J
john f winston
Guest
Subject: Kalimu. The Lost City Near Malibu. Sept. 7,
2006.
I once went with my friend Robert M. Stanley on a paid tour of an ancient
city called Kalimu. It can be found by taking the Coast Highway West out of
Malibu, Calif. for a few miles and going north to a place called Cracked
Roch Picnic Area. From there you go about one mile North and you are in the
40,000 year old lost city.
.............................................................................
..
.............................................................................
..
The UNICUS Group [Dept. 210., 1142 Manhattan Ave. #43., Manhattan, CA
90266], an organization allegedly devoted to 'Earthbound Extraterrestrials',
related much information in 1993 concerning the research and work of a Mr.
Robert M. Stanley.
Stanley has reportedly discovered a 'lost city' which he says was once
inhabited by ancients, whom he postulates may have been tied-in with ancient
'Lemurians' (or rather the MU-rians of ancient California, a civilization
which is not to be confused with the 'theoretical' lost empire of 'Lemuria'
in
the Indian Ocian - Branton). Some of the inhabitants of this ancient city
were 8 ft. tall and had access to interplanetary travel, utilizing an
ancient
UFO 'base'.
Although Stanley has been to dozens of countries doing archaeological
research, he states that the lost city -- which he says largely resides in a
massive underground maze of tunnels and caves below a 'Mystic Mountain' in
southern California (Mojave region?) -- is the most incredible site by far
that
he had ever encountered, and contains walls, statues and many other ancient
relics from the ancient culture which built the 'city'. He has allegedly
taken
many scientists, engineers, archaeologists and anthropologists to the
ancient
site and through the underground complex and states that they agree with him
on
the incredible importance of the site, but wonder why it never came to light
before this time.
Although Stanley is reticent of revealing the exact site of the 'Mystic
Mountain' (on which he also claims, along with others, to have had
experiences
with UFOs beaming 'lights' down upon the group), he states that it is in
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA and one might assume from previous informations revealed
that wherever this 'lost city' is located, it may very well have been
connected
in some fashion to the lost city of the Panamint Mountains.
Mr. Stanley can be reached through 'MYSTIC MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES'., Dept.
200.,
1142 Manhattan Ave #43., M.B., CA 90266. However be warned that Stanley is
adamant in his conviction that he does not wish the site to be turned into a
'tourist attraction' or amusement park with hot dog stands and all the rest,
but
desires to keep the site in pristine condition for the sake of future
generations of researchers. However, if he sees that one has true unselfish
academic motivations rather than a 'treasure hunter' mindset, one might be
able
to arrange a 'tour' of the site with him as have others in the past.
.....
(JW I once drove through the following area and looked around a little,
put out a marker showing where I thought the cave was underground and left
the area.)
William Halliday, in his book 'ADVENTURE IS UNDER- GROUND', records an
affidavit submitted by a Mr. Earl P. Dorr, describing vast caverns he and an
associate allegedly discovered and explored in Southern California. Portions
of
the sworn testimonial are quoted below:
"...These caverns are about 250 miles from Los Angeles, California.
Traveling
over state highways by automobile, the caverns can be reached in a few
hours.
" Accompanied by a mining engineer, I visited the caverns in the month of
May, 1927. We entered them and spent 4 days exploring them for a distance of
between 8 and 9 miles. We carried with us altimeters and pedometers, to
measure the distance we traveled, and had an instrument to take measure-
ments
of distance by triangulation, together with such instruments convenient and
necessary to make observations and estimations.
"Our examinations revealed the following facts, viz:
From the mouth of the cavern we descended about 2000 feet. There, we found
a canyon which, on our altimeter, measured about 3000 to 3500 feet deep. We
found the caverns to be divided into many chambers, filled and embellished
with the usual stalactites and stalagmites, besides many grotesque and
fantastic wonders that make the caverns one of the marvels of the world.
