class="tdc">(By the family of Abijah Long)</p> - - -<p>Prior to my husband's death in 1934, several of us had asked him to -write, in his own words, the story of his early life, especially after -moving to Carlsbad at the turn of the century.</p> - -<p>He was reluctant to write of his experiences in connection with the Big -Cave, as it was called in those days. But after considerable persuasion -on our part he did sit down and write what happened in those early -years following our move from Texas in 1901.</p> - -<p>Since many historians today appear confused as to the actual beginnings -of the Carlsbad Caverns, my children and I felt his words should no -longer be for us alone, and we have therefore made them available in -this form for all to read, and thus to know and understand more clearly -just what happened during those early days of the cave's discovery.</p> - -<p>My husband was always a very honest, though not always a prosperous, -man. He was as good as his word, and in return he expected everyone -else to be the same. At times, when he was forced to borrow money, he -left only his word of honor and his promise to pay as collateral.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, we wanted to verify the facts in his story, and we -have spent two years in tracking down many of the men who shared his -experiences and in asking them to verify the incidents described.</p> - -<p>We found many of them still alive and living in and near the charming -community of Carlsbad. We found the people of Carlsbad friendly and -courteous in every respect, and always eager to help us in our endeavor.</p> - -<p>In gratitude for the kind assistance which met us everywhere, we<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">- 12 -</span> -wish to give our thanks to the friendly people of Carlsbad who so -unselfishly assisted us in verifying my husband's account, especially -the following:</p> - -<p style="padding-left: 5em;"> - Colonel Thomas Boles<br /> - "Dee" Harkey<br /> - Mrs. Simmonds of Happy Valley<br /> - Mr. and Mrs. John Queen<br /> - Johnny Forehand of Black River Valley<br /> - Mrs. Mary Queen Montgomery<br /> - Arthur Hoose<br /> - Wayne Crowder of Albuquerque. -</p> - -<p>We wish, also, to thank Robert Nymeyer, photographer of Carlsbad, who -furnished the photographs of Carlsbad Caverns which we have used in the -text.</p> - -<p>Photographs of the lunchroom were furnished by the New Mexico State -Tourist Bureau, Santa Fe, New Mexico, for which we are grateful.</p> - -<p>We are also greatly indebted to various staff members of the National -Parks Service who have made valuable suggestions to improve the -technical accuracy of the manuscript.</p> - -<p>It is our hope that persons interested in the Big Cave, now known the -world over as the Carlsbad Caverns, will be enlightened as to the early -history of the cave as told here for the first time by the cave's -first owner, our husband and father, Abijah ("Bije"<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a>) Long, and its -subsequent development as described by his eldest son, Joe N. Long.</p> - -<p style="padding-left: 15em;"> - Mrs. Abijah Long<br /> - Joe N. Long (Jodie in the story)<br /> - (Mrs.) Lou M. (Long) Wood<br /> - (Mrs.) Kaye I. (Long) Williams<br /> - Ira B. Long<br /> - Mac A. Long<br /> - (Mrs.) Anda M. (Long) Brubaker. -</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Carlsbad, New Mexico</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">November, 1956.</span><br /> -</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">[A]</a> "Bije" was a nickname for Abijah. (Long "i" as in -"hide.")</p> - -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">- 13 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="Part_I">Part I<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE DISCOVERY</span></h2> - -<p class="caption3nb"><i>By ABIJAH LONG</i></p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">- 15 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="Part_I_1">1<br /> - -<span class="smaller">We Move to Carlsbad</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The distance from Goldthwaite, Texas, to Carlsbad, New Mexico, -is slightly less than 400 miles—just a good day's drive in an -automobile today. But in 1901 the automobile was something we heard -about—something we read about, and friends of mine told of having seen -a horseless carriage up in Dallas. People who did much traveling went -by train or horse and wagon—or, they walked.</p> - -<p>So when our family talked of moving West—talked of trying life anew -"somewhere else," the question of how to go was considered. Train fare, -we soon found, was much too high for us at the time. And with all our -worldly possessions the freight charges would be excessive.</p> - -<p>The answer—a covered wagon.</p> - -<p>It was hard for my mother to leave Goldthwaite, and my wife was a bit -fearful of the future in a strange land, but father and I thought our -future was brighter if we tried anew somewhere else.</p> - -<p>Besides my cousin, there were my two children, which completed our -party of seven. Heading West over the vast expanse of open Texas -prairie, I felt something of the thrill those early pioneers must have -felt, although the fear of trouble was not present, for being ambushed -by Indians was a remote possibility.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">- 16 -</span></p> - -<p>Just the same, there was an air of adventure in the journey, for none -of us knew what the future held in store for us. We dreamed and hoped.</p> - -<p>We completed our journey to Carlsbad, a distance of almost 400 miles, -without any serious mishap. Oh, there were the usual little troubles of -a sick horse which slowed us up one day, and an occasional steep hill -which required we not only get out of the wagon to lighten it, but all -help push as well.</p> - -<p>Carlsbad had a population of less than a thousand in 1901,<a id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[B]</a> and -although Carlsbad was the legal name, having been officially changed -two years before, everyone called the town by its original name, Eddy, -and it was, and still is, the county seat of Eddy County.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="label">[B]</a> Population in 1950, 18,000.</p> - -</div> - -<p>The primary activity in and around Carlsbad in those days was ranching, -with a growing interest in mining of various kinds. I noticed many -people continually coming and going and thought that, since I would -have to get busy at something pretty soon, I would try the hotel -business.</p> - -<p>So, shortly after my arrival, I took over the Schlitz Hotel, which was -located near the railroad station at the corner of Canyon Street and -Mermod Avenue. The hotel boasted a dining room, and a large part of the -business came from many of the railroad workers, who, it seemed, always -had a good appetite and who liked good food and lots of it.</p> - -<p>That wasn't the only trouble I had, and after a few months I found I -didn't know enough about the hotel business to make a go of it, so I -gave it up. The name of the hotel was later changed to Bates, and some -time after that it caught fire and burned to the ground.</p> - -<p>The saloon business in those days was always good. Ranchers and miners -would come into town after a rugged week in the hills and spend much -of their pay for liquor. It looked to me as though this would be a -profitable enterprise and I decided to give it a try.</p> - -<p>My wife didn't like the idea at all and told me so in no uncertain -terms. However, I kept at it for a while in spite of her pleas.</p> - -<p>One day I took my small son down to the saloon to show him off to the -boys. That did it. That was the abrupt end to my venture in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">- 17 -</span> the saloon -business. My wife set up such a howl that in order to keep peace in the -family I decided to give up the saloon. Her opinion was always best for -the family anyway, and of course I was aware of the fact that this was -not the most desirable environment in which to raise children.</p> - -<p>So, what next? I had by this time acquired a few mules and thought I -might be able to use them in some way. I learned that the Joyce Pruitt -Company of Carlsbad was expanding its operations and was in need of -additional help in doing some freighting.</p> - -<p>I made a deal with them to do the necessary hauling and soon was quite -busy.</p> - -<p>One of the biggest of my expenses was for food for the teams, and I was -anxious to cut down the feed bill as much as possible. As a result, at -the end of each day I would take the mules out to pasture and let them -rest and graze.</p> - -<p>At this particular time I had the teams grazing near a place known as -Donahue Springs, now known as Oak Creek Springs. Water from the springs -was a necessity for the mules, and we used the water ourselves, as well.</p> - -<p>While the mules were grazing there wasn't much for me to do and I -used to explore the countryside wondering what else might lie in the -vicinity. Others came to Donahue Springs for water since in that arid -country water was not as plentiful as we wished it might be.</p> - -<p>One day a man by the name of Sam Evans and a Mr. Brown and myself were -exploring the countryside just to see what we might discover in the -area. Hunters and miners in that section were always telling of some -unusual find and anyone who went out of town kept their eyes open in -search of something that might turn out to be valuable.</p> - -<p>I suppose that is why Brown, Evans and myself were searching—just -looking around to see what we might uncover.</p> - -<p>At one spot there appeared to be a hole or cavity in the ground and I -called to my buddies, "Hey, come over here. There seems to be a hole in -the earth."</p> - -<p>In that rugged country a hole in the ground isn't exactly unusual, -but this one seemed to lead to quite a large empty space beneath it, -and the tone of my voice must have told the others it was not just an -ordinary hole, because they both came over to where I was right away.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">- 18 -</span></p> - -<p>"What do you make of this?" I asked as they both gave the hole an -appraising glance. The three of us were puzzled because it wasn't just -a hole in the earth, but rather seemed to be the opening to a large -cavity underneath.</p> - -<p>"What do you suppose this is?" I asked again.</p> - -<p>"Any large animals around here that might have dug it?" queried Brown.</p> - -<p>"Possible," I reflected. "Let's have a look."</p> - -<p>I was eager to go below and learn more about this mysterious opening -in the earth, but it didn't seem to me that Evans or Brown shared my -curiosity. We looked for animal tracks in the vicinity, but couldn't -find any.</p> - -<p>"Who'll go in with me?" I received no response. It didn't matter. By -now I was so curious that I decided I would go in alone, if necessary.</p> - -<p>I went to my wagon and got a lantern and a ball of large fishing line. -Then I picked up all the rope I had, including the rope I used with my -mules, and hurriedly went back to the mysterious hole.</p> - -<p>I'll admit I was quite excited, and by now Evans and Brown were, too, -although it seemed to me they tried to hide their enthusiasm. Perhaps -they were just a bit afraid of what might be down there in that strange -cavity, yet didn't want to let on that that was so.</p> - -<p>I, too, decided to play it safe, so I took the lantern and tied it on -to the end of the rope and lowered it into the hole. All three of us -bent over the opening and looked in to see what we could see.</p> - -<p>As the light of the lantern showed on the sides and bottom of the hole -I could see that it was a large one. I particularly wanted to see if -there was any damp in the cavity, but the light didn't reveal any.</p> - -<p>By this time I was eager to go below and explore our discovery. "Who'll -go with me?" I asked. No response.</p> - -<p>"Well, then I'll go alone," I declared.</p> - -<p>And with that I fastened the rope around my waist, made sure it was -securely fastened to the ground a few feet outside the opening, and got -ready to go below.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">- 19 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="Part_I_2">2<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A Big Cave is Discovered</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>The three of us talked over the matter of my descent and several safety -precautions were formulated. About this time I decided I would be much -happier about the whole thing if I could persuade one of the others -to go below with me. At least one should remain on the surface at all -times in case anything should go wrong.</p> - -<p>"Sam," I said, "how about you coming down with me?"</p> - -<p>He seemed to want to see what would happen to me first, I guess, so I -then asked him if I went first would he follow. He said nothing.</p> - -<p>"We'll only stay down for a short while," I assured him. "Perhaps a -half hour or so."</p> - -<p>Sam did not like the idea of going down in such a place. I told him it -was easy, so I made arrangements to go down into this cavity and I did.</p> - -<p>After getting down in there I could look back out and talk to him, so -I finally persuaded him to come down, which he did. That left Brown on -top.</p> - -<p>We prowled around in there for some time, exploring the cavity, being, -as I remember, 75 or 100 feet deep.</p> - -<p>When we got ready to climb out of our descension, Sam said to me: "How -are we going to get out of here?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">- 20 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="orig_manuscript" style="width: 418px;"> - <img src="images/orig_manuscript.png" width="418" height="479" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption">A portion of the author's original manuscript.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">- 21 -</span></p> - -<p>I told him that was easy. He said, "Go ahead."</p> - -<p>"No," I said. "You go first and then I will come out. It is easy for -me."</p> - -<p>Well, Sam made a trial to go out, but made a complete failure, coming -back down the rope in spite of me, and said, "I guess we are in here -for good."</p> - -<p>I told him I could go out in less than two minutes.</p> - -<p>He said, "Let's see you." So, out I went.</p> - -<p>Sam would not try any more, so I sent Mr. Brown to Carlsbad to get a -rope long enough that I might make a rope ladder out of it and lower it -down to Sam.</p> - -<p>Carlsbad was 28 miles away and, of course, travel was very slow with -horse and wagon. I knew Brown wouldn't get back before the next day.</p> - -<p>I called to Sam: "I'm sending Brown to Carlsbad to get enough rope for -a ship's ladder. You'll be able to climb that all right and get out."</p> - -<p>"How long do I have to stay down here?" was Sam's retort.</p> - -<p>"Until he gets back with the rope," I answered. "Probably tomorrow."</p> - -<p>"You mean I have to stay down here all night?" Sam's voice quivered -with fear.</p> - -<p>"Unless you have some idea of how to get out," I replied.</p> - -<p>I brought my wagons and mules over to the hole and proceeded to get -ready to spend the night there. In spite of Sam's anxiety he said he -was hungry so I got some food from one of the wagons and lowered it -down to him on the end of a piece of fishline. He still had the lantern -with him. I don't know how much he relished his meal, but of course he -had no choice; so, by the light of the lantern he ate his supper, such -as it was.</p> - -<p>Above, I fared somewhat better.</p> - -<p>Sam was quite scared, and he remained squarely below the opening, -which, by the way, was not over two feet in diameter. He had no desire -whatsoever to take the lantern and go exploring by himself. I really do -believe he meant it when he said he thought he was in there for good.</p> - -<p>I didn't sleep much that night, and I don't think Sam slept at all. No -matter how much I kept reassuring him that as soon as Brown<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">- 22 -</span> returned -from Carlsbad we would get him out, he still thought he'd never see the -light of day again.</p> - -<p>Early the next morning, before the sun was up, Sam was calling me and -asking if Brown had returned. "Not yet," I replied, "but he will, -probably some time before noon."</p> - -<p>I, too, was getting a bit apprehensive, for I felt just a bit guilty -about Sam's predicament, since I was the one who had persuaded him to -go below—against his desire to do so. In order to slightly calm my -nervous tension I decided to take a short walk around the area in hopes -of making the time pass more quickly, for I now knew that I, too, would -welcome Brown and the rope he would be bringing.</p> - -<p>I didn't stray too far from our campsite and was looking around when -low in the sky I noticed a large number of dark objects. They seemed to -disappear on a hillside.</p> - -<p>Curiosity got the better of me. Knowing there was nothing I could do -until Brown returned, I decided to investigate.</p> - -<p>As I came closer I noticed the dark objects were bats—thousands of -them. They were, indeed, disappearing into the side of a hill—into -an opening that was much larger than the one which at the moment was -holding Sam Evans a prisoner.</p> - -<p>Having spent the night in search of food, they were now returning at -sunrise to spend the day in what appeared to be a huge cave.</p> - -<p>I was almost awe-struck at the sight of so many of these little flying -mammals, for I had never before seen anything like it in my life.</p> - -<p>As the brightness of the dawn increased the stream of bats subsided, -and in a short while only a few remaining stragglers were entering the -mouth of their home.</p> - -<p>Where could all of these bats go, I wondered. There must be an -exceptionally large cave inside to hold so many of them.</p> - -<p>I never have cared much for bats, but I was interested in seeing where -they lived. As I approached closer the whole side of the hill seemed -to open up. There, certainly, was an opening to something even larger -inside.</p> - -<p>Well, of course, I wanted to go in, right then, but I knew it would not -be safe to go into such a strange place alone. I had no idea of what I -might find, or what trouble I might encounter.</p> - -<p>By this time the sun was well off the horizon and I thought<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">- 23 -</span> perhaps I -had better get back to Sam and console him lest he think I had deserted -him. I looked up the old dirt road towards Carlsbad to see if I could -see any signs of Brown returning, but all was quiet.</p> - -<p>I reasoned he would spend the night in Carlsbad and get an early -morning start for the return trip, which would get him here a little -before noon or so.</p> - -<p>"Sam," I called out, "how is everything down there?"</p> - -<p>"Get me out," he pleaded. "I've had all I want of this. I'm never going -into a cave again."</p> - -<p>I was quite excited about the larger cave I had just discovered and, of -course, I wanted to tell Sam all about it, but when he said he never -wanted to go into a cave again, I figured maybe he was in no mood to -listen, let alone share my enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>The best plan, it seemed, was to get his mind off his predicament so I -tried to get him to talk about other things. He kept talking about how -dark and cold it was down there in the hole, and when would Brown come -back so that he could get out and why was he so foolish as to listen to -me in the first place.</p> - -<p>All this time I was eager to return to the new, big cave where all the -bats were, yet I didn't want to leave Sam alone any more as I could see -he was getting madder all the time. So the morning dragged on for him -and for me as well.</p> - -<p>Every few minutes he would call out to me and ask me to look and see -if there was any sign of Brown. I had to keep saying no, but to say -anything else would have raised false hopes, and I just couldn't do -that.</p> - -<p>About noon I noticed a cloud of dust on the horizon in the direction of -Carlsbad, and as I watched it I could see it was getting bigger. That -meant Brown was almost here. When I told Sam, he suddenly came to life -again. I guess he felt like the condemned man who has just received a -pardon.</p> - -<p>Brown had gotten the rope, and we made a ship's ladder for Sam. We -quickly lowered it through the small opening in the ground, and I never -saw a man climb a rope ladder so fast before. Sam was mighty glad to -see the light of day again.</p> - -<p>Now that this ordeal was over I couldn't contain myself any more. I had -to tell Sam and Brown of my discovery, and I wanted them to explore it -with me. Certainly there was adventure ahead.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">- 24 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="Part_I_3">3<br /> - -<span class="smaller">A Business Venture Appears</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>"Early this morning," I began, "while waiting for you to return, -Brown, I took a walk around and noted a lot of bats going into a large -cave,—a really large cave. Let's go have a look at it."</p> - -<p>Sam didn't need to say a word. I could tell from his expression and his -disappointment that he had no desire to go into any more caves, even if -the entrance was on the side of a hill where he could safely get out.</p> - -<p>"Not me," he exclaimed in no uncertain terms. "Damn your cave. I'm -going back to Carlsbad, and the quicker I get started, the better."</p> - -<p>Sam would have it no other way, and since I felt partially responsible -for his feeling the way he did, I decided to take him back to Carlsbad.</p> - -<p>However, I couldn't get my mind off the new cave. I had to know what it -was like inside. So, I made immediate arrangements to return.</p> - -<p>I didn't want to go alone, so I inquired around and found two men who -said they would be interested in going back with me and explore the -cave.</p> - -<p>The three of us set forth on the 28 mile journey to Donahue<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">- 25 -</span> Springs, -Andy Fairchild, a fellow I knew only as Lynn, and myself.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="fairchild_lynn" style="width: 394px;"> - <img src="images/fairchild_lynn.png" width="394" height="268" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption">Andy Fairchild Jacob "Jake" Lynn</div> -</div> - -<p>They kept asking me about the cave, and I told them all I knew about -it, that thousands of bats apparently made it their home, and that the -entrance was quite large. That was all I could tell them because I had -returned with Sam and Brown without even looking inside.</p> - -<p>When we arrived at the spot both Andy and Lynn were quite excited. -The cave was deep enough so that a rope ladder would be necessary in -order to reach the bottom. I had brought back the same rope ladder we -had used to extricate poor Sam, so we didn't have to waste time making -another.</p> - -<p>We soon had it securely fastened outside the entrance and then I said, -"Well Andy, would you like to go first?"