the Texas Caver Vol. 25, No.6, 1980 CONTENTS
AN INTERVIEW WITH A NOTABLE CAVER ...... l08 CHAIRMAN'S COLUMN ...... 113 GROTTO NEWS ...... 114 TSA BOG ...... 114 LIGHT DUTY BOLT DRIVER ...... 115 CALVIN THE CAVER ...... 116 A BOOK REVIEW ...... 117 TSA- REIMER RANCH REPORT ...... 119 TEXAS OLD TIMERS REPORT ...... 120 THE SMALL CAVE ...... 120 T.M.I. CAVE -MAP ...... 121 TEXAS CAVER WORD HUNT #2 ...... 122 BACK ISSUES FOR SALE ...... 123 TRIP REPORTS ...... 124 NEWS & EVENTS ...... 125 HORE TRIP REPORTS ...... 126 EDITORIAL ...... 128
COVER PHOTO: Close up-taken by James Jasek in Inner Space. CONTENTS PAGE PHOTO: Paul Johnston lights a crevace passage in Inner Space. Photo by James Jasek
SUBSCRIPTIONS aPe $5.00 peP yeaP. PePsons subscPibing afteP the fiPst o.f the yeaP witt Peceive all back issues foP that yeaP. Single copies ape available at 90¢ each, postpaid. The TEXAS CAVER openly 1"nvites contPibutops to submit: aPticles, PepoPts, news, caPtoons, cave maps, caving aPti~les, and photogPaphs (any size pnnt btack & white OP coloP pPint) fop publication in the TEXAS CAVER. AddPess all SUBSCRIPTIONS and EDITORIAL matePial to the editop: James Jasek, l0l9 MelPoBe DT., Waco, Texas 767l0. When sending in a change of addr.ess, please include youP old addPess. PePSOnB intePested in EXCHANGES OP FOREIGN subscriptions should diPect coPPespondenc~ to the editoP. AN INTERVIEW WITH ANOTABLE CAVER
There are very few people that have been JB It seems to me like they were commercial cavi ng in Texas longer than James Brummett, izing it. I can't remember real good. I know and for those of you that are not acquainted we went down in a bucket. We didn't go down 1,r ith James you are missing out knowing one them stairs, we went down in a bucket, and of t he most likeable and interesting person they called it a guano bucket. It's what th o. t I have ever met. they used to bring guano out with. And this j ames is presently the manager of Inner is what we went down in and I knm" we used Space Cavern a commercial cave near the kerosene lanterns. So they might possibly to1-rn of Georgetown. If you are in the area have started to commercialize it at that or t aking a tour through the cave, be sure time, but I just can't remember. I was like to s top in and introduce yourself to James. 5 or 6 maybe. It was big to me. It was one Tel l him that you are a caver and spend a bodacious hole in the ground. fei·I minutes talking to him. You just might fi nd those minutes have turned into many pleasant hours. He is a wealth of informa t i ~ n about caves all over Texas. Not only docs he know all the commercial cave owners anri managers, but he is personal friends Hi r:h many of the ranchers that own many of t h ~ finest wild caves in Texas. He was responsible for getting the TSA into Powell's ca e back in the early 70's when absolutely no cavers were allowed into the cave. ~ s you read this interview, you will find thHt James has been caving in Texas before 0 mo::t of us were even born. This interview .w 0 on :y scratches the surface of the vast .c P- experience that James has had in the world ~
109 and hide. go over to the cave - Sonora Cave - after we JJ What did you use .for light sources at that got off work at night and go in the thing time ? and go back to the pit. We'd been back to JB We used candles, torches, kerosene the pit god hundreds of times you k.now both tor ch es~ We'd put burlap bags on them with the lower route and the upper route. wi r e and wrap it real tight and put kerosene JJ Even before the pretty part of the cave on i t. was discovered this was an extensive cave. JJ You didn't use helmets or anything like JB Yeah, because you know well for instance that did you? today where they call the Dragon you know JB No, I ~dn't even know what a helmet was and I guess two thirds of the time I was barefooted. I know uh Powell's Cave back when we were going in it when we were kids uh I cut my foot in there lots of times on what little bit of calcite there was on the floor at that time. JJ What about bumping your head? JB Yeah, I bumped my head lots of times and made big sores on it. My mother used to wash those sores out with peroxide, and just let that peroxide foam. I bumped my head and elbows and skinned my back and I got in a hole in a little ole cave south of Eyer's crossing south of Powell's Cave actually across the ri ver and I slid into a little passage i~to it and I had to take my clothes off before I coul d get out of it. I went in all right, but the formations were kind of pointing dmmhill you know, but when I started to back out I couldn't get out. The formations kep t hanging on my clothes. So I had to take off my clothes. T~at happened to me in Sonora too in a little passage in Sonora one t ime . And that's right on that exit trail in Sonora there a little passage off to the James examines the Cactus formation in ri ght as your coming out. Caverns of Sonora back in 1964. JJ Did you get into Sonora when it was called well when you get to there and the guides May f ield Cave? show yo u the Dragon and everything they don't JB I got into Sonora before it was Mayfield tell you what's lying behind you what you Cave . I think if I can remember correctly, walked over you know coming from the the first time I went into Sonora was in entrance to there's beaucoups of cave. 193 5. I was working on the ranch that adjoins JJ There is a lot of upper and lower cave there , the Mayers ~useloRanch. At that time in this area. i t was called the TA Circle. A guy by the JB Yeah, all back up in that area name of Ed Meyers had it leased and he had JJ There's thousands of feet of cave in that five or six ranches leas£d at that time, and area, isn't there, between the entrance and every spring as soon as school was out he the Pit Room? wo ul d hire school kids to go out and round JB Really and actually it goes on really up and shear sheep and everything, and of beneath the road you come in on you know . course school kid's didn't care. They rounded There's old dry cave goes back in under up sheep and everything and it usually took there. There's a lot of cave back in that three months. Three months of our school direction. Nearly everybody it seems like you va cation to round up and shear sheep and know after they really started caving out eve rything. We stayed at what was called there in 1955 when the first pretty part was Nine Mill, and that was just directly due discovered after the crossed the Pit wall you we s t of Caverns of Sonora and that was back know got back into the pretty part, well no oh I don't know back when you guys were one ever went back in the south section after coming out of Sonora, Freeman Myers lived that. Everybody went north to get back to ou t at the place over there, but uh anyhow the pretty part. Well, there's some pretty we camped out at this Nine Mill and we'd stuff back in the south all right, but most 110 of that back in there is dead. Most of it is Caver. discolored, but there's a lot of pretty cave JJ What about the NSS? Hhen did you join there. I tell you what. There's a lot of these the NSS? guys go caving in caves that they think are JB I joined the NSS in 1959, in 19 and 59. nice that aren't anywhere near as nice as JJ You are not still a member are you? what's in the back of that cave. JB No! I dropped