Subterranean Worlds

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Navy Explores a Subterranean System Below the Western United States

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Underground Empire

Crim-Ram Series FILE NO. 008

by Branton

In March of 1980, John J. Williams, a New Mexico "Patriot" who

published the anti-Communist oriented "REBEL MAGAZINE" (at the time

available from: Consumertronics Co., c/o John J. Williams. Pres., 2011

Crescent Dr., P.O. Drawer 537., Alamogardo, NM 88310) revealed some

incredible details on an alleged subterranean system which the Navy had

been exploring below the western United States. The report appeared in

issue No. 6 of his magazine, and was later reproduced in the Fall, 1985

(#164) issue of SEARCH Magazine, at the time edited by Marjorie Palmer,

widow of the late Ray Palmer. The article, titled 'CALIFORNIA FLOATS ON

OCEAN?', revealed the following:

"Some time ago, I heard a man on a TV interview-show briefly mention

that parts of California and neighboring states are floating on the

Pacific Ocean! He was a high ranking Naval officer on a top-secret

nuclear submarine that has been (and is) exploring and mapping these

enormous caverns and passage-ways underneath the West for over 10 years

now.

"A friend of mine finally tracked the man down. He is now living

quietly in retirement and asked that no details pointing to him be

revealed as he does not want publicity and government attention. After

writing this article, I destroyed my files on him. This is his

story..."

Williams explains that not "all" of the areas in question are actually

"resting" or "floating" on the ocean, however there are allegedly many

subterranean cavities below the western U.S., and they are not limited

to California, and many of them consist of very large water-filled

aqua-systems. These have been explored via nuclear submarines to

several hundred miles inland, particularly in the region of southern

California and the southern Oregon - northern California area. Williams

continues:

"...When he retired several years ago, in spite of about 10 years of

intensive Naval study, the Navy had not gotten even a handle on their

exacts and dimensions. Today, the story may be different.

"He makes the following statements from his observations:

"1. The passageways are labyrinthine with widths from a few to

thousands of feet (caverns), averaging roughly about a 100 feet.

"2. Much like dry caverns do, heights and depths vary a great deal and

in some cases, two or more caverns or passageways pass over or under

each other at different depths.

"3. Most of the entrances lie just off the Continental Shelf (i.e. in

the Continental Slope - Branton).

"4. Most of the entrances are too small for submarine investigation;

and many that are large enough lie in waters that are too deep.

"5. Some of the caverns (in S. California) are topped with oil while

some others are filled with gases believed to approximate our

atmosphere (in very ancient times).

"6. The San Joaquin Valley is essentially a portion of the original

cavernous area that collapsed eons ago due to it's sheer weight.

"7. What is being passed off as the 'San Andreas Fault' are large,

unsupported chambers that are in the process of collapsing. When the

BIG ONE finally hits, many scientists in the know believe that most of

California will break off like a cold Hershey bar and slide into the

ocean! (it is postulated by some that an ancient land-mass which some

believe may have been connected to what is now California, broke off

and sunk into the ocean during an ancient cataclysm - Branton)

"8. (We are deleting this section due to the possibility of undue

stress and fear which may result from it's disclosure. Also, because of

recent international events which may have resulted in a solution to

this problem. We will merely state that it involves a scenario similar

to that which was portrayed in a James Bond movie, and which concerned

underground caverns, silicon valley, nuclear weapons, and the San

Andreas fault - Branton).

"9. A WELL-KNOWN U.S. nuclear submarine lost its way in these passages

and disappeared forever. It was reported to have been lost IN OPEN SEA

ELSEWHERE to keep the American people in total ignorance and to justify

an enormous pay-off to an eccentric U.S. billionaire (who died in

recent years) for providing the fictitious "recovery" effort.

"I have no reason to doubt the man. I can't tell for sure whether or

not these caverns and passageways exist or to their extents. The story

does sound a bit fantastic but I have no reason to doubt the man. I

have seen copies of documentation that at least prove that he was a

high ranking Naval officer (nuclear submarine duty) and a distinguished

scientist. In fact, his scientific background and reputation are

impeccable. He definitely cannot be labeled as a crackpot, lunatic or

publicity- seeker. I would very much like more information on this

topic..."

After further inquiries to Mr. Williams on the part of 'inner earth'

researchers, Williams responded with the following when asked whether

or not he had received any replies to his request for more information

about the alleged passageways below California:

"Since publishing our article on the vast cavern network under much of

California, we have received many responses and inquiries. Some of

these responses appear to be knowledgeable sources. Note that the

material sent to us for this article was written by someone of very

high repute whose credentials I personally checked out. Due to an

agreement with him, I cannot reveal his identity.

