THE TEXA.S CA.V'E:I: l
D E c E M B E R
1 9 7 0 COVER: Christmas Trees? No, but our message is PEACE. That's Bill Elliott in Fallen Stalagmite Cave. Photo by your Editor.
The TEXAS CAVER is a monthly publication of the Texas Speleological Association and is published in S3.n Angelo, Texas. Material for publication should be typed double-spaced and sent to the Editor at 2302 W. Avenue J, San Angelo, Texas 76901 no later than the first of the month of publication. Grotto news and trip reports should be sent to the NEWS Editor, Mike Moody, at 306 Park Drive, Apt. 107 -C, Eueless, Texas 76039. Subscriptions are $4.00 per year for 12 issues and all subscriptions begin with the January issue. All requests for subscriptions should be sent to James Jasek at 1218 Melrose, Waco, Texas 76710. Persons subscribing · after the first of the year will receive all back issues for that year. Single copies are avaliable at 40¢ each postage paid anywhere in the U.S. (c) 1970 by TEXAS CAVER,
STAFF Editor ...... ,, ...... Carl E. Kunath News Editor,, .. , ...... , . Mike Moody Assistant Assistant. .. , ... , Glenda Kunath Proof Reader .... , , .. , .... Frodo Baggins Printer ..... , ...... , .. , Jon Everag·e ·· Assembly,, .. , ..... , .•... Rice Grotto Distribution . , , ... , . , ..... James Jasek
THE TEXAS CAVER, VOLUME XV, NUMBER 12 * * * * * * CONTENTS * * * * * *
PAGE 225 THE GENERAL OF ISES by Jay Arnold---(reprint) 227 CARTOON by Charlie Loving 228 FRENCH CAVING HAT by Billy Campbell 2 30 THE LEAD by Ken Griffin REVIEW by cek 2 3 1 WHERE THE HELL IS MY CAVING GEAR? (EPIC #3) by C~ A. Vermonger 2 3 2 CAVER OF THE MONTH---Ronnie Fieseler HELP! (Do you have it?) 2 33 THE CHAIRMAN SPEAKS (The lame duck's last gasp.) 2 34 NOTES ON MIDNIGHT CAVE by cek 2 3 5 MEMORANDUM FROM THE TSS by A. Richard Smith 2 37 EDITORIAL---Kunath's 1 1/2¢ worth for the last time. 2 38 TSS (Brewster County is next.) CAVE RESCUE? QUOTE 2 3 9 1970---THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS (Photos) 240 TRIPS---Where they went, what they did. 241 QUOTE 244 QUOTES AND ETC. 245 NEWS & HISTORY 246 NOTICE: BOG MEETING SPELEO-MAR T CARTOON by Bill Elliott EXPIRED! 247 INDEX FOR 1970 TEXAS CAVER The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 Page 225
THE General Of lses
By Jay Arnold, NSS #6482, SCG Herein unfolds the sad tale of General Ises. He was once a noble fellow, known far and wide for deeds of heroism and strength. Many a speleoexploit dangled from his lordly reputation and fear and awe were instilled by him into young and old alike. He was a fine personage indeed. But then, alas, as fate would have it, this fearless denizen of the world beneath our feet fell impossibly in love with his one and only true desire, THE CAVE. Ah, it was a romance to stir the heartstrings of even the most carbide-encrusted of trogs. For the Cave's treasures were imense, indeed, nearly untapped, and quite fabled among those in the land of gold. Thus it was that feverishly and with un paralleled en.ergy and drive the General set out into the depths of his oh so dear cavern, wrenching as he did, by the love beads of his brow, her innermost secrets and mysteries. None knew the Cave so well as he. It was soon said tho, that the affair of poor Ises had become too strong, that the sweet inner atmospheres of the Cave are too overwhelming to the sensitive soul and that what once was a lover's tryst had turned illicit and sour. "Nonsense!" cried GeneralIses to those who would point the salacious finger and in the quiet of the campground and meetings of Grot yell "shame!" for our Gen eral would hear none of their talk, he cared only for his Cavern so dear and her soul-soothing wonders by which him she had possessed. The love affair grew and grew until those watching sighed, "He goes simply too far! It will be his ruin! Poor soul!" and oh how the air was rent with shrieks from his admirers of old. For it was their hero, the magnificent GeneralIses of legend ary fame who had drunk too, too deeply of the forbidden waters of the cave. And soon the closer admirers of the stricken Lord began to notice some dark and sinister changes in the once noble Ises. He spoke no longer of THE CAVE, as it was for so long known, but alas to him it became the cherished one, the deepest and most intimate, the most holy of all holies. He forsook the magical history of the cavern and commenced to whisper to it in the most awful of heathen ceremonies and called it by a new name-- -MY CAVE! "But oh, he goes this time much too far, fellow Trogs. I say to you he must be stopped ere it is too late!" And again the air over the golden kingdom was pierced by woebegone wailing from the faithful. Secret plans were made, hushed proposi- • tions were put about among the masses all in hopes of rescuing their glorious Lord, GeneralIses. The General, however, canny thing that he was, heard the cave murmur to him of impending danger. "Beware, my lover,'' it sighed to him in every crevice and cranny where they had for so long and so passionately gamboled. "Beware of those who would detract, oh General, and of those who would try to come between us and take you away. Don't let them do it! You must stop them, my lord." And thus in the unholiest of diabolitry did whisper the cave to our General once so fair. So the General, bereft of his senses and plunged into utmost of despair in the face of a possible end to his unquenchable affair, chose to turn his back on admir ers of old, fellow travelers of the deeps, once so dear. And in his lust-besotted brain he concocted the ULTIMATE PLAN. "I shall present the ULTIMATE PLAN Page 226 The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 to that most powerful god, the NSS. They shall save my cave. Yes, they must! They will!" And so the hapless General, once so fair, forged in the dark recesses of his now inaccessible brain the intricate workings of the ULTIMATE PLAN and laid his masterpiece at the feet of great god NSS. But the magnificent spirit leaders of those who trod in the paths of the underworld would not have it. "We are busy elsewhere, 11 they stormed. "Do not bother us with your plan!" With this, the General returned to his illicit lover of now many a year and wailed "They will have none of it, my cave. What am I to do?'' His sobs were most piteous indeed. For a long moment the great cavern lay in the most abysmal of silences with only the steady drip, drip, drip of her heartbeat to be heard. And then she whispered ''Go, my love, to the NPS ..• the NPS ..• NPS ..• NPS.'' As if struck awake from a dream the now desperate Ises leaped up, raced through the majestic redwood vale, and charged directly to the nearby control center of the even more powerful god NPS. And the NPS did listen, oh how they listened, indeed, to the tale of woe as it un folded from the poor General's soul. ''Gather about thee trusty slaves and stout re sources and material and we shall bestow upon your spelean brow the title of RULER OF THE CAVE!" Such did the NPS decree. Oh there was an abundance of new found joy in the deranged General's heart. "My cave, my cave, my cave!" he shreiked from the heights of the most mighty mounts and from the pinnacles of the most towering of trees. "But caution, my dear," whispered the cavern so beloved, "you must not allow the infidels to come again with their heavy soles and blinding flashes to further track and bespoil the innards of my bosom. You must hinder and restrict them so that their interest in me wanes. They must be stopped!" So the General declared himself General of Ises and would a many and complicat ed stricture into the ULTIMATE PLAN deviously designed to foil all challengers save only the most subservient and pliant. "I am your leader!" he thundered to the assembled multitudes, for many had awaited the unveiling of the ULTIMATE PLAN. "No longer shalt thou trespass into the most holy and sensitive labyrinthian depths of my cave. No more! Only I, and I alone, shall deem and properly anoint those of my disciples who shall assist me in the ULTIMATE PLAN. The old and wise among the former faithful cried "It is too much! We cannot tolerate it! We cannot pledge ourselves to the ULTIMATE PLAN! We rebel! Nay, nay,oh GeneralIses, we shall not be your slaves. You may dwell in the most vile of your incestuous ways. We shall not save you when you cry out in need. 11 And they went away from him. And indeed, as they had foretold, it was not long ere cry in need he did, for there were not enough of the faithful to perpetrate the ULTIMATE PLAN. His dis ciples searched high and low for the neophyte and the subservient. "We must have more" bellowed the now enraged General. "Bring me more slaves!" But there were no more to be had, for the faithful of old, with the wisest among them as the new lords, now spread far and wide into other lands in search of new and greater spelean riches. And they found that, indeed, nearby treasures did abound. Yes, they discovered new and more incredible wealth in other not-to-distant places. Soon forgotten was THE CAVE of old, for to the aged it became merely a bold tale of adventure and conquest to be imparted to the young upcoming denizens of the underworld who had never heard tales of GeneralIses and his immortal partner in lo ve. The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 Page 227
And so the General with only a dwindling remainder of his disciples raged on year after year in the silent catacombs of THE CAVE, totally oblivious to the howls of scorn and derision and of whispered questions passed about among mem bers of the outside masses. And far from successfully fulfilling the tenents of the ULTIMATE PLAN, the maddened General merely floundered about in uncer titude and allowed the ULTIMATE PLAN to fall by the wayside. And with that our sad but true tale ends, hopefully with us the wiser and the poor General the more to be pitied. But perhaps it may be that lessons are. learn ed from such sagas of woe so that other men shall not in times to come again tread the debilitating paths of pettiness, misanthrope, and ultimately sorrow.