</p> - -<p>"Heck, no," he replied, backing away. "You just went into one cave and -said it was an interesting experience. Why are you afraid to go into -this one?"</p> - -<p>For a moment I thought I had another Sam on my hands. Then<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">- 26 -</span> I realized -he was right, and also that I had instigated this cave hunting party, -so why shouldn't I lead the way?</p> - -<p>If I backed out now, there would be no cave exploration, so, without a -further word being said, I began to lower myself into the mouth of the -cave.</p> - -<p>Down, down, down I went. As I looked up I could see two heads peering -down at me. They both wanted to make sure I reached the bottom safely. -A moment later my feet touched a pile of rock on the floor of the cave. -It was so dark that I couldn't see anything except the dim outline of -the nearest wall.</p> - -<p>"How ya' coming?" Andy shouted down at me.</p> - -<p>"I made it all right," I replied. "Come on down, and bring that torch -that is in the back of the wagon. It's black as night down here."</p> - -<p>Lynn ran to the wagon to get the torch as Andy prepared to come down -the ladder. He came down more quickly than I did, probably because I -had blazed the way and he knew it was safe.</p> - -<p>Before I knew it, Lynn had entered the opening and was coming down the -ladder. In my excitement I forgot to ask him to remain outside for -safety's sake. If the rope ladder should slip or in any way become -insecure, we could never have gotten out and would surely have died in -the cave.</p> - -<p>But my attention was certainly not on safety at that moment. I was much -too excited about what we would find.</p> - -<p>We lit the torch, but the cave was so large that the light of our one -torch didn't help much.</p> - -<p>Our first concern was whether or not a bear or some other wild beast -might attack us. We searched the floor of the cave for tracks, but not -a sign of man or beast did we see. The floor of the cave seemed devoid -of any evidence of any walking creature having preceded us into this -mammoth underground cavern.</p> - -<p>Occasionally a bat would sail by, missing us by inches.</p> - -<p>With the dim light of the torch we looked around and were struck -speechless by the immensity of the great cave. We inched along over -the floor of the cave which at times was rocky and difficult. We -encountered large boulders and had to climb over them.</p> - -<p>"What do you make of it?" asked Andy</p> - -<p>"Biggest thing I ever saw underground," I answered. "Seems like we're -suddenly in another world. Notice that peculiar odor?"</p> - -<p>Lynn, who had been the most quiet of our trio, spoke up. "Animals<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">- 27 -</span> of -some kind," he said. "But I wouldn't know just what."</p> - -<p>As we proceeded further the smell became stronger and more pronounced. -Our caution increased, for I know all of us expected at any moment to -see some animal lunge out at us. We kept our eyes open and, with the -torch held above our heads, were able to see several feet ahead of us. -Beyond that the outline of any object was too dim for us to definitely -make out what it was.</p> - -<p>The animal odor was getting stronger. We were definitely nearing -something, but just what I didn't know. As a result of this uncertainty -we slowed our pace, stopping every few feet to listen for any sound, -yet nothing did we see or hear.</p> - -<p>At any moment I was sure we would see two moving balls of light race -toward us, which would indicate the eyes of some wild animal, but as we -progressed further inside the cave our fears were unfounded.</p> - -<p>Finally the smell became quite pronounced and at the same time we came -upon huge mounds of something which was unlike the rest of the floor of -the cave.</p> - -<p>I glanced upward, and on the walls and ceiling of the cave I had the -answer to the smell.</p> - -<p>"Bats!" I exclaimed. "Millions of them. This is where they live. And -those mounds beneath them are the result of their living here. Why, -there's enough fertilizer there to ..."</p> - -<p>I didn't finish the sentence. As far as the eye could see, which wasn't -too far in that dim light, there were piles and piles of guano, which -is the commercial name for fertilizer created by animals of this type.</p> - -<p>Now our fears were ended, as we felt relatively safe from bats, even -though there must have been millions right there over our heads. Now -they were asleep, but shortly after sunset we knew they would suddenly -come alive and head for the cave entrance, where they would fly off -into the night in search of food.</p> - -<p>By morning they would again form that black, funnel shaped cloud I had -watched previously as they re-entered their home—a home that must have -been theirs and theirs alone for countless centuries—if the huge piles -of guano at our feet was any indication, and it surely must have been.</p> - -<p>In places these piles of bat deposit reached almost to the top of the -cave. Later we found that this guano reached almost a quarter of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">- 28 -</span> a -mile in length and stretched some 75 feet in width. Some of the piles -later proved to be over a hundred feet deep!</p> - -<p>Even the crudest calculation would have shown that there was enough -guano here to merit the cost and trouble of getting it out of the cave -and selling it commercially. At that moment I decided to stake a mining -claim on the cave.</p> - -<p>We felt that for one day we had seen enough and were ready to head back -to the entrance and call it a day. The bats were apparently the sole -tenants of the cave, for we saw no evidence of any other living thing -ever having invaded its dark, vast interior.</p> - -<p>Lynn headed up the ladder first and I asked him to go to the wagon and -get four small cloth sacks for me. When he dropped them through the -opening, Andy and I went back to where the guano was and filled the -sacks. I wanted to have the guano tested to make sure it was of good -enough quality to make my contemplated mining operation worth while.</p> - -<p>It would be silly to go to all the trouble of getting this guano to the -surface and into Carlsbad, only to find that it was of inferior quality -and not worth the cost and trouble of extracting it.</p> - -<p>"How are you going to get this stuff up to the surface?" Andy asked as -I was filling the sacks.</p> - -<p>"By Ned, I don't know, but there's a way, and I'll find it."</p> - -<p>As we wound our way back to the rope ladder, Andy and I each had two -sacks of the guano, one in each hand. We made it up the ladder and out -into the open again.</p> - -<p>"Now I'm going to do something about marking this place, to show I've -been here." A short distance from the entrance to the cave was a mescal -pit, possibly left by Indians.</p> - -<p>"Here, Andy, give me a hand," and with that we began gathering several -large stones and placed them one on top of another until we had a pile -some four or five feet high. This would have to serve as a marker until -the claim could be completed.</p> - -<p>"Well, what do you think, Lynn? Was it worth the trip?" I asked.</p> - -<p>"Didn't know there were so many bats in the world," he replied.</p> - -<p>"The size of that cave is unbelievable," was Andy's comment. "How big -do you suppose that cave really is, anyhow?"</p> - -<p>"That's anybody's guess. Maybe we saw it all today, and maybe we saw -only a small part of it," was my humble answer.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">- 29 -</span></p> - -<p>"Bet that entrance is a busy place at sunrise and sunset," Lynn -observed. It was clear to see he was more interested in the millions of -bats than the size of the cave. "I'd like to get more torches and see -more of that bat cave."</p> - -<p>"Some day we will," I replied. "Right now we're heading back to -Carlsbad. I'm not going to waste any time filing a mining claim."</p> - -<p>And with that the three of us climbed aboard the wagon and headed down -the hill.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">- 30 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="Part_I_4">4<br /> - -<span class="smaller">The First Guano Is Mined</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>News spreads fast. Soon everyone in Carlsbad had heard about the big -cave that Lynn, Andy and myself had been describing. Many of the people -thought it was just a story we had cooked up and wouldn't believe us. -Of course it was known there were caves in the Guadalupe Mountains in -that area of the state, but no one thought the cave we described could -be as large as we claimed it was.</p> - -<p>My first job was to take care of my claim and I promptly attended to -this important matter. I got the necessary papers in Carlsbad and -returned as soon as I could to the big cave. I filled out one set -of papers and placed them in the monument Andy and I had built. The -duplicate set was taken back to Carlsbad and filed with the County -Clerk.</p> - -<p>Now everything was all set for me to begin operations. The guano, I -learned, was commercially acceptable, which meant that I would have a -market for the product, and that my time in bringing it out of the cave -would not be wasted.</p> - -<p>It took me several weeks to get all the details straightened out and -find a crew of fellows who were interested in working on the job. It -was more than simply going to the cave, taking out the guano, and -hauling it back to Carlsbad.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">- 31 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="claim_neg" style="width: 600px;"> - <img src="images/claim_neg.png" width="600" height="391" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption">Abijah Long's original claim to the Carlsbad Caverns</div> - <div class="smaller"><a href="images/claim_orig_lg.png">Click here for original negative version.</a></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">- 32 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="ammended_notice" style="width: 360px;"> - <img src="images/amndd_not_scr.png" width="360" height="589" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption">Amended Notice of "Big Cave" Mining Claim (Handwritten)</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">- 33 -</span></p> - -<div class="bbox" style="width: 35em; margin: 2em auto;"> -<p class="smaller tdc">AMENDED NOTICE OF BIG CAVE PLACER MINING CLAIM</p> - -<p class="smaller">Notice is hereby given to all whom it may concern that A. Long, a -citizen of the United States, over the age of twenty-one years, -located what is called the "Big Cave" Placer Mining Claim which is -hereinafter particularly described on the 28th day of March 1903 -and thereafter to wit: on the 16th day of June A.D. 1903 filed the -notice of the location for record in the office of the probate -Clerk and office Recorder of Eddy County, New Mexico. Which notice -was recorded in Book 1 of Records of Mining Claim at Page 149, -and whereas, appears from said notice, as recorded, that the same -is defective, in the fact that it fails to properly describe said -Mining Claim as located. Now therefore for the purpose of amending -and correcting, said location notice, I the said A. Long do hereby -give notice that I located that certain Placer Mining Claim of -ground in accordance with the Statutes of the United States, and -the laws of the territory of New Mexico, the said 28th day of March -1903 in the County of Eddy, territory of New Mexico, which is by -me called the "Big Cave" Mining Claim and which is particularly -described by meets and bounds as follows, to wit: Beginning at a -stone mound erected by me at a point about 20 feet west of the -entrance to what is known as the Big Cave. Situated about in a -Southerly course from Walnut Canyon and about one mile therefrom -and about 25 miles in a southeasterly course from the town of -Carlsbad, and about one mile in a southeasterly course from the -Donahoe Springs, in the foothills of the Guadalupe mountains. From -said stone mound, running north 300 feet to a stone mound, which is -the northwest corner of the claim, running thence east 1500 feet to -a stone mound, which is the northeast corner of said claim, thence -South 600 feet to a stone mound, which is the southeast corner of -said claim, thence running west 1500 feet to a stone mound, which -is the southwest corner of said claim, thence north 300 feet to the -place of beginning. Covering in all about 20 acres of land. Said -claim contains valuable deposits of Petroleum, Oil Clay, Building -Stone, Guano, Phosphates, and other kindred substances situate in -the Eddy County Mining District. This amended notice is made by me -this 19th day of November A.D. 1903.</p> - -<p class="smaller tdc">ABIJAH LONG</p> - -<p class="smaller">Filed for record November 19th 1903 at 3:20 o'clock P.M.</p> - -<p class="smaller"><span style="padding-left: 10em;">W. R. OWEN, Probate Clerk and Recorder.</span><br /> -<span style="padding-left: 10em;">By N. CUNNINGHAM, Deputy.</span></p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">- 34 -</span></p> - -<div class="figleft" id="hannsz" style="width: 203px;"> - <img src="images/hannsz.png" width="203" height="268" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption">Charles Hannsz<br /> - Supervisor of transporting guano to Carlsbad</div> -</div> - -<p>Much work had to be done before we could even touch the guano. The -road up the hill, if it could be called a road at that time, had to be -cleared and widened and in places leveled because it was so steep.</p> - -<p>I had hired eight or ten boys in Carlsbad to assist in this work, and -it was all carried out under the supervision of my brother-in-law, -Charlie Hannsz. It proved to be no easy task to remove the large -boulders, dig up thickets of cactus and other desert shrubs, and make -the roadway smooth enough to allow heavily loaded wagons to pass -smoothly.</p> - -<p>At best the road was not very satisfactory, but it was the best we -could do, so we had to use it.</p> - -<p>Now that the road was done, the next part of the operation could begin. -Since the entrance to the big cave was some distance from where the -guano was located, I tried to figure out some way of making that haul -much shorter.</p> - -<p>On one of my trips into Carlsbad for supplies I heard of a man by the -name of Victor Queen who might fit into our company. As a result I -looked him up, since I had heard he had had mining experience.</p> - -<p>"Had any experience mining guano?" I asked him.</p> - -<p>"No," Victor replied. "But it doesn't matter much what you take out of -the ground—the problems are pretty much the same."</p> - -<p>"Well," I explained, "we have to haul this guano quite a ways to the -exit, and I think there must be a way to abolish all that trouble."</p> - -<p>"Can't you sink a shaft right over where the guano is located?" he -suggested.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">- 35 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="queen_lockhart" style="width: 256px;"> - <img src="images/queen_lockhart.png" width="256" height="175" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption">Victor Queen J. H. Lockhart</div> -</div> - -<p>"It might be a tough job to tunnel down," I mused.</p> - -<p>"Just use a bit of dynamite," was Queen's solution.</p> - -<p>"I've never used the stuff, and I sort of hesitate to experiment. What -do you know about it?"</p> - -<p>"Used it in Mexico quite a bit. Saves a lot of digging time, and -there's no need for danger if a man knows what he's doing."</p> - -<p>"Believe that might be our answer. How about joining us?"</p> - -<p>Next day Victor Queen was deciding just where to dynamite a hole -through to the guano. He was assisted in this powder work by Arthur -Sinclair and Johnny Forehand. Among the others who were loyal workers -were John Queen, Victor's brother, Wayne Crowder, and John Lockhart.</p> - -<p>Blasting the hole proved to be no easy task, but eventually we achieved -our goal. This first shaft was sunk in 1903, and it seemed then that -the major part of our effort had been completed.</p> - -<p>Getting to the guano was one thing, and getting it out was another. -When we got the shaft sunk we found we would have to build a platform -underneath in order to more easily raise the guano from the floor of -the cave to the shaft entrance.</p> - -<p>What appeared to be a simple job at the start proved to be rather -difficult and perilous, but under the supervision of Johnny Forehand -and Arthur Sinclair the platform was completed and it turned out to be -a good job.</p> - -<p>Once again it seemed that the actual mining of the guano could begin, -but again we had miscalculated. Attaching a pulley and a rope to the -top of the shaft, we lowered an iron bucket, shoveled it full of guano, -and the first load came out.</p> - -<p>At this rate it would take forever to get a pay load to Carlsbad. We -had to find a faster method.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">- 36 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="crowder_queen_forehand" style="width: 400px;"> - <img src="images/crowder_queen_forehand.png" width="400" height="176" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"><p>Wayne Crowder, Sr. John Queen J. F. Forehand</p></div> -</div> - -<p>By this time my finances were dwindling fast, and in order to continue -I found I was compelled to seek outside assistance. Many people -hesitate to have anything to do with a mining operation, figuring there -is too much risk to merit any financial backing. But with us the mine -wasn't guesswork because we could see the guano and knew there were -many tons of it waiting to be brought to the surface and shipped to San -Francisco.</p> - -<p>As a result, I soon made a contract with the Ramsy Brady Company of -Carlsbad whereby they would assist financially in the backing of the -undertaking in return for a half interest in the profits.</p> - -<p>With that important detail out of the way I was ready once more to give -my full attention to extracting the guano which had so far remained in -the big cave in spite of all our endeavor.</p> - -<p>Now we were ready to complete the final stage of our operation.</p> - -<p>Since the iron bucket was much too slow, we decided some quicker means -must be found. We held a consultation and several ideas were suggested. -The best seemed to be to build a track out of 2×4 lumber and construct -a small car or wagon to run on this track. Matt Ohnemus of Carlsbad was -assigned to this job, and he built us a strong and sturdy car which I -was sure would serve us well for a long time.</p> - -<p>It was similar to the hand cars used on the railroad, except that we -were forced to use wooden wheels, the iron variety not being obtainable.</p> - -<p>Our system was now changed. We would scoop up the guano in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">- 37 -</span> shovels and -place it in sacks. Eight or ten sacks could be loaded onto the car and -hoisted to the surface.</p> - -<p>The sacks, of course, were sewed across the top before being placed on -the car. Johnny Forehand proved to be a master at sewing these sacks. -He was fast and accurate, and many of the other fellows learned to -speed up their sewing by watching Johnny.</p> - -<p>I was really quite fortunate in having acquired such a fine bunch of -fellows to work on the operation. They all seemed to adapt themselves -quickly and well to any job assigned to them, and furthermore they -seemed to take an interest in their work.</p> - -<p>One of the big reasons for this was that all the men knew there wasn't -too much work in that section of the state, and therefore they were -eager to keep the jobs they had. Also, the cave seemed to possess a -certain degree of mystery for the men and they felt a certain amount of -daring and adventure connected with the whole operation.</p> - -<p>Working with guano can't be classified as a glamorous operation. The -very nature of the substance—bat deposit—has a rather disagreeable -odor and it takes a while to get used to it. Also, there wasn't much -circulation of air in the big cave with the result that the smell had -been bottled up there for centuries and we were getting the full effect -of it.</p> - -<p>From time to time fellows would quit or leave for one reason or -another, and whenever a new man started in he would comment on the -odor, and then we were conscious of it, but otherwise we grew so -accustomed to it that we didn't notice it.</p> - -<p>The men were human, and just like men everywhere, I guess. They worked -hard during the day, but during their off hours they liked to partake -of the pleasures men normally like.</p> - -<p>Of course we were 28 miles from Carlsbad, so the fellows couldn't go -that far to spend their evenings. They were, therefore, forced to -provide their own entertainment in our own camp.</p> - -<p>Life in and around the big cave was never boring. There was something -happening every minute. New men, it seemed, were the target for pranks, -and my boys soon became adept at staging them!</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">- 38 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="Part_I_5">5<br /> - -<span class="smaller">Life at the Camp</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>New men were always nervous about going into the cave. A mine is -one thing, but a cave! And people back in Carlsbad were continually -enlarging their yarns about the adventures we were having in the "big -cave" some 28 miles away. As a result, all new men who came to work had -illusions about this mysterious cavity in the earth where bats dwelled -by the millions.</p> - -<p>The boys thought new men were fair game—for anything. Take for -instance the time a new man came out to work at the cave and the boys -decided to have some fun.</p> - -<p>They asked the tenderfoot if he would go down into the cave for a -shovel, and the man obeyed. As soon as he reached the bottom, a voice -boomed out of the darkness: "What are you doing down here?"</p> - -<p>The man, not knowing anyone else was underground at the time -was so scared he could hardly talk. Finally he uttered, "Why, I -have—a—well—I have come to get a—a shovel!"</p> - -<p>"Now lookee here," boomed the voice again. "I've lived in this cave -nigh on to 50 years, and now you guys think you're going to take it -away from me. I'm going to kill you!" With that a gun fired at close -range.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">- 39 -</span></p> - -<p>The new man, scared out of his wits, fairly flew up the ladder and -headed for open country, as fast as his legs would carry him. As far as -I know he is still running, for none of us ever saw him again.</p> - -<p>Another time we had a young Mexican boy working in the cave sewing -sacks. One day he got upset over something and suddenly decided to -quit, saying, "Me voy, me voy!" (I am going, I am going.)</p> - -<p>It was really nothing serious, and we pleaded with him, trying to -explain to him that the matter was not important, that we liked him and -wanted him to stay as we needed him. Furthermore, it wasn't easy to get -men to remain at the cave.