"One response was from a retired (conventional submarine duty? -

Branton) submarine commander, who according to him, spent many years in

the waters off California. He stated that the caverns do NOT exist.

"Another response was from an anonymous person who cited unpublished

oil company seismographic data, and stated, 'Although most of the

caverns you depict in your drawing are smaller, larger or located

somewhat differently than the actual caverns, you are essentially

correct... My information is more up-to-date than what you apparently

relied upon.' He (or she) did not supply any maps to pin down our

differences, just some written descriptions. However, some

knowledgeable person could probably deduce his (or her) overall 'map'

from the voluminous seismographic data sent. I am in the process of

looking for this input; it's been several years now and it may have all

been thrown out... Incidentally, the oil company seismic data had much

data around the Fresno area if that helps any.

"One incident which tends to confirm the fact that California is in

fact floating on the ocean was a story which made the headlines in

recent years. This incident involved an oil discovery beneath Long

Beach, California. When oil companies began pumping oil out of the

ground beneath Long Beach it was soon learned that the entire city

BEGAN SINKING INTO THE OCEAN!

"It sank up to 26 feet and dikes had to be built to keep out the water.

The problem is (temporarily) being rectified by 'water injection'--i.e.

pumping an equivalent amount of WATER into the ground to the amount of

oil and water taken out, in order to keep the city AFLOAT!"

One thing which may be of interest in connection with Mr. Williams'

account was a statement which was made by a prominent California

Bigfoot investigator by the name of Virginia Louise Swanson, who has

done a good deal of study on caves and their connections to the Bigfoot

phenomena. She refers to these caverns in the following words:

"...Somewhere I got the idea that a big portion of Death Valley is

located on a shelf of FALSE bedrock. A certain type of earthquake would

collapse all of it down to an enormous series of caverns that would

open up into another Grand Canyon."

According to our knowledge, the only nuclear submarines ever to

disappear under mysterious circumstances were the U.S.S. THRESHER and

the U.S.S. SCORPION. It is uncertain whether the retired Navy Officer

who John J. Williams spoke of was referring to the THRESHER or the

SCORPION, although the disappearance of the Thresher probably caused

more publicity. The Thresher was the LEAD SHIP or 'Flag' ship in the

world's most advanced class of nuclear attack submarines. She was

designed to operate deeper and more silently than any of her

predecessors and was also endowed with significant advances in sonar

equipment, in noise reduction, and in fire-control. All in all, she was

the most advanced international submarine in the world at the time of

her disappearance and would have been an ideal choice for a top-secret

mission such as the exploration of the caverns mentioned by John

Williams' source.

On April 10, 1963 (according to official reports) the Thresher, under

the command of Lt. Commander John W. Harvey, USN, with a total of 129

men (comprised of the crew, civilian technicians, and observers)

disappeared without explanation. NOT A SINGLE TRACE or clue as to the

fate of the craft, or it's occupants, were ever recovered: no oil

slicks, radiation, floating debris, or similar signs of wreckage were

ever seen. It is interesting to note that almost all of the reports at

the time stated the ship had "disappeared," or was "lost," not "sunk!"

One woman whose husband was on the ill-fated ship reported her belief

that her husband was still alive. Theologically speaking, the

possibility of a long-distance connection or "communion" on a deep,

emotional level between a husband and a wife should not necessarily be

consigned to the realm of the occult or "psychic" phenomena. Many

religions believe that the very spiritual natures of a husband and a

wife are united upon the consummation of a marriage, and thus they

become, as Christian teachings say, "one flesh". The actual words of

this woman, who was interviewed by Will Carson and Jeannie Joy--two

writers devoted to pursuing strange events--shortly after the Thresher

incident, were as follows:

"My husband was on the submarine Thresher when it disappeared. I don't

consider myself a widow. I don't believe my husband is dead. No, it's

not a matter of just not being able to believe it, to accept reality; I

just can't get over the conviction that he's still alive somewhere. I

love my husband very much. I know he loved--loves me. We were very

close. We could always tell when something was wrong with each other.

Intuition, I guess. I should have felt something the instant there was

trouble, if he was really in serious trouble and knew it--a matter of

life and death--but I didn't."

"What do you believe really happened?" Carson and Joy asked the

attractive young woman.

