But prior to this time the National Geographic Society had become interested in Willis Lee's findings. Certainly this was worthy of the Society's attention. Accordingly, they set up a grant of $16,000 to finance the first full scale exploration of the Caverns. They selected Dr. Lee to head the party.
Dr. Lee's mission this time was much different. He wasn't concerned where the underground waters were going. Rather he was set upon finding and reporting the scenery about which he knew the world would want to hear.
His subsequent report in the National Geographic Magazine (January, 1924) marked the first full scale description of the Caverns, and for the first time the public saw a series of pictures of the beauty of this underground wonderland and read something about the various rooms, their gigantic size, and the extent of the formation.
Dr. Lee's party didn't find a smooth paved road from the town of Carlsbad to the site of the Caverns. By contrast, the 28 miles of hilly, bumpy, dusty road were covered by automobile in about two hours. The road had been used primarily by the fertilizer companies in transporting the sacks of guano to Carlsbad for shipment to California.
At this time there were several dwellings at the entrance to the cave, an engine house and two hoisting shafts.
The exploring party engaged Jim White as a guide to accompany them below. At this time Jim White probably knew the Caverns better than anyone else, for he had lived in the vicinity of the caves for more than a dozen years and had served as a guide for many persons who had made trips below to behold the beauties to be found there.
Jim had talked of the cave and its marvels to anyone who would listen, and for years had tried to stir up some enthusiasm for the wonders that lay beneath. He had explored much of the cave and could talk intelligently about it. Obviously, he was the best guide that Dr. Lee could have found.
The descent at that time was not a very glamorous undertaking. Dr. Lee's party entered, two at a time, by standing in an old iron guano bucket and letting the "elevator" engine slowly lower them more than 150 feet below the surface. The wire rope fastened to the bucket ran over a pulley at the top of the derrick and was manipulated by the engine. Dr. Lee was apprehensive of the contraption, but it never failed his party.
In that early and historical excursion into the great Caverns, Dr. Lee noted the weird, eerie effect the shadowy forms, high ceilings, and irregular floor and walls had on his group. They found it difficult to believe what they were seeing. Below, the opening above them became but a speck of light.
They noted the great distance from wall to wall, the many alcoves, the roughness of some walls, the polished smoothness of others.