Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1899-05-13
KISHLAR'S CAVES.
Located In New Mexico and Are Full OF
Bat Guano.
EVIDENCES or A GREAT VOLCANO.

j.. ". Kishlar, the guano king. Ia home
from n trip TO the southeastern part OF
New Mexico, where he purchased some
time ago the contents OF a series OF caves,
says the Riverside. Cal, Press. These
caves are near the little town OF Lava,
, about ten miles from the railroad, and
are Ito miles south OF Albuquerque. and
are a. rich in guanO deposits ~ the
South Sea Islands. which have been
| storing up the most valuable fertile n
for years and years. IL no centuries.
A Press reporter bad "A most interest.
ing chat with MIR. kishlar In reference u
the caves.
"The ground all about where the caves
are located Is a lava formation" said Mr..
kishlar. 'and the walls and roofs Of the
caves are OF solid lava. Thsre are but
three small openings TO the caves and
the largest OF these will barely admit a
man. Once In, the darkness Is some
thing frightful. An ordinary lantern IL
OF no use at all. and an immense coal oil
torch Is the only thing that will pens-
trate the dense blackness. And this will
cast = glimmer no further than ten feet.
There seems 10 be y succession Of
caves all connected with each other The
largest OF these IL from 900 to 500 feet
long, ~ feet TO 20 feet wide, and the
chamber averages 40 feet In height.
"All the caves are full of guanO. and II
must have been accommodating there for
centuries. There are evidences that the
deposit was one burned out, and the
caves oiled up again. The guanO. Ia the
product OF tiny bats"
la reply 10 an ejaculation that bats
must be plentiful Whereabouts, Mr. kish
lar said:
You say there must he thousands OF
themY Why, man, there are billions
At the approach OF dusk they begin to
come out OF openings in the cave like
volumes OF smoke. You don't think OF
them "a separate and individual bats,
but "a one mass. It's a great sight.
There Is a natural bridge close by the
openings, and IL Is u singular fact that
the bats on coming out OF the caves all
go under the bridge instead OF rising
direct into the air.
The skeleton of a little Indian girls
was recently found at a depth of eight
feet In the guano. IL wa wrapped I'm a
peculiar cloth and was quite we'll pre-.
served. IL may have been there for cen.
turtles"
Mr.. Kishlsr took 100 tons OF guano
from the cave the past winter, and he
estimates that there are 1000 10 1900
tons left. lie contracted for the deposit
with the owners OF the land, and pays by
the ton. But a. II was expected there
would he from 100 TO 800 tons In the
cave. II will be- seen that Mr.. Kishlsr has
a pretty good thing. He has just shipped
800 tons Of the product TO Honolulu, aud
will soon leave for the islands 10 arrange
for larger shipments. He SAYS the bat
guano IL the richest In ammonia OF any
yet discovered, having more OF this es-
sential than nitrate OF soda.
Mr.. Klshl8r visited the crater which
was once the mouth OF an active volcano.
Some idea OF the magnitude OF the erup-
tons may be obtained from the fact that
the lava flowed to the Rio Grsnde river.
ten miles away, and how much flowed
down the river may never be known.