</p> - -<p>Our pleadings were of no avail, for he started out and we couldn't stop -him. He jumped on the car and began to pull the ropes and in that way -propel himself to the top of the cave.</p> - -<p>Ropes in those days were not too well made and they wore out fast. He -didn't know, and, in fact, we didn't either, that the rope on the hoist -was ready to snap.</p> - -<p>Up he went, almost to the top, and then—snap. Down came car, Mexican -boy and all, right smack into a waiting load of guano. He was covered -from head to foot—just a leg sticking out.</p> - -<p>He didn't move, and we were sure he had been killed. We started digging -and soon uncovered a very much alive but very scared little fellow. The -guano had cushioned the fall.</p> - -<p>Apparently he thought we somehow caused the fall to prevent his escape, -for he never tried to run away again, and soon became one of our best -workers.</p> - -<p>Incidents like this were not good for the morale of the men. The -pranks, of course, were harmless as far as danger was concerned, but -natural risks were always present.</p> - -<p>Sometimes the pranks were meant to be harmless, and they were to the -men, but it worked a hardship on us who managed the mine. I remember -one day Victor Queen, who at that time was in charge of operations, had -to go to Carlsbad for supplies.</p> - -<p>"Johnny," he said to his brother, "I'm leaving you and Wayne Crowder in -charge while I'm gone. Keep the men busy. I'll be back as soon as I can -make it."</p> - -<p>Wayne was a good worker and always reliable, but like lots of men he -enjoyed a good laugh and often went to long ends to get it.</p> - -<p>"Johnny," he said, "you engage the Mexicans in conversation. I'm going -to fix up a ghost and we'll have a little fun with them."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">- 40 -</span></p> - -<p>While Johnny Queen was talking to the Mexican workers about everything -he could think of, Wayne made a large paper man, then tied a string -to it and dangled it from the roof of the cave in a dimly lit section -which hadn't been explored too much.</p> - -<p>The Mexicans were quite superstitious about the cave, and Wayne knew he -would get quite a rise out of them when they saw this ghost-like figure -rising out of the semi-darkness.</p> - -<p>He didn't have long to wait. Signaling to Johnny that the scene had -been set, the conversation stopped and the Mexicans were sent into the -cave in the vicinity of where the ghost had been rigged.</p> - -<p>Panic broke loose. Every Mexican in the group quit, scampering out of -the cave and heading for Carlsbad. They were scared. But so were Johnny -and Wayne. They knew how hard it was to get men to work in the cave -and, with this mass exodus of workers, they would be in for a hard -lecture from Victor when he returned and found what had happened.</p> - -<p>They pleaded with the frightened men, but it was useless. They had seen -that white figure with their own eyes. They had heard the cave was -haunted; now they knew that what they had heard was true. Come back -to work? Not in that cave! Some picked up their belongings, while the -others were in too much of a hurry to get out of that section of the -country.</p> - -<p>When Victor returned and learned what had happened, he nearly fired -John and Wayne on the spot. Needless to say, John and Wayne had learned -their lesson, and they were much more careful about what they tried on -the workers in the future.</p> - -<p>On one occasion a man by the name of Priest came out from Carlsbad to -see the cave and learn how guano was being taken out. The boys were -always ready to oblige anyone like this, so they told him to get on the -car and they would take him down.</p> - -<p>The car hadn't gone very far when the steel cable on the drum slipped a -bit and the car suddenly dropped about a foot.</p> - -<p>Priest was so frightened he began to pray. The boys thought that was -quite an incident, seeing a Priest pray on a cable car going after -guano, and they always got a bang out of telling it.</p> - -<p>That car contributed its share of incidents at the cave. One other time -we had just received several hundred empty sacks and were preparing to -send them below where the men could fill them with guano.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">- 41 -</span></p> - -<p>Generally the workers in the cave would walk the ladders when they -wanted to go into the cave or come out. But this time there were three -boys who decided they would get a free ride as long as the car was -going anyway with the sacks. So they jumped on.</p> - -<p>Sitting gaily on the sacks they appeared ready for a thrill, so they -called out to the whim man, "Let 'er go!"</p> - -<p>He did.</p> - -<p>The boys were asking for a fast ride, so he decided to give it to them. -He forgot to take into consideration that the weight of the several -hundred sacks plus the weight of the three boys was too much for the -car, and as it gained momentum in its downward plunge the brake gave -way.</p> - -<p>The car was now falling freely of its own weight, and in an instant -would crash at the bottom, totally wrecking the car and possibly -killing the three boys.</p> - -<p>I happened to see the whole thing, being right there at the time, and -before I could think what was happening I had instinctively grabbed a -4×4 timber close by and rammed it into the whim.</p> - -<p>Smoke billowed from the 4×4 as it hit the whim. The car slowed up just -as it hit the bottom.</p> - -<p>From our position at the top of the shaft we couldn't tell how hard the -car had landed, nor could we tell if anyone had been badly hurt.</p> - -<p>Just as I was about to call down, I heard one of the boys call up, -"Can't you take it a bit slower? We'd at least like to have a little -conversation on our way down."</p> - -<p>I knew from that jesting that there couldn't be too much damage, -otherwise he couldn't joke about it. We soon learned that no damage -had been done since I had injected the 4×4 into the whim just in time. -There were a few bruises, but that was all.</p> - -<p>Life at the cave was somewhat rugged at first because we didn't have -many of the comforts of home. At first we would sleep in the wagons, -then we brought out some canvas tents from Carlsbad and this made -living much more comfortable.</p> - -<p>As operations continued I had hoped to build some sort of small house -and move my family out to be there with me. But my time was so busy in -the early phases of the operation that I had little time to think of -anything but getting the guano out of the ground.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">- 42 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="longs_move" style="width: 606px;"> - <img src="images/longs_move.png" width="606" height="390" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption">Artist's conception of Long's move to Big Cave area.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">- 43 -</span></p> - -<p>After a while things became more or less routine and I could then -think of some more permanent living quarters for myself and family. -My brother-in-law, Charlie Hannsz, also had more spare time now that -the roadwork was done and the initial construction chores had been -completed.</p> - -<p>Since he was a fine carpenter, I let him have the job of building more -permanent living quarters.</p> - -<p>We found the most satisfactory type of housing was what we called tent -houses. These consisted of boxing plank for the floors, with the wood -also extending about half way up the side or wall of the house. The -upper half of the wall was canvas, as was the roof.</p> - -<p>These houses were relatively easy to build, and served our purpose -adequately. After the first house was completed, we built another for -my father, A. B. Long, and my mother. Then we built another for Charlie -Hannsz and his family, making a group of three houses.</p> - -<p>My wife made our place quite comfortable inside. She was an immaculate -housekeeper and she had the knack of knowing how to make our little -tent house look like a home. I felt quite contented living there.</p> - -<p>The food problem was a difficult one, for all our supplies had to be -brought out from Carlsbad. At first my wife did all the cooking for -the men, but this job soon became too much for her, especially as the -operations at the cave grew and more men joined the force.</p> - -<p>Eventually the men had to make other arrangements for their meals. -Most of them did their own cooking, or they would divide up into small -groups and take turns cooking for the rest. The Mexicans would cook -their own meals off by themselves as they seemed to prefer a different -menu from the rest of us.</p> - -<p>This section of the state was good for cattle grazing and this was -quite an industry in itself at the time. There was a man by the name of -Simms who had quite a herd near the cave and sometimes during the night -we could hear these animals near our camp.</p> - -<p>One morning, as the boys were entering the cave to go to work, they -discovered that one of the cows had fallen into the cave. In trying to -reconstruct what had happened, it looked as though one cow had hooked -another, causing one to fall into the cave.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">- 44 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="family_cabin" style="width: 597px;"> - <img src="images/family_cabin.png" width="597" height="388" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption">Artist's sketch shows family cabins set up near cave's -entrance.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">- 45 -</span></p> - -<p>The boys butchered the animal right there, carrying the cow out piece -by piece. I have often wondered if Simms ever knew that we were -enjoying fresh steaks from one of his herd!</p> - -<p>Often on evenings or Sundays the boys would get together and hold what -they called a Kangaroo Court, thus helping to pass the time away. -First, they would select one of their number to serve as judge.</p> - -<p>Then, from the group, one of the fellows would be selected for some -misdeed he had committed while on the job that day. After the testimony -was heard, his fellow workers, who served as an impromptu jury, would -decide the verdict, which was most always "guilty," and the judge would -impose the sentence, such as requiring the guilty culprit to take a -small pail and a coal oil lantern and go back into the deep recesses of -the cave alone and return with the pail full of water.</p> - -<p>Entertainment during the evenings varied, depending upon the mood of -the men and what their particular likes and dislikes were. Card games -were always popular, and a hot game of poker was the favorite with most -of the men.</p> - -<p>Many times after they had finished a busy day in the Big Cave they -would roll out a tarpaulin, deal out the cards, and proceed to have a -gay time.</p> - -<p>More than once these games would last all night, or until one man would -win all the money and the rest had no more cash to play with.</p> - -<p>Johnny Queen must have been lucky at love because he certainly wasn't -lucky at cards. In practically every poker game he would soon lose -all his money and would be out. On cold nights the fellows found the -playing not very comfortable, and after a while they got the bright -idea of asking Johnny to build a fire for them, since he was only -watching anyway.</p> - -<p>This Johnny did, using sotol<a id="FNanchor_3" href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">[C]</a> for fuel. Sotol is a type of desert -plant that grew in the area around the cave. With a warm fire to -comfort them, the games would go longer than ever.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_3" href="#FNanchor_3" class="label">[C]</a> Sotol—a desert plant (dasylirion) having a stiff stalk -and crowded leaves.</p> - -</div> - -<p>Johnny, however, couldn't understand why he should gather fuel and tend -fire while they enjoyed all the fun, so he got the bright idea<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">- 46 -</span> of -charging the players a dollar. They were glad to pay. Needless to say, -there were many nights when Johnny ended up with more money than most -of them did!</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">- 47 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="Part_I_6">6<br /> - -<span class="smaller">The Big Cave Is Explored</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>After the mining operation had been under way for some time I found I -wasn't so busy and had a little free time to myself to sort of rest up -and think of something besides getting the guano to the surface and off -to the Hawaiian Fertilizer Company of San Francisco.</p> - -<p>More and more I began to wonder just what this Big Cave was like beyond -our immediate area. Many of the men also wondered, and often suggested -that some day we form an exploring party and see what it was like.</p> - -<p>We decided to do just that. A day was decided upon and the necessary -preparations and precautions were made. Of course, we had no idea of -what lay ahead of us, nor how far our journey would take us, and I -reasoned therefore that it would be better to carry too much with us -than too little.</p> - -<p>First of all I rounded up all the available lanterns that weren't -otherwise in use. Then I got all of the candles we had, a supply of -matches, and all of the cord in the cave. We had a lot of cord because -it was the cord we used to sew the guano sacks.</p> - -<p>We also carried a supply of food, for we meant to really go a great -distance. Of course no one had to go, but most of the men<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">- 48 -</span> wanted to -see what mysterious wonders lay beyond the site of our immediate guano -operation.</p> - -<p>Fortunately there were a couple of men who didn't seem interested, -preferring to remain outside. This was all right with me, for if any -unforeseen emergency should arise, we could depend upon them to send -for help.</p> - -<p>We decided how long we would be gone, and I told them that if we were -not back by a certain time, they were to organize a search party and -come looking for us.</p> - -<p>I told them that we would light the candles and place them at intervals -along the way, and also we would string the cord along the entire -distance, both methods being used in order that we could easily and -quickly find our way back, as well as to assist a rescue party in -following our trail should such prove necessary.</p> - -<p>With all of these precautions being made, the suspense of our -undertaking grew, and the men were quite excited and eager to get -started, yet I was in no hurry to proceed until I was sure everything -was in readiness, for although we were to be gone only a matter of -hours, no one knew what lay ahead and I preferred to be well prepared -for any emergency.</p> - -<p>So, at our appointed hour our journey of exploration began—the first -journey into the Big Cave—the first time Man had ever set eyes on its -matchless wonders. How little we knew then that in the years that would -follow millions of others would enter this cave to view the beauty and -grandeur that Nature had been in the process of creating for countless -centuries.</p> - -<p>At times the going was pretty slow due to the uneven floor of the cave. -Big boulders often had to be moved to one side, and when they were too -heavy or were too well lodged in the floor to permit moving, we had to -climb over them.</p> - -<p>Generally the direction of travel was downward as the Big Cave seemed -to go deeper into the earth. We were going in a westerly direction and -the cave seemed to take on a maze of large connected rooms.</p> - -<p>We would enter one and then, as we would pass out the other side, seem -to enter another.</p> - -<p>Many times we stopped in bewilderment of the beauty that lay before us. -The fellows in the party often kidded about the trip and were pretty -much in gay spirits, but as they would enter these magnificent<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">- 49 -</span> rooms -which man had never seen before, they became very quiet, letting their -eyes soak in every detail that the light of our lanterns brought out.</p> - -<p>We all seemed humble amid God's handiwork, and I noticed many of the -roughest men in the party became suddenly reverent as though they might -be entering some great cathedral.</p> - -<p>I never knew exactly how the other men felt about all this strange -exhibition of beauty, but I could see it had some effect upon their -lives. A rough bunch of men usually don't say much about this sort of -thing.</p> - -<p>As for me, I wondered if anyone on the outside would believe our -stories when we told them what we were seeing. Actually, I felt it -was a big dream, and that I would soon wake up. I had heard of caves -before, but I had never heard of anything this large or filled with as -much beauty.</p> - -<p>All of us felt that each turn would be the end and we would be able to -terminate our trip and return. But each time we would discover a deep -shadow which would turn out to be another tunnel or entrance to another -large cavity or room, often more colorful and appealing than the one we -were leaving.</p> - -<p>At times there would appear to be no further trail. The boys would -flash their lanterns around and find an outlet, sometimes so high above -us that we couldn't reach it without a ladder. Then we would find -another on our own level and we would be on our way again, leaving a -world of beauty for another fully its equal.</p> - -<p>In one place we came upon what looked like an iceberg, but of course it -was a rock formation. In another we came upon a green pond of water.</p> - -<p>Everywhere we saw stalactites formed through countless years of the -dripping of water, each drop leaving behind its minute portion of -calcium or other chemical composition which eventually forms the -pendant. The fellows constantly referred to them as icicles, since they -resembled them so exactly.</p> - -<p>Underneath many of the biggest ones were the stalagmites, the "rising -statues" formed by the drips from their counterpart above. Every one, it -seemed, had a style and shape all its own.</p> - -<p>The colors were in a class by themselves. We saw all the colors of the -rainbow, from pale pinks to deep maroon—from pale sky blue to dark -purple. Many had a softness which no artist could duplicate.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">- 50 -</span> Others -were as bright as a Mexican cafe, and the Mexican members of our party -took an extreme delight in seeing these vivid hues. Apparently they had -missed, in America, the bright colors which are so abundant in their -homeland.</p> - -<p>Almost any formation known to man could be seen as we inched our way -along. Castles, monuments, animals of all sorts, a gremlin, the devil, -a bridal veil, totem poles, all of these and hundreds more were easy to -visualize everywhere around us. And with but a little Imagination we -could see many more.</p> - -<p>It was time to turn back, and I could feel the reluctance of the men -in the party to do so, but if we did not arrive back at our appointed -time a search party would start after us, and I saw no reason to create -false fears with those on the outside.</p> - -<p>The return trip was much faster than our trip in, simply because we -knew what to expect. Also, we did not stop so long to look at the -magnificent splendor, and also because the candles and string told us -exactly where the trail led.</p> - -<p>It was interesting to note, however, that as we would enter a room from -the opposite direction from which we had originally entered it, it -appeared much different, sometimes so much so that we thought we had -not entered it previously. Of course, the candles and string proved we -were wrong, but the difference in perspective was amazing.</p> - -<p>When we finally arrived back at the entrance the members of the party -spent hours telling the others what we had seen. It was interesting to -hear the different descriptions from the men and to see how each man -had noted something different yet of course we had all been along the -same route.</p> - -<p>After this we often took trips into the cave and would explore -different rooms and tunnels which we hadn't seen before. It seemed that -there was no end to this maze of underground caverns.</p> - -<p>Accidents were relatively few on all of these trips, and I think it was -because the fellows all realized that if any of them got hurt it could -be serious. The trip back would be a hardship on those who might be -required to carry an injured man back to the entrance.</p> - -<p>When my young son, Jodie, (Joe N. Long), was about 5 years old, he -began to take quite an interest in our conversations in which we would -describe the many incidents that took place daily in the Big Cave.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">- 51 -</span></p> - -<table summary="images"> -<tr> - <td><img src="images/abijah_long_port.png" width="200" height="262" alt="" /></td> - <td> </td> - <td><img src="images/long_family.png" width="196" height="262" alt="" /></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdc">Abijah Long</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdc">Joe N. (Jodie) and Andrew B.<br /> - Long Long</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="3">(Taken about 1904)</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p>Finally Jodie asked my father to take him into this big hole in the -ground. We didn't think it safe to take such a small child into the -cave, but Jodie kept insisting.</p> - -<p>However, Jodie won out. One day his grandfather led him to the cave -entrance, the one where visitors now enter, and took him inside. From -that day on we were besieged with all kinds of childish questions.</p> - -<p>The incident is worth mentioning because, as far as I know, Jodie was -the first child ever to enter the Big Cave.</p> - -<p>We never did see any forms of life in the cave, other than the millions -of bats which made it their home, but on one of our trips into the -inner chambers the boys found a large bone. They brought it out to -examine it more carefully. It was much too large to be a human bone, -and when the boys tried to break it they found it was very hard, -resisting for a while the blows of their sledge hammer.</p> - -<p>The bone apparently was in a state of semi-petrification. We all<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">- 52 -</span> -speculated as to how it could have gotten into the cave, and every man -had his own theory. Some said an animal must have fallen into the cave, -such as Mr. Simm's cow had done, but lived to stumble on into the cave -where he starved to death.</p> - -<p>The fellows thought this theory unlikely because if it were true, other -bones would have been found at the same spot.</p> - -<p>Another theory was that a cave man centuries ago had killed some wild -beast and had taken a leg of meat into the cave where he made his home. -Meat and man had long since ceased to exist, but the bone remained.</p> - -<p>At least we couldn't offer any sound reason against this theory, but it -seemed almost fantastic to accept it.