Reprinted from California Caver, Volume XXI, Number 4, December 1970. * * * * * * * * * * * * *
··----..... -~, Page 2 28 The TEXAS CAVER, December 1970 FRENCH CAVING HAT by Billy Campbell
This rig c a n e nd fore v er the scalp muscle cramps and spasms suffered by car bide freaks afte r m any hours of caving. The helmet doesn 1 t work itself down over the eyes, long hair or short. l 1 v e trie d moving the generator to the belt and piping the acetylene to a helmet mounte d r e flector (ref. Speleo -Dige st, 1960), but the plumbing creats a real hassle in picture taking , crawls, vertical work, or in just r e mov ing the helmet. Keeping all parts mounted on the helmet is much more conve ni e nt. By mounting the gene rator on the rear of the helmet, the load is transfe rred from the eyebrows to the hat suspe nsion and chin strap. The generator is modified in two ways. First, afte r removing the tip and re Hector, a one inch leng th of 3 /16 inch copper tubing is inserted into the tip holder and solde r e d in place . And second, the hook is remov ed by filing the heads off the rivets (Solde r the riv et holes closed.). The tub e fitting and neoprene tubing can be found at an auto parts supply. First, drill throug h the fitting with a 3/16 inch drill, then drill 1/4 inch deep with a No. 3 drill. Now lig htly tap a Jewell tip into the No. 3 hole to form the taper. Check the wing nut on the threads and if too tight, spin the fitting in a drill chuck and file off the thread 0. D. Complete the modifications by hacksawing off the pipe threads and solde ring the 3 /16 inch tube in place. The r e fle ctor bracket should be positioned on the h e lme t so the reflector is aimed a bout 10° down. The g ene rator bracket should be positioned so the bottom of the generator may b e r e moved w ithout unclamping the generator. The copper tube added to the gene r a tor should be bent upward to minimize the bend in the neoprene tube. Oversize hole s are drille d in the helmet for the neoprene tubing to pass through. Cut the tubE a little long so it is forced to curve around the top of the helmet.
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fB DIA X f/s LO.VG 'AJp'' __/ RIVET S INS T4LL FROM INS IDE. O.C f-IA T Fi The brackets are attached to the helmet wi.th 1/8 inch diameter 11 pop" rivets. With a bracket positioned as described above, mark the bracket for 6 rivet locations. Remove and drill the BRACKET ONLY. Now reposition the bracket and drill the hat through the bracket, installing a rivet after each hole is drilled. Rivets should be installed from the inside of the helmet so the expanded end is outside. Any pro trusions left inside the helmet could end up invading your mind. I also riveted my chin strap to the helmet, rather than attaching it to the suspen sion. A safe chin strap has a weak link which would break before the helmet could hang you. -.2130 D/4 I uUO. 3 D/!ILL.) -- - - 1 ' --.------:-T I . I I ------~ _j_ ~-~~~~~- I -~-- -- -...J r 5.40 I / -Jia /2 TYP /) TI2UE ~ REFLECTOR BRACKET M4TE/?IAL: ffeo ALUMINUM 5/..I££ T I ~3.50 - ~ r------5. 40 ~I r-r-. 200 --- .75 :-- \ - r- 1 1 .75 1 .. BEND LINE ~ L_ BEND TO MATC/-1 -...... _ \ I I COIJTOUR Of: l-t4 T ...... ______'\ \I 3.50 \ TVP \ \ L!J \ !il Q ryp - \ ' 1· . - - - 3.75 ----=J - - 187 ----J r-- /.50 ---~ I I I I l 1-.2;- l I ~ ~ - - i\ _ _1_ J25 l-- --- 3.00 "'~-l \_13/64 0/A GEN £RATOR CLAiV/ P I 2 !-IOL£5 MATEk'I/.J,L : h.., ALUM I/\/UM 51-f:OE T ~Ao DIA I-IDLE GENERATOR BRACKE T MATEk?IAL: Uta ALUMINUM S/-J6ET Page 230 The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 THE LEAD by Ken A. Griffin While in the Carlsbad area for the TSA project, the members of my group de cided to check a cave lead near White City. I first heard the rumor from a hung over mechanic in Carlsbad. He and I were working on a severely damaged oil pan (which happened to have a honky LeMans attached to the upper portion). The oil pan was mine (the LeMans belongs to my bank). The damages were incurred on the McKittrick Turnpike. The bloody-eyed mechanical genius noticed my TSA tatoo, my caving boots (tear stained), and asked if I was a ''free-lunker". I corrected his grammar, explained to him that the word should be spe-lunker, and reminded him that we were working on the oil pan. He belched for about three minutes and proceeded to tell me of a big hole in the ground not more than 16 miles out. · The description sounded interesting and I be came quite excited when he told me of the legendary gigantic entrance and possible miles of passageway. When he saw he had me hooked, he called for Buck, the owner of the place, to join in: on the story. They looked each other in the eyes and grinned while my mind was racing with tunes of glory at being the one to tell the fools on the hill about the find of the year. Then the mechanic said to find it would be easy. "Tee hee. Just follow the road till you come to a government building, go in, buy a ticket, and then go in Carlsbad Caverns!" Yuk Yuk, Haw Haw, Skeeze, Snicker ..• and the two went into a seizure of the most lewd and organic -sounding laughter I've ever heard. I just turned pale and then crimson and set a match to a Mexican cigar, which made me turn green. Despite my humilitation, I gathered my companions and we took the early morn ing "walking tour" which was a delight in spite of the tourists. About four million pictures were taken in the "Big Room" by our party. I didn't have my camera so I was appointed director of lighting (I carried the flashbulbs). At any rate, the tour was great (if somewhat sterile) and we enjoyed the adventure. The ''rumor" checked. * * * * * * * * * * * * * REVIEW Caverns Of The World by Alonzo W. Pond, W. W. Norton and Company, Inc., New York , 17 8 pages, Illustrated. This is another addition to the growing number of "introductory" books about caves and caving. Though obviously written by and for an amatuer, the book is moderately interesting and manages to avoid most of the common errors found in books of this type. How ever, Mr. Pond refers to Davies as "Davis" (pg. 11); inanely titles a chapter •tTrickle and Puddle Formations" (pg. 26); refers to Burton Faust as an "amatuer" (pg. 67); sanctions the "ball of twine" thing (pg. 169), and generally fails to give the reader much needed information. Nowhere in the book is the NSS mentioned nor is the reader given any address to use in acquiring more information. Additionally, no credits are given for the photographs. Read this one if you have already read the others, but don't recommend it to your friends. cek The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 Page 231 Epic# 3 ... THE AFTERMATH OF CARTA VALLEY OR ? Where The Hell Is All My Caving Gear • by C. A. Vermonger This tale begins with the end of the fateful, hateful trip to Carta Valley as des cribed in the October issue of the TC. It seems that as the car of the Dallas-Ft. Worth cavers was being unloaded, about half of the gear inside did not belong to any of the cavers in the car. A great mystery. Further searching disclosed the fact that Ed Fomby was minus one of his jungle boots. Where was it? Ronnie Fieseler remembered that Jon Vinson had wound up with Barry Beck's camera and other assorted gear. Maybe the junk in the car was more of Barry's. But then they real ized that Barry would not have such a mountain of goodies. There was enough 'stuff to supply three or four people-- -maybe $300 worth. What a haul! The problem of what to do with the plunder arose. The only clue was the mysterious name "Aycock" on one of the duffle bags (Don't cavers mark their property anymore?). Bob Lloyd said he would write Barry Beck. This was just the start. Before Bob could write Barry, he