On the floor of the canyon there is a flowing river which by careful
examination and measurement (by triangulation) we estimated to be about
300 feet wide, and with considerable depth. The river rises and falls with
the tides of the sea -- at high tide, being approximately 300 feet wide,
and at low tide, approximately 10 feet wide and 4 feet deep.
(Obviously this can only mean that, if this account is true, the "source"
of the river is an underground reservoir large enough to be moved by the
tides, "overflowing" into the river during the high tides and "receding" at
low tide - Branton)
When the tide is out there is exposed on both sides of the river from
100 to 150 feet of black beach sand which is very rich in gold values. The
sands are from 4 to 11 feet deep. This means there are about 300 to 350
feet of rich bearing placer sand which averages 8 feet in depth. We
explored the canyon sands a distance of 8 miles, finding little
variation in the depth and width of the sands.
I am a practical miner of many years' experience and I own valuable
mining properties nearby which I am willing to pledge and put up as
security to guarantee that the statements herein are true.
My purpose of exploring the caverns was to study the mineralogy in order
to ascertain the mineral possibilities and actualities of the caves,
making such examination in person with my engineer necessary to determine
by expert examination the character and quantity of mineral values of the
caverns, rocks and sands.
I carried out about 10 lbs. of the black sand and 'panned' it, receiving
more than $7 in gold. I sold it to a gold buyer who offered me at the rate
of $18 per ounce. 2 1/2 lbs. of this black sand I sent to John Herman,
assayer, whose assay certificate shows a value of $2145.47 per [cubic]
yard, with gold at $20.67 per ounce.
From engineering measurements and observations we made, I estimated that
it would require a tunnel about 350 feet long to penetrate to the caverns,
one thousand feet or more below the present entrance, which are some 3
miles distant from my property.
I make no estimate of even the approximate tonnage of the black sand,
but some estimate of the cubical contents may be made for more than 8
miles and the minimum depth is never less than 3 feet. They are of
varying depth -- what their maximum depth may be we do not know. -- Sworn
by E. P. Dorr., 309 Adena St., Pasadena, Calif., November 16, 1934." (JW
It is possible that Mr. Dorr is now dead.)
It is interesting that the "source" of this river would be some- where
within
or beneath the great western desert of Utah-Nevada- California where little
surface water escapes by way of streams and rivers. Halliday in his book
also
refers to a water-filled cave annexed to Death Valley, known as "Devil's
Hole",
which according to some sources rises and falls slightly with the tides!
This
may indicate that certain underground water-courses below the Mojave Desert
might ultimately connect with extensive underground lakes or small
underground
fresh-water seas. Whether this theory proves accurate or not remains to be
seen... after future adventurous 'Speleonauts' make their way once again
into
Dorr's secret caverns and toward the SOURCE of the 'alleged' underground
river.
"Devil's Hole" itself contains a rare species of cave-fish found no-where
else in the world (at least nowhere that marine biologists are aware of). It
is
reported that at least two divers disappeared in this apparently
'bottomless'
aqua-cave some years ago, leading officials to put the cave under gov-rnment
protection by making it an extension of Death Valley National Monument --
much
of which lies well BELOW sea level. The existence of, or the possibility of
the
existence of, such underground 'seas' beneath the California- Nevada regions
seems to be supported by other accounts. During the 'Shaver Mystery' years
Ray
Palmer received a letter from a reader describing Earl Dorr's cave. This
letter
stated that three Paiute Indian boys had, with the help of a 'treasure map',
extracted $50,000 worth of gold from these caverns, which they kept in the
b-nk
at Needle's, California. Their project was halted when one of the boys
slipped
from one of the lowest 'rock tiers' and di-d.
We will now quote from William R. Halliday's professional observations of
the
claims made in Dorr's affidavit, as they appear in his book 'ADVENTURE IS
UNDERGROUND':
Part 1.
John Winston. johfw@mlode.com
Subject: Kalimu. The Lost City Near Malibu. Part 2 of 2. Sept. 8,
2006.