</p> - -<p>The only other theory which seemed at all plausible was that some wild -animal, such as a bobcat or lynx, had at some time lived in the cave -and had brought in the leg of a deer or moose and left it there after -having eaten the meat from it. However, there were no tracks of any -kind in the Big Cave, hence that theory had little support.</p> - -<p>How the bone got there still remains a mystery.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">- 53 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="Part_I_7">7<br /> - -<span class="smaller">The End of the Beginning</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>After the guano operation had been going on for some time I could see -that it wasn't turning out to be as profitable as I had originally -thought it would be. With the vast quantity of guano under ground, and -with our efficient method of extracting it, I wasn't able to realize -what I felt was a sizeable profit from the time and effort involved.</p> - -<p>Of course there were lots of factors that entered into the operation -which do not meet the eye. For instance, when the guano was brought to -the surface it was filled with moisture, and I was paying the freight -charges to San Francisco by the ton.</p> - -<p>Yet when the guano arrived in San Francisco, the Hawaiian Fertilizer -Company would pay only for guano that was dry. So, when I found I was -paying freight on unwanted moisture, I stopped that in a hurry.</p> - -<p>I built a series of drying racks or platforms in the western section of -Carlsbad and let the guano remain there until it had dried out. This -kept a pay load from reaching market and was one more operation which -ate into the profits.</p> - -<p>The freight to San Francisco at that time cost me $9 per ton. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">- 54 -</span> -guano was $2.25 per unit, $1 for phosphoric acid, and $1 for potash per -ton.</p> - -<p>One answer would have been to find a closer market, as that would have -cut down the high cost of freighting, but there was no other market, so -we were forced to continue sending the guano to San Francisco.</p> - -<p>With some products the manufacturer sets his price, based on cost of -production, but with us we had to accept the market price at the time, -or else not operate.</p> - -<p>When these problems were becoming more complex and I couldn't see any -good solution, a man by the name of Patterson who lived in Carlsbad -offered me $500 cash for my equipment and the work I had done at the -Big Cave. I immediately accepted his offer.</p> - -<p>And then, what did he do but turn right around and hire me as foreman! -So, for some time after that I continued the operations at the cave, -but of course not as owner.</p> - -<p>It seemed as though the extraction of the guano was not intended to be -a paying proposition, for the Big Cave changed hands many times after -that.</p> - -<p>Little did any of us know then that the Big Cave, known in later years -as the Bat Cave, would some day be worth millions as a sight-seeing -attraction and would completely dwarf the income derived from the guano -operations.</p> - -<p>Of course that eventually came about, beginning in 1923. President -Coolidge proclaimed the area Carlsbad Cave National Monument in October -of that year, and a great amount of publicity during the years that -followed prompted thousands of tourists from all over the world to come -to see what some writers have termed "The Eighth Wonder of the World."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Former Owners of Carlsbad Caverns</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">1905—Santa Fe Railroad. (Owned east portion over Bat Cave. 40 acres.)</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">1906—C. F. Hagan sells one half to H. F. Patterson of Carlsbad.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">March 26, 1906—T. W. Teague of El Paso.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">April 19, 1906—The El Paso Guano Fertilizer Company.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">April 21, 1908—G. M. Cooke.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">September 12, 1909—J. D. Lanford sells to Carlsbad Guano Fertilizer Co.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>T. A. Blakely held a patent to the east wing of the Carlsbad Cave, -where the guano beds were worked extensively. In 1942 the Government -purchased this tract from Mr. Blakely.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">- 55 -</span></p> - - -<div class="figcenter" id="cong_ltr_neg" style="width: 489px;"> - <img src="images/cong_ltr_neg.png" width="489" height="459" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption">Letter from U. S. Congress recognizes Long as cave's - discoverer<br /> - <span class="smaller"><a href="images/cong_ltr_orig_lg.png">Click here to see original negative image.</a></span></div> - <div class="bbox"> - <p class="tdl vsmall">PHIL. D. SWING<span class="spacer"> </span>COMMITTEES:<br /> - 11TH DIST. CALIFORNIA<span class="spacer3"> </span>IRRIGATION AND RECLAMATION - <span class="spacer2">P</span>UBLIC LAND<br /> - <span class="spacer2">F</span>LOOD CONTROL<br /> - <span class="spacer2">E</span>XPENDITURES IN THE EXECUTIVE<br /> - <span class="spacer2"> </span> DEPARTMENTS</p> - -<p class="smaller tdc"><span class="antiqua">Congress of the United States</span><br /> -<span class="antiqua">House of Representatives</span><br /> -<span class="antiqua">Washington, D.C.</span><br /> -<br /> -December 24, 1930.</p> - -<p class="tdl smaller" style="padding: 0 3em;">Mr. H. F. Shepherd,<br /> -Deputy in charge,<br /> -United States Customs Service,<br /> -Calexico, California.<br /> -<br /> -My dear Mr. Shepherd:</p> - -<p class="smaller" style="padding: 0 3em;"> This will acknowledge your letter regarding Mr. Abijah -Long who is the original discoverer of the famous Carlsbad -Caveren in New Mexico.</p> - -<p class="smaller tdc">Sincerely,<br /> -<br /> -[Signed: Phil. D. Swing]</p> - -<p class="smaller tdl" style="padding: 0 3em;">PDS:DCM</p> -</div></div> - - -<p>Well, that's my story! That's how it all began. I'm glad to see that -the Federal Government has taken over supervision of the Big Cave -and has made it available to people from every land in order that -they might enjoy its unsurpassed beauty which first greeted us 'guano -miners' back in 1903. It is gratifying to me to have been a small part -of the early history of the Big Cave, now more appropriately called -"Carlsbad Caverns" and known all over the world.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">- 56 -</span></p> - -<p>I am also grateful for the privilege of having known and worked with -these men, many of whom grew with Carlsbad and turned out to be -prominent citizens of the community.</p> - -<p>Times may change, but the great caverns will remain for countless -centuries to come, just as they have been for years without number. -Now, in the hands of the government, their preservation is assured, so -that your children and my children and their children after them will -be able to witness, unmarred and unchanged, these wonders of God's -handiwork.</p> - -<p>And you'll be thrilled just as we were, when you see them for the first -time, and you'll marvel, as we did, that anything in the world could -exist, so strange, so large, so utterly beyond description.</p> - -<p>Man may build his temples and his shrines, but as you stand there, -a mere midget in any of the several mammoth rooms, you will feel a -certain humbleness come over you, and you cannot help but feel closer -to your God.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">- 57 -</span></p> - -<h2 id="Part_II">Part II<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE<br /> -FIRST 60,000,000 YEARS</span></h2> - -<p class="caption3nb"><i>By JOE N. LONG</i></p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">- 58 -</span></p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">- 59 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="Part_II_1">1<br /> - -<span class="smaller">The Beginning</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>How old are the Caverns? When did they begin to form? Are they growing -larger today? What changes, if any, are now going on?</p> - -<p>These are questions which everyone who becomes interested in the great -Carlsbad Caverns wants to have answered sooner or later.</p> - -<p>To some of these and many similar questions the answers are difficult -to obtain, for when the Caverns were being created no man was around -to watch the process and to report his observations first hand. As a -result, we have only the word of geologists and other scientists who -have specialized in the study of the earth, its formation, and the -changes that have come about through the countless ages since our world -began.</p> - -<p>No one knows how old the Caverns are. All man can do is to estimate, -and he bases these estimates on a study of conditions he finds within -the cave itself, in the surrounding countryside, and from a general -knowledge of the earth and how it has evolved.</p> - -<p>Probably the area itself began to form about 200 million years ago, -during the Permian period of geologic time.</p> - -<p>The area at that time is supposed to have been either an inland sea -or a shallow extension of the ocean. During this Permian period<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">- 60 -</span> the -earth's surface was changing. Mountains were rising and the waters were -receding, thus greatly enlarging the land areas. Amphibian life was on -the wane, and reptiles began to appear.</p> - -<p>Great thicknesses of limestone deposits were made during these -countless centuries, some in the form of a reef now known as the -Capitan limestone. Contemporaneous rock behind the reef is called the -Tansill formation. It is in these rocks that the Carlsbad Caverns are -located.</p> - -<p>Since Permian time geologists think the seas may have risen again -and covered what is now New Mexico, leaving sediments that have been -largely removed. About 60,000,000 years ago, during the Cretaceous -period when coal was being formed elsewhere in the world and dinosaurs -roamed the earth, the land was uplifted, perhaps producing cracks and -crevices in the limestone.</p> - -<p>Geologists at one time believed the Caverns were caused by the action -of water as it flowed down through the limestone, dissolving as it -did so minute particles of the stone. Today, however, that theory has -been discarded, since a more careful and detailed study indicates the -Caverns to have been formed by phreatic solution, their development -resulting from a two-cycle method of creation.</p> - -<p>The Caverns can be said to be a natural cavity in the earth formed by -the solution of rock by subsurface waters. Actually, there are two -great geological processes involved in the formation of the Caverns. -The first came about as the water hollowed out the underground -chambers, and the second took place when the formations of stone were -created in these underground openings.</p> - -<p>To be explicit, we can only say that the Caverns are large crevices -or cracks in the limestone which have been enormously enlarged by the -constant solution of the rock into the underground water which filled -these indentations.</p> - -<p>In order to understand just what the two-cycle method means and how -it can exist, we must first understand the two conditions under which -these operations of nature can take place.</p> - -<p>Water, as it seeps downward into the earth, tends to seek what we shall -call its own level. This would be a point where everything below is -saturated with water, the water table of the region. Above the table -water works downward due to its gravitational pull. Below the table -there is only rather slow movement of water.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">- 61 -</span></p> - -<p>The area above this point is known as the vadose zone, and below this -point the area is the ground-water or phreatic zone.</p> - -<p>Any farmer who has ever sunk a well knows how important it is that his -well reach below the water table if he is to be assured a continuous -supply of water. Well owners also know that the water table can rise -or fall due to any of several natural causes, such as an abundance -of rainfall for a few seasons, or any great lack of rainfall for an -extended length of time. When the water table goes below the lowest -reaches of the well, no more water can be pumped, and it is necessary -to extend the well further into the earth until it again goes below the -water table and reaches into the saturated area where water is abundant.</p> - -<p>The water table is not constant around the world, even though water -seeks its own level. The water table might be high in one section of -the country, low in another. It might be kept high by an abundance -of rain, or remain low due to outlets such as springs or underground -seepages.</p> - -<p>The vadose-water area also varies, and the effects created by the rise -and fall of the water table in one section of the country, for example, -might be vastly different than the effects in an adjacent territory. -This explains why any action of underground water in one area is not -necessarily duplicated in an apparently identical area close by.</p> - -<p>With an understanding of the two water zones, and the demarcation line -between, we can more readily comprehend just how the Caverns were -formed.</p> - -<p>Geologists are now pretty well in agreement that the enclosing rocks -of the Caverns were located in the ground-water zone under saturated -conditions. As we already know, large cracks existed in the otherwise -solid limestone.</p> - -<p>Then, for many, many years the ground water dissolved the limestone, -enlarging the cracks bit by bit, until the huge Caverns were formed. -At this point the water table was lowered, and, in time, the Caverns -ceased to exist in the ground-water zone. Following the lowering of -the water table, the Caverns were nothing more than empty holes in the -earth. Now the second phase of their "growth" was to begin.</p> - -<p>When the ground water could no longer continue its constant gnawing -action on the limestone, the Caverns had reached their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">- 62 -</span> maximum size. -From now on they would begin to fill up again.</p> - -<p>The second of the two cycles consisted of mineral deposit brought about -by water seeping downward from the surface, carrying lime for the -secondary formations which are today one of the great features of the -Caverns.</p> - -<p>Water in the vadose zone, seeking the ground-water level, would seep -into the top of the many rooms and galleries. Each drop contained a -minute portion of limestone.</p> - -<p>Some drops would remain on the ceiling, where the moisture would -evaporate, leaving a tiny ring of limestone deposit behind. As these -limestone deposits accumulated they formed a pendant mass resembling an -icicle which is called a stalactite. Drops falling to the floor would -produce deposits known as stalagmites.</p> - -<p>Sometimes the stalactites and stalagmites would join and a solid pillar -would be formed.</p> - -<p>In the rocks enclosing the Caverns are various deposits of other -minerals such as iron oxide which are often carried in minute -quantities within the seeping water and deposited on the stalagmites -and stalactites. These minerals are responsible for the many different -colors that may be seen in many places within the rooms of the Caverns.</p> - -<p>Some of the formations have a very live and transparent appearance, -looking somewhat as though they might have just been given a thorough -coat of wax. Actually, these formations are still active. That is, they -are still covered with water and the age-old process of depositing the -small particles of carbonate of lime contained in the water is still -going on. In cave parlance they are "alive", that is, they are still -growing.</p> - -<p>In the Carlsbad Caverns today about 10 per cent of the formations are -"alive". Water is seeping in around them and working its wonders. It is -this presence of water that gives them the polished, radiant look.</p> - -<p>When the water no longer reaches the formations, they "die", i.e., they -no longer continue to grow. They lose their sheen and lustre and take -on a powdery appearance.</p> - -<p>Geologists differentiate the two primary effects of seeping water -in the creation of the formations in caves. Those that are created -by water dripping from above, as in the case with stalactites and -stalagmites, are referred to as dripstone formations. Those created by -the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">- 63 -</span> flowing of water over a surface are called flowstone formations. -In some rooms of the cave, formations made of flowstone are quite -abundant. This is to be found mostly on the floors of the rooms, or on -walls where a large volume of water is present. These formations have -been referred to as masses which resemble ice that forms on a cold -winter's day near a stream of water. Others have described them as -"cascades frozen in stone."</p> - -<p>An additional phase of the cave's development has been described by -geologists as the period of collapse. During the centuries when the -entire area was saturated with water, limestone blocks on walls and -ceilings were weakened by solution, later to crash to the floor, -leaving the room larger than ever. This collapsing continued after -the cave became "dry" but ended once stability was achieved. Park -naturalists tell us no rock has fallen within the cave for thousands of -years.</p> - -<p>So ends the first stage of the history of the great Carlsbad Caverns, -their gradual growth and formation over periods of millions of years. -Man was still centuries away when their beauties were being created. -But were other forms of life inhabiting them?</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">- 64 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="Part_II_2">2<br /> - -<span class="smaller">Life Enters the Caverns</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>At the time the limestone beds were beginning to crack, which we noted -was some 60,000,000 million years ago, the huge reptiles and other -prehistoric animals were playing hide and seek on the surface above the -site of the developing Caverns. At that time the cave hadn't yet been -formed—the underground seepage of water was just beginning to find the -crevices below the gypsum and rock salt and begin its erosion which was -to continue slowly for so many centuries.</p> - -<p>Recent forms of life seem to have a more or less direct bearing on the -bat, and scientists remain quiet on what forms of life, if any, used -the cave for their domicile between the earliest times and the arrival -of the bat.</p> - -<p>At least, the nocturnal creature is a sure resident, for he still makes -his home there, and in numbers running into the millions.</p> - -<p>But when did the bat first inhabit the cave? That is difficult to -answer, except to say that it was several thousands of years ago.</p> - -<p>How can scientists be so sure the years are so many? There are several -ways in which they have been able to establish that the centuries have -been numerous since the bats first discovered this haven.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">- 65 -</span></p> - -<p>One of the best is by the guano deposits found on the floor of the -cave. Observations have shown that the excrement from the bats -accumulates at the rate of approximately one-half inch per year. Thus -25 years is required for a foot of the substance to materialize. This -would indicate it would require about 1,000 years for 40 feet to -accumulate.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately, the exact thickness or depth of the guano deposits was -not carefully measured when my father first discovered them, but I have -heard him describe them many times as being at least 100 feet deep in -places. That would be almost conclusive proof that the bats had been -living in the cave for at least 2,000 years!</p> - -<p>It should also be remembered that as guano ages and dehydrates, it sort -of packs down, so that although a half inch of guano might be deposited -in a year's time, several years later this guano will have decayed and -packed down to half that thickness.</p> - -<p>This would extend the time to far more than the estimated 2,000 years, -but just how much is extremely difficult to estimate.</p> - -<p>Also, the amount of guano growth varies with the years, for when -insects are plentiful, bats gorge themselves and the guano deposits -are much greater than in lean years when their food supply is low, -sometimes to the extent that the bats will go elsewhere for one or two -seasons, at which times there is no guano accumulation at all.</p> - -<p>At one time, during an exploration of the cave some years ago, a -scientist discovered the remains of a bat sticking out of the side of a -stalagmite where it had undoubtedly fallen from its perch above, having -perchance died of old age.</p> - -<p>With no disturbance to blow its remains away, it rotted there and the -stalagmite grew over it, so to speak. Scientists, estimating the rate -of growth of stalagmites, were able to calculate approximately how long -ago the bat had fallen. The head and wing bones were barely discernable.</p> - -<p>It is also known that the bats have moved around in the cave, for their -tiny skeletons have been found in remote sections at points where the -bats are no longer found clinging to the ceiling for their daytime -sleep. Such findings indicate one of two possibilities; one, that some -bats might have gotten lost in the cave and died there, away from their -normal resting place, and, second, that previous openings have since -been closed, due to various earth movements,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">- 66 -</span> forcing the bats to use -new openings and thus change their location within the cave.</p> - -<p>Scientists place little credence on the former possibility because bats -seldom get lost. They can find their way in any dark cave or passageway -and know how to get out the same way they went in.</p> - -<p>The second possibility is the most likely, that centuries ago there -were other openings to the cave through which the bats entered and -spent the daylight hours. As old age overtook them they would die and -fall to the floor. Then, as subsequent earth movements closed the -openings, the bats would find new doorways to their daytime abode. -This also accounts for large quantities of guano which were found in -portions of the cave where no bats were to be seen sleeping on the -ceiling above.</p> - -<p>There are eighteen species of bats to be found in New Mexico, and -thirteen are known in the Carlsbad region. In the United States as a -whole, scientists have classified over 251 varieties of these winged -mammals.