"Most people think I'm crazy when I say this, but I believe the

Thresher was captured."

"By whom?"

"I can't say for sure, but there WAS a Russian submarine spotted near

there that day (that is, near where it REPORTEDLY vanished 220 miles

off Boston harbor)--only I can't imagine how even the Russians could

CAPTURE a vessel like the Thresher without leaving the slightest

evidence!"

The following account, concerning an area just east of BISHOP (OWENS

VALLEY), CALIFORNIA, was related by Val Valerian in his 'LEADING EDGE'

Newsletter, Dec. 1989 - Jan. 1990 issue. The article, titled: 'DEEP

SPRING'S, CALIFORNIA', stated:

"Deep Springs, California is an area that is becoming known as the site

for very strange events. According to the information released both on

the air on KVEG-AM and from other sources, the area is full of strange

people wandering around in black suits. There have also been rumors

that there is an underground facility in the area. Checking with

gravity anomaly maps proved that there are large cavities under the

ground in that area. The wildest claims relative to the area have

stated that alien lifeforms are being released there... Deep Springs

Lake has been probed and it appears bottomless. Divers have traveled

along an underground river 27 miles toward the Las Vegas area before

having to turn around." (This 'river' would probably have been a

'partially' water-filled cave with a large stream or river flowing

through it, rather than an entirely underwater passage, since 27 miles

would undoubtedly be entirely out of the question if it were all

underwater travel, with present diving technology - Branton).

In the April, 1963 issue of SEARCH Magazine, Will Carson and Jeannie

Joy, in their regular column 'PRYING INTO THE UNKNOWN', related the

following incredible story:

"It has always been a mystery to us in the first place how Mr. and Mrs.

P.E. can find and afford the time to do the sort of things most of us

only dream of doing. After knowing them for more than fifteen years, it

is inconceivable to suspect their integrity or sanity - and yet they

impose the following excise upon our credulity...

"While exploring for petroglyphs in the Casa Diablo vicinity of BISHOP,

CALIFORNIA, Mr. & Mrs. P.E. came upon a circular hole in the ground,

about nine feet in diameter, which exuded a sulfurous steam and seemed

recently to have been filled with hot water. A few feet from the

surface the shaft took a tangent course which looked easily accessible

and, upon an impulse with which we cannot sympathize, the dauntless

E.'s, armed only with a flashlight, forthwith crawled down into that

hole.

"At a depth we've failed to record the oblique tunnel opened into a

horizontal corridor whose dripping walls, now encrusted with minerals,

could only have been carved by human hands, countless ages ago - of

this the E.'s felt certain. The end of the short passage was blocked by

what seemed to be a huge doorway of solid rock which, however, wouldn't

yield. The light of their flash was turned to a corner where water

dripped from a protuberance - which proved to be a delicately carved

face, distorted now by the crystallized minerals, and from whose gaping

mouth water issued.

"As Mr. and Mrs. E. stood there in silent awe - wondering what lay

behind that immovable door - the strangest thing of all happened...but

our chronology will not be incorrect if we wait till they return to the

surface before revealing this, for now the water began gushing from the

carved mouth and from other unseen ducts elsewhere in that cave and

rising at an alarming rate!

"They hurried to the surface, and in less than half an hour there was

only a quite ordinary appearing pool of warm mineral water on the

desert floor.

"'Do you know,' Mrs. E. said to her husband, 'while I stood down there

I heard music - the strangest, most weird music I'd ever heard. But it

seemed to come from everywhere at once, or inside my own head. I guess

it was just my imagination.'

"Mr. E. turned pale. 'My God,' he said; I thought it was MY

imagination, but I heard it, too - like music from some other world!'

"Why do they call that rock formation near where the E's had their

strange experience Casa Diablo - the Devil's house? And why did the

Indians name that area Inyo - dwelling place of the great spirit?"

Erich A. Aggen, Jr., in his article 'TOP SECRET: ALIEN UFO BASES'

(SEARCH Magazine, Summer 1991 issue), presented the following

revelations concerning the UFO-Subterranean connection:

"...A great deal of UFO research has also led to the conclusion that

various...species of aliens have set up secret underground bases in the

United States and other countries. It is logical to assume that such

bases have also been established elsewhere in the solar system. If such

bases exist, where would we find them? Existing information allows us

to make a few educated guesses.