We now continue our discussion of the cave that Mr. Dorr found.
.............................................................................
...
.............................................................................
...
"...What is the gimmick?
"This was probably the question in the mind of every reader of the
CALIFORNIA
MINING JOURNAL, (JW I used to read that magazine many years ago. It is the
accepted authority in mining.) when this affidavit appeared in it's
November,
1940, issue. The question still arises whenever a caver first hears the
remarkable story of this still more remarkable cave. Furthermore, the
answers
to the other obvious questions are not those which might be anticipated.
"'Is this just an imaginary cave?' No, the cave certainly exists. I have
been
in it.
"'Did Dorr keep it's location secret?' No. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of
people know it's exact location, high on the side of Kokoweef Peak in the
Mojave
Desert.
"'Has anyone tried to find this river of gold?' Yes, indeed. The
prosperous
Crystal Cave Mining Corporation owns the property. "'Then what is the
gimmick?'
That's quite a tale.
"The beginnings of the story of the cave of gold are shrouded in the mists
of
the minds of old-timers. For a long time, prowling prospectors have known of
the
existence of the wide mouth of a deep cavern on the limestone flank of a
peak
which forms part of the east face of IVANPAH VALLEY -- Kokoweef Peak. Even
though only four miles by dirt road from the highway between LOS ANGELES and
LAS
VEGAS, the area was so desolate that, in the 1920's, weeks might elapse
without
the passing of more than an occasional prospector and his burro. The opening
of
the cavern was several feet in diameter and the cave was obviously much
larger
farther down. There were local stories that it was bottomless, although it
took
'only a few seconds' for a rock to strike 'bottom'.
"Then someone found a narrow crack leading to ANOTHER cave, high on the
east
face of the peak. Maybe it was Dorr. The stories vary. One version repeats
the
common story of two Indians with a treasure map, which in this case was
supposed
to have showed the entrance to the cave. Dorr was well known in the area,
having
a claim across the valley, several miles southwest of Kokoweef Peak. Like
any
experienced prospector, he certainly prowled every ledge of the area. In any
event, the new cave seemed even deeper than Kokoweef Cave. Like at least
seven
other caves in California, it eventually became known as Crystal Cave.
"Later, in 1934, another old prospector, Pete Ressler, was resting near
the
bottom of the southwest slope of the barren peak. He idly tossed a rock into
a
crack. To his surprise it rattled back and forth for a long time until the
sound
died away into the depths. He strapped his load on his burro and headed for
Mountain Pass Station for dynamite.
"'What do you think it is, Pete?' the men at the station asked him.
"'Quien sabe?' he shrugged.
"Pete's Spanish, however, was horrible. It sounded like 'Kin Savvy' or
'Kin
Sabe,' and this name stuck to the cave he dynamited open. It wasn't much of
a
cave. It slanted downward, but was filled with rubble (rubble from the
dynamite blasts? - Branton) to a level not far below the entrance. Old Pete
dropped out of the story. Dorr is the main character.
"Dorr must have been a strange person. No one else was particularly
interested in the caves, but soon he was telling of an enormous cavern into
which he was gradually making his way, trip after trip. The main part of the
cave was a series of vertical drops from one small chamber to another. In
several areas there were small, dry pools which contained sharp little
crystals.
From one of the small rooms a tight tunnel led a relatively short distance
to a
huge cavern containing a chasm 3,000 feet deep. He told of a stalactite
1,500
feet long. Both Kokoweef and Door peaks are near the SW flank of the
Ivanpah
Mts., just south of Highway 91. Dorr alleged that he and his engineer,
following
the upper rock 'tiers', discovered a huge cataract or waterfall cascading
down
the side of the 'canyon' below what they judged to be Dorr Peak. They
allegedly
followed the upper 'shelves' for 8 miles. According to a map of the caves
drawn
by Herman Wallace Jr., under the personal instruction and supervision of
Earl
Dorr, the length of the 'stalactite' was given at only 500 feet long --
although this would still make it the largest "known" stalactite in the
world
at this writing -- and was located adjacent to the underground waterfall
which
flowed into the underground river at the bottom of the canyon as one of its
many tributaries. - Branton).