received a call from Barry, who wanted to know about his camera. Bob told Barry that Jon had it. Fine; did Bob have any more gear? Hell yes! In fact, Bob told Barry, "Some poor guy named Aycock was lucky to get home with his underwear, because I've got most of his gear in my car." Barry replied, "That's about all he did get home with because I've got the rest of it!" Then came the question-- -where does he live? Alas, no one knew. Who was Aycock? About this time, Jon received a letter from Louise Power asking if Jon had lost a 10 -narrow jungle boot which she had found in her VW. Shortly afterward, Jon wrote Ronnie Fieseler telling him about the boot and asking him about some gear belonging to a guy named Aycock. Ah yes, part of the great mystery became clear to Ronnie who then called Bob and told him to write Jon and tell him about Aycock's stuff. Ronnie later saw Ed Fomby at Mike Moody's house and informed him of the location of his wayward boot. He also questioned Ed as to the reason he had lost or left his boot in Louise's VW. Ed could find no explanation. He claimed to have stashed both boots under Jon's truck before crashing Saturday night. Bob finally got in touch with Aycock and mailed him his duffle bag. He also told him to contact Barry in Houston for the rest of the junk. The preceeding flurry of letters and telephone calls solved part of the "Case of the Great Mi,x-Up". The Case still has some loopholes. There is still unclaimed gear. Cavers are looking for lost items . . An Alpine caver writes Jon-- -"Do you have my caving gear? 11 "No", replies Jon. "Write Bob Lloyd, Barry Beck, and anyone else you can think of." So he writes them---"Do you have such and such items?" "No, I have some other stuff. Do you have friends that are missing anything?" Bob even gets a letter from some caver in Louis ana---" Do you have anything of mine? 11 "No, write Jon Vinson, Barry Beck, Dwight Deal, and Carl Kunath." So the story goes. Where will it stop? It is doubtful that such a fiasco will ever get straightened out. It appears that Aycock has learned his lesson even if no one else has for Carl Kunath and Ronnie Fieseler reported that they observed Aycock attached to his duffle bag by a short length of stout chain the entire weekend of the Terlingua Chili-Cookoff. Indeed, it seemed that he was extra watchful. By the way, does anyone have my G.I. surplus air matress? Page 2 3 2 The TEXAS CAVER, December, 197 0 Ronnie Fieseler began caving with the Dallas -Ft. Worth Grotto in the summer of 1964 and soon became NS.S member #7939. He was very active in the Grotto and made trips to Arkansas and New Mexico as well as the usual Texas trips. After graduating from high . school, he entered college at Arlington and in 196 8 joined the Marines after having worked for a time at LTV. Ronnie fought in the front lines at Da Nang and returned to caving after 13 months in Viet Nam. He soon became active in caving again and is fast becoming a prominent figure in Texas caving. Ronnie was elected Vice-Chair man of TSA at the Convention and re-elected to that office at the TSA Project "Hobbit's Holiday" which he so ably managed. In his spare time he also edits the Carta Valley Newsletter and takes cave pictures, an art at which he is fast improving. Famous for his everlasting good humor and willingness to go caving anywhere, anytime, Ronnie is always a welcome addition to any cav-ing trip. You can read m 'ore about Ronnie elsewhere in this issue, and be sure to keep an eye ope n fo r a bearded prankster in a Chevy 4x4 pickup wherever cavers gather. C ongratulations and the COM Certificate to Ronnie Fies e ler ! Mike Moody/cek * * * * * * * * * * * * * I HELP • H ave you seen the map of 0-9 Well? Long thought to be merely missing (i. e . in Bill Russell's closet), it is now feared lost for real. It was last seen on the registration table at the Cascade Caverns Project in September, 1969. It may or may not have been in a triangular paper mailing tube. It is very im portant that this map be recovered as it is the one and ·only copy extant. Perhaps you or one of your acquaintances ended up with this map somehow. Please ask around a nd search through your junk. We are so anxious to recover this map that we are even offering a reward for it's return-- -a free year of the CAVER! Contact the TEXAS CAVER or A. Richard Smith if you know anything! The TEXAS CAVER, December, -1970 Page 233 The Chairman Speaks By the time you read this, the year of my Chairmanship will undoubtedly be over and it is proper at this time to look back on the year and its activities and see what we have or have not accomplished in the Texas Region. In many instances we can pat ourselves on the back; on a few others we can't. I personally am quite pleased with the way things are going in the TSA but this isn't to say I am satisfied. Let's look back a little. In the January TC I made several admonishments to you cavers of Texas to help get us out of the drag we'd gotten into---to go caving, to train others, to be safe, to improve relations with landowners, to find new caves, · etc. In the grand scheme of things, we have been basically successful. How ever, we have not reached the point of ultimate success. · I didn't imagine that we would. It is a slow process, but we are once again on the way to an active, organized group that can be proud of its accomplishments. The Texas caving year of 1970 has seen many new cavers brought into the world. For their own good and ours, the work must be kept up in the future. The year has seen a wide expanding of friendships as many caving/social activities throughout the state have brought cavers together. Such things as the San Angelo BOG meeting in January, the many Carta Valley functions, the convention at San Marcos, the A&I Caver Body Roast on Padre Island, the excellent project at McKittrick Hill. •••••••• yes, it was a good year for cavers and caver relations hips. And it was, due to that fact, a good year for caves. Not that a great number were found or explored (though a few were), but the great wound in the side of TSA---the lack of able, and willing cavers---was quickly healing. It is on this one point that I will proudly say that I was pleased with my year as Chairman of the TSA. If my year in office has in any way helped the TSA return to or surpass it's former state of activity, I will feel that I was successful as TSA Chairman. But as I look back, I can't help but see dozens of other people in the TSA who were helpful in getting it going again. I hesitate to mention names for fear of leaving some out, but if you need the complete list, read the TC-- -they are all there. However, I must point out a few who have helped me and the TSA in our progress this year. The first and most important of course are those who were instrumental in reviving the TEXAS CAVER, the voice of TSA. Among those were Carl and Glenda Kunath, Jon Vinson, Russ Harmon, Ronnie Fieseler, Suzanne Wiley, James Jasek, and Terry Raines. Without this publication, or one like it, the job of rebuilding the TSA will never be done. The whole of the Texas Region should be proud of the fine job the staff has done. Carl and Jon did a fine job of setting up the January BOG and plan ning the fellowship. It was a great meeting and a great party. The SWT cavers did an outstanding job .on the Convention. The next Vice Chairman will have to get on the stick to continue the example set by David Meredith in 1969 and continued at San Marcos in 1970. Special thanks to Brian Peterson, Blake Harrison, Mike Walsh, my wife, Jill, and the others who carried the load. _ The A& I Beer Bust and Body Roast was a great success, not so much from an organization standpoint, but