DRAFT 8/8/2013 Updates at Chapter 59 -- Three Tales of Two St
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Chapter 59 -- Three Tales of Two St. Pauls Chute's Cave Let us briefly move to St. Paul's Minnesota's neighbor, Minneapolis. When S.H. Chute excavated a 2.5-meter tunnel to provide water to his Phoenix Four Mill in 1864, the project encountered a cave and was abandoned. A bulkhead built during 1875 excavation for a tailrace, however, made the suitable for sub-urban excursions. From the Saint Paul and Minneapolis Pioneer and Tribune, August 26 of the following year, Chute's Cave -- A Boat Ride of 2,000 Feet Under Main Street. The mouth of the "Chute's Cave" is just below the springs, and the bottom of this cave is covered with about eighteen inches of water. For the moderate sum of ten cents you can take a seat in a boat with a flaming torch at the bow, and with a trusty pilot sail up under Main street a distance of about 2,000 feet, between pure white sandstone, and under a limestone arch which forms the roof. It is an inexpensive and decidedly interesting trip to take. Stereopticon view showing a flat- bottomed boat and pole. Saint Paul and Minneapolis Pioneer and Tribune, December 1, 1889, But a few years ago not a day passed that did not bring in visitors. A stream of water ran the whole length of the cave, and for the small consideration of a dime, a grim, Charon-like individual would undertake to convey, in a rude sort of a boat, all visitors, who were inclined, for the distance of a quarter or a mile or thereabouts into the gloomy passage. The article's "a few years ago" refers to 1881, when a portion of the cave collapsed, taking Main Street with it. The remaining cavern was trussed with wooden beams and closed to the public. 894 DRAFT 8/8/2013 Updates at http://www.unm.edu/~rheggen/UndergroundRivers.html Chapter 59 -- Three Tales of Two St. Pauls 1936 2001 Closed, but not forgotten to the authorities, as evidenced by the Minneapolis Tribune, October 5, 1961, inclusion as a fallout shelter for downtown workers. Chute's Cave wouldn't have saved many, however, as radioactive seepage would have continued to drip from the nuclear wasteland above. Even without fallout, such caverns can be can be deadly. A man died in 2009 when the tunnel he was exploring in Minneapolis-St. Paul filled with rainwater. 895 DRAFT 8/8/2013 Updates at http://www.unm.edu/~rheggen/UndergroundRivers.html Chapter 59 -- Three Tales of Two St. Pauls St. Paul River, Palawan, the Philippines And now, a happier story from the Philippines where the St. Paul River flows underground to the South China Sea. Subterranean River South China Sea Coastal and Fluvial Deposits Undifferentiated Non-Carbonates Limestone 1 km Outlet to the sea. At 8.2 kilometers in length, the St. Paul was the world's longest navigable underground river until the discovery of the Son Trach in Vietnam. Former World Record Longest Navigable Underground River 8.2 kilometers Outflow daylights 200 meters from the coastline and tides make 6 kilometers of the cavern an underground estuary. The subterranean river was long believed by locals to be a place of ill omen. There is no documentation of when the underground river was first explored, but painted crosses yet on the walls are said to be markings of Italian priests The earliest publicized reference to the channel was in an 1887 tour summary by University of Michigan Prof. of Zoology Dean Worcester. “If accounts are to be believed, [there exists] a lake opening to the sea by a Subterranean River.” Worcester was to become Secretary of the Interior of the Philippine Islands, 1901-1913, during the American rule. From his The Philippines Past and Present (1914), A range of limestone mountains ends at St. Paul's Bay on the west coast of Palawan... Beneath this range lies the scenic wonder of the Philippines, the famous Underground River, up which a ship's launch can run for more than three miles to what is called the "stone pile," caused by the falling of a great section of the roof. One may climb this obstruction, and utilizing native boats dragged over it by my party in August, 1912, may continue for a distance of half a mile, to a point where the roof of the cave drops to the level of the surface of the water, and further progress becomes impossible. 