"EARTH BASES: UNDERGROUND - The dark, cavernous world beneath out feet

is the source of many baffling mysteries. Clandestine UFO bases may be

hidden deep within the earth in natural and/or artificial caverns. As a

former member of the National Speleological Society (NSS), I am well

aware of the vast extent of cave systems within the United States. In

my own native state of Missouri, for example, there are over 2,500

known caves and dozens of new ones being discovered every year. Many of

these caves are intricately linked together by numerous passageways and

interconnecting chambers.

"One particular species of blind white (albino) cave fish, the

TYPHLICHTHYS, has been found in many widely separated cave systems over

several states. It has been found in caves that make a great arc

through Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and UNDER the Mississippi River

extending into Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma! A VAST SECTION OF THE

CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN UNITED STATES MUST LIE ABOVE ONE IMMENSE CAVERN

SYSTEM!

"Many caves possess rooms hundreds of feet in length, width, and

height. In most cases, these huge natural caverns can only be reached

and explored with the utmost skill and perseverance. There are only a

few thousand NSS members in the United States and only a few hundred of

this number are active spelunkers. With so few spelunkers spread over

such a large area, only a very small fraction of the tens of thousands

of known caves in this country have been carefully mapped and explored.

Thousands of other caves remain undiscovered and unexplored.

"Extensive evidence indicates that caves in the United States may be

connected with caves in other parts of the world. In Mexico, the cave

known as 'Sotano de las Golondrinas', (or) basement of the swallows, in

the Municipio de Aquismo, S.L.P., reaches a depth of 1100 feet (334

meters). The cave is actually a giant 'sinkhole' or 'hole' in the

ground with a nearly circular opening at the top, hundreds of feet in

diameter. It is impossible to climb down the sides of Golondrinas

because the walls of the opening are too smooth and "belled-out". To

reach the bottom of the cave, a special rope over 1100 feet long must

be secured at the top of the opening and dropped into the sinkhole.

Explorers must then descend into the yawning hole one at a time using

special cave repelling gear and climbing techniques. At the bottom of

Sotano de las Golondrinas are numerous 'leads' or openings to a

multiplicity of different crevices, passages, crawlways, and rooms

which have never been mapped or investigated.

"The entrance to Golondrinas is located in one of the most primitive

and uncivilized areas of Mexico and local inhabitants are afraid to

approach the cave because they believe it is full of 'evil spirits'

which lure people to their deaths. They tell stories of people

mysteriously disappearing never to be heard from again while passing

near the cave entrance. These stories may be based more on fact than

fiction: they are similar in some respects to UFO abduction reports.

Because of its huge size, remote location, and unique geological

structure, Golondrinas would be an ideal UFO base. Naturally

camouflaged caves in other parts of the world may serve as excellent

natural bases, way stations, and 'depots' for UFOs.

"An underground nuclear test called the 'Schooner Experiment' conducted

in December, 1968, substantiates the theory that caves in North and

South America are intimately linked. In this test, a 35-kiloton nuclear

bomb was exploded under the desert of Nevada. Five days after the test,

the radiation level rose from 10 to 20 times in Canada, 1000 miles away

from the Nevada test site! The only way the radioactive dust could have

traveled that far is through an interconnected system of caves

extending all the way from Nevada to Canada!"

Bourke Lee, in his book 'DEATH VALLEY MEN' (MacMillan Co., N.Y. 1932),

chapter: "Old Gold", describes a conversation which he had several

years ago with a small group of Death valley residents. The

conversation had eventually turned to the subject of Paihute Indian

legends. At one point two of the men, Jack and Bill, described their

experience with an 'underground city' which they claimed to have

discovered after one of them had fallen through the bottom of an old

mine shaft near Wingate Pass. They found themselves in a natural

underground cavern which they claimed to have followed about 20 miles

north into the heart of the Panamint Mountains. To their amazement,

they allegedly found themselves in an huge, ancient, underground cavern

city. They claimed that they discovered within the city several

perfectly preserved 'mummies', which wore thick arm bands, wielded gold

spears, etc. The city had apparently been abandoned for ages, except

for the mummies, and the entire underground system looked very ancient.

It was formerly lit, they found out by accident, by an ingenious system

of lights fed by subterranean gases. They claimed to have seen a large,

polished "round table" which looked as if it may have been part of an

ancient council chamber, giant statues of solid gold, stone vaults and

"drawers" full of gold bars and gemstones of all kinds, heavy stone

"wheelbarrows" which were perfectly balanced and scientifically-

constructed so that a child could use them, huge stone doors which were

almost perfectly balanced by counter-weights, and other incredible

sights.

