Williams news., 1914-09-24
Crystal Caves, Worth Seeing

in company with Roy Savage, motored to the Crystal Caves, south of Ash Fork. The caves were more than equal to expecta- tions The larger one in particu- lar, is worth going a good many miles to see, and the other is full of interest.
 To reach the caves, one takes the Prescott road past the Harvey House, out of Ash Fork. This is followed for some ten miles until a sign board directing the way to the caves is observed on the left hand side of the road. A fairly good road leads off to the left from here and comes to an end only about one hundred yards from the en- frances to the caves. A path marked by bits of white rag tied to bushes, leads from the end of the road to the cave entrances.
 The entrance to the larger of the caves is made thru crack between two huge sloping rocks by means of an iron ladder placed thsre. It is nee ssary to lie down and crawl in order to get thru.
 On reaching the end of the lad der, one finds himself on the top of a ridge of earth and rock, with the roof some ten feet above and the floor sloping away in all directions but one viz on along the ridge. A wall of impenetable darkness con- fronts the sight on every hand. Proceeding away from the opening under the guidance of a torch or flashlight, the darkness becomes less thick as the eyes become ac- customed to the dark and the crys- tai lined walls become apparent. Following on along the ridge, one comes to what is called the stmoun- tain." This is a hill of Crystal rocks rising from the floor of the cave. Ascending this, one may look back and make out quite clearly the outlines of the cave back toward the entrance. It proves to be large room some one hundred feet long and fifty or sixty feet wide with arched roof and floor. From this position the sta Iactites and stalagmites become apparent hanging from the roof and rising from the floor.
 Many of the stalagmites have been knocked over and destroyed by curio seekers, but mum Der of large ones yet remain. One in particular st n d s considerably higher than a mans head. Its surfcce is smooth and white as polished ivory.
 The cave continues on beyond the mountain but little is known of it's form there or of where it ends. Total darkness reigns beyond this, and few have explored it with any thoroness. The slope is steep and there is danger of falling.
 From many places along the walls, large cracks and holes lead off for great distances. We follow ed one of these for some. twenty-five feet without coming to an end or sign of an end. It was a large crack twelve feet high and barely wide enough to pass thru sidewise.
 It is thot by many that some of these side passages lead on into other rooms, but because of the difficulty of getting thru these and the danger of getting lost, these seem not to have been explored. There are no bats in this cave and the air is good.
 The second cave, has a large opening, crescent in shape, that \ one may enter standing. It ap . pears as tho in ages past, the roo of large part of this cave has fal 7 len in leaving a cave shaped mucf ? as the first one would be were one end of the roof of its large room t. fall in. This second cave is light
 CT, but also dirtier, and is said t. bo ;,,b o hit od h,, bofc opJ Euo f o