my membership two years JJ Did you ever cross the ledge? ago, because it got to where, ah every JB Urn huh! thing in it was either, had something to JJ Was that pretty hard? do with Hydrology or had something to do JB Yeah, it really was. Uh you know the first with the Northeastern caves or had some time you cross it, that's when it's hard. thing to do with hippies. It ah, I realize After you cross it one time it's not so bad. that a lot of it was my fault, cause I did I have carried a sack of cement across that not send in anything, I'm sure that if the thing. Sure did! I carried a sack of cement Texas Caver sent in anything, they'd printe4 across that thing. it, but j_t seems that there was never any JJ They had a rope across there, didn't they? thing in it concerning Texas caves. Really JB Yeah, urn huh. Jack Prince put a rope across the only thing, the only thing that the NSS there. ever did, to my knowledge, as far as Texas JJ Was he the first one to cross? caves is concerned is Bulliten Ten. And, JB Yeah, Jack was the first one to cross that ah, that was a real good issue, but it was thing. Once he went across they put that way the heck back yonder. rope there and just left it there. They left JJ Even though you are no longer a member it until oh 3 or 4 years ago Jack took it of the NSS, aren't you a member of another down (Jack Burch). After Jack left Natural cave organization? Bridge he went back out there and he took it JB Yes, I am. This is the National Cave down. He said that it didn't look good out Association that is for commercial cave there and he took it down. owners and operators and ah it is National JJ When you crossed the ledge did you clip Nation Wide,and I believe right now there onto the rope with a carabiner for safety? are 46 member caves,, four associate memb,~ rs JB The ones that used it would just hold onto State Parks, National Parks stuff like it. I never did hold on to it. I never did. Mammoth Cave and Carlsbad are associate After I found out I could cross that bugger members, not paying members. They can't I never did need it. I knew it was there belong to an organization like that beu!use you know. they are a non-profit thing. JJ Security! JJ How long have you been a member of t his JB Right! But I never did need it. I never organization? did use it. JB Ah ... since 19 and ... 62, I believe. I JJ When did you first encounter organized have been a member since the time I was at caving? Sonora when it was first organized. JB There at Sonora. JJ Have you been going to the meetings JJ When was that? every year? JB I guess it was about 1959. JB Ya, unhuh, now we have missed, Ann and I, JJ When you did encounter organized caving have missed a couple of them, but we've in 1959, did you get involved with it? been to most of them. And it's the type of JB Yah! I did, of course I liked it, and thing, that they work with the National r-was quite a bit younger then, and I Cave symposium and like when the NSS a~d pressured it. But I never did have a, I NCA get together, like last year at Carlsbd guess you'd say a professional interest when the NSS and the NCA got together and in it.Really it was an amateurish type had that seminar thing they worked together thing 'cause I never did have enough educa with them, but the main thing for the NCA tion to go into it. is for the commercial caves of the Nation . {I Would that have been the group of cavers Ah, we each have our ideas and each one of from Abilene? these ideas can be relayed to cave owne r s JB Ah!, yeh from Abilene and from Ozona. and operators and irregardless of the size Mills Tandy was the head hauncho of the of the cave everyone there is equal as far Ozona group, and then, ah, oh, and George as say is concerned. And it is a thing that Gray from Abilene. you can actually go to and learn and one of JJ Did you officially join the TSA at that the things that we talked about this time time? and I hope we can eventually get it over to JB Yes I did, and began getting the Texas the cavers is the fact that cavers, the 111 cave owners and or caver operators should ev~ he goes into it, and cave own~rs all and must get along. over the country are getting to a point JJ Didn't you iust go to a NCA convention? where they are not going to stand for it, JB I just got back from one in Chattanooga, and it's getting to the point where, when renn. and this was brought up at the meet a caver goes cavin he's going to have to ing and I talked to several different slip in, and when he slips in and gets owners and managers about this very caught, he's going to get his butt busted, particular thing. because there's a number of these cave JJ In other words, about how the commercial owners that I guarantee if they catch a ~v e owners and managers feel about cavers? caver on their property they're going to be JB Absolutely! Ah, iust to be frank and prosecuted to the full letter of the law. truthful with ya, there is a bunch of cave JJ Was that about the main complaint that owners that could do without spelunkers, ah, the memb-ers of the NCA had about cavers fortunately we here are not that way, well, or were there others? ah , as you very well know there is two or JB That's the main complaint, of course, three commercial caves in Texas a caver when you get a group together there are don 't get into. It's their own fault, and going to be some complaints you know. There nine times out of ten, it is their own fault. were other complaints that didn't amount Ah , one of the things that was brought up to a hill of beans, but the essential thing, wa s, one of the ~aves in particular, I don't getting permission, then treating the owner want to call any names, but one in the East, or operator with a little respect. Just sa i d they had just about got to the point comin in an taken over the place is not wh er e he forbid cavers on his property if going to cut it, and it's going to get to he knew it. Because when he did allow cavers a point where the cavers are not going to to go there was a certain few that were have a place to cave and that's all there gentleman, so to speak, whenever they go in is to it. They will not have a place to go the cave and do their explorin they come out especially in this part of the country they wouldn't come through the building or because in Texas, especially, all the land anything, they'd clean up and when they come is privately owned. back in,none of the tourists would know JJ Over the years, you and I have watched they were cavers. The only way they would one cave after another here in Texas close know they were cavers is :by chance they up. saw them in the cave. But then there was JB Sure, I've seen them close by the dozens, another group of cavers, that whenever they all the good caves in Texas are either came out of the cave, they took over the commercial or closed, and a lot of the Gift Shop and everything else. They wanted commercial, well look at Sonora, look how it eve ryone to know they were cave explorers was closed. Just plain stupid, ignorance, you know. And they didn't iike that sort negligence, same thing Natural Bridge. of thing, and I've had it right here any Natural Bridge is closed to cavers, an number of times. We got a certain group occasional caver can get in there, but it is of cavers that comes out and cleans them