The Big Cave: Early History and Authentic Facts Concerning the History and Discovery of the World Famous Carlsbad Caverns of New MexicoLong, Abijah
History
The Big Cave: Early History and Authentic Facts Concerning the History and Discovery of the World Famous Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico
Long, Abijah
Carlsbad Caverns (N.M.)
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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