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| Time exposure of a flaming gasoline-filled bottle dropped down a 100 ft
deep vertical cavern at the top of Two Lovers Point, Guam. Rumor had it that it was used
as an elevator shaft for a WWII Japanese gun emplacement that opened to the cliff face.
The top of the shaft was covered by a concrete pad with a rectangular opening about 10
feet across. Spanning the opening was a massive I-beam with a rusted-through web, tempting
all of us to walk across. Without a photograph to prove otherwise, I would guess sanity
prevailed and none of us did it. But 40 years later I am not sure. On another day, my friend Jim and I tried to climb up the vertical cliff face from the beach to reach what looked like an opening that might have housed the gun. But after climbing up about 200 feet we turned back when my foothold crumbled and fell away to the beach below. We were not using ropes or other climbing gear. The photograph was taken on 35mm slide film, with a 50mm lens. Based on the optical characteristics of the Nikon camera and simple geometry, I estimate the depth of the shaft at about 5.5 times the long dimension of the opening at the bottom of the shaft. Assuming that dimension to be about 15 to 20 feet, the depth of the shaft works out to about 100 feet. That is consistent with what I remember from 40 years ago. The reflection of the main fireball on the rim at the bottom of the cave suggests a lateral opening at the bottom of the shaft. I remember a large pile of debris in the center. What looks like a tree trunk leaning against the bottom edge of the shaft can be seen in the photo. Without the burning gasoline, a faint light from the direction of the cliff face illuminated the floor of the cavern, which convinced me at the time that it could be reached by climbing up from the beach below. A narrow slit-like opening about 10 feet wide by 25 feet high could be seen high on the cliff. Loose rock rubble spilled from the entrance, about 250 feet up from the beach. I have scoured the Internet looking for photos of Two Lovers Point that might show the opening in the cliff face, but I have not found any clear images of it. However there are numerous photos showing the top of the cave. The concrete cover has been removed, and there is a footbridge over one end so sightseers can gaze into its depths. If you know anything more about the Two Lovers Point vertical cavern, please write to me! |