"The cavern went on for miles. He had walked to the brink of the chasm,
but
had not found a way to it's bottom. There were places where air came into
the
cavern, so other caves on the peak must open into it. And there ought to be
an
entrance somewhere on his claim, too. That was the direction the cave
headed.
"Before long Dorr was claiming to have found a way down the wall of the
subterranean canyon. Down below the wonders were even greater. He had found
great deposits of placer gold. By this time he had the other old-timers half
convinced. Still, THEY weren't going into that awful-looking hole for all
the
gold in the U.S. Mint.
"One day in 1928 Dorr again told his friends that he was going into the
cave
for another trip. Two days passed, three, four. His friends became worried.
Gold
would not tempt them to go into the cave, but they were his friends and the
code
of the desert is stern. Dorr might be trapped there, hurt, dying. A rescue
party
climbed to the mouth of the cave, where Dorr's ropes were still fixed.
"Hardly had they all entered the cave when they met a raging Dorr they
hardly
know. Although disheveled and wild-eyed, he was obviously in no need of
rescuing. Nervously they shrank away from his needless fury. Had he gone mad
from his long stay underground? (More likely it was the dreaded 'gold fever'
which has affected the minds of men throughout the centuries and has often
motivated them to acts of irrational cruelty - Branton) They were trying to
help him, yet he was accusing them of trying to steal his gold.
"Before they quite understood, they felt the dull impact of a HEAVY charge
of
dynamite. Then Dorr calmed down. 'You'll never get it now,' he smirked.
"'That blast finished the tunnel to the river of gold.' (Interesting
Note: Halliday himself claims to have seen within this cave, along with
several
National Speleological Society or NSS members, the name of DORR written in
black
miner's lamp soot near what appeared to be a black line left by a dynamite
fuse,
below which was a plugged area of shattered rock - Branton)
"We do not know whether Dorr was ever convinced that his friends were only
trying to rescue him. For several years he was a familiar figure in the
Mojave
Desert. Continually he attempted to persuade people to run a tunnel into the
cave of gold from the lower slopes of Kokoweef Peak. He would go shares with
them. If they were willing to pay for the tunnel, they could have part of
the
profits.
"On this basis few investors were willing to consider the project.
Finally,
however, a small group headed by a Los Angeles capitalist was willing to
speculate on Dorr's proposition. First, they tried the easy expedients. Kin
Sabe
Cave was the most accessible. Dorr thought it connected with the great
chasm.
"They installed an inclined railway track and began to remove the rubble
which filled it. Before long they had quite a respectable cave, 125 feet
deep,
but the air in it was completely stagnant. Over Dorr's protests, they
abandoned
the attempt. If there was an entrance to the great cavern from Kin Sabe, it
was
too deep to bother with, at least until all easier possibilities had been
investigated.
"Next they turned their attention to Kokoweef Cave, the first cavern
discovered on the peak. A road was built to a nearby ledge and a short
tunnel
was drilled, connecting the bottom of the cavern to the surface of the peak.
Again, much rubble was removed without encountering the true bottom.
Operations
were in full swing when someone discovered a mineral vein in the wall of the
peak a few dozen yards from the tunnel. It was zinc, and high- grade ore.
Because of the war zinc was at a premium. The Crystal Cave Mining Company
promptly went into the zinc business. Dorr was disgusted. He abandoned the
project. Occasionally someone would hear of him, still telling his story of
prowling the hills near his old claim, still seeking another entrance to the
cave of gold..."
(JW I have had people contact me in recent time telling me that they had
spent much time and energy trying to find the bottom and the river but had
no luck. Whose to say that if the water was located and brought out to the
surface it may be enough to supply many people.)