far and few between. selves up before they ever come back into JJ Essentially all the commercial caves here the building. We got another group here in Texas are closed to general caving. that comes out and comes through the JB Right! Right! And it's easy to see why, building and leaves little dog turds all 1-.fuenever you go back in some of them and over the floor, ah mud they brought in on see the actual destruction that has been their feet, they leave it all over the caused. I can go back in this cave as you gif t shop and make no effort whatsoever well know, and show you beaucoups of to clean up. And this is the type that destruction that was done by supposidly cave owners and managers are gettin fed up cavers. And this is the reason that there with. This type is one of the reasons are as few cavers gettin in Inner Space that I quit the NSS back when I did right now and it's fastly getting to a point because it got to a point to where, ah, where there ' s gain to be a lot less than well to get right down to it there was that gain in there. We have some cavers so many darn undesirables gettin into the going in there right now causing damage, and caving world, that I decided that I'd get we know it and we know who they are, and out of it. I can still do my caving without we're fixin to put a screechin halt to it, the NSS, TSA or anything else as far as it's just a matter of time, it's a matter that is concerned. But for my own self a of catchin them at it, but we do know who caver should respect the cave owner when- it is. I think this group of cavers is 112 beginning to realize that we know t~ey have been doing damage in the cave, and when they finally do fully realize, I think CHAIRMAN'S COLUMN they will just stop ·coming to the cave, rather than to have nie tell them, ~'All right boys that's it, you've caved your last As announced at the last BOG during the time, good-bye and so-forth". I Know, I Old Timer's Reunion, the TSA Project is to mean, I'm gettin too old to actually get be held on the weekend of 31 Jan. - i Feb around and -do all the caving like I used 1981. The Neel' s project will be on Satur-' to do, and I know if it weren't for the day, the 31st and the BOG will follow on cavers most of these cbmmercial caves would Sunday. still be wild caves because it was through THE PROJECT the cavers that they were found and cavers Neel's Cave is the hydrologic downstream are essential to us. We've got to have the section of Powell's Cave. At almost 11 miles cavers •.•• but they have lost all their Powell's is the longest cave in· Texas. The respect for the owners of the commercial two caves have ·not been physically connect caves, and we are just not going to take it ed however due to an impassable sump; Pres any more. As far as the NCA is concerned, ently, Neel's has been surveyed about 1m these type of cavers are no longer welcome upstream to the sump and about 400 m down ~ in the caves. It has gotten to be a real stream. ·Most of this project's efforts will problem. be to ·survey and push doWnstream, which · hds JJ One thing that cavers have lost sight of been explored .an estimated 1~ to 2 miles. is that when a cave is commercialized, it Many leads abound and the cave is far from ceases to be a cave, so to speak, from that being well explored. If ·nearby Powell's is point on the cave is a commercial enterprise. an example, then there is still ·a great JB That's right! It's a money making project deal to find in Neel' s. Wet suits · are a must. for the people that have poured ·tons . of So · is survey gear. If you have some, then money into it. Over one million dollars was please bring it (or loan it to somebody if spent just on the cave here, and that is not you can't make it) . ·A small registration countin the gift shop. A lot of money was fee will be collected to pay for the nice spent , and is spent every day to keep the hot, tasty meal that will await your cold cave open, to keep it clean, and to have tired body as it exits the cave. If you a lot of nasty cavers dirtying up the floors plan to part'icipate on the project, contact just will not cut it at all. I guess it is George Veni; 243 s·aratoga, Sa,n Antonio, TX going to have to be left up to the cavers 78213, (512) 341-1872. Cavers who wish to to change their ways, or there will be no come along and do a couple easy trips into more caving in any commercial caves. the cave, help with surface details; or just JJ James, as you know I plan to print all enjoy the company of their fellow cavers of thi s in the TEXAS CAVER, and I am afraid are also more than welcome. All camping will that some of what you have said is going to be on the Neel ranch, so let's all be on cause a lot of hard feelings with some cavers our best behavior. here in Texas, as well as with cavers in THE BOG qther parts of the country. The Board of Governors meeting will be JB I reckon it will, but it needs to be said. held in the town of Menard. It will star t This is to be the first of several cavers at 10 am and be followed by various presen that I plan to interview .in the coming tations. All of you going on these long months. There are a number of people that are Christmas trips should have lots of good things to talk about. Those of us · unable to no longer caving, but happen to be some of I make those trips would like to hear about the cavers that pio~eered many of the finest Texas caves. I think it will be your trip. If you got something to say, pictures to show, then this is the place interesting to hear from these people, ~nd how they "felt" when they had the privilege for it. Drop George Veni a card and let hill to be the first to enter caves like Natural know you're interested so he can 'set things Bridge Cavern, Sonora, and others. These up. cavers hold a wealth of information about This weekend provides a great chance to many Texas caves that are "lost" and have do some fine caving arid enjoy the fellow not been entered in years. I will try to ship, tall tales and pretty pictures of tap this information in the hopes that it your fellow Texas cavers. It all depends on will help some new caver find more caves. you. Come along and have a fantastic· time James Jasek making this Project and BOG a success! 113 Grotto ts News