</p> - -<p>Of the thirteen found near the Caverns, eight are known to have made -use of the cave at one time or another. Old skeletons have been -found in remote sections of the cave which have been identified as -those of the Large Pale Bat (<i>Antrozous pallidus</i>), wing bones -of which were found in one of the innermost rooms; the Big Brown -Bat (<i>Eptesicus fuscus</i>), a skull and wing bones having been -discovered in an inner room; House Bat (<i>Myotis incautus</i>), -several skull fragments of which were found in one of the lower rooms -of the cave; Red Bat (<i>Nycteris borealis</i>), two old skulls of -which were found on the floor of one of the deepest rooms; Cave Bat -(<i>Myotis velifer</i>), evidenced by imperfect skull fragments found -deep in the cave; Great Hoary Bat (<i>Nycteris cinerea</i>), largest of -the northern bats, possessing silvery grey fur and not normally a cave -dweller, but wing bones were found in the cave, indicating they may -have lived there at one time, and the Little California Bat (<i>Myotis -californicus pallidus</i>), whose presence was indicated by a skull -picked up amid the dust and debris of a low, inner room.</p> - -<p>The chief resident of the caves for centuries has been the Mexican -Free-tailed Bat (<i>Tadarida mexicana</i>), also sometimes called -the guano bat because its species is especially noted for the huge -quantities of commercially excellent guano it produces.</p> - -<p>The Free-tailed Bat is distinguishable from the northern bats by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">- 67 -</span> its -extended tail which reaches about an inch beyond the interleg membrane, -by its short fur, and by a strong odor not found with other species. -They also possess short, stubby ears, will weigh between 10 and 12 -grams, and prefer caves more than most any other species.</p> - -<p>The life of the bat is somewhat of a mystery to the average person, -partly because they seclude themselves during the day in places -relatively safe from discovery, and venture out at night when humans -are not around and couldn't very well see them if they were.</p> - -<p>Bats resemble the ordinary field mouse in appearance, except for their -large, expansive wings. They are mostly insectivorous, living almost -exclusively on insects they catch while in flight, chewing their prey -into the finest bits with their sharp teeth. A bat will eat enormous -quantities of food between sunset and sunrise, and on the basis of -only two full meals a night will consume an amount almost half its own -weight.</p> - -<p>Their diet consists of beetles, flies, and other flying insects, most -of which are enemies of civilization; thus the bat is economically a -valuable animal.</p> - -<p>They leave the mouth of the cave at dusk, heading first for a drink of -water at the nearest available spot, then spend the night in search of -their food. As the sun's rays begin to appear in the east they fly back -to the cave where they dig their tiny claws into the ceiling and remain -there sleeping until the sun sets in the west and the cycle starts all -over again.</p> - -<p>Due to their habits they have few enemies, the great horned owl being -one. Very wide awake at night, he often catches an unsuspecting bat, -chews the flesh, letting the bones drop to the ground where they remain -as evidence of the owl's dinner.</p> - -<p>The mating season is normally in March. Along about June the young are -born, with this species only one to a female, although in some species -a litter of four is born.</p> - -<p>The single baby will weigh a fourth as much as its mother. Upon birth -it clings to its mother's body night and day until it is strong enough -to fly by itself, remaining tight even while the mother flies into the -night in search of food.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">- 68 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="bats_exit" style="width: 588px;"> - <img src="images/bats_exit.png" width="588" height="366" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - - The famous bat flight—a nightly occurrence at the Caverns.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">- 69 -</span></p> - -<p>The habits of bats vary in respect to their living quarters. When -insects are abundant, the size of the bat population increases, having -been estimated at times to be as high as 7 million in the Carlsbad -Caverns alone. As the supply of insects decreases, so does the number -of bats. Where they go, and whether or not the same specific bats -return in times of insect plenty is not definitely known.</p> - -<p>One of the first surveys of the bats in the Caverns discovered that the -number seems to grow in the fall, indicating that the cave was used -primarily as a home principally for hibernation during the winter.</p> - -<p>More recent observations indicate that, at the present time at least, -the bats winter somewhere else and live in the cave only during the -summer months, going elsewhere to spend the winter. Recently several -thousand bats were banded by naturalists and of those which have been -returned, one came from Jalisco, Mexico, some 800 miles south of the -Caverns.</p> - -<p>If both observations were correct, and it may be assumed that they -were, for both were made by naturalists, then the habits of the bats do -change, but what prompts these changes is still a matter of speculation.</p> - -<p>Other matters of speculation are just how the bat flies so accurately -in the dark, darting swiftly past innumerable objects yet never hitting -one of them. Scientists call this phenomenon "echolocation," a sort of -sonar principle by which the little mammals let out a high frequency -squeak and judge the distance of objects by the time required for the -echo to bounce back to their sensitive ears.</p> - -<p>Another mystery is how they find their way unerringly back to the cave, -in the early morning as well as after a sojourn to some other area of -the world, and how they know when the supply of food has increased to -the point that it is sufficient for them to return.</p> - -<p>Visitors to the cave often wonder how the numbers can be estimated. -7,000,000 is a lot of bats. This has been reduced to a relatively -simple calculation. Cavern authorities counted the number sleeping in -one square foot of space, found between 250 and 300 could squeeze into -the area. The number of square feet of ceiling space occupied by the -sleeping creatures was then multiplied by the bats per square foot, and -the estimate was reached.</p> - -<p>Life in the cave, it seems, has been governed by the bat, and even this -little fellow can hardly be said to live there. Actually, he only<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">- 70 -</span> -sleeps there winters and during the day. He can't live in the cave all -the time since there is no food there for him.</p> - -<p>Are there any living creatures that dwell in the cave all the time? -Only those that can find food in the cave, and since the eternal -darkness prohibits photosynthesis which is vital to all growing plants, -other animals or insects would find a food supply almost practically -nonexistent, at least any form of plant food.</p> - -<p>Yet there are cave crickets. One species was found which was entirely -new to science, and they named it after the Caverns, calling the -species <i>Ceutophilus carlsbadensis</i>. Their eyes do not seem to -function, apparently depending upon their long antennæ to guide them.</p> - -<p>But what do they eat? The contents of their stomachs have revealed bits -of insect remains which they have scavenged from the piles of guano. -Thus the cave crickets depend upon the bat for their existence.</p> - -<p>The cave worm, actually an insect's larva, and a small spider also make -their homes in the cave. How long these insects have lived in the cave -is anybody's guess. Naturalists think the first few crickets may have -fallen into the cave and remained there due to the abundance of the -food supply, living peacefully and multiplying at leisure.</p> - -<p>But this cricket's Shang-ri-la lost its comparative safety one day, -maybe centuries ago, when a cave mouse is thought to have fallen in. -He found the crickets abundant and tasty and, since he couldn't climb -out, stayed in his new subterranean home. Maybe later Mrs. Cave Mouse -met the same fate and together they became parents and grandparents of -litters who have lived in the cave ever since.</p> - -<p>The cliff mouse also lives his complete life cycle in the black depths -of the Caverns, and together with the cave mouse they have a carefree -existence, for none of their natural enemies live in the cave.</p> - -<p>Any herbivorous animals which might have fallen into the cave would -soon die, for the only vegetation to be found in the cave, aside from -a certain amount of mold, exists in scant proportions near the cave -entrances where there is some light and a little moisture. Thus only -carnivorous or insectivorous animals or insects could exist in the -vegetation-free depths.</p> - -<p>Of the animals which occasionally frequent the cave, the cacomixle, -commonly known as a ring-tailed cave cat or even just "ring-tail," is -perhaps the best known. This slender raccoon-like animal<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">- 71 -</span> doesn't spend -all his time in the cave, for he is able to crawl in and out, but he -does raise his family in the cracks and crevices of the walls, and eats -an occasional cave mouse or guano bat. Outside he eats fruit and other -small animals and insects. Apparently they have never been too numerous -in the Caverns.</p> - -<p>The only other animal to have made the cave its home is the great -horned owl. His nests have been found in considerable numbers near the -entrances where he has been living for countless years in comparative -safety. But, like the bats, he ventures outside in search of food, and -spends his nights away from the cave, so at best he, like the ringtail, -is only a part-time resident.</p> - -<p>So the cricket depends on the bats, the mice on the cricket, and the -ringtail on the mice. Thus is the life cycle within the great cave.</p> - -<p>But when did man first visit the Caverns? That question is indeed -problematic and may never be definitely answered. The early Folsom -people have been traced to an encampment site some fifteen miles south -of Clovis, New Mexico, which they occupied some time between 10,000 -and 15,000 years ago. Chipped stone dart points associated with a -post-glacial species of bison have been found imbedded in the earth in -rock strata going back that many years.</p> - -<p>These wandering hunters were known as "Bison Nomads" and it is not at -all improbable that they knew of the cave and frequented it. They could -have been the first humans to have entered it.</p> - -<p>Then, approximately 2,000 years ago, or at about the beginning of the -Christian era, the Basket Maker Indians began to roam this southwest -area of the continent. They may have been the physical descendants of -the early hunters, but from a standpoint of culture they are credited -with having brought agriculture from some focal point in Mexico much -further south.</p> - -<p>The Basket Maker Indians lived in this area for some eight centuries, -and archæologists mark three distinct periods of their civilization. -The Basket Maker I people did much hunting and probably roamed the -hills and valleys while the maize was growing, moving on to new areas -after each harvest. The Basket Maker II group built simple dwellings, -lived in caves, and grew numerous vegetables, including squash and -beans. The Basket Maker III group established permanent villages, fired -pottery, and elaborated on weavings established by both of the earlier -groups.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">- 72 -</span></p> - -<p>The Basket Maker Indians are definitely known to have visited the cave, -for their pictographs have been found on the entrance walls. What is -more, skeletons have been found in the cave, some buried in baskets! -These were found on shelves in the walls. Other skeletons were found -buried beneath piles of guano far back in the cave, together with bits -of pottery and broken arrow points.</p> - -<p>As to how much the Indians used the cave remains speculative. Some -archæologists believe the cave was used mostly as a tomb, while others -think the Indians may have lived in the cave for a certain length, -basing this observation on the bits of pottery and other remains found -along ledges within the walls. These, they point out, definitely were -not buried with a body.</p> - -<p>Most likely the cave was used for both purposes, for it served the -Indian well as a place of refuge and defense, and it appears that the -living quarters were located within a close radius of the entrance. -Any more extensive use of the rest of the cave would have left more -evidence, archæologists say.</p> - -<p>But that was well over a thousand years ago. How about recent times?</p> - -<p>Several authorities mention the fact that the existence of some form of -bat cave or hibernation den was known to ranchers in the Carlsbad area -as early as 1880-90. Great swarms of bats would rise out of a mound in -the earth at dusk and go winging their way into the horizon. At sunrise -they would return.</p> - -<p>Was this the present Big Cave? Southern New Mexico contains numerous -bat caves and many were known at this time. The existence of a new one -didn't seem to overly excite the ranch hands, for exhaustive research -has failed to reveal any positive knowledge of the existence of this -particular cave as such prior to the time my father noticed the bats.</p> - -<p>Millions of pounds of guano had been taken out of the various bat -caves in this area by late 1900, and if anyone had stumbled onto -this particular cave prior to my father's discovery, they would most -certainly have immediately taken out a claim and proceeded to mine -the guano, for there was so much of it that it assumed gold mine -proportions.</p> - -<p>The fact that my father was the first to take out a claim seems proof -enough that he was the first to actually find the cave and,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">- 73 -</span> realizing -its economic potential, did what any other person would have done, -simply, take out a claim. It was the first ever recorded for this -particular 20 acres and his claim may be seen today on pages 149 and -152 of Book I in the Eddy County Courthouse at Carlsbad.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">- 74 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="Part_II_3">3<br /> - -<span class="smaller">The First Fifty Years</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The discovery of the Carlsbad Caverns was not an earth-shaking event at -the time. Its true value as a spectacle was to wait almost 20 years. -Had it not been for the huge quantities of guano, my father and his -friends might not have been especially interested in the cave, that is, -sufficiently so to explore it further, since there were so many similar -caves in this particular area of the State, and the discovery of one -more didn't unduly excite anyone.</p> - -<p>But because the guano looked like a worth while business proposition, -the cave got more than casual consideration.</p> - -<p>My father knew it was larger than some of the others in the area, and -he gave it the title "The Big Cave." It was also referred to as "The -Bat Cave" because of the millions of bats which would fly out of its -mouth each evening, only to return in equal numbers the following dawn.</p> - -<p>In those days it was primarily a guano producing cave and, except for -occasional explorations by the guano miners and their friends, there -were no extensive trips into the underground chambers by scientists. -Only the commercial aspects of the fertilizer producing activities were -recognized.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">- 75 -</span></p> - -<p>The guano was shipped to California distributors and was largely used -in the fruit orchards there. The operation was not too profitable, as -my father found out, and after he sold his equipment to Mr. Patterson -the property changed hands many times. In 1906, for example, there -were three different owners, and there was some splitting of ownership -whereby an owner would sell a part or half his interest.</p> - -<p>Also, there were other sections which were owned by independent -operators. Prior to 1906 the Santa Fe Railroad owned 40 acres over the -east portion of the cave.</p> - -<p>By around 1912 the bulk of the guano had been removed and activity -around the cave ceased. There were little spurts of renewed interest -from time to time, but there was actually little news about the cave -for several years.</p> - -<p>In later years people have often speculated as to whether or not the -great Carlsbad Caverns would ever have been discovered had it not been -for the attention caused by either my father's discovery quite by -chance, or from the dark clouds of bats which emanated from the cave -each evening.</p> - -<p>We know now that even if those two events had never occurred—even if -there were no opening on the surface of the earth, if there were no -habitation of bats, the great cave would have indeed been discovered.</p> - -<p>And historians now like to think that the cave was actually discovered -twice. The first, as we know, was when my father stumbled upon it quite -by accident back in 1903. This was the discovery of the guano beds, the -beauty and grandeur of the Caverns being secondary at that time.</p> - -<p>Then came what historians have since called "the rediscovery!"</p> - -<p>And it, like the first discovery almost 20 years before, came about -quite by accident!</p> - -<p>At the end of, and immediately following, the first World War, around -1919 and 1920, the United States Government Commission of Reclamation -was constructing several dams along the Pecos River some 20 miles east -of the site of the big Bat Cave. The purpose of the dams was to impound -river water for irrigation of the surrounding agricultural lands.</p> - -<p>But for some strange reason the dams didn't seem to be doing any good. -The water seemed to disappear underground. The Commission<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">- 76 -</span> felt it was -useless to consider the construction of any more dams in the area until -the mystery could be cleared up.</p> - -<p>They took the matter up with the U. S. Geological Survey, and again the -question was unanswered. It seemed strange that the water could not be -held and used to irrigate the surrounding farm lands.</p> - -<p>The U. S. Geological Survey said they felt the problem was of -sufficient value to merit a complete investigation. They would, they -said, send a party to the site to see if they could unravel the riddle -of the river's strange behavior. They advised that no more dams be -constructed until the source of the trouble could be determined.</p> - -<p>The assignment was given to Dr. Willis T. Lee.</p> - -<p>He pondered the situation and knew from experience that there were -several possible solutions, yet he couldn't do much more than hazard a -guess as to what the trouble might be. He also knew that when nature is -concerned he might stumble onto an entirely new reason.</p> - -<p>Before he left Washington, Dr. Lee had reviewed all the available -information on the geological formation of the earth in the area and -was quite well informed on its composition.</p> - -<p>Now, on the land itself, he began to study the situation from every -angle. He found the limestone strata throughout the entire area were a -bit different from that which he had previously seen in other parts of -the world.</p> - -<p>Gypsum and salt are soluble in water, and when the dams were built -they obviously raised the water level several feet above its natural -contours or limitations. The water would then find its way into these -alternate layers and would seek lower levels, dissolving the rock salt -and gypsum as it did so. With nothing to hold it behind the dams, the -water would disappear into the earth and reappear again many miles -below the spots where the dams had been built.</p> - -<p>While Dr. Lee was in the vicinity, he decided to have a look at the -famous Caverns of which he had been hearing so much, and was promptly -invited to see these underground wonders since he was so close to them. -He knew of the existence of the many bat caves or guano caves in the -southeastern part of New Mexico, but had not suspected they contained -any real beauty. Now, for the first time, he was to learn otherwise.</p> - -<p>Prior to this the United States Land Office had sent Mr. Robert<span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">- 77 -</span> Holley -to survey the Caverns, and by the time Lee visited these underground -chambers, Holly had surveyed some three and a half miles of their -interior. It was Holly's report which brought about the designation of -the area as the Carlsbad Caverns National Monument.</p> - -<p>Dr. Lee was enthusiastic in his description of the great Caverns as a -thing of immense size and beauty. Here was something that had been kept -a secret long enough, he felt, and the government should do something -about them.</p> - -<p>His report was the spark that set off a chain reaction. Now, for -the first time, national magazines began to publish reports of this -huge, fabulous cave in southeast New Mexico. In the latter part of -1923 several articles appeared based on Dr. Lee's descriptions of -the underground wonders. Now, at last, the world was learning of -the existence of this fairyland of unmatched scope anywhere in this -country, perhaps in the world.</p> - -<p>But prior to this time the National Geographic Society had become -interested in Willis Lee's findings. Certainly this was worthy of the -Society's attention. Accordingly, they set up a grant of $16,000 to -finance the first full scale exploration of the Caverns. They selected -Dr. Lee to head the party.</p> - -<p>Dr. Lee's mission this time was much different. He wasn't concerned -where the underground waters were going. Rather he was set upon finding -and reporting the scenery about which he knew the world would want to -hear.</p> - -<p>His subsequent report in the National Geographic Magazine (January, -1924) marked the first full scale description of the Caverns, and for -the first time the public saw a series of pictures of the beauty of -this underground wonderland and read something about the various rooms, -their gigantic size, and the extent of the formation.</p> - -<p>Dr. Lee's party didn't find a smooth paved road from the town of -Carlsbad to the site of the Caverns. By contrast, the 28 miles of -hilly, bumpy, dusty road were covered by automobile in about two -hours. The road had been used primarily by the fertilizer companies in -transporting the sacks of guano to Carlsbad for shipment to California.</p> - -<p>At this time there were several dwellings at the entrance to the cave, -an engine house and two hoisting shafts.</p> - -<p>The exploring party engaged Jim White as a guide to accompany<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">- 78 -</span> them -below. At this time Jim White probably knew the Caverns better than -anyone else, for he had lived in the vicinity of the caves for more -than a dozen years and had served as a guide for many persons who had -made trips below to behold the beauties to be found there.</p> - -<p>Jim had talked of the cave and its marvels to anyone who would listen, -and for years had tried to stir up some enthusiasm for the wonders -that lay beneath. He had explored much of the cave and could talk -intelligently about it. Obviously, he was the best guide that Dr. Lee -could have found.