Part 2 of 2.
John Winston. johnfw@mlode.com
2006.
I once went with my friend Robert M. Stanley on a paid tour of an ancient
city called Kalimu. It can be found by taking the Coast Highway West out of
Malibu, Calif. for a few miles and going north to a place called Cracked
Roch Picnic Area. From there you go about one mile North and you are in the
40,000 year old lost city.
.............................................................................
..
.............................................................................
..
The UNICUS Group [Dept. 210., 1142 Manhattan Ave. #43., Manhattan, CA
90266], an organization allegedly devoted to 'Earthbound Extraterrestrials',
related much information in 1993 concerning the research and work of a Mr.
Robert M. Stanley.
Stanley has reportedly discovered a 'lost city' which he says was once
inhabited by ancients, whom he postulates may have been tied-in with ancient
'Lemurians' (or rather the MU-rians of ancient California, a civilization
which is not to be confused with the 'theoretical' lost empire of 'Lemuria'
in
the Indian Ocian - Branton). Some of the inhabitants of this ancient city
were 8 ft. tall and had access to interplanetary travel, utilizing an
ancient
UFO 'base'.
Although Stanley has been to dozens of countries doing archaeological
research, he states that the lost city -- which he says largely resides in a
massive underground maze of tunnels and caves below a 'Mystic Mountain' in
southern California (Mojave region?) -- is the most incredible site by far
that
he had ever encountered, and contains walls, statues and many other ancient
relics from the ancient culture which built the 'city'. He has allegedly
taken
many scientists, engineers, archaeologists and anthropologists to the
ancient
site and through the underground complex and states that they agree with him
on
the incredible importance of the site, but wonder why it never came to light
before this time.
Although Stanley is reticent of revealing the exact site of the 'Mystic
Mountain' (on which he also claims, along with others, to have had
experiences
with UFOs beaming 'lights' down upon the group), he states that it is in
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA and one might assume from previous informations revealed
that wherever this 'lost city' is located, it may very well have been
connected
in some fashion to the lost city of the Panamint Mountains.
Mr. Stanley can be reached through 'MYSTIC MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES'., Dept.
200.,
1142 Manhattan Ave #43., M.B., CA 90266. However be warned that Stanley is
adamant in his conviction that he does not wish the site to be turned into a
'tourist attraction' or amusement park with hot dog stands and all the rest,
but
desires to keep the site in pristine condition for the sake of future
generations of researchers. However, if he sees that one has true unselfish
academic motivations rather than a 'treasure hunter' mindset, one might be
able
to arrange a 'tour' of the site with him as have others in the past.
.....
(JW I once drove through the following area and looked around a little,
put out a marker showing where I thought the cave was underground and left
the area.)
William Halliday, in his book 'ADVENTURE IS UNDER- GROUND', records an
affidavit submitted by a Mr. Earl P. Dorr, describing vast caverns he and an
associate allegedly discovered and explored in Southern California. Portions
of
the sworn testimonial are quoted below:
"...These caverns are about 250 miles from Los Angeles, California.
Traveling
over state highways by automobile, the caverns can be reached in a few
hours.
" Accompanied by a mining engineer, I visited the caverns in the month of
May, 1927. We entered them and spent 4 days exploring them for a distance of
between 8 and 9 miles. We carried with us altimeters and pedometers, to
measure the distance we traveled, and had an instrument to take measure-
ments
of distance by triangulation, together with such instruments convenient and
necessary to make observations and estimations.
"Our examinations revealed the following facts, viz:
From the mouth of the cavern we descended about 2000 feet. There, we found
a canyon which, on our altimeter, measured about 3000 to 3500 feet deep. We
found the caverns to be divided into many chambers, filled and embellished
with the usual stalactites and stalagmites, besides many grotesque and
fantastic wonders that make the caverns one of the marvels of the world.