because it was well attended and attracted cavers from all over the state. Thank you all for coming. Perhaps the most significant contribution of the year was, to some degree, the result of a carry-over from 1969. That being the many uninhibited souls from around Page 234 The TEXAS CAVER, December, · 1970 the state who gathered at Carta Valley and comprised the most active group in the state. Even though some people in hypocritical places have bad-mouthed the CV bunch, they cannot honestly deny that between ceremonies and rituals, the CV SUCKS has been the cavingist group in TSA. No one who was there can fail to recognize the great job done by our mid-year V -C in planning and pulling off the record breaking McKittrick Hill Project. A tip of the hard-hat to Ronnie Fieseler, C. A. Vermonger and the rest of the Dallas-Ft. Worth bunch who worked up the Project. And last of all, a very special thanks to each and every one who went caving, trained a caver, drew a map, or did whatever you could to promote caving in Texas. Without you, the TSA would not exist; without your continued support, TSA will not exist in the future. In closing, I must remind everyone that we have a new Chairman for 1971. Barry Beck is very capable and dedicated to the Texas Region. Give him and the TSA your full support. Only in this way, when I see the state active in caving will I be able to feel that I may have contributed something to the Region during my year as Chairman. Thank you for electing me and supporting me. Yours in caving , TSA Chairman 1970 PS: I have two other thank yous to make that are more personal than official. First, I want to thank Carl Kunath, John Kreidler, Terry Raines and anyone else responsible for my Caver of the Month Award. That is an award that should be looked on proudly by any of it's recipients. Secondly, Jill and I want to express our deepest thanks to all our caving friends who attended our wedding at NBC in August. Without you as spectators, ushers, and other helpers, I'm convinced it would have had too much · resemblence to any common, ordinary, run-of-the-mill honky wedding. You were a part of it and helped make it different. Thank you. (Ed. note: A job well done, Gill! Gill's address until mid February is: 2lt. Bradley G. Ediger 454-76-2133, STUOFFCO/SESS Class #11, . Ft. Gordon, Ga. 30905.) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Notes On Midnight Cave Today ( 14 December 1970) I received the December 1969 issue of the TEXAS CAVER and was able to read about Midnight Cave as it was 2 years ago. During the last two years, little has happened that is worthy of addition to the story ex cept that a certain Houston caver insists of becoming lost while trying to return to his car and the cave is receiving a tremendous amount of traffic. The owner has been exceptionally patient with the vast hords of cavers which have inundated his prope rty at increasingly regular intervals, but the handwriting is on the wall. Therefore, it has been decided that the cave will be gated in the immediate future. Possibly, the road leading to the cave may be gated as well. In anyevent, please be extra courteous in this area, and be sure to check with the owner before attempting to visit the cave. Let's keep this cave open for the enjoyment of all. cek The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 Page 235 TEXAS SPELEOLOGICAL SURVEY Box 7455, University Station Austin, Texas 78712 MEMORANDUM TO: All Texas Cavers FROM: Dick Smith, Editor RE: Unmapped Texas Caves Why haven't these important Texas caves been mapped? COUNTY CAVE OONER LOCALITY BANDERA Ennnett Wilson Cave Ennnett Wilson Leakey Station "C" Cave No. 1 Claude Hans Station C Station "C" Cave No. 2 Claude Hans Station C Swallow Cave Les Short Station C BEXAR Headquarters Cave U.S. Gov't Camp Bullis BLANCO Davis Blowout Cave Davis Fredericksburg T Cave Unknown Unknown BURNET Bad Air Cave-Rock Bridge Cave System D.E. Snelling Spicewood Beaver Creek Caverns Unknown Burnet CHILDRESS Found Cave Sam Vest Childress Lonesome Cave Sam Vest Childress Lost Cave Sam Vest Childress Needle-Eye Cavern Sam Vest Childress COMAL Bartels Cave Arno Bartels Spring Branch Brehnnner Cave Henry A. Stahl New Braunfels Plumly Cave H.C. Plumly Spring Branch Spring Branch H.C. Plumly(?) Spring Branch CROCKETT Friend Bat Cave Joe Friend Ozona Morris on Cave Marbury Morrison Ozona Water Cave Sam Mann Ozona EDWARDS Hilltop Cave John Whitworth Carta Valley EL PASO Hueco Mountains Shaft Helms (?) Hueco Mountains HAYS Boyett's Cave Mrs. Gertrude Klunkert Wimberly Halifax Bat Cave Robert Nance Kyle Taylor Bat Cave Mrs. Marian K. Taylor Bud a Wimberly Bat Cave Ide Brown, Manager Wimberly Winnie Phillips Bat Cave Winnie Phillips Kyle HUDSPETH Coates Blow Hole Eagle Mountains Ranch Hot Wells IRION Mertzon Cave Unknown Mertzon KENDALL Alzafar Cave H. Marvin Koepke Boerne Cascade Caverns Sinkhole J. Bridges, et al.Boerne Century Caverns-Dead Man's Cave System See Manager Boerne Little Water Cave Unknown Bergheim Prassell Ranch Cave Dick Prassell Boerne Schwarz Cave John Schwarz Boerne Page 236 The TEXAS CAVER, Dece·mber,. 1970 COUNTY CAVE OWNER LOCALITY KERR Adam Wilson's Cave Mrs. A. Wilson Hunt Secor's Cave Mrs. Stone Mountain Home KINNEY Palace Cave C.W. Carson, Mgr. (?) Barksdale Schwandtner Cave #1 (or #2) Buster Schwandtner Brackettville LAMPASAS Battery Cave-Fuzzy Fissure System Jackson Nix Jackson One-Bat Cave Jackson Nix Slippery Fissure Jackson Nix Sullivan Knob Cave Jackson Nix Upper Milliped-Lower Milliped Cave System Jackson Nix . LLANO Enchanted Rock Cave See Manager/Owner Enchanted Rock MASON Glory Hole Hugo Schulze Mason James River Bat Cave Thad Ziegler Mason Keyser Cave Henry Keyser Mason Kothmann Cave Dorothy Kothmann Mason Loeffler Bat Cave Hermann Loeffler Streeter Mason Bat Cave Hugo Schulze Mason Mill Creek Cavern Walker White Mason MEDINA Cataract Cave A.J. Schuchart Mico Ney Cave Jos. F. Morris Bandera MENARD Neal's Cave Neal Estate Menard Silver Mine Unknown Menard REAL Ore ll Bat Cave Bill Orell Leakey Perry Water Cave Mrs. M.S. Perry Leakey Skeleton Cave Bill Orell Leakey Turkey Pens Cave Harry Jenkins Vance SAN SABA Richland Springs Cavern Miller (?) Rocksprings Springdale Ranch Cave K.K. Taylor . Rocksprings SUTTON Caverns of Sonora Stanley, et al.Sonora Galbraith Cave Billy Galbraith Sonora Harrison Cave D.J. Harrison Sonora TERRELL Adams Cave Leo Adams Dryden TRAVIS Dead Dog Cave No. 2 E.V. Wupperman(?) Austin Ireland's Cave Geo. Ireland Oak Hill Jack's Joint B. Sherrod Liberty ·Hill Penney's Cave C .C •. Roe Oak Hill . UVALDE Carson Cave J.H. Massingill Mantell Dripstone Cave Word Sherill Sabinal Grating Cave Wayne Winn Uvalde Tampke Ranch Cave Tampke Utopia Whitecotton Bat Cave J.H. Massingill Mantell VAL VERDE Abominable Sinkhole Abb Rose Comstock Cave 8 UoS. Gov' t Del Rio Dondole Cave R.J. Everett · Pandale Four-Mile Cave Arturo Gonzalez Del Rio Sotol Cave Dink Brite Del Rio WHEELER Unnamed cave (Between Big Mouth & Small Unknown Shamrock Mouth Caves) WILLIAMSON Beck Sewer Cave E.O. Beck Round rock Mural Cave Unknown McNeil WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS WEEKEND?! The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 Page 237 EDITORIAL December: A month when readers are traditionally subjected to the doddering sum mations and prognostications of Editors. In some ways, it is difficult to believe that a year has pas sed, but brief reflection soon convinces me that the nightmare was actually fact. Perhaps the most difficult part of the year was picking up the pieces of the CAVER from 196 9 and having to arm-wrestle at that. It required about three months to really get things moving again. Once in operation, the