896 DRAFT 8/8/2013 Updates at http://www.unm.edu/~rheggen/UndergroundRivers.html Chapter 59 -- Three Tales of Two St. Pauls The stone pile and the roof drop call into question the one-time world record claim of 8.3 navigable kilometers, but one might argue that the record book doesn't say "continuous." A trip up this river is an experience never to be forgotten. There is no danger of getting lost, as the three short side passages which run off from the main cavern all end blindly. The channel has been mapped by the Coast and Geodetic Survey and is plainly marked at all critical points. One's launch should be provided with very powerful acetylene lights so arranged as to give a general illumination. Stalactites and stalagmites occur in every conceivable form. There are vaulted chambers which are full of them, and there are long straight passages which lack them and have roofs and walls resembling those of a New York subway. In places the cavern is full of edible-nest-building swifts and of bats. The air in the main passage is fresh. During the rainy season water runs from the roof in many places, and one must expect an occasional shower bath, but this is the only discomfort attendant upon the trip. As noted in the New International Encyclopedia of 1918, It has been explored by the Philippine government from its mouth to a point about 3 miles inland, where the roof of the cavern descends to the water's level. It wasn't until 1973 that formal geological study began, when D. Balazs of the Geographical Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Science and Filipino companions carried out the first documented exploration. A portion of Balazs' map, Australian speleologists further explored the route in the early 1980s. Italians began explorations in the later 1980s and have extended the surveyed passages (many of which are dry) to 25 kilometers. A sample of their findings: "Recent Explorations in the St. Paul Karst (Palawan, Philippine)," Proceedings of the International Congress of Speleology 15:3 (2009) by Antonio De Vivo, Leonardo Piccini and Marco Mecchia. Cin Galleries (length 1750 m) - This was the most important discovery made in the PPSR [Puerto Princesa Subterranean River] during the 2007 campaign. The main gallery is reached through a flooded branch passage, beginning around 1.5 km from the entrance on the left hydrographic side of the main tunnel. The flooded tract is a small size gallery, with a short low passage that is completely closed when the tide is high. Beyond this tract, a wide gallery with a sandy floor is reached, which runs parallel to the main collector. To the S, the gallery continues among large concretion deposits and sand and mud in-fills, and finally reaches a chamber connected to the Navigator's Chamber. Towards the N, the gallery continues wide for ~200 m and then splits into two branches. In 2011, bathymetric analysis was carried out from the entrance to Rockpile -- Worcester's "stone pile" -- in which water level and temperature were monitored for 6 days at three sites. Net sea water flux averaged 0.8 cubic meters/second; that of opposing fresh water, just slightly more. But the most significant work has been outside of the cave. By the 1970s, the environmentally-disastrous consequence of wholesale logging began to be recognized, culminating in the cancellation of timber license agreements in 1992. 897 DRAFT 8/8/2013 Updates at http://www.unm.edu/~rheggen/UndergroundRivers.html Chapter 59 -- Three Tales of Two St. Pauls Many conservation efforts came quicker, however. The province was declared a Fish and Wildlife Sanctuary in 1967 and in 1971, the St. Paul Subterranean River National Park was established. When in 1992, nearby Puerto Princesa City assumed management responsibility, the park was renamed "Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park" and the thus cave became the "Puerto Princesa Subterranean River." An outrigger tour 1.5 kilometers in length-- all that's allowed by the Puerto Princesa officials -- passes through a cave chamber with a 65-meter ceiling -- Subterranean River there one twice as high further within -- and attracts some 800 visitors 200 pesos daily. A few photos. Note the limestone strata to the left. In contrast with the garish illuminations of many of the world's show caves, Puerto Princesa provides visitors a true cave experience. 898 DRAFT 8/8/2013 Updates at http://www.unm.edu/~rheggen/UndergroundRivers.html Chapter 59 -- Three Tales of Two St. Pauls A few of the visitors. 899 DRAFT 8/8/2013 Updates at http://www.unm.edu/~rheggen/UndergroundRivers.html Chapter 59 -- Three Tales of Two St. Pauls After the tour, a 500-peso subterranean river note would buy a hungry family of five each a Jollibee Double Yum w/ cheese, regular fries and regular soft drink. Puerto Princesa's honors for environmental stewardship are many. In 1996, the City of Puerto Princesa was officially the “Cleanest and Greenest Component City in the Philippines” The park was nominated for UNESCO World Heritage status in 1991, but its 5,735 hectares were deemed too small for comprehensive conservation.