On the floor of the canyon there is a flowing river which by careful
examination and measurement (by triangulation) we estimated to be about
300 feet wide, and with considerable depth. The river rises and falls with
the tides of the sea -- at high tide, being approximately 300 feet wide,
and at low tide, approximately 10 feet wide and 4 feet deep.
(Obviously this can only mean that, if this account is true, the "source"
of the river is an underground reservoir large enough to be moved by the
tides, "overflowing" into the river during the high tides and "receding" at
low tide - Branton)
When the tide is out there is exposed on both sides of the river from
100 to 150 feet of black beach sand which is very rich in gold values. The
sands are from 4 to 11 feet deep. This means there are about 300 to 350
feet of rich bearing placer sand which averages 8 feet in depth. We
explored the canyon sands a distance of 8 miles, finding little
variation in the depth and width of the sands.
I am a practical miner of many years' experience and I own valuable
mining properties nearby which I am willing to pledge and put up as
security to guarantee that the statements herein are true.
My purpose of exploring the caverns was to study the mineralogy in order
to ascertain the mineral possibilities and actualities of the caves,
making such examination in person with my engineer necessary to determine
by expert examination the character and quantity of mineral values of the
caverns, rocks and sands.
I carried out about 10 lbs. of the black sand and 'panned' it, receiving
more than $7 in gold. I sold it to a gold buyer who offered me at the rate
of $18 per ounce. 2 1/2 lbs. of this black sand I sent to John Herman,
assayer, whose assay certificate shows a value of $2145.47 per [cubic]
yard, with gold at $20.67 per ounce.
From engineering measurements and observations we made, I estimated that
it would require a tunnel about 350 feet long to penetrate to the caverns,
one thousand feet or more below the present entrance, which are some 3
miles distant from my property.
I make no estimate of even the approximate tonnage of the black sand,
but some estimate of the cubical contents may be made for more than 8
miles and the minimum depth is never less than 3 feet. They are of
varying depth -- what their maximum depth may be we do not know. -- Sworn
by E. P. Dorr., 309 Adena St., Pasadena, Calif., November 16, 1934." (JW
It is possible that Mr. Dorr is now dead.)
It is interesting that the "source" of this river would be some- where
within
or beneath the great western desert of Utah-Nevada- California where little
surface water escapes by way of streams and rivers. Halliday in his book
also
refers to a water-filled cave annexed to Death Valley, known as "Devil's
Hole",
which according to some sources rises and falls slightly with the tides!
This
may indicate that certain underground water-courses below the Mojave Desert
might ultimately connect with extensive underground lakes or small
underground
fresh-water seas. Whether this theory proves accurate or not remains to be
seen... after future adventurous 'Speleonauts' make their way once again
into
Dorr's secret caverns and toward the SOURCE of the 'alleged' underground
river.
"Devil's Hole" itself contains a rare species of cave-fish found no-where
else in the world (at least nowhere that marine biologists are aware of). It
is
reported that at least two divers disappeared in this apparently
'bottomless'
aqua-cave some years ago, leading officials to put the cave under gov-rnment
protection by making it an extension of Death Valley National Monument --
much
of which lies well BELOW sea level. The existence of, or the possibility of
the
existence of, such underground 'seas' beneath the California- Nevada regions
seems to be supported by other accounts. During the 'Shaver Mystery' years
Ray
Palmer received a letter from a reader describing Earl Dorr's cave. This
letter
stated that three Paiute Indian boys had, with the help of a 'treasure map',
extracted $50,000 worth of gold from these caverns, which they kept in the
b-nk
at Needle's, California. Their project was halted when one of the boys
slipped
from one of the lowest 'rock tiers' and di-d.
We will now quote from William R. Halliday's professional observations of
the
claims made in Dorr's affidavit, as they appear in his book 'ADVENTURE IS
UNDERGROUND':
Part 1.
John Winston. johfw@mlode.com
Subject: Kalimu. The Lost City Near Malibu. Part 2 of 2. Sept. 8,
2006.
We now continue our discussion of the cave that Mr. Dorr found.