</p> - -<p>The descent at that time was not a very glamorous undertaking. Dr. -Lee's party entered, two at a time, by standing in an old iron guano -bucket and letting the "elevator" engine slowly lower them more than -150 feet below the surface. The wire rope fastened to the bucket ran -over a pulley at the top of the derrick and was manipulated by the -engine. Dr. Lee was apprehensive of the contraption, but it never -failed his party.</p> - -<p>In that early and historical excursion into the great Caverns, Dr. Lee -noted the weird, eerie effect the shadowy forms, high ceilings, and -irregular floor and walls had on his group. They found it difficult to -believe what they were seeing. Below, the opening above them became but -a speck of light.</p> - -<p>They noted the great distance from wall to wall, the many alcoves, the -roughness of some walls, the polished smoothness of others.</p> - -<p>Some distance from the foot of the shaft they came upon a large pit -some 150 feet deep which they called Yeitso's Den. The name was later -changed to the Devil's Den.</p> - -<p>This part of the cave was much as the surging waters of the past -several million years had left it. Travel was slow and dangerous. Steep -walls had to be climbed and it was necessary to cut steps in the stone. -The forward progress was indeed tedious in those early days.</p> - -<p>Dr. Lee's report to the National Geographic Society was filled with -descriptions of the colorful stalagmites and stalactites, the beautiful -formations of flowstone and dripstone, and the subject matter to be -seen in the formations all around them. He was equally impressed by -the "chambers of unbelievable dimensions," some of which were "several -hundred feet wide" and ceilings "so high our lights won't touch them."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">- 79 -</span></p> - -<p>He measured the smallest of three rooms which he entered after his -journey down the main corridor, which he describes as "slow and -laborious." The room measured 160 by 140 feet. "The middle room was -three times this size, and the first room was even larger," he said.</p> - -<p>He noted the "curtains" formed of onyx created by the deposit of lime -carbonate dripping from above. The ceilings were found to be covered -with curtains of these stalactites which had grown together during -the ages. At times they met with stalagmites to form solid pillars of -seemingly carved formations.</p> - -<p>At times the floor was rough and covered with fallen blocks of stone. -In other places it was quite smooth and flat, obviously the result of -years of solutive action by water. Stalagmites do not grow in areas -covered for any length of time by water, such as an underground pool. -In one place the stalactites were so slender and numerous that Dr. Lee -referred to them as resembling "a porcupine in posture of defense."</p> - -<p>Dr. Lee's group gave names to many of the rooms and formations, many -of which have since been changed. But one which has stuck with all -explorers, both before and since Dr. Lee's excursion, is the Big Room. -This underground colossus impresses everyone who sees it, and Dr. Lee -hesitated to estimate its dimension. "Over half a mile long," he said -at that time, "with a ceiling some 200 feet high."</p> - -<p>Big as the room was, he felt it was equally remarkable for its numerous -dripstone decorations, their variety and size. Some, he noted, rose to -50 feet in height.</p> - -<p>He found some stalagmites were still "growing," for they were darker in -color than those no longer alive, indicating the presence of water and -continued growth. As the supply of water ceases they become lighter in -color, almost powdery.</p> - -<p>One of the largest he described were the Twin Domes, which he said were -more than 100 feet high and some 200 feet across at the base. They -are, today, much the same as he first observed them and are one of the -favorite formations of all cave visitors.</p> - -<p>In the light of Dr. Lee's primitive torchlight, the base showed up -a dark green, with the grooved pillars light cream in color, both -glittering and sparkling as the light struck them.</p> - -<p>Other interesting observations by the party included the location -of extinct seeps on the floor of the big room, the basins of which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">- 80 -</span> -were up to about 50 feet in diameter, pedestals of onyx resembling -toadstools and so called by the party, and an underground series of -chambers through one of which flows a stream of clear water.</p> - -<p>Dr. Lee's party was unprepared for the vastness and extent of the -Caverns. Although his group had come prepared for a sizeable task, the -job overwhelmed them. Although they mapped much of the underground -passageways and rooms, they could see much was left undone.</p> - -<p>But what they had done was enough to prompt the United States -Government in declaring the site a National Monument. On October 30, -1923, Secretary Work announced that President Coolidge had proclaimed -the area a National Monument.</p> - -<p>Now it was official. If the government proclaimed it as a National -Monument, it must be worth a visit. So thought many people throughout -the land as they read about it in the many national magazines that ran -descriptions of the Caverns based on Dr. Lee's findings.</p> - -<p>My father's original holdings consisted of 20 acres. Now that the -government had taken over, the size was increased to 700 acres.</p> - -<p>Spurred by Dr. Lee's first exhaustive article in the National -Geographic in January, 1924, people began to travel to this underground -land of wonders. Diplomats, governors, people of all walks of life -wanted a first-hand glimpse of what had been found.</p> - -<p>There were no adequate facilities with which to accommodate them. Silk -hats in guano buckets didn't look exactly right. Improvements were in -order.</p> - -<p>Dr. Lee reported how preliminary his work had been. More exploration -was needed, and as a result he returned to the Caverns in the spring of -1924 in order to further extend the work he had started when he first -saw them.</p> - -<p>Exploration began the middle of March and lasted for six months, during -the heat of the summer when it was as high as 115 in the shade—and, as -Dr. Lee says, there was no shade. Yet inside the cave it remained about -56 degrees, which is constant the year around. During this time the -party played host to the Governor of New Mexico, the Governor of Texas, -the Director of National Parks, and many other high ranking dignitaries.</p> - -<p>Dr. Lee and his party set up their camp at the mouth of the Big Cave, -using tents and the rough board shacks left by the fertilizer<span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">- 81 -</span> company -years before. Their closest source of water was a spring about a mile -away and their supply had to be carted by horse or burro.</p> - -<p>While working in the cave the members of the party used kerosene -torches, but upon discovering that these gave off more smoke than light -they abandoned them in favor of gasoline lanterns.</p> - -<p>In order to safeguard themselves, they would unravel balls of twine as -they explored remote sections and passageways. In this way they could -always find their way back to safety. Some of the members of the party -were hesitant to wander far from the well-worn trails, apparently -afraid of the unknown and admitting their weakness. Others allowed -their curiosity to dominate their fears and were continually searching -for new finds.</p> - -<p>The party obtained its supplies from Carlsbad, about 28 miles away, -and during the summer months the fruits and vegetables were kept in a -special "refrigerator" in the cave where the cool, even temperature was -put to constructive use.</p> - -<p>The party's first task was to improve the various trails. Large rocks -were pushed aside and, where this was not possible, safe ladders were -constructed when the obstructions could not be circumvented.</p> - -<p>On Dr. Lee's previous trip he did not explore the many small chambers -and rooms leading off of the main halls and central areas. This time he -made these deviations his specialty. Numerous nooks and corners were -explored and mapped. Only those that for reason defied access were left -alone and kept their secrets sealed within.</p> - -<p>The entire party was amazed at the ornate beauty they found all around -them. Many of the rooms were being seen by scientists for the first -time, who would subsequently describe these colorful wonders so that -all the world would know.</p> - -<p>Of the Dome Room he later wrote "from the arched vault hang pendants of -ornate character and on the wall are sheets of delicately colored onyx -resembling portieres looped back in graceful folds. One is impelled -to touch these folds before he is convinced that they are cold, hard -stone."</p> - -<p>In another chamber Dr. Lee noted how some of the stalactites would ring -when struck lightly with a stone or metal instrument. One<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">- 82 -</span> that was -broken revealed a small trickle of water within. It was, said Dr. Lee, -excellent drinking water.</p> - -<p>Further on the party found a large hole which was 100 yards across and -almost one third that deep. Onyx marble was to be seen all around, on -the walls and the ceiling which was some 200 feet above the floor of -this indentation.</p> - -<p>Climbing down a wire ladder, Dr. Lee and his associates found several -"fountain basins" many of which had a crust of onyx which resembled -somewhat the ice that forms over a small body of water in the winter -time, after which the water recedes leaving the thin sheet of ice -suspended in air.</p> - -<p>Other unusual formations were the many pisolites, small, spherical -bodies of hard stone which jewelers call "cave pearls." Some were -immovable while others were loose, probably never having been able to -fasten themselves due to the continuous agitation caused either by a -flow of water underneath them or from water above dripping down around -them. These "cave pearls" grow from a tiny beginning through hundreds -of years by the constant deposition of minute quantities of calcium -carbonate left by the dripping or flowing water. Those still active -are moist and glistening. The dead ones are pale, with a powdery, dull -look. Because of the fact that these "pearls" resembled eggs in nests -of stone, the room was called the Rookery, a name which has remained -ever since.</p> - -<p>In places where water drips at just the right frequency, the water will -splash to the surrounding walls, leaving as it dries there its small -particle of calcium carbonate. In places it hardens to form funnel -shaped vases. In other places it dries too rapidly, leaving a soft -powdery accumulation.</p> - -<p>Still another formation was the "helictites" which are certain types -of stalactites which didn't know which way to go. They appear to defy -the laws of gravity, for they may start in one direction and then dart -off in another direction. Such formations were caused by certain types -of crystallization. Some chemicals will "grow" upward as they dry and -expand, and this is probably one explanation, although it may not apply -in every case.</p> - -<p>By the early fall in 1924, when Dr. Lee and his party had completed -this second thorough study of the Caverns, he was most enthusiastic -about what he had seen. His observation at that time describes<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">- 83 -</span> the -underground wonders exceptionally well. Telling about the exploration -in September, 1925, issue of the National Geographic, he said:</p> - -<p>"The Carlsbad Cavern, New Mexico, is the most spectacular of -underground wonders in America! For spacious chambers, for variety and -beauty of multitudinous natural decorations, and for general scenic -quality, it is king of its kind."</p> - -<p>The party had covered a total of some 23 miles, which they had -patiently mapped and surveyed, photographed, and described. The -"rediscovery" had now been completed—and in grand style. The next -descent into the great cave was to be by the public itself, and in -ever-increasing numbers.</p> - -<p>In order to meet this onrush of sightseers, improvement of the -interior of the Caverns and the approach from above ground was deemed -necessary. Now that the area was a National Monument, the Government -gave its attention to the area. Because of his great interest in, and -knowledge of the Caverns, Dr. Lee was appointed the first custodian. He -served without pay. Jim White became an unofficial guide, later being -appointed a park ranger by the National Park Service, finally becoming -chief ranger.</p> - -<p>Now, with some system of procedure mapped out, improvements began in -earnest. All of the major trails were greatly enlarged and smoothed -over so that their passage by the public would be safe. Lighting of the -halls and chambers was also begun, although most of the illumination -was furnished by the lanterns carried by the guides and members of -touring parties.</p> - -<p>In 1927 the Government could see the Caverns were beginning to take -hold as a show place, a vacation mecca, and additional help would be -required. They sought a man who could take complete charge for the -Government. Someone suggested a man who was at that time in charge of -the volcanoes on the Hawaiian Islands, Colonel Thomas Boles. Here, they -felt, was a man who could do what was necessary at the great Caverns, -and as a result Colonel Boles was appointed the first Superintendent in -that year.</p> - -<p>During the cave trips at this time everyone carried a box lunch, for -a full scale trip below required the best part of a day. With the -increasing attendance the government decided an underground lunchroom -would be an added convenience for the visitors.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">- 84 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="map_sm" style="width: 593px;"> - <a href="images/map_lg.png"><img src="images/map_sm.png" width="593" height="382" alt="CARLSBAD CAVERNS WITH SURFACE SUPERIMPOSED" /></a> - <p class="tdc smaller">Click on map to view larger sized image.</p> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">- 85 -</span></p> - -<p>Accordingly, in 1927, a suitable room over 700 feet below was selected -for this purpose, one of the guiding factors being that it was located -approximately at the point where the visitors passed at noon-day.</p> - -<p>Picnic tables were set up and box lunches provided cafeteria style -to the hungry travelers whose appetites were heightened by the brisk -journey in the ever-cool atmosphere.</p> - -<p>As interest in the Caverns continued to increase, the Government -realized the site was worthy of more than simply a monument rating. The -matter was taken up before Congress two years later, and on May 14, -1930, Congress voted to make the area a National Park.</p> - -<p>It is also significant that it was at this time that the official name -became the Carlsbad Caverns National Park, the big caves being named -for the town of the same name some 28 miles northeast and which has -always served as the chief supply point for the vicinity.</p> - -<p>The surface area was also enlarged at this time and was extended to -include several more acres. On February 21, 1933, it was enlarged to -include more than 10,000 acres.</p> - -<p>It was at this time that the greatest improvement yet to be made at -the Caverns was undertaken. This was the installation of the elevator, -which was completed in 1932. The lift is 754 feet and shortens the -walk-in trip by about one and three-quarter hours. The elevator -lets its passengers out at a point adjacent to the Big Room and the -lunchroom. Installation of the elevator made it possible for elderly -people and those who were not physically capable of walking in through -the natural tunnel corridor to view the magic wonders of the great -subterranean fairyland. As soon as it was completed, a great many more -people came to see the great Caverns.</p> - -<p>Walking into the Caverns is a thrill within itself and, since the trail -is downhill, few people find it much of a chore. Going out is something -else again, and the great majority of people who walk in are glad for -the opportunity of taking the elevator up to the surface 754 feet above -them.</p> - -<p>In 1939 the Park was extended to include some 49,000 acres, and -within this area are 30 other caverns, some of which have been quite -extensively explored while others are relatively unknown. In the main, -most of them are similar, though none begin to compare with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">- 86 -</span> the -Carlsbad Caverns in size, and the details and formations often differ -as well.</p> - -<p>Three years later the Government purchased the east wing from T. A. -Blakely. This was the section lying for the most part over the guano -beds which in previous years had been worked so extensively. The -purchase of this last segment put the entire known area of the great -cave in the hands of the government.</p> - -<p>In 1946, Colonel Boles, the park's first superintendent, who had served -through 19 pioneering years, was transferred to Hot Springs National -Park. By that time he had spoken to well over 2 million visitors, many -of whom were world famous. He says he has made over 5,000 complete -trips through the Caverns and on each "I saw something I missed -before." Much of the early progress was due directly to Colonel Boles' -leadership and foresight. Today, having retired from the National Park -Service, he makes his home in Carlsbad, where he serves as public -relations counsel for the Potash Company of America.</p> - -<p>Donald S. Libbey followed Colonel Boles as Superintendent of the -Caverns and he in turn was succeeded by R. Taylor Hoskins. During the -first eight years of his office, Supt. Hoskins says almost 3,000,000 -people paid to see the limestone creations which many have tabbed "The -Eighth Wonder of the World." Those who make the underground tour come -away feeling that appellation can't be far from right.</p> - -<p>Though the government spent some money years ago in improving the -Caverns and preparing them for visitors to see in safety, the returns -on that investment are now counted. Although the park receives somewhat -over a quarter of a million dollars appropriation from the federal -government each year, it returns almost twice that amount, the sum -being obtained from tourist fees and similar income.</p> - -<p>Yes, these first fifty years have indeed seen many changes within the -Caverns. Nature's work has been protected and left intact, but the -lights, the lunchroom, the elevator, the improved trails, and the many -other improvements have been made by man for man's enjoyment of what -the ages have bestowed—what the centuries have given him to see and -enjoy.</p> - -<p>Already people from the four corners of the globe have beaten a track -to the Caverns' door, to behold in amazement and wonder and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">- 87 -</span> awe. Many -millions more will come in the years ahead, and their children in the -years after that. Here, some 700 and 1000 feet below the surface of the -earth they will marvel at the work of the centuries—that began some -60,000,000 years ago.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">- 89 -</span></p> - -<h2 id="Part_III">Part III<br /> - -<span class="smaller">THE BIG CAVE TODAY</span></h2> - -<p class="caption3nb"><i>By JOE N. LONG</i></p> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">- 90 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="visitor_center" style="width: 583px;"> - <img src="images/visitor_center.png" width="583" height="364" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - Visitor's Center Building—Completed in 1958 -</div></div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">- 91 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="Part_III_1">1<br /> - -<span class="smaller">From Above</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>When the traveler finally decides to include a visit to the Carlsbad -Caverns in his itinerary, or perhaps make a trip to the Caverns an end -in itself, he procures a map of the Southwestern United States and -searches for the little town of Carlsbad. Far down in the southeast -corner of the state of New Mexico he will find this colorful little -community, resting serenely some 40 miles north of the Texas—New -Mexico line, about a hundred and sixty miles east of El Paso, and about -a hundred miles northeast of the Mexican border.</p> - -<p>Carlsbad is now a thriving little city of approximately 20,000 people, -situated on the banks of the Pecos River at an altitude of slightly -over 3100 feet. It is often referred to as the potash capital of -America, and the growth of the potash mines has had a direct influence -on the increase in population, which has been quite rapid in the past -few years.</p> - -<p>Carlsbad was settled in 1888 and at that time was known as Eddy. In -1906 the Government purchased what remained of a private irrigation -system which had been destroyed by a flood of the Pecos River two -years before, and developed it into the Carlsbad Reclamation Project. -This assured adequate irrigation to the surrounding fertile lands -and reduced to a great degree the danger from subsequent floods. As -a result, agriculture flourished and has continued to be of prime -importance in and near the area. The soil is especially adapted to the -growing of alfalfa and cotton.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">- 92 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="air_view" style="width: 583px;"> - <img src="images/air_view.png" width="583" height="365" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - Air view of the entrance and surrounding area.</div> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">- 93 -</span></p> - -<p>The visitor can reach Carlsbad by air, rail, or automobile. Continental -Airlines provides daily airplane service to the Carlsbad Airport, and -connections can be made with nearby cities on all of the major airlines -flying through this section of the country.</p> - -<p>The Santa Fe Railroad operates regularly scheduled trains to Carlsbad -from Clovis, connecting with transcontinental trains to Clovis from -coast to coast. The Southern Pacific connects at El Paso, as does the -Texas & Pacific, and the Rock Island.</p> - -<p>But there is little doubt that the great majority of visitors come via -the family automobile. From U. S. Highways 60 and 380 to the north -the motorist turns south on Highway 285 through Roswell and Artesia -to Carlsbad. Here Highways 62 and 180 intersect, going from Carlsbad -to Whites City, 20 miles south of Carlsbad, where a turn-off on State -Highway 7 takes the traveler seven miles to the Caverns' entrance.</p> - -<p>Airplane passengers and those coming by train will take the same motor -route from Carlsbad, since it is direct, and the only route from that -city. Special busses known as the Carlsbad Caverns Coaches make the -trip at frequent intervals, and also operate from El Paso, which is -about 145 miles away.