October 18, 1980: The eight entrance drops The January TSA Project and BOG will be to the water passage in Pfeiffer's Water held on January 31 - February 1, 1980, at Cav e were surveyed by five members of SAG. Neel's Cave just west of the town of Menard. They had planned to survey a few sections The location map below gives you the direc in the stream passages, but as usual like tions to the area. I have been told all the other previous planned trips, it that TSA "signs" will be set up in the area rained. co provide better directions once you get As the survey was shooting the last few this far. I have been given very little sec tions to the stream passage 28.5rn (93.5') information about camping facilities, but below the entrance, the sinkhole started if itfs like most Texas camping areas, you tak ing water and soon eight waterfalls better come .Prepared for the worst. Bring cascaded down past the cavers to the stream. plenty of your own water, food, and wet Fi ve cavers made their way up to the weather camping gear (hope we don't need surface - wet! it). Wet suits are a must for this cave. Oct ober 19, 1980: While on one of our usual Even if you don't, or can not, enter the survey trips in Inner Space, Jimmy Schroeder cave, please come anyway. Everyone is most found an ancient turtle shel~ rhat measures welcome. about 9 inches in diameter. ~ , , ~ Lundelius Unless there are any changes in the plans at the University of Texas -.:...d that is for the Project, there will be no: other t h i~ largest ever found in a Texas cave and information corning your way about it. If is at least 25,000 years old. The survey you need additional information contact: in Inner Space is going well. We recently Jonathan Justice, 841Yz EN 13th St, Abilene, closed a long loop with 0.1% error. We were TX 79601. quite pleased with this. This activity in Inn er Space is the work of the long i r,'lctive Huaco Cavers. Again, anyone want ing to do some mapping or photography in this very fine Texas cave should contact Jame s Jasek, 1019 Melrose, Waco, TX 76710, (81 7) 776-1727 horne and 753-2464 work from 7 am to 3:30 prn. November 8, 1980: Cascade Caverns and Cascade Sink were connected by Don Arburn and Randy Waters during one of several surface surveys that will eventually link up five other area caves. ~v ernber 22, 1980: The Bexar County Survey ha s been updated-by the survey of recently discovered World Newt Cave bringing the number of confirmed county caves to 148 wi th the total still rising. ~er 27, 1980: The survey of Lost Digit Cave near Cascade Caverns was begun by G~orge Veni and Randy Waters. The 12.5rn ent ra11ce drops were surveyed along with a feH upper level passages. In these passages a 4 inch Boar's tusk was discovered. At least 120m of glass and mud covered belly crawls remain to be surveyed down to a small pit dropping into a low stream pa ssage. 114 Light Duty Bolt Driver Roger BartholoMe
A convenient bolt for attaching ropes to the end. Then stop off at a welding shop a rock wall is the self-drilling anchor and have four welds made down the length o€ made by Philips Drill Co., Michigan, Ind. the driver to hold the nuts in place and to Briefly it is a 15/32 inch diameter cylinder, stiffen the driver. Leave two flat - about 1~ inches long, with a hole through surfaces on the bottom nut free of the wel4 the center. One end of the center hole is to allow the use of a wrench to remove the threaded to accept a standard thread 5/16 driver. inch diameter by ~inch long bolt. The This driver will hold up for light duty other end has hard steel teeth which do bolting and will be low in weight and small the drilling. in volume. Upon occasion it may bend The self-drilling anchor does not drill slightly but this can be remedied by laying its own hole. It has to be attached to a in on a rock and straightening it with device called a "driver" which is a solid several blows from the rock hammer. The metal cylinder about six inches long having details of construction are graphically a 5/16 inch threaded section on one end. presented in the diagram. The toothed end of the anchor is placed -Bolt Head against the rock and the driver is alter nately struck with a rock hammer and rotated until the 1~ inch deep hole is made in the rock. During the process the hole in the rock and the center hole in the anchor have to be periodically cleaned of rock dust. When the hole is deep enough, a tapered pin is pushed into the toothed end of the anchor, the whole assembly is placed in the hole and the driver is struck several times. This causes the tapered pin to split the end of the anchor and expand it against the walls of the hole in the rock. After the anchor is so set, the driver is removed and a carabiner hanger is attached to the anchor with a standard 5/16 inch diameter by ~ inch long bolt. The bolt driver which is sold commercially for the anchors is a bulky and heavy object for the cave pack. A thinner and lighter one can be easily made if one has access to a machine shop. However, most people do not have such access and in some cases have used a standard 5/16 inch diam~ter by 5~ inch long bolt for a driver. This substitute is very thin and is very easily bent by the driving operation. A more robust substitute can be easily made with a minimum of tools. Purchasing a standard thread 5/16 inch diameter by 5~ inches long bolt which is ~--No ~ld Here So completely threaded over its whole length. ~~~ wrench can Be used! Then purchase a sufficient number of steel 7/16" nuts to thread on the bolt which will leave 'l r-----standarci 5/16" diam. just less than ~ inch of thread showing on X S!" steel BOlt
1)5 ~o --
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116 A Book Review HAL LLOYD
CHALLENGE UNDERGROUND special attention . .More on the lure of caves: to modern man is touched on in this chapter . Bruce L. Bedford It Published in the United States by Zephyrus and 'in brief the story of how caving got Press, Inc., as a title in the Speleologia its real push into Brinain. series, 1975. The birth of serious caving in Britain 192 pages, hardback really began with the descent of Gaping
Can be purchased throJgh the NSS bookstore. Ghyll (GG), Britain's grandaddy of potholes,1 John Birkbeck knew descent would be nearly impossible in the full force of the stream which plunges into the yawning mouth of GG. A trench nearly !z mile long was dug , Often cavers like to kick back and enjoy so descent could be made. Bickbeck desce nde~ a session of armchair caving, a good book to a ledge 190 feet down, but had to turn of speleo adventure. There are many books back due to the water that was finding its on the how-to-do-it aimed at the novice way down. caver or would be caver and a few indepth Plans were made by local cavers for a monographs of special caving expeditions really determined assault on the pothole , and speleo history. There are fewer books but one day in August 1895, word reached covering many important expeditions in one them that their beloved GG had been descend volume, and even less covering the general ed. And to add insult to injury, the con caving phenomenon. queror had been a Frenchman. In his book Challenge Underground, Bruce The father of caving: Edward Alfred Mart el L. Bedford offers a British (British caving who was completely sold on the idea of being more institutionalized than that of scientific cave exploration by the age of the U.S.A.) point of view on a diversity of 20. Martel meticulously prepared his life the caver's world, on a global scale. lines and ladder. The stream also had to be Within the confines of this 5!z X 9 " book diverted again, via trench. Checking that are 12 full page black and white glossy his telephone was still operational, he photos, and 12 line drawings which include began his descent. As Birkbeck had done , maps of five major world caves. This volume the Frenchman landed on the ledge 190 feet is an exciting amalgamation of the things down. Despite the drenching from the fire cavers like, ie: great caves, true adventure hydrants of water buffeting him, he contin and major spelean discoveries . ued downward. Once past the ledge, the main In Chapter 1, Bedford describes with his shaft of Gaping Ghyll opens up into the flowery writing style the vivid world of biggest underground chamber in Britain, the speleo buff. The blackness, the nearly 500 feet