.............................................................................
...
.............................................................................
...
"...What is the gimmick?
"This was probably the question in the mind of every reader of the
CALIFORNIA
MINING JOURNAL, (JW I used to read that magazine many years ago. It is the
accepted authority in mining.) when this affidavit appeared in it's
November,
1940, issue. The question still arises whenever a caver first hears the
remarkable story of this still more remarkable cave. Furthermore, the
answers
to the other obvious questions are not those which might be anticipated.
"'Is this just an imaginary cave?' No, the cave certainly exists. I have
been
in it.
"'Did Dorr keep it's location secret?' No. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of
people know it's exact location, high on the side of Kokoweef Peak in the
Mojave
Desert.
"'Has anyone tried to find this river of gold?' Yes, indeed. The
prosperous
Crystal Cave Mining Corporation owns the property. "'Then what is the
gimmick?'
That's quite a tale.
"The beginnings of the story of the cave of gold are shrouded in the mists
of
the minds of old-timers. For a long time, prowling prospectors have known of
the
existence of the wide mouth of a deep cavern on the limestone flank of a
peak
which forms part of the east face of IVANPAH VALLEY -- Kokoweef Peak. Even
though only four miles by dirt road from the highway between LOS ANGELES and
LAS
VEGAS, the area was so desolate that, in the 1920's, weeks might elapse
without
the passing of more than an occasional prospector and his burro. The opening
of
the cavern was several feet in diameter and the cave was obviously much
larger
farther down. There were local stories that it was bottomless, although it
took
'only a few seconds' for a rock to strike 'bottom'.
"Then someone found a narrow crack leading to ANOTHER cave, high on the
east
face of the peak. Maybe it was Dorr. The stories vary. One version repeats
the
common story of two Indians with a treasure map, which in this case was
supposed
to have showed the entrance to the cave. Dorr was well known in the area,
having
a claim across the valley, several miles southwest of Kokoweef Peak. Like
any
experienced prospector, he certainly prowled every ledge of the area. In any
event, the new cave seemed even deeper than Kokoweef Cave. Like at least
seven
other caves in California, it eventually became known as Crystal Cave.
"Later, in 1934, another old prospector, Pete Ressler, was resting near
the
bottom of the southwest slope of the barren peak. He idly tossed a rock into
a
crack. To his surprise it rattled back and forth for a long time until the
sound
died away into the depths. He strapped his load on his burro and headed for
Mountain Pass Station for dynamite.
"'What do you think it is, Pete?' the men at the station asked him.
"'Quien sabe?' he shrugged.
"Pete's Spanish, however, was horrible. It sounded like 'Kin Savvy' or
'Kin
Sabe,' and this name stuck to the cave he dynamited open. It wasn't much of
a
cave. It slanted downward, but was filled with rubble (rubble from the
dynamite blasts? - Branton) to a level not far below the entrance. Old Pete
dropped out of the story. Dorr is the main character.
"Dorr must have been a strange person. No one else was particularly
interested in the caves, but soon he was telling of an enormous cavern into
which he was gradually making his way, trip after trip. The main part of the
cave was a series of vertical drops from one small chamber to another. In
several areas there were small, dry pools which contained sharp little
crystals.
From one of the small rooms a tight tunnel led a relatively short distance
to a
huge cavern containing a chasm 3,000 feet deep. He told of a stalactite
1,500
feet long. Both Kokoweef and Door peaks are near the SW flank of the
Ivanpah
Mts., just south of Highway 91. Dorr alleged that he and his engineer,
following
the upper rock 'tiers', discovered a huge cataract or waterfall cascading
down
the side of the 'canyon' below what they judged to be Dorr Peak. They
allegedly
followed the upper 'shelves' for 8 miles. According to a map of the caves
drawn
by Herman Wallace Jr., under the personal instruction and supervision of
Earl
Dorr, the length of the 'stalactite' was given at only 500 feet long --
although this would still make it the largest "known" stalactite in the
world
at this writing -- and was located adjacent to the underground waterfall
which
flowed into the underground river at the bottom of the canyon as one of its
many tributaries. - Branton).