They also claimed to have followed the caverns upwards to a higher

level which ultimately opened out onto the face of the Panamints, about

half-way up the eastern slope, in the form of a few ancient tunnel-like

quays. They realized that the valley below was once under water and

they eventually came to the conclusion that the arched openings were

ancient 'docks' for sea vessels. They could allegedly see Furnace Creek

Ranch and Wash far below them. They told Bourke Lee that they had

brought some of the treasure out of the caverns and tried to set up a

deal with certain people, including scientists associated with the

Smithsonian Institute, in order to gain help to explore and publicize

the city as one of the 'wonders of the world'. These efforts ended in

disappointment however when a 'friend' of theirs stole the treasure

(which was also the evidence) and they were scoffed at and rejected by

the scientists when they went to show them the 'mine' entrance and

could not find it. A recent cloud- burst they claimed, had altered and

rearranged the entire countryside and the landscape did not look like

it had been before. When Lee last heard from the two men, Bill and

Jack, they were preparing to climb the east face of the Panamints to

locate the ancient tunnel openings or quays high up the side of the

steep slope. Bourke Lee never did see or hear from his friends ever

again.

During the lengthy conversation wherein they first revealed the secret

of the underground city to Lee and others, the discussion turned to the

topic of a Paihute Indian legend that they had heard which was

remarkably similar to an ancient Grecian myth. The Paihute legend

concerned a tribal chief whose wife had died, and who according to the

tradition took a spiritual journey to the underworld to find her, and

upon returning with her he 'looked back' and as this was forbidden he

was not allowed to bring his wife back with him from the dead. This

would not be the same as the more tangible story related in an earlier

file, as told by the Navaho Oga-Make, concerning a Paihute chief who

was allegedly PHYSICALLY taken into the underground cities of the Hav-

musuvs deep below the Panamints. After this legend was referred to, the

conversation turned to a discussion of an alleged subterranean race,

who were believed to inhabit very deep caverns far below the Death

Valley area. Paihute legends of the "Hav-musuvs" indicate that these

ancient dwellers of the Panamints abandoned the ancient city within the

mountain itself and migrated to deeper and larger caverns below. Could

the following story tie-in with the Paihute legends of the Hav-musuvs?

We will enter the conversation with the following discourse from Bourke

Lee:

"...The professor and Jack and Bill sat in the little canvas house in

Emigrant Canyon and heard the legend all the way through. The professor

said, 'That story, in its essentials, is the story of Orpheus and

Eurydice.'

"'Yes,' I said. 'It's also a Paiute legend. Some Indians told that

legend to John Wesley Powell in the sixties.'

"'That's very interesting,' said the professor. 'It's so close a

parallel to Orpheus and Eurydice that the story might well have been

lifted bodily from the Greeks.'

"Jack said, 'I wouldn't be surprised. I knew a Greek. I forgot his

name, but he ran a restaurant in almost every mining town I ever was

in. He was an extensive wanderer. The Greeks are great travelers.'

"Bill said, 'They don't mean restaurant Greeks. The Greeks they're

talked about have been dead for thousands of years.'

"'What of it?' asked Jack, 'maybe the early Greeks was great travelers,

too.'

"The professor said, 'It's very interesting.'

"'Now! About that tunnel,' said Bill, with his forehead wrapped in a

frown. 'You said this Indian went through a tunnel into a strange

country, didn't you?'

"'Yes,' I said. 'I think I called it a cave or a cavern, but I suppose

a miner would call it a tunnel. Why?'

"'Here's a funny thing,' said Bill. 'This Indian trapper livin' right

across the canyon has a story about a tunnel, an it's not a thousand

years old either. Tom Wilson told me that his grandfather went through

this tunnel and disappeared. He was gone three years, and when he came

back he said he'd been in a strange country livin' among strange

people. That tunnel is supposed to be somewhere in the Panamints not

awful far from where we're sittin'. Now! What do you make of that?'

"Jack said, 'I think Tom's grandfather was an awful liar.'

"I said, 'Tom's grandfather lived when the Paiutes were keeping their

tribal lore alive. He probably knew the old legend. Powell heard it in

Nevada only sixty-five years ago.'

"'It's very interesting,' said the professor.

"'I got an idea about it,' said Bill, thoughtfully. 'Tom's grandfather

might have wandered into some tunnel all goofy from chewin' jimson weed

and then come out an found some early whites and stayed with them. Tom

told me that the people spoke a queer language and ate food that was

new to his grandfather an wore leather clothes. They had horses and

they had gold. It might have been a party in Panamint Valley, or even

early explorers or early settlers in Owens Valley. How about that?'

