Mr. Ayres’ Description of this Exploration.
“On the morning of May 30, the entire party entered the cave by the opening which I have designated on the [map] as ‘Entrance No. 1.’ Pools of water more or less filled with ice were encountered, which greatly impeded our progress, and finally a very deep one, at a distance of 237 feet from the surface, barred further progress until a raft could be prepared. Retracing our steps to the surface we sought an entrance in ‘The Canyon’ by means of a rope. This passage was about 70 feet below the natural surface and about 100 feet above the bottom of ‘The Canyon,’ was very small and blocked with ice. I have designated this opening as ‘Entrance No. 2,’ on the [map].
“Another opening was found which is recorded as ‘Entrance No. 3.’ Here, by crawling through a very narrow passage on hands and knees and then descending a steep narrow water groove for about 50 feet the brink of a very large cavern was reached that was estimated to be 256 feet deep, but its length and breadth were, owing to their great extent and to the insufficiency of lights at hand, inaccessible. It was observable, however, that several openings led off from this great cavern. The plunge and roar of a great waterfall somewhere down in the depths of this cavern reverberates in every inch of space, and produces in the listener sensations so weird that even those that have elsewhere met its counterpart are at first startled.
“No further attempt was made at this time to explore the cave through this entrance for the reason that the three hundred feet of rope sent by Mr. Ford, resident engineer of the C.P.R., for our use, had not yet been brought up to the cave from the water tank. On the following day another obstacle presented itself. The rapidly melting snow formed a sudden rush of water which poured down the mountain side and into this opening, and made it not only inaccessible for the time being, but proved it to be positively dangerous to enter for any extended explorations until the snow has practically disappeared.
“On the afternoon of May 31, and the forenoon of June 1, a raft and additional ladders were constructed to cross over the large pool that impeded our progress on May 30 in ‘Entrance No. 1.’ While we were eating our noon meal on the 31st, Cougar creek overflowed into this entrance. We made the attempt to descend but were drenched with water, and our lights were put out. We constructed a dam to prevent this, as far as possible, and at 6 a.m. on June 2 we again descended into the cave by this entrance, and found at a distance of 331 feet from the surface a large square chamber, 50 feet wide by 60 feet, that was accessible. A large portion of its length was inaccessible owing to Cougar creek, which flows across it, and to accumulated ice. We named this chamber ‘The Auditorium.’
“At a point in the main entrance just as we emerge from ‘The Auditorium,’ a branch passage was found which again joins the main entrance about 100 feet from the surface. This branch passage is marked on the [map] as A-B. Another branch passage was found to connect this entrance with the surface and it is designated on the [map] as B-C. A diligent search in this part of the cave disclosed no other accessible openings.
“A descent by ropes to the bottom of the canyon at ‘Entrance No. 2’ was considered but it was deemed entirely unsafe, owing to the very large accumulated mass of snow which might slide into it at any moment, and without warning. Besides this, no entry can be made until Cougar creek has subsided to a mere brook.
“The falls, designated on the [map] as ‘Lower Goat Falls,’ were visited with the hope that an entrance might be effected to the very large cavern by the passage through which the water from the fall enters; but it was practically filled with water and ice. The falls consist of two vertical drops, the upper one is about 30 feet and the lower one 50 feet. A large amount of water is delivered into the cave from these falls, the place of entry being immediately at its foot. It is called ‘Entrance No. 4.’
“No other openings were discovered by which access might be had to the large cavern, and we are barred from entering it by those openings already described, and for the reasons given, until such time as the spring floods may have fully subsided.”
Mr. A. O. Wheeler, D.L.S., accompanied by Deutschman, was the next explorer, and the following is Mr. Wheeler’s description of their experiences in the new caves which were discovered during this visit:—