</p> - -<p>As the Caverns-bound sightseer heads toward his objective from Carlsbad -or El Paso, he will find himself in the heart of the desert. There -is hardly a tree that is more than head-high. Visitors seeing the -desert for the first time will marvel at the yucca and sotol along -with other less majestic desert vegetation. The stately yucca points -its bloom skyward and is a thing of beauty in the spring. Among its -grass-like leaves are often found mockingbirds, thrashers or cactus -wrens, who like to build their nests amid the security afforded by the -spine-tipped bunching of the limbs and branches. The uppermost point of -the sotol sometimes reaches as high as 15 feet in the air, while the -yucca, often referred to as the Spanish bayonet, occasionally looms to -25 feet. Indians used its leaves for baskets and its roots for soap, -and the sotol served the Indian as food, both cooked and raw, the crisp -rich centers tasting much like celery hearts.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">- 94 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="cave_entrance" style="width: 584px;"> - <img src="images/cave_entrance.png" width="584" height="367" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - Cavern Entrance</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">- 95 -</span></p> - -<p>There are several other species of cactus, and to the newcomer -these will be a new experience. Besides the Devil's Head and the -branching cane, one sees the thousand-headed cliff cactus, the large -leaf "prickly pear", various kinds of mescal, and numerous smaller -varieties. The octopus-like ocotillo, spreading its fingers outward to -the sky, is numerous, picturesque, and unforgettable.</p> - -<p>The traveler who is fortunate enough to make the trip during the -spring months will be extra rewarded by seeing this desert flora in -bloom. Every color of the rainbow will be noticed, but primarily the -desert blooms of cacti are for the most part quite pronounced in the -lighter, soft colors, especially in the light pinks and yellows. A few -give forth edible fruit, and many are known for their ability to hold -moisture, often a lifesaver to man and beast.</p> - -<p>What trees there are will be found mostly along the banks of, or -adjacent to, small streams or rivers which supply them with the water -their roots must have. Besides several species of oak are the black -walnut, black cherry, New Mexico maple, junipers, Mexican buckeye, -the small green ash, an occasional pine struggling for existence, and -numerous mesquites. There are also several nut and berry trees which -have long been helpful in preserving the wild life that inhabits the -area.</p> - -<p>Desert wild flowers accentuate the land in spring with their dots of -red, yellow and blue. In places they are so thick as to resemble a -crazy quilt of many hues and shades.</p> - -<p>Although the area gives the impression of a barren wasteland to the -inhabitants of less arid regions, there are many forms of wild life -which for countless centuries have made the area their home. Although -the Red man's arrows and the white man's bullets have reduced the herds -of wild game which once roamed the hills and valleys, there are still a -sizeable number which may occasionally be seen.</p> - -<p>Among these are the gray mule deer, still found in the narrow gulches -and on top of rocky ridges, jack rabbits which continue to multiply and -dart rapidly hither and thither, being most noticeable at dusk, rock -squirrels which dwell primarily in the rocky cliffs, and numerous kinds -of rats which seem to have little trouble eking out an existence.</p> - -<p>Occasionally an antelope is seen, but the great herds of buffalo are -now almost entirely gone, as are the mountain sheep, the Merriam elk, -the bear and wild turkey. The latter two were sacred to the Red man and -were protected during his inhabitation of the Western United States, -but the coming of the white man left no bird nor beast in safety.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">- 96 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="statue" style="width: 394px;"> - <img src="images/green_lake_rm.png" width="394" height="551" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - Statue—Green Lake Room</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">- 97 -</span></p> - -<p>Along the banks of the nearby Pecos River one may see geese and -ducks, and occasionally one can find a crane, a heron and perhaps a -soft-shelled turtle. Scaled quail are in the vicinity, as are Mearns or -fool quail. Buzzards, several varieties of owls, swifts and flickers -are a few of the many wild birds which dot the countryside.</p> - -<p>On the ground there are several kinds of snakes and lizards. There are -several varieties of non-poisonous snakes such as the bull snake, the -Mexican black snake, the coachwhip, the ring-neck, and several species -of water snakes. Three poisonous snakes are found, the black-tailed -or "Texas" rattler, the prairie rattlesnake, and the large western -diamond-back.</p> - -<p>Lizards are quite numerous and will be seen by any traveler who keeps -his eye peeled along the roadside from which they suddenly dart, -running swiftly to the other side of the highway. There are several -species which consist of the rough, scaly rock lizard, the smooth, -slender whip-tail, the brilliantly colored collared lizard, and the -bar-tailed lizard. There are several smaller species including the -horned lizard, often referred to as a horned toad. Scorpions and -spiders are numerous, and there are many other smaller insects that -inhabit the area and serve as a source of food for the birds, reptiles, -and small animals.</p> - -<p>As the journey to the park continues the visitor passes by small adobe -shacks which may serve some cowboy or sheepherder as the necessary -shelter while tending his herds. Range cattle are numerous and -occasionally several goats will be seen. An old prospector or "desert -rat" who can't stand the hustle of city life may perchance be found -out on the dry, arid wasteland hoping for a find within the hills or -neighboring Guadalupe Mountains which by now are quite plainly visible -to the west.</p> - -<p>Stretches of the land are alkaline, white as though touched by the -fingers of Jack Frost, and now and then a dry lake reveals only the -sodium given up as the water evaporated and left its soft white lining.</p> - -<p>Beyond, the Guadalupes loom up a deep purple on the horizon, darkened -by the foliage of pine trees that populate the peaks of this mountain -range which reaches a height of almost 9,000 feet. It is the first -mountain range to be encountered by the traveler coming from the east -after having journeyed across the flat plains of Texas and the other -midwestern states.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">- 98 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="kings_palace_1" style="width: 580px;"> - <img src="images/kings_palace_1.png" width="580" height="366" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - Along the trail in the King's Palace</div> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">- 99 -</span></p> - -<p>For the visitor who is coming from El Paso, the Guadalupe Range must be -crossed, and the pass is located next to Guadalupe Peak, the highway -reaching an altitude of 5,288 feet at this point. Guadalupe Peak is -the highest mountain in the Guadalupe Range and it is also the highest -point in the state of Texas.</p> - -<p>It was near this spot that the Butterfield Stage passed on its way from -St. Louis to San Francisco. The famous trail passed the southern tip of -the Guadalupes near Guadalupe Peak, coming this far south in order to -avoid the snow covered Rockies which made winter travel impossible and -summer travel difficult. In 1857 the Butterfield Stage brought mail to -the little settlements in southern New Mexico, giving the people there -a more frequent contact with the rest of the world. The Butterfield -Line was discontinued four years later, yet the history of its brief -existence lives on in the minds of New Mexico residents today.</p> - -<p>The Guadalupe foothills are covered with shrubs and hardy vegetation, -growing above the limestone, shale and gypsum below which are harbored -numerous caves similar to the Carlsbad Caverns. There is Deep Cave, -appropriately named by Carl Livingstone, its discoverer, and Slaughter -Cave, also known as New Cave, which is one of the best known. It has -been explored and contains many beautiful and unique formations. Some -of the cavern sequences in the motion picture "King Solomon's Mines" -were filmed in New Cave. Difficult access to its entrance keeps it -closed to the public.</p> - -<p>McKitterick Cave is located near McKitterick Springs, some 18 miles -west of Carlsbad, and holds fond memories for many of Carlsbad's -older residents. They recall how, as long ago as 1885, the gay young -blades would take their ladies fair on a trip to the cave as a form of -amusement, leaving early in the morning and packing a mid-day lunch.</p> - -<p>Others, not as famous, are Hidden Cave and Cottonwood Cave—part of -more than thirty in the area well enough known to have names, and -only a few of more than a hundred smaller caves which perforate the -foothills in the area. Many of these are located within the park -boundaries.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">- 100 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="guillotine" style="width: 584px;"> - <img src="images/guillotine.png" width="584" height="364" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - Under the Guillotine—King's Palace</div> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">- 101 -</span></p> - -<p>At the edge of the boundary, the traveler arrives at the turn-off -point to the Caverns' entrance. If the journey is made in winter, zero -temperatures can be expected at the coldest times. In summer the desert -heat may reach 100 and often does. Winter or summer, the route is open, -for the Caverns never close, being open to the public the year 'round. -In winter the sandy soil may be buried under a blanket of freshly -fallen snow, the air with a light snap and crystal clear 'neath a warm -winter sun. In the summer months a bluish desert haze often filters -down on the surrounding countryside, but it does not stop even the -slightest breeze from whipping up a soft funnel of dust from the dry, -parched earth, or sending a tumbleweed rolling along a haphazard path -towards an undetermined destination.</p> - -<p>But the traveler's destination by this time has almost arrived. Highway -No. 7 leads seven miles up Walnut Canyon road through rocky mesas -covered with choice examples of desert flora, and well they might be -nice, for now, inside the park boundary, park laws protect their safety -and no one is allowed to touch them. They live their normal lives -secure and aloof from man's sometimes destructive inclinations.</p> - -<p>The visitor is now within the more than 45,000 acres that constitute -Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The paved highway that leads to the -Caverns' entrance is indeed a decided contrast to the wagon wheel trail -followed by Dr. Willis Lee and his party of explorers which first -covered the route by automobile in 1923. His engine was overheated and -steaming after taking two hours to make the trip from Carlsbad.</p> - -<p>Now, at last, at the entrance to the famous Caverns, the visitor is -excited at the thought of what he is to see, but few anticipate the -real treat that is in store for them underground.</p> - -<p>Here, at an altitude of 4,350 feet above sea level, is found the -natural entrance to the cave. Park regulations are studied in order -that no bounds may be overstepped. No living thing may be touched or -disturbed, thus assuring protection and perpetuation of plant and -animal life within the park. The walls of the Caverns may not be -touched, defaced, scratched or marred in any way. Canes or walking -sticks may not be carried except upon permission of a park official, -who will decide if such cane or stick is necessary for the owner to -make the Caverns trip.</p> - -<p>No dogs are allowed in the Caverns. They may be kept in the kennels -provided for the purpose at a nominal charge. Cameras may be used -on the surface, but within the Caverns they may be used only on the -special photographic tour, full information concerning which may be -obtained from the superintendent's office.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">- 102 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="kings_palace_2" style="width: 394px;"> - <img src="images/kings_palace_2.png" width="394" height="549" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - King's Palace</div> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">- 103 -</span></p> - -<p>There are no accommodations for camping or overnight lodging within -the park, but motels are available at Carlsbad and smaller communities -along the highway in either direction from the Number 7 turn-off.</p> - -<p>Tiny children will not appreciate the beauties of the Caverns and -their lack of interest will detract from full enjoyment of the trip by -their parents and older members of the family. Accordingly, the park -service maintains a day nursery where children may stay during the trip -of their families below ground. The charge is $1.50 per day, which -includes lunch.</p> - -<p>Before going below the visitor should make certain his clothing is -adequate. The temperature in the Caverns remains at a constant 56 -degrees the year around. The winter visitor is usually well equipped -with proper clothing, but the summer visitor, dressed for the hot -summer temperatures above ground, may become quite chilled after a few -moments in the sudden change of some 30 to 40 degrees. Consequently, -warm clothing should be worn for the Caverns trip, which should include -a medium weight coat or sweater plus heavy skirt or trousers. High -heeled shoes are not recommended for the journey, and a change to the -low heeled variety is strongly suggested.</p> - -<p>The trip through the Caverns requires approximately four hours, and -a box lunch may be taken if desired, but the added inconvenience it -imposes is hardly worth the trouble since a large lunchroom with a -capacity for serving 1,200 people per hour has been established in one -of the rooms below and each tour stops 40 minutes for lunch at this -spot.</p> - -<p>And now, armed with all of the essential information concerning the -park, the Caverns, and the regulations concerning the forthcoming visit -to Nature's fairyland, the visitor is eager to get on his way.</p> - -<p>Park rules prohibit anyone entering alone or without a guide. Trips are -conducted every day in the year, beginning hourly in the summertime -when the tourist season is at its height, and being less frequent -during the winter months.</p> - -<p>Children under 11 years of age are admitted free when accompanied by -an adult who will be responsible for their behavior. The admission for -adults is $1.50, including tax, and with the ticket in his hand the -visitor waits for the next tour to begin.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">- 104 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="queens_chamber" style="width: 583px;"> - <img src="images/queens_chamber.png" width="583" height="365" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - Sheet Stalactites—Queen's Chamber</div> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">- 105 -</span></p> - -<p>As the guide collects the many sightseers together who will form his -party, the enthusiasm for the trip within each individual mounts to a -high tension. At his beckon the members of the party move toward the -natural entrance—ready to begin an experience not quite like anything -they have ever seen or known—an experience that will linger in their -memories as long as they shall live.</p> - -<p>A view of the Caverns is just ahead!</p> - -<p>A park ranger briefs the party on the early history of the Caverns, -describes its geological aspects, and reviews once again the rules -visitors must observe on their trip below. Then, as he flicks a switch, -the first section of the black hollow in the earth becomes illuminated. -With a swish of his flashlight he directs the members of his party to -follow.</p> - -<p>The trip through the Caverns has begun!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">- 106 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="elephants_ears" style="width: 397px;"> - <img src="images/elephants_ears.png" width="397" height="551" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - Elephant Ears—Queen's Chambers</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">- 107 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="Part_III_2">2<br /> - -<span class="smaller">From Below</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Of several ways to enter the Caverns, only two are permitted today by -the National Park Service. One is through the natural entrance and the -other is by elevator which takes the visitor rapidly down 754 feet to -a spot adjacent to the lunch room and the famous Big Room. The true -adventurer—the visitor who wants to really see the Big Cave from the -beginning, much as my father first saw it, will prefer to enter through -the natural opening with the regular tour. Visitors not in the best of -health will go down by elevator, but they will miss much of the fun and -excitement.</p> - -<p>As the tour passes into the mouth of the natural opening the warm -sunshine soon gives way to the yellow incandescence of the man-made -light which illuminates all the passageways and underground chambers. -The cool cave air is soon felt, and the warm coat or sweater is already -appreciated. The guide points out the important features that should -not be missed, and answers questions from members of his party about -the cave, its history, formations and development.</p> - -<p>Visitors today have a sloping paved trail to follow—far easier than -the rock strewn path the early explorers crawled over in their thirst -for a view of what lay below. Steep climbs have been eliminated by -sharp switchbacks which lengthen the walking time but make the descent -much easier.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">- 108 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="papoose_rm" style="width: 393px;"> - <img src="images/papoose_rm.png" width="393" height="552" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - Draperies—Papoose Room</div> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">- 109 -</span></p> - -<p>As the tour continues, the descent begins to steepen and the walls -change in both composition and texture. Solid rock predominates, -appearing much darker than around the entrance. An occasional pale -color is noticed in the illuminated areas, and a few moments later the -first stalactite is seen hanging from the ceiling.</p> - -<p>Shortly the tunnel divides and the party will follow the trail as it -leads to the left. The guide points out that to the right is the Bat -Cave, that portion of the Caverns where the millions of bats live and -where the great guano deposits were found. It extends over a half mile -back in an easterly direction and is not a part of the tour.</p> - -<p>At this point the trail levels somewhat and the visitor finds himself -in the Auditorium, a large room where the Ranger pauses for a brief -explanation to the group. Members of the party will be surprised at -how well the guide's low voice can be heard, a phenomenon due to the -excellent acoustics of the room.</p> - -<p>All eyes are absorbed in the ever-changing spectacle that is unfolding -before them. Next comes a low ceilinged passageway, followed by a clear -pool of water from which rises a lone column. The formations along the -way are getting larger with each step, the coloration is more vivid, -and the variations are great indeed.</p> - -<p>Formations at times suggest the ancient cliff dwellings found at Mesa -Verde, and one wonders if the early Indian did, by chance, ever inhabit -them. Suddenly, as the descent drops rapidly, the ceiling is some -125 feet above and the visitor finds himself at the Whale's Mouth, a -formation with slender stalactites enhanced by clever lighting which -indeed does resemble the interior of that sea-going mammal's jaws.</p> - -<p>As the ceiling rises still more, the party enters the Main Corridor, a -tunnel almost a mile long which leads directly to the most picturesque -rooms of the Caverns. The descent is for the most part uneventful and -rapid, and the guide points out some of the unique formations along the -route such as the American Eagle, which has a wingspread of 12 feet, -the Baby Hippo, others resembling sea foam and waves, and the three -Little Monkeys perched well towards the ceiling overhead.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">- 110 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="lunchroom" style="width: 585px;"> - <img src="images/lunchroom.png" width="585" height="365" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption">The Lunchroom</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">- 111 -</span></p> - -<p>Along the walls of the Main Corridor one may see small openings which -reveal an inky blackness that may cover up some mysterious room or -hallway. Someone in the party asks the guide about it. He explains that -there are many such openings in other rooms of similar nature, but -since they have nothing different to offer from what is already being -seen, the Parks Department has not opened them to public view.</p> - -<p>Have the Caverns been fully explored, someone asks. No, he replies. To -date about 23 miles have been mapped and surveyed, and many openings -into large chambers are known to exist, but their size is unknown. -Perhaps even larger rooms lie close by. No one knows.</p> - -<p>The formations continue to change in size, shape, and contour. -Stalactites hanging from the ceiling look as though some little elf -might have hung them there the night before, using a spindly stalagmite -to stand on as he did so. The visitor has been so absorbed in what he -has been seeing that he is startled to hear the guide announce that -the party is now 600 feet below the surface. That is further than the -Washington Monument is high.</p> - -<p>The most picturesque portions are now to begin, he says, but the first -of them will require some climbing. For that reason, those not quite -up to the task may take a short cut to the lunchroom which is a brief -jaunt to the left. The rest will head on past the Iceberg, the largest -"loose" rock in the Caverns, which is estimated to weigh about 200,000 -tons. It once "fell" from the ceiling, but the fall was gradual. The -delicate stalactites grew later. The ceiling at this point is some 358 -feet above.</p> - -<p>If the visitor thinks he has seen something up to now, he is due for -a surprise, for a few moments later the winding pathway leads to the -first of the many scenic rooms for which the Carlsbad Caverns have -become so famous. Appropriately named the Green Lake Room, this first -of several similar chambers is breath-taking in its beauty. Its name is -derived from the small green pond seen to the right of the trail, which -is fed by drip water from above, a pool so clear its depth is easily -seen.