long! Martel found that t he absolute timelessness and the silence only ladder was now hanging free and he was broken by the drip-drip-drip or the din of unable to prevent it from swinging, a white water roaring in the distance. He pendulum motion which carried him into the truly captures in words the picture of full force of the waterfall, only to be caves, here, and briefly touches some of bounced· off again and again. the reasons that cavers seek out caves. Martel's foot reached for the next rung, In Britain, caves are horizontal, potholes but instead found the stone and talas which are vertical, so the Brits make the cover the floor of GG. He was down and fully distinction caver and potholer. deserved the satisfaction of gazing up the The geologic processes of cave formation 365 feet of ladder which linked him with the and underground hydrogoly are discussed in surface., it's rungs kissed by the highest Chapter 2. In addition to the cave building subterranean waterfall in England - twice story, Bedford discusses the use of caves the height of Niagara Falls! by primitive man. Men who were the true Martel's triumph in the very core of cavemen had to overcome their fear of the Britain's major caving area gave the sport dark and unknown not out of curiosity, but the push it needed in that country. Hence, out of self survival. The famous paintings caving has mushroomed to the state it is in in the French cave Lascaux are given today in Britain, with over 16,000 cavers! 117 Chapter 3 and 4 deal with technique, with tragedy where the cavers survived by cool summaries on several caving episodes. Like headedness, sheer determination and luck. the rest of the book, these chapters are One story, of many, is related. highly interesting reading, enhanced with Sixteen year old John Stevens led a small the British twist . group into Britain's Carlswark Cavern. He Five is at best, a chapter on caving came across a sump, and being a strong specialists, ie: photography, digging, swimmer, dived happily into its black explosives and cave diving . depths. While unrestricted sumps of 20 Cave diving is covered from a historical feet are free dived today, Steven was tack po i nt of view, and certainly more detailed ling more than that, a sump of 200 feet! in Chapter 6, "The Cave Divers". The rescue team didn't have much enthusi Of f all branches of caving, diving is the asm for their task of recovering the dead mo s t dangerous, but often the most fruit body. The sump was broken, via pumps, after ful. It is the elite of caving, and a 12 hours. The first team waded in. They definite degree of reverence is manifested. found John Stevens, shivering and very much Cave divers themselves are the first to alive where he had been imprisoned in an ri dicule the idea that they are special. air pocket, 100 feet inside the sump! He They maintain that they are merely cavers had been in total darkness during the with a special interest, which is true. ordeal. Cave diving is the key to tens of thousands Chapter 10 deals with modern man's long of feet of new cave passage, as illustrated stays underground, thus "Experiments in so wel l in Chapter 6. Time" is the title. The French speleologist, Underground hazards and rescue are the Michel Siffre is the main person in this theme for Chapter 7 and serves as an excel chapter. len t introduction to Chapter 8, "The Black Chapter 11 tells of the history of the est Hour". In this chapter, nightmarish Flint Ridge-Mammoth Cave connection, from und erground tragedies and dilemma are the a British point of view. topic. Bedford relates the all to real deaths "Deep", which is the title of Chapter 12 that could have been avoided, more often tell of the descents into the world's deep than not. Most fatal accidents are due to est caves, Gouffre Berger, Pierre St. drowning and exposure, and less often to Martin and others. falls. Chapter 13 is the Epilogue, which includes One tragedy mentioned is the story of the a map of the world cave regions and notes three students who died at Die Frauenmauer areas for potential new discoveries. Also, hoh in Austria. The cave is a small cave the story of "Ghar Parau", Iran. with an entrance on each end, so a through A short glossary of caving terms is tri ~ can be made. included at the end of this fine book and The -,three entered the cave with one it's quite interesting to compare British torch, and happily strolled through until, terms to our own. halfway through, their torch went out. In summary, then, "Challenge Underground" Confident that they could complete the rest is a worthwhile addition to the bookshelves of the trip through, with only matches, of even the casual speleobibliophile. A they proceeded lighting matches and follow book for the non-caver, as well as the old ing the wall as they went. As each match salt (or shall I say "old mud"?) caver. went out, they'd grope· the walls for a di stance, then light another match. After awhile the matches went out, but they reasoned that if they followed the wall, YOUR they'd get out soon. Well, they never did emerge from the cave, at least alive. Their bodies were found close to a wall only a short distance from subscription where they struck their first match. A br ief inspection revealed the key to the tragedy, the wall they followed so faith fully was an enormous rock pillar, 150 feet has in diameter. And around the pillar, a trail of matches. Chapter 9 is titled "On the Brink" a EXPIRED section dealing with close calls and near ;;m<.;<.;J SIHl HliM 118 TEXAS SPELEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
B.O.G.
Reimer Ranch near Hamilton Pool
21 September 1980
Delegates:
Cindy Borden Abilene Grotto Randy Waters San Antonio Grotto Linda Muston Abilene Grotto Richard Fulkerson Dallas-Ft. Worth Grotto Merydith Turner Independents (GDI) E. Wayne Burks Dallas-Ft. Worth Gortto Dwain Whitis A.S.S. Barbara Vinson A.S.S. Jim Clements Corpus Christi Grotto Ralph Batsche Greater Houston Grotto Mimi Moultrup-Mims San Antonio Grotto Pat Bacak Wichita Falls
The delegates were read and approved. The meeting was called to order.
Blake Harrison ~-· Treasurers Report and read the minutes. The minutes were approved as read. There was no old business for discussion.
New business: A thank you note is to be sent to Mr. Reimer for the use of the ranch for the Old Timers Reunion. Peter Strickland was made an officer of the Texas Old Timers. The announcement was made that the 1981 Congress of Grotto is to be held in Bowling Green. There is a possibliity of new management of Devils Sinkhole due to the owners illness. Robber Baron cave is now gated.
Elections: Chairman; George Veni Vice Chairman:Jonathan Justice Secretary-Treasurer: Theresa Connolly
Announcement The next BOG is to be held Jan 31 and Feb 1, 1981 at a location to be announced at a later date.
TSA arm patches will be available for sale at the next BOG meeting. They will cost $3.00 each or four for $10.00.
(512)-686-0234 TEXAS KREIDLER ANSWERING SERV. CAVE McALLEN, TEXAS CALL COLLECT - REQUEST RESCUE CAVE RESCUE in the event of a cave emergency where spelunking techniques and equipment are needed for search anc:Yor rescue, CALL 5121 686-0234. You will be requested to leave your name and phone number and stand by. Cave Rescue in your area will return your call.