response was gratifying. Regular subscribers increased from 135 to 235, an increase of almost 7 5o/o. Most disappointing was the lack of support from individuals who know better. The CAVER staff changed considerably in these last 12 months. Russ Harmon did a fine job with the NEWS and TRIPS sections untit he relocated to State College; Terry Raines was an excellent but busy printer; Jon Vinson was a helpful assistant for the first few months. Of the original staff, only three remain. Fort unately, Mike Moody, Jon Everage, and the Rice cavers have stepped in to help do the job. James Jasek has done a spectac ular job with mailing the CAVER and handling new subscriptions. My wife, Glenda, has played a vital role as a "fail-safe" on the grammar and punctuation in the TC., and how she put up with all the flack she received passeth all understanding. And last but not least, we all are indebted to Frodo Baggins for his unflagging good humor, encouragement, and guidance during this past year. Many who subscribed in 1970 did so on faith alone. To these people we offer a grateful thanks! To the skeptics, non-believers, and no-accounts, we offer a hearty o/o*#~t!'! buddy! The free CAVER subscription which is ( awarded for the best article submitted to the J ) CAVER by a Texan goes to Bill Elliott for his ( ( fine article ''El Sotano De Soyate" which appear- l ed in the April CAVER. The decision was not an easy one for I should like to remind you of / the excellent article "The Birthday Pas sage" by Gill Ediger; Ronnie Fieseler's fine series of articles on the caves of McKittrick Hill; the nice articles by Roger Bartholomew, James Jasek, Bill Russell, and the list goes on •.•••. Finally, I take this opportunity to announce that this is the last TEXAS CAVER that I shall edit. My reasons are -multiple, but mainly 1) Rotation of the Editorship will assure a continual flow of new and Page 238 The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 hopefully better ideas. 2) I'm overworked and s .eldom have time to go caving any more, and that won't get it. 3) Being a member of three other staffs besides that of the CAVER leaves little time for them which is unfair. 4) The surveys of Carta Valley, Endless, and Caverns of Sonora need to be unearthed and continued. To the new Editor I bequeath a legacy consisting of a caught-up and for the most part on-time newsletter with a well-oiled and efficient staff to assist him. I also leave a small cash balance and no outstanding bills. I fervently hope that you will give him even better support than you gave me. I like to think that you got a better newsletter this year than ever before; 1971 can be better still with your help. Your new Editor is Ronnie Fieseler who currently resides at the address listed inside the cover. You all know Ronnie is a worker---make sure you do your part to help. I leave the CAVER with not a little sense of nostalgia, for it truly does become a part of you, and with a vast sense of relief at the unshouldering of a teriffic responsibility. I hope you enjoyed the year. PEACE, Cd-- * * * * * * * * * * * * * TEXAS SPELEOLOGICAL SURVEY Up and coming from TSS is "The Caves Of Brewster County". If you have any information on the caves of this county be sure to submit it immediately so that it may be included in this report. Send information to: A. Richard Smith Box 7455 U. T. Station, Austin, Texas 78712. * * * * * * * * * * * * * Cave Rescue? · The San Angelo Standard Times carried an article ( 13 December 1970) about a c ave rescue near Del Rio. A party of two airmen from Laughlin AFB got into a bind whe n one forced a siphon (or near siphon) and was unable to return, His friend went for help and returned with the Del Rio Volunteer Fire Department and the Park Se:::::-vice who effected the rescue, Apparently, the fearle~:?S fellow suffered no last ing ill effects. The cave "which borders the Rio Grande" sounds a lot like Diablo Cave. Is it significant that in spite of our avowed widespread distribution of the booklet "Your Cave And You" none of the listed persons was called on for assistance? Or w e re they? If you hear anything more about this, let the CAVER know, * * * * * * * * * * * "Nobody does more caving in Texas and provides less information about it to the TSS than Bill Russell." A. Richard Smith, 1970 The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 Page 239 ····--- THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS. CHILI CHICKIE THE JANUARY BOG MEETING THE CV TANK BRIDGEMON'S BAD DAY THE EDIGER- MOODY WEDDING AT NBC Page 240 The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 DATE: ? DESTINATION: Devil's Sinkhole PERSONNEL: W. H. Howie, Doug Nunnelly, Bill Wright, and Scott Harden. REPORTED BY: Scott Harden We entered the cave and climbed around on the breakdown mountain. Bill took a few pictures and we headed out. We had planned to visit Blowhole or Chivo Cave , but w e nt home instead. DATE: 10-11 October 1970 DESTINATION: Endless Cave, Dry Pot, New Mexico PERSONNEL: Wally Hughes, Calvin Hurst, and Bob Lloyd. REPORTED BY: Bob Lloyd The purpose of the trip was to allow Wally and Calvin to become more familiar with the McKittrick Hill caves. We spent most of our time exploring and picture taking in Endless with only a quick trip to Dry. DATE: 24-25 October 1970 DESTINATION: Cottonwood Cave, New Mexico PERSONNEL: 24 DFWG cavers. REPORTED BY: Mike Moody To give our new people a taste of New Mexico caves, we decided to visit Cottonwood. Bill Murphy took one group and Bob Lloyd took another on a sight s e eing tour and visited the majority of the cave. Mike Moody and Ronnie Fieseler photographed their way through the cave accompanied by Mary Jane Lloyd, Mike Moone y, and Wayne Burks. They ended their trip in the -Mud Passage where a fantastic mud fight was held. Pete Lindsley led Karen Lindsley, Jim and Joyce Morriss, and Wally Hughes on a mapping trip in the upper section. DATE: 3 1 October-1 November 1970 DESTINATION: Dry Pot and Cottonwood Cave, New Mexico PERSONNEL: Bob Lloyd, Tracy Johnson, . Nicky Johnson, and Carl Johnson. REPORTED BY: Bob Lloyd Tracy and I wanted to check leads in a pit that Ronnie Fieseler and I had found earlier in Dry Pot. The pit turned out to be about 80- 90 feet deep with many leads but none that went. There are still good leads and virgin cave at the top of the pit. Carl and Nicky spent the day in Endless taking pictures. Saturday evening we drov e u p to Cottonwood Cave for some early morning caving Sunday and came home. The TEXAS CAVER, December,· 1970 Page 241 DATE: 30-31 October 1970 DESTINATION: Stowers Cave PERSONNEL: Bob Burney, Robert Henry, Roger Bartholomew, Henry Kuehlem, Victor Poole, Terri Tripp, Mack Newanlock, Chuck Steuhm, Bill Wright, Wilbur Howie, John Miner, Marsha Morgan, John Haberer. REPORTED BY: Roger Bartholomew This final trip was made to check leads and gather biological samples. This trip concluded the mapping and exploration of Stowers Cave. DATE: 1 November 1970 DESTINATION: Canyon Dam PERSONNEL: Thirteen members of the Alamo Area Chapter REPORTED BY: Roger Bartholomew This was a vertical practice session. Imagine prussiking up a rope and being stung by wasps seven times on the head. This happened to John Miner and he found it very difficult to move down fast on Jumars. DATE: 3 November 1970 DESTINATION: A Kendall County water cave. PERSONNEL: Ross Felton, Roger Bartholomew, Mike Brunaman, Robert Atkins. REPORTED BY: Roger Bartholomew Atkins grossed out on the way in and turned back, so the others went ahead and began mapping. After about 500 feet the cave ended. DATE: 5-9 November 1970 DESTINATION: Arizona, NSS BOG meeting, and caves. PERSONNEL: Roger