The U. S. Geological Survey said they felt the problem was of sufficient value to merit a complete investigation. They would, they said, send a party to the site to see if they could unravel the riddle of the river's strange behavior. They advised that no more dams be constructed until the source of the trouble could be determined.
The assignment was given to Dr. Willis T. Lee.
He pondered the situation and knew from experience that there were several possible solutions, yet he couldn't do much more than hazard a guess as to what the trouble might be. He also knew that when nature is concerned he might stumble onto an entirely new reason.
Before he left Washington, Dr. Lee had reviewed all the available information on the geological formation of the earth in the area and was quite well informed on its composition.
Now, on the land itself, he began to study the situation from every angle. He found the limestone strata throughout the entire area were a bit different from that which he had previously seen in other parts of the world.
Gypsum and salt are soluble in water, and when the dams were built they obviously raised the water level several feet above its natural contours or limitations. The water would then find its way into these alternate layers and would seek lower levels, dissolving the rock salt and gypsum as it did so. With nothing to hold it behind the dams, the water would disappear into the earth and reappear again many miles below the spots where the dams had been built.
While Dr. Lee was in the vicinity, he decided to have a look at the famous Caverns of which he had been hearing so much, and was promptly invited to see these underground wonders since he was so close to them. He knew of the existence of the many bat caves or guano caves in the southeastern part of New Mexico, but had not suspected they contained any real beauty. Now, for the first time, he was to learn otherwise.
Prior to this the United States Land Office had sent Mr. Robert Holley to survey the Caverns, and by the time Lee visited these underground chambers, Holly had surveyed some three and a half miles of their interior. It was Holly's report which brought about the designation of the area as the Carlsbad Caverns National Monument.
Dr. Lee was enthusiastic in his description of the great Caverns as a thing of immense size and beauty. Here was something that had been kept a secret long enough, he felt, and the government should do something about them.
His report was the spark that set off a chain reaction. Now, for the first time, national magazines began to publish reports of this huge, fabulous cave in southeast New Mexico. In the latter part of 1923 several articles appeared based on Dr. Lee's descriptions of the underground wonders. Now, at last, the world was learning of the existence of this fairyland of unmatched scope anywhere in this country, perhaps in the world.