119 TEXAS OLD TIMERS REUNION
Report
Profit from 1979 $463.00
Revenue from 1980 490.00 Total 953.00
Output for 1980
Vertical contest 3.00 Beer & ice 169.00 Food & Misc.(Mike Walsh) 421.50 Texas Caver - donation 50.00 Hot Tub Expenses 10.00 T.C. Article Award to George Veni 25.00 N.S.S. for mailing labels 7.00 Postage (Mike Walsh) 45.00 Postage (Texas Caver) 43.00 Total $773.50
Intake for 1980 490.00
Total loss for 1980 TOTR $283.50
TOTAL ASSETS OF T.O.T.R. $179.50
Plus $100 in Alicia Gales checking account ----100.00 Total 279.50
Actual Assects: Savings, Checking, and Interest 321.50 Dear Jim;
Enclosed is the long list of names of thoses cavers who won TEXAS CAVER subscriptions: Bill Watkins, Paul Webb, Tom Lera, Mike Hennessey, and Charles Folder. Recipients of the Chuck Stuehm Award were Dwain Wh.itis for A. S. S .. Carol Carlson from Houston Grotto, Dan Kleinfelter from Corpus Christi, Mike Hughes from Galveston Grotto, and George Love from Southwest Texas Grotto. At this time I want to resign my position as Secretary-Treasurer of the T.O.T.R .. Let someone else have some fun. I am still willing to help out in a lesser capacity. So is John. Sincerely, Alicia Gale THE SMALL CAVE On the next page is a map of a very small several long hours went into the actual cave that George Veni and Randy Waters map survey, and even more hours into the draft ped in 1979. All of us know that there are ing. This was a very worth while project lot more small caves than large ones, and and can be repeated by any group of cavers. for the most part very little work is done It is excellent practice for the surveyor at all with the small cave. This is a and for the draftsman, and could even bring beautiful map and you can easily see that a prize in the NSS Map Salon. Give it a try! 120 T.M.I. Cave Bexar County. Texas c SUUNTO & TAPE SURVEY 2 March 1979 George Veni ; droh Iandy M. Walen p T L HORIZONTAL LENGJH :S7.8m 0 A VERTICAL EXTENT : S.4m p N .''l.· 0
NOlES: 1.1 Conlol.lt lin•• g iven In meteu M.S.L. t+ 2.) T.M . I . - •h•o• Mililor1 ln•tit~.~te • •.. ~ .... J.) Cave h developed In lhe A1.1t tin Cholll ol the Upp•r Cretoceoua, NOR I H 1973
0
~~- MUUS elev. depth dopth elev. lml lml 229. 229 PROFILE ; Along •• 227 ro 01227 226 226 ----L. 225 225 ~ • , 224 224 223 ·-·E.J=-: t-• ~~I _ l_ __ ~ •f223 222 __ L _____ I__ _ 222 Wo"RP L1 sr AsPBECMDFA 'Roc:: H ME..S E I C, F ~ BoRPC:.R R.H FA C. l L-YTF I k;."Z..M L . <;A.PTUR,"'f. Cc..v E. 'vJ,T~o u r L. E.E. L NL L TLE. A t'iAM E. DIAMOND N RN S'TU LATE. K OW'XIE. FE:.LTO N FR.r P-SI!. N H A )1 I'{ YN "Z. 0 A E BN :P (iC NAGJ ND ~<:. fYLLAN I E.. 'D s R. F R AN GtHl H,JS A 1<. '?OR.MI\N. l·hTZ.F~L 0 E.R.S 7 · S 'R N. ~ "'B N M P "1) A r1 tJ C 0 R L V 1-!ot-~E.Y CR.E.E.K.. \NWE.R.. SPACE:. 1tU 0 S LV R ETWNT")( )'lftT N E -Kt: e:t N L1.1., IJ BA<:. H ~L F ME. A nu C. ABO G,AH W""L Lo 1'1 c; 11 o Rt't McApoo B~T T H R. Mr LL..E..R.s s p u T NA.TU f\A L B 1\{ D c, f:. Powc l.\. s E. E. y N W s 'D E. H X W s E C A '/ S Rl'l.TTL.e. SNAKE. .SALT SPR.IN 9 R2KAqB L C T St-\-Ul.TZ. kcNOME L B A. K J .E H U 7... U hl'it;c; tE. y q YoP (J!;W P oy E s c7 r{TLA""RTL -~ N 'Z. t-f Y C: X 0 C L P W U ' R. y / D U B \._ A B 0 C. M :0 A. 'D E. t\ F T ~ H E- 1 R. OJ TNE.R..£ AWE 23 WORDS IN TI41S Wo -R•P HuNT,-AND SHOVeD l3E. Vf..JR'( FAMI:LAR WtTH IH1:..R.EA"DE..R..S C'F Tl·t1S t.JE.WSLGTTt=...R, At; "FI+.E:.'I ARE l':lA.P-1~~- OF S~ME OF T/={E CAVE..S Ar'JP C.AVE.R...NS H~R.£ IN TE.XAS. l4- E.. NAME: .S ARC. J U 5 T A 5 T f-1 E. Y A F? t=. I N T H E.. W 0 7'?. o L 15 T. T f{ E. ..y A R E.. ~o1 1N A s TRA 1 G H- r L r N F- How E. vE. r< • T1-1£..y Tw 1sr THE: y Tu R.l'l Tt+c:Y I I Cll~C L e. I~ NO Er:= N 1J. Cto.N YOlJ FIN -p T H E.M, ALL f? 122 back issues FOR SALE 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 JAN Of> op op 3 6P X 4lt 57 X ~ 7 1~1 Lto 51 >( - - - FEB oP OP OP 3 3~ 33 ~l ;;..9 X X 3 J&l 7'- 35S '/.. 70 95 13 MAR '1- )3 DP S't ()p 15 t,o '65 ;2.~ 3o 1.?.1 48 1'75 I 5'1 13o - -- APR 52 13 OP /S }0 31 X ;(~ )Jl 13o 45 ~0 53 3 131 97 J~' 45 MAY X X op ~7 ..4'-t ..1.1 X 3~ 4-'1 oP /So '" 2,3, 99 13o - - - JUN .'l3 CJP OP 13 13 ;).{:, 65 36 19 lt5 70 )33 I I I ~~~ I 3D 22 19't Jf(~ JUL OP OP oP 3Y 7 13 «ts5 % 79 ~5 l'tt> J33 lill b.'t 5~ - - - AUG OP op OP 5't OP 21 &5 53 ;1.8 5.5 4-9 132. 138 J;;z.R /oo 1'15 '-'3 ~a SEP OP oP II 5~ 1(, 3\ ~5 Lto 32 55 l'-3 /f>O 51 llb /0~ - - - OCT O'P 6P ~1 4~ 4- 1%1 blt 4~ 32 5S ~o'i ~2. ~D II /00 171 177 }00 NOV OP CJP ;2_3 3'2 i ~~ t.b ~ 59 55 lJ8 82 II /{)0 /oo - - - DEC OP OP f'J. 13 .;2\ 31 '+8 7~ l't S5 lit5 ls.l. 48 117 Jr>o 17.5 ll.f1 /OT> Back issues of the TEXAS CAVER are now available for sale. The quanities of each issue are indicated in each square. The letters OP indicated issues that are now out-of-print. A dash - indicates that no issue was published for this month. An X indicates that there is only one issue left of this month. Where there is only one issue left, only a Xerox copy of the issue will be sold so that it will not go OP for everyone. All back issues w1ll be sold for one dollar each including postage. Selling back issues is the only way the TEXAS CAVER has to make a few extra dollars, so help us and buy all you can. Anyone that has out-of-print issues that you would donate to the TEXAS CAVER it would be greatly appreciated. This way, cavers around the State would be able to complete their collections. These single copies would be kept and Xerox copies made. 123 during an .Indian raid. The rancher also said an older friend had told him there was a pool in the cave that he had seen as a kid. All we found were goat turds and an old blanket, which are poor substitutes for silver and water. The fifth cave was a sink with a double entrance. I went down the larger of the two entrances and looked around. The ranchers son started down next but he got about half way down when he heard a rattlesnake. He couldn't tell where it was, but after determining it wasn't in his immediate vicinity he ascended quickly. Doug and the rancher came down next after stuffing packs into the crack they figured the snake was in. I don't know how they determined this?? It was a nice sized hole compared to what we had seen so far. We gave it a quick check since the rancher wanted to go. The cave has a ten foot entrance drop, a couple of fair sized rooms , an eight foot drop and then much crawling passage. The cave has potential unchecked leads and with a little SAN SABA COUNTY, TEXAS work (digging) there could even be more (probably rivals Carlsbad). Date: Ju!y 19 1980 The rancher said as far as he knew no Cavers: Doug Symank, Alicia Gale, John Gale organized group had been in the cave, but Re ported by: John Gale on the way out, I found the letters AAECC on the wall. Does this mean anything to any We took an extremely interesting trip this one? All in all it was a good trip and we we ekend to a ranch near San -Saba. At the were invited back. Of course the dip in the request of the landowner we checked out spring afterwards didn't hurt either. several small caves on his property. The first two weren't actually caves, but were small fissures that had been blasted out by SAN JOSE' DE LAS BOQUILLAS, N.L., MEXICO pr ospectors looking for a lost indian gold mine. The three of us could fit in them at Date: August 29-September 1, 1980 once if we all inhaled and exhaled Cavers: