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Below you will find a transcription of the sworn statement made by Earl Dorr as it pertained to Kokoweef Caverns. This was published in the California Mining Journal, November 1940, though written in 1934. It is speculated that Earl was attempting to get capital at the time for his projects in the area.
This is to certify that there is located in San Bernardino County, California, about two hundred and fifty miles from Los Angeles, a certain cave. Traveling over state highways by automobile, the cave is reached in about ten hours. A Civil Engineer, Mr. Morton, and I spent four days exploring the cave for more than eight miles. We carried with us Altimeters, Pedometers, and a Theodolite, with which to observe and record actual directions, take elevations and measurements by triangulation. Our exploration revealed the following facts: 1. From the mouth of the cave we descended as shown by the Altimeters to be about 2000 feet, where we encountered a canyon, which from the Altimeters and by calculations we found to be from 3000 to 3500 feet deeper; making total depth of 5400 feet from the mouth where we entered the caves to the floor of the canyon. 2. We found the cave divided into many caverns or chambers, of various sizes, all filled and embellished with Stalactites and Stalagmites, besides many grotesque and fantastic shapes that make these caves one of the wonders of the world. 3.
The largest chamber we explored is about 300 ft. wide, 400 feet
long and from 50 to 110 feet high. It is encrusted with crystals,
fashioned into festoons of innumerable Stalactites, that 4. There is a flowing river on the floor of the canyon, which rises and falls with tidal regularity. All measurements and estimates of the river, including its tides and beach sands were reckoned by triangulation, taken with the Theodolite, and while we did not reach the river, nevertheless, taking observations with our theodolite and its telescope, we reckoned the river to be about 300 feet wide at high tide and 10 feet wide at low tide. It rises and falls from 7 ½ to 8 feet. The Peysert brothers confirm our reckoning. 5. When the tide is out, there is exposed on both sides of the river from 100 to 159 feet of black sand, which the Peysert brothers report is very rich in placer gold. They report the sands on the river shore to be from 4 to 11 feet deep; and on an average about 8 feet deep. 6. There are numerous ledges above the canyon that are from 10 to 40 feet wide and covered with sand. We personally explored the ledge sands for a distance of more than eight miles, finding little variation in the depth and width of these ledge sands. And wherever examined,the ledge sands are found to be fabulously rich in placergold. 7. I have known intimately Oliver, Buck and George Peysert From my boyhood. I have discussed these caves with them repeatedly and thoroughly. They have reported to me in detail, their experience in exploring the caves. One of them, George, lost his life in the cave. Buck and Oliver say George was killed by diving in the river on the floor of the canyon. He struck an unseen rock, which killed him instantly. They have reported to me repeatedly their mining experiences and say they mined on the beach sands of the river a total in all of six weeks. They carried lumber down to the river and constructed a sluice box and, using a pump, the three mined for six weeks, during which time they recovered more than %57,000 in gold, (gold at $20.00 per ounce); they sent their gold directly to the U.S. Mint and banked the returns in a bank in Needles, California, and another bank in Las Vegas, Nevada. I last talked to them in my home about November 10th 1934, at which time they repeated their former statements, giving information as to how they discovered the river, and more of their experiences in gold mining. They recovered several of the largest nuggets of gold ever found in California. Both Mr. Morton and myself filled our pockets with the sands from the ledges, carried it out and had it assayed. Just what Mr. Morton's sand assayed, I do not know, but it was approximately $2000. per ton. I carried out ten pounds and two ounces of the ledge sand, and panned seven pounds, recovering more than $7.00 in gold, with gold at $20.00 an ounce. I sold the gold for $18.00 per ounce. The balance of my ten pounds of sand I sent to John Herman, a Los Angeles Assayer. His assay certificate shows a value of $2,144.47 per yard - gold at $20.67 per ounce. I, E. P. DORR residing at 300 Aldena Street, Pasadena California make the foregoing statements for the purpose of inducing investors to invest in the work of mining the gold in these caves, and solemnly swear that all statements made hereinabove are true and that all persons will find the physical conditions in the cave as above stated.
My
Commission Expires Aug. 26, 1935 |