"Jack said, 'Yeah. The Spaniards was in here, too. So it might have

been Spaniards or the early Greeks. And, where is this tunnel? And why

did Tom's grandfather have trouble speaking the language? This is an

entirely different story than the one Buck told. We are arriving at no

place at all with these Indians and Greeks... To return for a moment to

our discussion of geology, professor; have you been in Nevada much?'"

From here the conversation took off in an entirely new direction...

Some years ago a woman by the name of Joan Howard, at the time living

in eastern Canada although originally from Britain, wrote a manuscript

in which she described her own paranormal experiences with small

"alien" entities. Joan had experienced several UFO-type 'abduction-

encounters' while at a very young age when she still lived in Britain,

and claimed to have had 'psychic' contact with beings that claimed to

be of extraterrestrial origin. These experiences were accompanied by a

great deal of occult manifestations such as poltergeist phenomena,

psychic dreams, encounters with invisible entities, etc. Joan even

admitted that she often doubted the claims of these 'beings', that

their actions were manipulative and just didn't seem to coincide with

their claims that they were here as some kind of group of cosmic

saviors to lead humanity into a New Age of enlightenment. She also

warned other researchers to retain a "keen, analytical mind" when

dealing with alien entities so as not to fall under possible deception

or manipulation. Perhaps, as she suggested to others, they might

actually be here to prepare for a future invasion of this planet and

were merely using her for various purposes to help prepare the way, and

that all of their 'benevolence' talk was just that... talk! She DID

describe vivid "dreams" in which she saw alien craft hovering over

major cities blasting frightened and terrified people in the streets

with powerful beam weapons, dreams which she suggested might be

somewhat prophetic in nature. She described the entities as being small

or dwarfish, yet was unsure whether they were human or not, although

they DID attempt to pass themselves off as some type of evolved human

species, something which the 'grays' have apparently done in order to

break down any natural enmity which might prevent their 'contactees' or

'abductees' from receiving the lies which they intentionally fed them

as part of their program of conquest and control.

Joan Howard, incidentally, wrote a privately published book, titled

"THE SPACE - OR SOMETHING - CONNECTION". We refer to it here because it

dealt with some experiences which she, or rather her husband, had

shortly after she came to America. In fact she devoted an entire

chapter to her husbands account, which involved some incidents that

took place while he was doing some field work for a certain company,

which required a great deal of activity in the out-of-doors. During his

employment with this company, 'they' (he and his co-workers) had to

travel through some relatively unpopulated terrain in West Virginia,

particularly in the regions between Newville in Braxton county, and

Helvetia in Randolph county, or rather the general region in and around

the northern part of Webster county.

During their travels through the forests and wilderness, and the

rolling hills-mountains of West Virginia, he had encountered some very

strange things, and heard accounts of strange cave-related incidents

from the locals. At one point, he claimed, their group ran across what

appeared to be a pipe sticking up from the ground far from the nearest

town. There was no other sign of civilization or anything manmade for

miles on either side, yet here was this large pipe or tube sticking

straight up from the ground. But the most remarkable thing was that a

flame was shooting out of the pipe as if it were burning some type of

gas. They never found out just what it was. Also, in this same general

area, they explored caverns which contained some very strange things.

One of the caverns had strange hieroglyphic-like writing on it's walls,

and others claimed that they heard what sounded like faint voices and

sounds like machines moving underground coming as if from beyond the

walls of the caverns, or from their unexplored depths. Two men, he

claimed, bedded down one night in front of a certain cave which

contained a very deep, unexplored chasm some ways inside. The next

morning one of the men woke up and found that his partner had

disappeared, and no trace was ever found of him. This particular cave

by the way had been known as a place of unusual happenings, and a place

to stay away from. Some even went so far as to call it 'Satan's Lair'.

Whatever the case may be, it may provide an answer to the man's

disappearance. One of the most remarkable accounts that Joan's husband

heard involved a man who claimed that, while exploring the labyrinthine

depths of a particular cavern in the area, he had suddenly come face to

face with a woman. She was attractive yet completely void of hair (such

as someone who might have been subjected to radiation poisoning?). The

woman, who spoke a language completely foreign to the man, tried for

some time to communicate. After they found that they were not getting

anywhere, they departed and went their separate ways.

According to an item which appeared in THE LEADING EDGE Magazine, a

well-known Los Angeles talk show host by the name of