Bartholomew REPORTED BY: Roger Bartholomew I flew out to Tucson to attend the NSS BOG meeting. On Friday I went with some Arizona cavers to help them map Serell Cave. Saturday the BOG meeting convened and several interesting ideas were discussed. One proposal by Western cavers would require a new NSS member to sign a special conservation pledge to emphasize this aspect of caving more strongly than does the present constitution. Another good idea was the setting up of a photo archives committee to gather and preserve cave photography works. This would be headed by Jack Stellmack. After the buffet banquet, Dave Thayer narrated a slide show on Arizona cav ing. Sunday, the Arizona cavers set up a trip to Onyx Cave and I went along and took many photos. Dave Brown, who knows Onyx as well as anyone, pointed out many sights in the cave. George Rallis did a fantastic job of arranging accommo dations for BOG members at the University of Arizona. * * * * * * * * * 11 ll·y ou can 1 t JUS· t go on b e1ng· a goo d egg. You must e1"ther hatch or go bad. C.S. Lewis Page 242 The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 DATE: 10 November- 1 December, 1970 DESTINATION: Republic of Togo, Republic of Ghana PERSONNEL: C. Loving, E. Alexander, D. Hynes, O. M. Wisdom REPORTED BY: C. Loving FIRST DAY: We blundered into Lome, the capitol of Togo. There we found Edith's Inn, a hostel run by expatriot American blacks. The first hamburgers and good beer we found in Africa. For two days we sat and drank 15¢ draft. We met Prof. Bonin who speaks 9 languages and has two PHD's. He's out of a job---too educated for Tog o. THIRD DAY: Got the topo maps out and looked at the lay of the land. Ed and I got in the film company 2 ton and roared off into the jungle. We arrived at a Fetish v illage, the ancient capitol of Togoland and got hung up listening to the drums. FOURTH DAY : Visited the market and spent all day. FIFTH DAY: Took off for Ghana. Went through customs and almost got wasted due to the fact that they drive on the wrong side of the road. Funny looking cops. Sixty miles down the coast we found the pavement ended in the sea. Lost ••••••.•• "Sir , for what are you looking?" "The road to Accra." "Ten miles you miss the turn." MILES? After 6 months of kilometers we were flabergasted! Found Accra and promptly got lost. SIXTH DAY: Checked with the Geologic Survey. Found the country mostly Pre Cambrian and granite. No caves, lots of jungle. Friendly place. Went on to Kumasi after an evening at the Accra Ambassadore Hotel SEVENTH DAY: Visited market and purchased many artifacts. Went to Cape Coast and e xplored old slave dungeon by lantern light. Four rooms, no ventilation, damp, old chains---very poor. EIGHTH DAY: Beach house. NINTH DAY: Drove to Lome. TENTH & ELEVENTH DAYS: Drank beer. TWELVETH DAY: Drove to Come Dahomey ---got wasted. THIRTEENTH DAY: Returned to Cotonov-- -found out it was Thanksgiving so we went to an Embassy pick-nik and drank beer. FOURTEENTH DAY: Wasted day---bought things. FIFTEENTH DAY: Went to beach village and ate fish and bannanas. Slept on the beach. SIXTEENTH - TWENTYETH DAYS: Stayed at the beach sleeping on the sand. Have to get to Accra before the 9th or our boat won't be there. TWENTYFIRST DAY: Leaving. Went to French EmJ:>assy to get a visa---found that it was a holiday. TWENTYSECOND DAY: Vacation declared over by vote of 100%. Note s on wild animals: None . Note s on job possibility: None. Note s on Money: None. Rate of e x change: 270 CF A.:: $1. 00 US. 1 CF A.:: 3 small onions. DATE: 14-15 November 1970 DESTINATION: Fitton Cave, Arkansas PERSONNEL: Bob Lloyd, Mary Jane Lloyd, Ronnie Fieseler, Mike Moody, Tracy Johnson, Richard Taylor, Nicky Johnson, and James Allen. REPORTED BY: Mike Moody The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 Page 243 Eight Dallas cavers celebrated the opening of Texas deer season by going to our favorite Arkansas cave. Rain and cold hindered the hearty souls but they still had a fine weekend of caving. DATE: 15 November 1970 DESTINATION: Madla's Cave PERSONNEL: Scott Harden and Henry Hays REPORTED BY: Scott Harden After visiting the cave, I taught Henry to rapell on a 15 foot cliff. We also obtained a lead from Mr. Madla who said he had a cave on his other property that has a very large "shelter room" with trees growing in it. He said people had been in it with air hammers looking for money. DATE: 21-22 November 1970 DESTINATION: Gruta del Palmito, Mexico PERSONNEL: Mike Moody, Tracy Johnson, Bob, Mary Jane, and Gary Lloyd, and Debbie Cawthon. REPORTED BY: Mike Moody Deciding that Mexico was no farther than anywhere else we go, we made a bombing trip to Bustamante. We arrived in S abinas Hidalgo about 6:30 am on Saturday and were on our way by 8:00. We reached the entrance around noon and spent the rest of the day in the cave. Three year old Gary walked the majority of the way up the hill and was still going strong that night which is more than I can say about some of the rest of the group. DATE: 25-29 November 1970 DESTINATION: Valles area, Mexico PERSONNEL: Roger Sorrells, Robert Henry, Vic Poole, and Roger Bartholomew. REPORTED BY: Roger Bartholomew We went in Sorrells' VW bus. Texas cavers from Austin, Kingsville, Edinburg and San Marcos were also there. The group did Sotano de la Tinaja on Friday and spent about 8 hours in the cave photographing. Anxious moments were spent in the entrance passage picking off hordes of stinging black ants from under clothes. For those with tight pants, it was bite your lip and whack wildly. On Saturday, the group made a scenic drive from Xilitlia to Jalpan where they hiked down to see the entrance of a cave where a river sinks for 3 kilometers. The group arrived back at the car just before dark and met a San Marcos group. After a talk session, they headed for Jalpan for supper and we drove back to San Antonio. DATE: 12 December 197 0 DESTINATION: Arden Cave PERSONNEL: Bill Freiman, Ron Aycock, Glenda and Carl Kunath REPORTED BY: Carl Kunath It was deer season and Aycock was getting freaky about not having been caving for such a long time. What was to be done? Not wishing to drive all day, I de cided that Arden Cave would have to do,notwithstanding my vow never to tred it's depths again, Arden cave is not really all that bad, but when you've seen it, you've seen it, and I had already been there several times. By messing around with cameras and sending Aycock into all the small holes, we managed to stretch a 20 minute cave into 2 hours, It beat staying at home, but not by much. Page 244 The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 DATE: 4-6 December 1970 DESTINATION: Fair Hole, Van Raub, Texas, and Enchanted Rock PERSONNEL: Robert Keeper, Russell "Benedictine" Parker, Bobby Ryan, B. Beck. REPORTED BY: Robert Keeper Upon arriving Friday night the cave was located. Saturday morning, Bobby Ryan was taught the fundamental use of climbing ropes (Ed. note: No time like the present). After the completion of this task the cave was entered via a 67 foot pit entrance. After a rather boring 1500 foot walk through 3-5 foot deep water, an unclirnbab le 30 foot drop was encountered. Following a return trip through the previously mentioned area, another piece of rope was obtained and brought back to the drop. At the bottom of this second drop, two hours were spent going through a series of maze-like pass ages. After a total of 9 hours in the cave, we returned to our camp about 7:00 prn. s~nday morning we left the cave area and headed for Enchanted Rock where moun tain climbing lessons were in progress. Unable to find a suitable climbing cliff, we hiked around the rock and proceeded horne, stopping briefly for an ice cold