</p> - -<p>On the ceiling above are huge masses of stalactites, at times so thick -as to form curtains of stone, varying from reddish brown to a light -grey, intriguing in their staggered form and defying description by -even the most talented poet or writer. On beyond the pool the visitor -marvels at the Veiled Statue, a pillar of dripstone which resembles a -frozen waterfall and which began its existence about 100,000 years ago.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">- 112 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="painted_grotto" style="width: 583px;"> - <img src="images/painted_grotto.png" width="583" height="363" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - The Painted Grotto—Big Room</div> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">- 113 -</span></p> - -<p>Many visitors have said at this point they have had their money's -worth. This one room alone was worth their whole trip. Actually, they -aren't yet quite half way, and there is more to come.</p> - -<p>Continuing on past the Frozen Waterfall and the Bashful Elephant, both -named for the effect they give, the traveler enters the King's Palace -which, to some, is the most ornate of the many chambers the entire -Park has to offer. Thousands of stalactites hang from the ceiling, at -times resembling stringy mosses hanging from the limbs of trees. Some, -appearing to hang at a slight angle, give the impression the "stone -moss" might be swaying in the wind. Underneath there is a noticeable -scarcity of corresponding stalagmites, and geologists think the floor -at this point was at one time covered with water, which would prohibit -the formation of the "floor icicles."</p> - -<p>The eye roams over ever-changing forms with no two quite alike, and the -immensity of the room alone is sufficient to remind man what a small -mortal he be, after all. At the far end of the Palace are seen two -pendants, stalactite and a stalagmite which come within a fraction of -an inch of kissing. Now dead, they will never touch; hence the name, -the Frustrated Lovers. And, as though they might have been the King -and the Queen, they are found at the small passageway that connects -the King's Palace with the Queen's Chamber, another room of similar -shapes and decoration which do indeed remind the visitor of the ornate -finery to be expected in Her Majesty's domicile. The countless rows of -stalactites look like driplets of finely woven lace, stretching over -much of the ceiling not unlike the frills of a canopy one might expect -to find adorning the Queen's bed in her castle.</p> - -<p>One unique and different formation is known as the Queen's Draperies, -which are found at the southwest side of the room. They are a form of -massed stalactites grown together so evenly that they resemble a huge -drape from which the wrinkles haven't been ironed out. But the unusual -feature is the ability of this stone to absorb light and reflect it -moments after the light has been extinguished. These portieres are the -highest in the Caverns, being slightly over 40 feet. Throughout the -rest of the room one feels as though he must have interrupted Mother -Nature while she was busily experimenting and trying to decide what to -do next, having left behind her first efforts for the world to see.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">- 114 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="chapel" style="width: 581px;"> - <img src="images/chapel.png" width="581" height="364" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - The Chapel or Dome Room in the Big Room</div> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">- 115 -</span></p> - -<p>The paved trail continues through a low, rocky passageway at the -far end of the Queen's Chamber and presently the party finds itself -in the Papoose Room and in one of the lowest spots in the Caverns, -approximately 875 feet below the surface. Here the stalactites have -grown together in such a way as to resemble huge curtains of stone -which appear much like a sheet of lava which has slipped through a -crevice and then hardened.</p> - -<p>Here, too, are numerous needle-like points protruding down from the -ceiling as though sharp pointed pins had been pushed through from -above. Areas on the floor remind the visitor of a growing rock garden, -yet there is not a green leaf anywhere to be seen. Nevertheless, few -gardens offer any more beauty or color than these gentle formations -along the edges of the Papoose Room, smallest of the scenic chambers on -the trail.</p> - -<p>Here the party must retrace a few steps, returning through the King's -Palace, leaving this time by the eastern end, entering a small -passageway which leads to a series of sharp turns and switchbacks made -necessary in order to climb the rather steep grade ahead.</p> - -<p>It has now been an hour and 45 minutes since the visitor left the outer -world behind, and the up and down climbing has done its part towards -working up an appetite. But if that hasn't been enough, going up this -zig-zagging hill should complete the task and make anyone ready for -something to eat. Appropriately enough, it has been tagged Appetite -Hill, and uses 60 feet to accomplish its task.</p> - -<p>A moment later the party passes by a room of rocks which looks as -though it was noon hour at a rock quarry, and the workmen had scurried -off at the abrupt blow of the whistle, not caring in what manner of -disarray they left their chores. But in this case it was Nature's -workmen who left—untold hundreds of years ago—never to return. -Labeled the Bone Yard, it features an alcove where the formation -resembles a huge sponge—rock eaten away or dissolved by the continuous -action of water which, at times, resembles bone formations.</p> - -<p>After having seen the more colorful scenic rooms, many visitors give -this spot scarcely more than a fleeting glance, but geologists find -here exacting evidence as to the Caverns' beginning. After the Swiss -cheese effect was created the water was in some manner diverted and, in -the absence of drip water, no stalactites or stalagmites were formed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">- 116 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="altar" style="width: 394px;"> - <img src="images/altar.png" width="394" height="549" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - Altar in the Chapel—Big Room</div> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">- 117 -</span></p> - -<p>A few steps more and the visitor finds himself in a huge room with a -massive rock formation hanging from the ceiling as though it might fall -to the floor at some prearranged signal. Huge boulders dot the sides -of the room, between which are many narrow white benches and tables. -In the center of the room are long aisles which carry the visitor past -waist-high counters on which have been placed hundreds of box lunches. -Yes, this is the famous lunchroom, 754 feet below the surface of the -earth, and just about the most popular room for those who have been -hiking for the past couple of hours.</p> - -<p>The guide announces there will be a rest of 40 minutes—ample time to -eat a noon-day meal and rest a couple of tired feet. It seems that no -matter how many people enter the lunchroom, the line past the counters -never stops or is held up. Designed to accommodate 1200 an hour, as -many as 2000 hungry sightseers have been clocked picking up their lunch -and beverage in that time. The lunchroom is operated by the Cavern -Supply Company under the supervision of the National Park Service.</p> - -<p>Visitors who took the easy way into the Caverns, via the elevator, -arrive at the lunchroom as their first stop. From this point they -continue their limited tour of the Caverns pretty much on one level.</p> - -<p>With so many people in this one huge room a long way from the outside -atmosphere, someone asks the guide if the air doesn't become stale and -musty. No, he replies, the air changes naturally every 24 hours. How -much longer does our tour last, another wants to know. This is the -halfway point, says the guide, and we have about two hours more.</p> - -<p>Here many a traveler pauses a moment to absorb what he has seen—the -beauty, the magnificence, the grace and charm. Mother Nature does her -work so well—so thoroughly. But the guide said there is more. How can -there be more—how can anything match what has already been seen? Man -is indeed a humble creature, the tiniest detail in the great heavenly -scheme. Great though man's work may be, God's work is ever greater.</p> - -<p>The rest period is over. It is time to go on. In a moment the party is -once again assembled in the main passageway section which connects the -many rooms, and turns to the left past "hanging mosses" and honeycombed -fissures into the famous Big Room, largest underground chamber known -anywhere, and unsurpassed in length, width and height, variety and size -of formations, number of colors to be seen, and value to geologists due -to the many finds that have been made.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">- 118 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="temple_of_sun_1" style="width: 584px;"> - <img src="images/temple_of_sun_1.png" width="584" height="365" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - Temple of the Sun—Big Room</div> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">- 119 -</span></p> - -<p>Here the remainder of the 4-hour tour will be spent. The trail around -the perimeter of the room is one and a quarter miles and, although many -sections and alcoves are actually under one huge roof, the visitor -usually feels he is in a series of separate chambers. One reason is -that the big room is shaped roughly in the form of a cross, the length -of the "staff" measuring some 2,000 feet while the "cross-arm" is -slightly over half that length. 2,000 feet is almost <sup>4</sup>/<sub>10</sub> of a mile!</p> - -<p>Two hours is not enough to see everything the big room has to offer. -Many small formations are not seen but must be discovered. Every -visitor sees something new—something no one else within the party has -noticed, for the formations are countless and the resemblances they -offer are equally as numerous.</p> - -<p>The elaborate indirect lighting system has been designed to reveal the -largest, most beautiful and ornate of the spectacles to be seen, but -a flashlight aimed in a dark corner is likely to reveal formations -resembling a Mermaid, Frog on a Toadstool, Queen's Necklace, Weeping -Willow Trees, the Petrified Forest, and countless others, limited only -by man's imagination and his ability to seek them out.</p> - -<p>But the larger formations which have contributed to the fame of the Big -Room include Giant Dome, Hall of Giants, Rock of Ages, and the Temple -of the Sun.</p> - -<p>No two people see quite the same thing when they enter the Big Room. -It is so huge and there is so much to greet the eye that at first -everything is taken in but no one thing is seen. Then the eye begins -to settle on one formation at a time. One of the first is the Hall of -Giants, so named for the size of its principal formations; the huge -Giant Dome, a massive, light grey stalagmite flecked with tinges of -orange, stretching upward some 62 feet above the ground, making it the -largest upward growth in the Caverns, and behind it the Twin Domes, -similar in structure and formation, though not as high and therefore -not as old.</p> - -<p>As the party continues one listens to the whispered observations of the -members. Looks like the inside of a great Cathedral, says one. Oh, no, -answers his companion, too eerie and spooky for that!</p> - -<p>The beauty continues to defy all description. The color in the Big -Room, too, is appealing to the eye, no doubt enhanced by the deft use -of colored lighting. No, says the guide. Only plain light bulbs are -used in the thousands of feet of wire strung throughout the Caverns. -Any color you see was put there by Mother Nature herself.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">- 120 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="temple_of_sun_2" style="width: 583px;"> - <img src="images/temple_of_sun_2.png" width="583" height="361" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - Temple of the Sun—Big Room</div> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">- 121 -</span></p> - -<p>Creeping along the north side of the Big Room the party passes by -Fairyland, a group of fantastically shaped stalagmites recalling the -fairies from childhood tales as they go about their sprightly tasks.</p> - -<p>Next to be seen is the Temple of the Sun, named for the many colors -found shimmering on its sides and base. It is a huge stalagmite from -which hang many stone icicles from a dozen or more layers, the curtains -of icicles pink in color mounted upon a stone base of blue.</p> - -<p>Thousands of inverted spires rain down from above, and on the ground -the crinkly rock formations resemble pop-corn in color and appearance -although not hardly in flavor! This same pop-corn formation is seen in -other parts of the Caverns and geologists say this condition resulted -after stalagmites had grown to a considerable height, following which -the cave was flooded for thousands of years with water, the excess -lime from which accumulated in the tiny globules which give the bubbly -appearance.</p> - -<p>Further on is the Totem Pole, a tall, slender stalagmite whose parent -stalactite never had time to form due to the rapid rate of the dripping -water. Standing pretty much alone, it sticks out like a large suhuaro -cactus stalk against a cloudless sky. The outside "skin" is about as -rough, but the spines are missing. To others it resembles a group of -men's hats thrown carelessly into a pile, one on top of the next. What -it lacks in color, it makes up for in its unique appearance.</p> - -<p>The floor of the Big Room is a reddish brown color, and at this point -the visitor sees numerous rounded mounds of stones, looking much as -though a stalagmite might have gotten a good start only to be engulfed -in water and be polished down to this semi-globular formation. That is -probably just what happened, leaving these half-buried basketballs to -remain in exactly that fashion for eternity.</p> - -<p>A sudden right turn brings the party to the famous Jumping Off Place, -which in reality is one of the entrances to the Lower Cave. The trail -passes midway between floor and ceiling, approximately 150 feet in each -perpendicular direction. Here the floor of the Lower Cave approximates -900 feet below the surface.</p> - -<p>An easier entrance provides access to the cave which may be entered by -those who care to do so, although it is not a part of the regular tour. -Lower Cave shares honors with the Papoose Room as being the two lowest -points on the underground tour. Also, they are the furthest west. Here, -with the limit reached, the pathway begins its return trip.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">- 122 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="twin_domes" style="width: 584px;"> - <img src="images/twin_domes.png" width="584" height="365" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - Giant Column and Twin Domes—Big Room</div> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">- 123 -</span></p> - -<p>On once more, lily pads, huge boulders, and clusters of flowstone along -the walls greet the visitor as he heads for Mirror Lake, a small, -crystal-clear pool that is well named. On beyond is the Bottomless Pit, -a dark hole with mysterious implications that received its name from -the first explorers who thought the title would intrigue all who saw -it. From the trail the light of a spotlight has trouble in penetrating -the depths of the pit, adding to its ghostliness. Actually, the pit -has a bottom some 140 feet below the rim where the visitors pass, -but unlike many other attractions of the Caverns which were named by -those who first saw them, the name of the Bottomless Pit has remained -unchanged. Other of the Caverns' features have been renamed two or -three times within the past few decades.</p> - -<p>As the column of silent visitors marches silently along the return -trail the Big Room takes on a new look. Indeed it does not appear to be -the same room where the party entered slightly over an hour ago. All -sense of time and direction are lost in the myriad of decoration, light -and shadow, gigantic, often grotesque formations, and the serenity of -this underground heaven.</p> - -<p>Passing quietly ahead the traveler pauses at the largest "living" -stalagmite within the known part of the Caverns, the Crystal Spring -Dome. Generally dry, this part of the Big Cave is moist, and water, -dripping slowly from the ceiling above, is still depositing its minute -quantities of calcium on the mighty Crystal Spring Dome as it has been -doing for countless centuries.</p> - -<p>The Crystal Spring is perhaps 20 feet high and resembles a bushy -Christmas tree laden with snow, its branches drooping under the massive -white blanket. The dripping water is depositing its lime at the rate of -about 2½ cubic inches a year, although this rate varies depending upon -the amount of moisture descending from the ceiling above, and also upon -the amount of lime contained in the water.</p> - -<p>This constant application of moisture keeps the white, plump stalagmite -glistening all the time, and the excess moisture, unable to evaporate, -forms into a small pool at the base of the dome, known as Crystal -Spring.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">- 124 -</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="rock_of_ages" style="width: 395px;"> - <img src="images/rock_of_ages.png" width="395" height="549" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption"> - <div class="cpleft">© BY ROBERT NYMEYER</div> - Rock of Ages—Big Room</div> -</div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">- 125 -</span></p> - -<p>In an adjoining area is the celebrated Rock of Ages, a gigantic -stalagmite, stately in position and dramatic in location, thought to -be one of the oldest forms in the Caverns, although its exact age is -not known. For years it marked the end of the Caverns Tour, and an -impressive ceremony conducted by the guides consisted of a short talk -followed by the singing of the old favorite, "Rock of Ages." No visitor -could ever forget this inspirational ending to a breath-taking tour of -God's underground handiwork. The Rock of Ages became almost a symbol of -the Caverns tour in the minds of those who had taken it. But, as the -crowds of visitors increased, the park officers found they could not -continue this service.</p> - -<p>Its discontinuance brought protests from former Caverns visitors who -had remembered this final closing gesture as the high point of the -tour. Rippled layers give the Rock of Ages a shape all its own, and it -marks the end of the journey through the mighty Carlsbad Caverns of -today.</p> - -<p>It is now nearly four hours since the traveler entered the big natural -opening to the cave some 700 feet above him. His sweater feels good, -though he isn't as cold as he had first supposed he might be, for the -constant walking during the 2¾ miles which the full trip requires has -kept him relatively warm.</p> - -<p>Before saying good-bye to the Caverns he likes to pause a moment at the -entrance to the Big Room and look back, for one last glimpse of this -largest known room in the world, man-made or otherwise. Above him some -285 feet is the bedecked ceiling, the highest point in the Caverns, and -suspended by the longest unsupported arch known in the world!</p> - -<p>The human mind can't quite believe it, yet there it is. And as the -visitor slowly turns to thoughts of the return trip he revolves in his -mind the beauties he has seen.</p> - -<p>He will find the elevator takes him quickly and safely 750 feet upward -to the surface where the warm sunlight appears exceedingly bright to -human eyes, which, in the intervening hours, have become accustomed to -the gentle illumination found in the Caverns' otherwise inky blackness.</p> - -<p>Within his own mind the visitor knows he will never forget the -indescribable sights he has seen, but how can he tell others of the -size, the intricate design, the scope and beauty that he has witnessed? -Pictures help, and these may be purchased at the souvenir stand near -the entrance. Views of all the better known formations in color are -obtainable, as well as booklets telling about the history of the -mammoth Caverns and how they were formed millions of years ago.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">- 126 -</span></p> - -<p>Man enters the great underground fairyland a bit apprehensive and -sometimes skeptical as to what he will see, finding it hard to believe -all he has heard of the Great Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico. But -some four hours later, as he once again greets the light of day, he -recollects how Man has been responsible for some pretty remarkable -shows, it is true, but now he is convinced that Mother Nature herself -puts on the biggest, the most colorful, and the most spectacular show -of all!</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">- 127 -</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="BIBLIOGRAPHY">BIBLIOGRAPHY</h2> -</div> - - -<div class="pmb4 ind3em"> - National Parks Folder on Carlsbad Caverns<br /> - New Mexico, The American Guide Series<br /> - Animal Life of the Carlsbad Cavern, by Vernon Bailey<br /> - National Geographic Magazine, January, 1924; September, 1925; October, 1953<br /> - Science American, October, 1900; December, 1923<br /> - Science, December, 1923; November, 1924<br /> - Sunset, May, 1924<br /> - Mentor, August, 1925<br /> - Literary Digest, November, 1924<br /> - The New York Times, October, 1923<br /> - Natural History Magazine, December, 1947<br /> - Bulletins of the U. S. Geological Survey -</div> - - - -<div class="figcenter" id="back_cover" style="width: 628px;"> - <img src="images/back_cover.png" width="628" height="389" alt="" /> - <div class="figcaption">The famous bat flight—a nightly occurrence - at the Caverns.</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<hr class="tb x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="transnote"> - -<p class="caption3nb">Transcriber Note</p> - -<p>Some text was moved to avoid paragraphs being split by illustrations. -Two images in the original volume were negative images of documents. -These have been replaced with positive images with links to the -original images. Transcriptions for images of printed documents are -provided to assist the reader. As a handwritten and typeset version of -Amended Notice of "Big Cave" Mining Claim were presented and labelled -the same, "(Handwritten)" was added to the caption of the first image -to distinguish them. Several transcribed copies contain typos as given -in the original.</p> -</div> - - - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BIG CAVE ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. 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