Bobby Brooks, Hilda Briones, Jim simultaneously. The next one was a fissure Clements .. Paul Duncan, Chris cave on the opposite side of the hill. The Griffith, Carolyn Jewel, Cathy rancher had been in it but was stopped by Kerrigan, Dan Klinefelter, Jay hu gh masses of longlegs on both sides of the Jorden, Jenny Koetz, Mary , Mike fissure. There were piles about eight feet Meyer, Liz McClendron, James Will long, two feet wide and five inches deep. ingham. (Greater South Texas Grotto) The rest of the walls were covered with them Reported by Jay Jorden but not quite as bad. Doug and I climbed over the piles but were covered with them Three truckloads of Corpus Christi cavers anyway by the time we reached the other set out over Labor Day weekend on what was side. The spiders also invited their cricket billed as an introductory trip to Mexico. pals to join them for the ride. Alicia, the It was scheduled as such for the benefit of rancher, and his son went through the mass new members Hilda, Cathy and Mary. It in when they found out climbing didn't help. cluded swings through Monterrey, Huasteca There was also a large quantity of some Canyon, and Bustamante. So, although no other type of insect 1that we didn't know caving was done, the group did some hard but we brought one back to have it identifie~ traveling over 860 miles - perched on top The fourth cave looked like it had good a truck camper and barely hanging on inside potential but petered out quickly. This one cabs on the tight mountain curves. was supposed to have "X" number of jackloads Our wanderings took us to the campsite of of silver hidden in it by the Spaniards 30 or 50 Peace Corps volunteers, and camp 124 leader Dr. Stanley Bittinger. at Bustamante TEXAS SPELEOLOGICAL SURVEY Canyon. To begin the trip the trucks crossed at The following issues of the TSS are still Reynosa smoothly, with the exception of the available. They can be ordered from James payment of a mordida -- too many munchies Reddell, Texas Memorial Museum, University in the an ice chest, it seemed. Then it was of Texas, Austin, Texas 78705. on to a roadside camp late Friday night. Nestled by the road side, we were serenaded Vol. III, No. 1. The Caves of Median County all night by passing diesel tractor trailer 58 pp. $1.50 rigs which shook our tents. No. 2. The Caves of the Stockton Saturday morning we drove through Plateau, 11 pp. $2.50 General Bravo and China, then past irrigated No. 3. A Bibliographic Guide to fruit and crop fields . On a graded road to the Caves of Texas, 173 pp. Rayones, we stopped by a canyon river to $2.50 . innertube, then on into town for lunch. No. 4. The Caves of Lubbock CounFy From Rayones, we climbed further into the 20 pp. $1.00 mountains, taking a road to Cienega. Soon, No. 5. A Key to the Bats of Texas we stopped for phots at La Ventana, a 26 pp, $1.00 natural bridge at the top of a limestone No. 6. The Caves of Kimble County mountain. At the top of the 8000 foot peak 47 pp, $2.00 was a hole big enough to fly a plane No. 7-8. The Caves of San Saba through. County, Revised, 127 pp. Several thousand feet higher, we encount $3.00 ered the pine forests. Beyond a logging Vol. IV, No. 1. The Caves of Brewster and area by the side of the road, we camped. The Western Pecos Counties, 56 temperature was in the 40,s, but firewood pp. $2.00 was plentiful. No. 2. The Caves of Far West Tex~s Sunday we visited Cienega and followed a 103 pp. $3.00 paved mountain valley road to San Jose de las Boquillas. There we encountered a brief Support the TSS. Remember, they are like th.e rainstorm, which thickened the dirt roads TEXAS CAVER. Without your support they ~An considerably and forced those riding on not exist. camper tops inside. Then it was on to Cienega through a high-walled canyon. We drove to the trailhead for Huasteca and hiked down to the canyon floor. There, it News &Events rained again. There we met some other Jan. 17-18, 1981: Robber Baron Cave clean· Austin cavers. We couldn't resist stopping up. Since this historic San Antonio cave at Horsetail Falls on the way down. has been gated, it is now time to give Then we faced Sunday traffic dmm to El it the cleaning it so badly needs and Cerado and joined the bumper to bumper deserves. Contact: Randy Waters, 240 traffic to Monterrey. As usual we got lost Rosemary, San Antonio, TX 78209, (512) in the Detroit of Mexico, but got into 826-4103. Bustamante Canyon by night fall. Jan. 31 - Feb 1, 1981: TSA Project and BOG One truck got stuck at the entrance to at Neal's Cave, ~enard, Texas. See more the canyon .. No, I don't have 4WD" ... , and information in this issue. Dr. Bittinger winched him out. March 14-15, 1981: Sorcerer's Cave. Doing the technical leads, bolt climbs, I I I I I I I I I PLEASE NOTE I I I I I I I I I traverses, passage enlargements. Contact: George Veni, 243 Saratoga, San Antonio~ Early last year a caver by the name of TX 78213, (512) 341-1872. Ruff Daniels, Austin, Texas, subscribed July 18-24, 1981: 8th International Congre~s to the TEXAS CAVER. When I sent him his of Speleology. Bowling Green, Kentuck y~ issues, the post office returned them to me address unknown. If anyone knows where By the summer of 1981, the new TSS volume he is, would you please have him write or "Caves of Bexar County" will hopefully be give me his address so I can send him the out. If you have any information on any issues he paid for. Thanks, Bexar County cave, please send it to Georg~ The Editor Veni. Help make this the most complete TSS volume ever. 125 CAVE OF THE BEE SPIRITS, BEXAR CO. TEXAS the week. There were some efforts to damage the gate but because of the confined space Dates: Nov 2,4,8,9, 1980 in the entrance crawl, all they managed to do Cavers: Don Aburn, Kurt Menking, Gary Poole was scratch the paint. George Veni, Randy Haters Randy unlocked the gate and we entered the Reported by: Greg Fritz cave armed with plenty of large garbage bags to start the first Robber Baron garbage round Across from my house in the Woods of up. After locking the gate behind us, we Shavano, of San Antonio, I began digging in started gathering all the debris we could a pit which had been filled in by angry find. He quickly filled two large garbage neighbors, but with permission I removed bags with the trash we collected only 20 several feet of brick and debris on the 2nd feet from the gate. There seems to be an and 4th days of November. On the 8th I broke almost unlimited supply of broken glass, through into a large pit, amd immediately rusted cans, old batteries, and string. phoned Randy who arrived minutes later with Often times the trash is mixed with dirt and a friend photographer who took pictures of rocks or thrown into small passages and the entrance. When I had broken into the pit almost impossible to reach. earlier, strange black bees flew out of the While cleaning we would occasionally find cave at different intervals, but we did not something worth saving for the small "museum" find out where in the cave they were coming at the entrance. We found some old whiskey fr om. bottles, an old RC bottle dated 1936, and Randy and I entered the entrance pit, 3 several other old artifacts. It's becoming meters, and I started to enter the large quite an interesting collection which grows pit, 24 meters, but had much trouble sliding