bath in the Blanco River. DATE: 12-13 December 1970 DESTINATION: Rockhill Cave, Rattling Pit, both in Tennessee PERSONNEL: David Irving, Gill Ediger, Cado Holler (really!), et al. REPORTED BY: Gill Ediger Irving, who lives in Aiken, S.C., picked me up at Ft. Gordon., some 25 miles away, and we headed north toward Asherville, N.C. to pick up Cado. We finally got to Oak Ridge, Tn. about 1 am. (Note: For you Texas cavers who aren't_ used to such things: In this part of the country you can drive for only 400 miles and al ready you've gone through half the states they have around here.) We stayed for two nights at the horne of a good natural transplanted Aussie named Phil Edmonds. Saturday morning, 14 people (all cavers) entered Rockhill Cave after an all night rain. The entrance was very slick. The cave loses something like 200 feet of elevation in the first 400 feet of passage so it's rather steep, but all climbable. Five of us mapped over 400 feet in the upper passage while most of the others groveled through mud and water in one of the lower passages. Sunday, after some lost time running errands, we made our way to Rattling Pit which, when a rock is thrown in, is just that. It's a nice fissure entrance 30 feet long and 10 feet wide. It drops 140 feet (vertical for all practical purposes) to a rock covered floor (Ed. note: Well, Gill, what did you ~xpect ? B lueberrys?) The cave is a series of tall (60 feet) basically parallel fissure passages joined on dif ferent levels by a complicated mess of holes, crawls, and upper passages. The seven of us that went in explored for a couple of hours, made some nice climbs out, coiled the ropes and headed for horne. * * * * * * * * * * * * * OZTOTL, the Newsletter of the Texas A&I freaks, reports that contrary to curre nt rumors, the University has no plans to build a statue of Gill Ediger. OZTOTL, 1970 Old cavers never die, they just repel away. PASS OUT, 1970 If God in all his wisdom, made caves for me to explore, what right do I, a mere mortal, have not doing as He intended? Ediger, 1970 The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 Page 245 News& History Alamo Area Chapter Another active month for AAC. The highlight of the month was the trip to the Valles area of Mexico. We are planning another trip to Mexico after Christmas. While in Mexico, an attempt will be made to enter a rumored 700 foot pit. Another point of interest is that Stowers Cave has finally been mapped and completely explored (?). S~owers has been a major project of San Antonio cavers for several years. The Chapter meets the 4th Tuesday of each month at 115 Auditorium Circle. Dallas- Ft. Worth Grotto The last month has been a busy one for DWFG. Trips have gone to Mexico, New Mexico, and Arkansas. There is even a rumor that somebody went caving in Texas, but this has not been verified as yet. Tracy Johnson has been using the TCU football stadium for rap·elling practice as there is a nice 175 foot drop there. The only trouble is that one must wait until midnight or later to use it. Planning is now under way for the Grottos lOth anniversary party. It will be held in February. Any old-time Dallas-Ft. Worth cavers who would like to attend should contact Mary Jane Lloyd for further information, Her address is 1137 Ridgeview, Mesquite, Texas 75149. Grotto address is 6621 Sunnyland Lane, Dallas, Texas 75214. Rice Speleological Society Activity in November and December was kept at a high level, despite the damp ening effects of deer season. Over the Thanksgiving holidays many Rice cavers went to Mexico and caved and toured, mostly to Catorce. See individual trip re ports for further details. At the regular Grotto meeting following Thanksgiving, Pat Waltman, a mountain climbing instructor and proprietor of the new outdoor shop Wilderness, Inc. (it takes guts to open a mountain climbing shop in Houston), brought some of his equip ment and slides and enlightened the undergrounders as to backpacking techniques and gear. Pat briefly noted that climbers were famous for two things: climbing and drinking. Jesse Hurst (RSS Equipment Chmn,) then pointed out that cavers are known for three things. Right on, Jesse! The first weekend in December, several Rice cavers joined the Sierra Club climbing session at Enchanted Rock and learned some technical climbing techniques from Pat Waltman and crew. Barry Beck and three of his Explorer Scouts joined them briefly Sunday after having visited Fair Hole on Saturday. Other recent noteworthy events: Paul Boyer was elected an honorary member of RSS; he is in Florida now, teaching. Also, it was announced that the next Speleo Digest will be edited by Rice's own Russ Harmon (soon to return to the sunny south) ably assisted (well, assisted anyway) by our own viv acious secretary, Louise Power. Printing will be done by Jon Everage (currently tourista weakened but con stipating rapidly). The Rice Speleological Society meets alternate Wednesdays at 7:30 in Geology l 06 at Rice University, or occasionally at members homes where we can quietly drink ourselves into oblivion while the slides flash away. The TEXASt CAVER, December, 1970 Page 247 1970 Below is the index for the 1970 TEXAS CAVER.• You can•• thank Glenda for all the work it took to do it. You can also blame her for any errors you may find. References are given as page number only since each volume of the CAVER is paginated consecutively. As an added convenience, references have been divided into fiv e general categories and, to a limited extent, cross-referenced. Articles Accidents In American Caving (ad) 179 General Of Ises, The 225 Adjectiv es For Climbers 51 Goethite From Inner Space Cavern 112 Adv entures Of S?e leo T. Agnew 86 Guadalupe Escarpment Wilderness Alice's Restaurant Revisited 53 Proposal 195; 215 Arkansas Adventures (Epic) (Travels With Taylor), 213 High Point In Texas History, A 118 Balcones Grotto Labor Day Trip 183 I Am A Rain God 49 Bene ath The Innerstate 23 Inner Space Cavern---Third Longest Big Bexar Cave 164 Cave In Texas 203 Blankenship Cave 25 Instant Cave Photography (photo-tips) 108 Birthday Passage, The 3 Bones From Blow hole Cave 195 January 24 BOG Meeting 70 British Cavin& (review) 173 Build A Speleo-Slave 28 La Mala Mujer 129 Lascaux (review) 190 Cav e Rescue ? 238 Lead, The 230 Caver Epitaph (poem) 179 Letter From Co-Op 216 Caver's Crossword 75 Litter Barrel Cave 4 7 Caver's Crossword Solution 99 Lookout Si nkhole 117; 130 Caverns Of The World (review) 230 Caves And The Marvellous World McMichael Award 14; 212 Beneath---- Us (review) 148 Caves Of McKittrick Hill (Ip 104 Mighty Fine Pit (MFP) 43 Caves Of McKittrick Hill (III) 123 Mountain Safety Research (re v iew) 72 Check Your Gear 189 MyDaddyWasACaver 61; 175 Convention Abstract 119 New Faces 169 Deep Cave 175 Diving Into The Blue Holes Of The Off --The Beaten Trail---- (review) 52 Bahamas (review) 190 --Our Thing (poem) 179 Oztotl (review) 85 El Cuadra Gr<;~.nde (photo-tips) 185 El Sotano De Soyate 63 Paradise Ice Cave (rev iew) 52 Exploring The World Within (review) 18 Rain, Rain, Go Away (Epic) (Damn You Rain God!) 186 Fault Cave 83 Report From The Matterhorn 166 Final Mapping Of Robber Baron Cave, Report On Texas Academy Of Science 72 The 67 Rope Gripping Device, A 126 French Cav ing Hat 228 Page 248 The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 S3.n Miguel Huautla De Jimenez 131 Sotano De Las Golondrinas(review) 112 That Was The Year That Was (1970) 239 S?eleo-Hints 163; 194 Theee Spider (photo-tips) 147 Spring-Loaded Climbing Cams 107 They Explore The Underworld (review) 52 Step Toward Better Cave Owner Things To Join And Buy 175 Relations, A 27 Where The Hell Is All My Caving Gear ? TSA Convention 1970 30 (Epic),( The Aftermath Of Carta TSA Project 1970 88,103,123, 170;172 Valley) 231 Ten Commandments Of Caving, The 119 Wonder Cave Survey, The 192 T e n Commandments " Revised 143 T e rrific Cave Discovered In Mexico 144 Ye Olde History 17.5 Places Africa 151 Dan Watson Cave 114 Arde n Cave 243 Devil's Sinkhole 3 1, 220; 240 Ari zona 241 Drago Cave 190 Arkansas, A Large Cave In 155 Dry Pot 115,154,171,240 Arkansa s Adventures 213 " Map 124 Dunbar Cave 115 Barte l's Cave 219 B e xar County 56 El Salto 152 Big Bend National Park 76; 116 Emerald Sink 176 Big Bexar Cave 164 Enchanted Rock 244 " Map 165 Endless Cave 94,121, 171; 240 Bla nke nship Cave 25 '' Map 125 " Map 25 Blowhole Cave 115, 150; 195 Fair Hole 176; 244 Boyd's Cave 89,94; 171 Fallen Stalagmite Cave 33; 223 " Map 89 Fantastic Caverns 181 Boye tt's Cave 93, 114; 198 Fault Cave 32, 81, 83; 190 Br ehmmer -Heidrich Cave 56 " Maps 84; 85 Bucke thole Cave 220 Fawcett's Cave 21 Bustamante (see Palmito, Gruta del) Ferguson Ranch 136 Fischer's Pit 93 Cacahuamilpa Caverns 156 Fitton Cave 91, 221; 242 Canyon Dam 241 Florida Caverns State Park 155 Cardiac Cave 32; 91 Florida, Cueva De La 135 C a rriza l, Gruta de 92, 150; 152 Four Hundred Foot Cave 177 Carta Valley 32 , 95, 134, 138, 220;231 Ft. Stanton Cave 19 Cave Of The Lakes (Haby's) 57 Colla pse Cave 33 Garcia, Gruta De 92, 150; 155 Colorado 197 Ghana & Togo, Republics of 242 Coma l County 218 Glass Mountains 177 Cottonwood Cave , New Mexico Golindrinas Iron Mine 92 4 1, 93 ,198 ,219; 240 Golondrinas, Sotano De Las 39 Cottonwood Cave , Oklahoma 32 GormanCave 49,137,177,198; 219 Cowan Ranch 93 Go r rna n Fa 11 s 1 3 7 , 1 7 7 , 1 9 8; 21 9 Cric k e t Sink 91 Grand Canyon 196 The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 Page 249 Graveyard Cave 32 0-9 Well 232 Guadalupe Mountains 138 Pachon 152 Hayes County 115 Palmito, GrlJ.ta Del 3,5,7,92, 1G1, 136 Helotes Blowhole Cave 56; 177 141,144,153, 218; 243 Hidden Cave 93; 190 Punkin Cave 150 Hill Country 177 Pyramid Cave 183 Hills And Dales Cave 134 Honey Creek Cave 152; 153 Rattling Pit 244 Huautla 131 Real de Catorce 196 Hutto Bat Cave 95 Rio Jalpan, Cueva De 150 Rob~er Baron Cave 67 Indian Creek Cave 136; 154 11 Map 68 Inner Space Cavern 112; 203 Robber's Cave 134 11 Map 205 Rockhill Cave 244 Jacob's Well 93 Salt Dome Mine 138 Juno 218 Sand Cave 104; 171 11 Map 65 Kendall County Water Cave, A 153; 241 S:erra de El Abra 92; 135 Kerr County 138 Sonora Caverns 190 Klar's Cave 137 Soyate, Sotano De 6 3 11 Map 65 Little Sand Cave 88, 94; 171 Spillar Ranch 177 11 Map 88 S~orm Sewers, Houston 197 Litter Barrel Cave 47 Stower 1 s Cave 56, 135, 152, 218; 241 11 Map 48 Suprise Cave 220 Little Gem Cave 137; 219 Little Sinkhole 190 T Cave 94; 134 Lookout Sinkhole 117; 130 Taninul #4, Cueva De 156; 201 Lower Pecos River 92 Terlingua Ranch Cave 77 Terlingua Sinkhole 77; 221 Madla's Cave 176; 243 Marble Canyon 196 Valles 243 Matterhorn, Report From 166 McCarty's Cave 114 West Texas 153 McKittrick Cave 94, 104; 171 Wimberly Bat Cave 115 11 Map 105 Wonder Cave 192 McKittrick Hill 76,88, 104,115,123, 11 Map 193 125, 161; 170 Wurzback Cave 56 Medina Lake Sinkhole 134; 220 Medina Sink 137 Xilitla 152 Medina Slot 220 MF P 3 3 , 4 3; 1 7 6 11 Map 45 Midnight Cave 33, 91,134,154,176, 178; 234 Miller's Cave 196 Name Cave 33 Natural Bridge Caverns 93, 94; 137 Nevada, Gruta 150 New Braunfels 221 New Mexico 134 Page 250 The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 Persons Arnold, Jay 225 Harmon, Russell 1, 15,27, 30,31-33, 72, 73, 81, 83, 84, 99,112,134,135, B a ggins , Frodo 190 141, 190; 196 B anning, Rick 55 Honea, David 131 B artholomew , Roge r 56,67,134-1 3 8, Howie, W. H. 220 14 7,1 6 4,1 65 ,177,190,197,241,243 B assham, Elbert 19; 55 Jameson, ? 11, 37 Beck, Barry 49, 75, 83, 84, 94, 95, 107, Jasek, James 1, 108, 185 150 ,1 52,163,190,194, 218; 221 Johnson, Jerry 189 B ec k , Pa ~ 75, 81 ,16 3 ,194 Bird, Great White 77 Keeper, Robert 244 Boye r, Paul 9 1-93 ,114,115,137,153, Knox, Orion 15,119 155; 195 Knodell, Preston 198 B rand t , A l 1 9 7 Kreidler, John 176 Bradle y (Lindsle y), Karen 32 Kunath, Carl 1,8,15,21,28,29,33,38, Bridgemoa, Ron 12; 15 41,57. 70, 72, 74,87, 101, 113, 116, B ullington, Neal 117, 130; 148 121,125,129,149,155,161,169, Bundrant, Luthe r 20, 40, 60, etc. 171,174,181,190,201,213,217, Bur c h, J ack C. 15 223,230,232,234,237, 239; 243 Kunath, Glenda 1; 24 7 Campbe ll, Billy 81,83,85; 228 Carte r, B i ll 220 Lehnhardt, Wolfgang 23 Clawson, Cary D. 179 Lindsley, Pete 15 Clayton, J on 25 Littlefield, Bob 55 Cle m e nt, Richard and Karen 164 Lloyd, Bob 136,154, 198; 240 Loving, Charlie 11,31,37,59,61,70, Da vi s , Gari 36 107,132,151,159,178,183,188, D e a l, Dwight 105 194, 227; 242 Doyl e , M.D. 144 McLane, Jim 196; 197 McNatt, Logan 55 Edi g er , Gill 3 ,1 3 ,27,1 33 ,143,146,179, 2 33 ,244, Meador, Tom 15; 196 Elliott, Bill 18, 37,52,54,6 3 ,65,66,77, Moody, Mike 87, 93,138,169,190,232, 9 2,113,130,145,149,169,184,192, 240,242,243 19 3 ,1 94,20 3 ,205, 223; 246 Murphy, Dan 136 Estes, J ames 15 Evans, T. R. 15 Obie, Officer 53 E ve rage , Jon 169 Peterson, Brian 113 Fie s e l er , Ronnie 33 ,53,57,76,88,89, Piowaty, John 218 91 , 9 3 , 94,104,115,123,125,137, Power, Louise 92,135,163,194; 215 15 4 ,1 5 5,170,178,219, 221; 232 Fish, John 15 Raines, Terry 1, 15, 143; 149 F omb y , Ed 11 3 Ray, Jimmy 121 Reddell, James 14; 15 Griffin, K e n 77, 86, 117, 198; 230 Russell, Carol 1 0 1 , 14 3; 146 Russell, William H. 15,47, 173; 183 H a rden, S cot t 152,15 3 ,154,176,177, 190 ,218,220,240; 243 The TEXAS CAVER, December, 197 0 Page 251 .-.. . SBP IV 177 Vermonger, C.A. 186; 231 Sevra, George 220 Vinson, Jon 1, 18,29,43,52,85,95, Sherborne, Billy 83; 84 138; 239 Smith, A. Richard 12,15,112,197, 212; 235 Walsh, Mike 129 Smith, Jack 201 Warden, Torn 126 Stuehm, Chuck 219 Watson, Dan 9 3 , 1 7 7; 1 9 8 Wiley, Suzanne 29; 212 Tebbett, Don 219 Wisdom, 0. M. 39, 76, 114; 166 Wood, David 55; 123 Organizations Alamo Grotto/San Antonio Grotto/ Rice Speleological Society 16, 35, 78, Alamo Area Chapt er 15, 59, 7 8, 97,116,139, 156,222; 245 96,1 39,157, 199,222; 245 Rio Grande Valley 15; 58 AMCS 14, 39; 175 Southwest Texas Grotto 16, 35, 79; 95 Balcones Grotto 96,1 39, 157; 183 Southwestern Region 36 Boerne Cavers 27 Texas A&I Grotto 34, 79; 199 Carta Valley SUCKS 16; 35 Texas Tech Grotto 16; 78 Texas Academy Of Science 26; 72 Dallas -Ft. Worth Grotto 16, 34, 58, TSA 20, 30, 48, 73, 88,97, 98, 99, 103, 79, 13 9, 156, 200; 245 123,170,172,175,197,198;246 T SS 1 7 , 1 1 1 , 16 8 , 1 7 5 , 2 1 2 , 2 3 5 ; 2 3 8 NSS 12, 1 9; 1 7 5 University Of Texas Grotto 16, 17, Pan American SS 58 58, 79; 157 Miscellaneous Amtech (drafting supplies) 3 3 Photo-Tips 28,108, 147; 185 Chairman's Column 12, 13,27, 133, Review s 1 8 , 3 9 , 52 , 7 2 , 8 5 , 1 1 2 , 14 8 , 146; 233 173, 190; 230 Caver Of The Month 29,113,149, 169; 232 Speleo-Hints 163; 194 Editorials 8, 38,57, 74,87, 113, 129, 149 T e chnical 51,107,126, 189,216; 228 149,174, 217; 2 37 Quote s 106,13 3,143,174,189,238, Garbage 15, 3 1, 90,128, 168; 215 241; 244 Letters To The Editor 55,146, 212;217 Pag e 252 The TEXAS CAVER, December, 1970 The TEXAS CAVER 1218 Melrose Waco, Texas 76710 Return Postage Guaranteed Address Correction Requested The official publication of the T exas Speleological Association which is affiliated with the National TO: Spe le olog ical Society T ake nothing but pictures, l e a ve nothing but footprints, k ill nothing but time, * * * * * * * * * * * * * C ave R e s c ue? Call Luther Bundrant at 512: 694-2883 for assistance. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * EXCHANGERS: Address copies to: 2302 w. Avenue J, San Angelo, Texq.s 76901 * * * * * * * * * * * * * *