"The cavern went on for miles. He had walked to the brink of the chasm,
but
had not found a way to it's bottom. There were places where air came into
the
cavern, so other caves on the peak must open into it. And there ought to be
an
entrance somewhere on his claim, too. That was the direction the cave
headed.
"Before long Dorr was claiming to have found a way down the wall of the
subterranean canyon. Down below the wonders were even greater. He had found
great deposits of placer gold. By this time he had the other old-timers half
convinced. Still, THEY weren't going into that awful-looking hole for all
the
gold in the U.S. Mint.
"One day in 1928 Dorr again told his friends that he was going into the
cave
for another trip. Two days passed, three, four. His friends became worried.
Gold
would not tempt them to go into the cave, but they were his friends and the
code
of the desert is stern. Dorr might be trapped there, hurt, dying. A rescue
party
climbed to the mouth of the cave, where Dorr's ropes were still fixed.
"Hardly had they all entered the cave when they met a raging Dorr they
hardly
know. Although disheveled and wild-eyed, he was obviously in no need of
rescuing. Nervously they shrank away from his needless fury. Had he gone mad
from his long stay underground? (More likely it was the dreaded 'gold fever'
which has affected the minds of men throughout the centuries and has often
motivated them to acts of irrational cruelty - Branton) They were trying to
help him, yet he was accusing them of trying to steal his gold.
"Before they quite understood, they felt the dull impact of a HEAVY charge
of
dynamite. Then Dorr calmed down. 'You'll never get it now,' he smirked.
"'That blast finished the tunnel to the river of gold.' (Interesting
Note: Halliday himself claims to have seen within this cave, along with
several
National Speleological Society or NSS members, the name of DORR written in
black
miner's lamp soot near what appeared to be a black line left by a dynamite
fuse,
below which was a plugged area of shattered rock - Branton)
"We do not know whether Dorr was ever convinced that his friends were only
trying to rescue him. For several years he was a familiar figure in the
Mojave
Desert. Continually he attempted to persuade people to run a tunnel into the
cave of gold from the lower slopes of Kokoweef Peak. He would go shares with
them. If they were willing to pay for the tunnel, they could have part of
the
profits.
"On this basis few investors were willing to consider the project.
Finally,
however, a small group headed by a Los Angeles capitalist was willing to
speculate on Dorr's proposition. First, they tried the easy expedients. Kin
Sabe
Cave was the most accessible. Dorr thought it connected with the great
chasm.
"They installed an inclined railway track and began to remove the rubble
which filled it. Before long they had quite a respectable cave, 125 feet
deep,
but the air in it was completely stagnant. Over Dorr's protests, they
abandoned
the attempt. If there was an entrance to the great cavern from Kin Sabe, it
was
too deep to bother with, at least until all easier possibilities had been
investigated.
"Next they turned their attention to Kokoweef Cave, the first cavern
discovered on the peak. A road was built to a nearby ledge and a short
tunnel
was drilled, connecting the bottom of the cavern to the surface of the peak.
Again, much rubble was removed without encountering the true bottom.
Operations
were in full swing when someone discovered a mineral vein in the wall of the
peak a few dozen yards from the tunnel. It was zinc, and high- grade ore.
Because of the war zinc was at a premium. The Crystal Cave Mining Company
promptly went into the zinc business. Dorr was disgusted. He abandoned the
project. Occasionally someone would hear of him, still telling his story of
prowling the hills near his old claim, still seeking another entrance to the
cave of gold..."
(JW I have had people contact me in recent time telling me that they had
spent much time and energy trying to find the bottom and the river but had
no luck. Whose to say that if the water was located and brought out to the
surface it may be enough to supply many people.)
Part 2 of 2.
John Winston. johnfw@mlode.com