with each visit to the cave. over the natural bridge in the pit. Soon After four hours in the cave, we had af ter I got over the bridge and went down gathered 4 bags full of trash and several the cable ladder to the bottom of the pit. buckets of broken glass. Although this was I signaled Randy that he could enter, but far from a normal caving trip it did give he could not get over the bridge so I poked us an opportunity to observe much of the around and soon started back up the pit but caves' insect life close-up. It also made had trouble on the natural bridge so I had us realize how important it is to always to drop trousers to get out. take out of the cave everything you carried The next trip on the 15th, started out in. Maybe even carry out some of that trash pretty good when members of S.A.G. arrived that every caver stops to complain about to see the cave. Don worked on the bridge but rarely stops to pick it up. wi th hammer and chisel and soon broke it. Meanwhile Randy and Gary poked around at THE LATEST ON ROBBER BARON tl·lO other sinks and began digging at the largest one. Kurt and George entered the Randy M. Waters cave but had to leave because of bad air, so soon they joined the rest of us at the After four years of on and off work, the si nk where Gary and Randy had dug the sink SAG has now gated Robber Baron Cave a 1341 to about four feet deep, where it met a m (4400 foot) maze cave. In doing so, they small pit of about 4 meters, but it was too have caused much frustration as well as many narrow to enter so we left, but we promised potential enemies among neighborhood kids to return. who consider it "their cave". Since the 1930's. explorers have decorated the maze with miles of string, trash and much graffiti, ROBBER BARON CAVE, Bexar County, Texas using up countless cans of spray paint for hundreds of exit arrows. Just recently, a Date: November 20, 1980 good amount of new sparkling white flowstone Cavers: Kurt Memking and Randy hTaters has been hidden by shiny black spray paint Reported by: Kurt Menking by some local brats. The worst dumping of trash is in the sinkhole; up to a few tons Randy and I returned to the cave four of mixed garbage and fill have been thrown days after the gate had been installed. We in by contractors and neighbors over the half expected the entrance to be filled in decades. It is quite a mess! by the neighborhood kids in retaliation to The gate, 100 pounds of ~ inch steel plat the gate, but we were happy to see the ing, blocked by four sliding bars and two entrance just as we had left it earlier in mater locks, is ideally located at the end 126 of the snug entrance belly crawl. Any attempt This was primarily a vactation for under- to dig under would be foiled by cement and water photography, but I had discovered vertical steel rods driven deep under the that the island also had caves on it. gate. The sides are protected by a brick San Salvador was discovered by Christopher frame and solid rock above. There is very Columbus on his first trip to the New little room to do anything except unlock World. It is located 385 miles east-south the gate. Just inside we have set up a east of Miami. It is the eastern most island "museum" of old, interesting trash; some in the Bahama chain of islands. San Salvador dating back into the "teens". Trash collect covers approximately 59 square miles and ing now makes up most of the trips and in measures 12 miles by 5 miles. near future we will start removing the I discovered that one of the employees of graffiti off the walls. the lodge where I stayed had a father who Since gating it on the 21st of October knew about the caves on the island. One 1980, several attempts have been made to afternoon we took a trip to the north end of break down the gate, but the only damage the island to find this gentleman. We did. visible is a few scratches in the paint He just landed a rowboat filled with fish. job of the gate. So far so good as long After a short conversation, he took us tp as some kid does not get into dad's dynamite. San Salvador lighthouse located on the Since the sinkhole has been been a dump northeastern part of the island at the top site for over 50 years, the restoration is of Dixon Hill. This lighthouse has one of going to take quite a bit of time and the few remaining hand operated kerosene effort. Anyone is most welcome to partic fueled lamps. ipate in the .clean-up, and if you or your About 15 minutes walk on a thickly grotto would like to see and help in this vegetated trail running near the light ex-commercial cave, contact George Veni or house, we came upon a 3 foot diameter hole myself. Addresses: 240 Rosemary, San Antonio in the limestone. A shakey wooden ladder is Texas 78209. climbed down 15 feet to a small entrance room about 20 feet in diameter. Toward the BRAKEN BAT CAVE, Bexar County, Texas right side of the room, flowstone fills a large portion of the passage. Toward the Date: November 22, 1980 left of the entrance room is a dome room Cavers· Randy Waters, Gary Poole, George filled with bats. Continuing through this Veni, Don Arburn dome room is another small room about 10 Reported by: Don Arburn feet in diameter and about 17 feet high. As one looks up you will see a small one ft On the cold, wet and windy morning, while diameter skylight opening on the side of the caving in the area of Wurzbach Bat Cave, in hill. Cactus and thorns surround this northwest Bexar County, we checked a small opening on the outside. hole covered by trees. Upon seeing the At the back of the entrance room are steam emerge from the entrance, Randy small pools of water that may go back under excitedly climbed into the opening. The the walls. Cave diving may be required t o extremely contorted passage sloped down completely investigate this. If you climb for about 25 feet into a leaning fissure up to your right on the entrance flowstone, room with several leads into the upper there is a small hole that you can climb portions, plus one or two leads downward. down into and goes to a small room under Biological specimens were taken when George the entrance flowstone. joined us. Since we had little sleep the Our 70 yea_r old guide sat at the entrance night before, we rested while Gary checked while we climbed around this small cave. He the land for more openings. George exited said the cave connected with another entrance first and took the equipment with him. I farther up the hill. had trouble exiting because of the tricky We could not investigate this lead as we twisting involved. It was a good exhausting had to catch "The Chitney·· , a local bus trip. back to our lodge. Due to transportation problems, we did not get to visit some other caves on the southern end of the island. SAN SALVADOR, BAHAMAS Of course, these all have pirate gold hidden in them. Another time maybe ..... Date: July 27 -Aug 2, 1980 Po c.ny of y.,I.A kroov( Cavers: David Fuscon and Paul Johnston who *IS I~ r Reported by: Paul Johnston o:;o . s "3"'13" l.?N I Y\0) ~t1L t'i\ t=)N \ f\-..::0 ~0,;:\ Sd v-4~ <1~\1 -::10 sw~ :al\L.L'V~J..'1~ '9WOS :3~0d0ad. 0.1.. '3..L'V\~d0 <:;\C\~-vJ Qal.~Odti1 t'() '3')Na(lN9~ ""?j()O ::r.:> ()L"\.:ftl. -:a r-..' .1.'Q ru... ~aw N \ OlL9L 'X! 'O'JDM £l~l'ON J!WJad GI'V'd 0 ~L9L sexa1 'O'JEM a60JS0d 'Sfl JQ asOJia~ 6101 31¥~ :>11m1 JcMe~ sexa1 atu.