ISSN 0306 1698 the grampian speleological group bulletin fourth series vol.3 no.1 October 2006 price £2 -2- GSG Bulletin Fourth Series Vol.3 No.1 CONTENTS Page Number Editorial 3 Meet Reports 4 Additions to the Library 7 Meet Note: Bowden Hill, Hole 7 10 Smoo Cave: An Account and Illustration from 1818 11 Meghalaya 2006 14 Cave Microbiology. An Unexplored Realm 23 A Skye Essay 27 Hibernian Hole Extension 30 Strathcanaird Area 35 Book Review: Exploring the Landscape of Assynt 36 Early Accounts of Hebridean Caves 37 Meet Note: Rob Roy’s Cave, Inversnaid 43 Cave Exploration in Pakistan 2006 44 Applecross and Kishorn Report 46 Scottish Cave Ephemera 2 49 Meet Note: Newquay Cave 49 A Survey of Subway Cave, Argyll 50 Cave Diving on Skye and in Kishorn 52 Culvert at Park Farm 53 Review: Fight for Life. The Neil Moss Story 55 A Watercolour of Smoo Cave 56 Waiting for an Accident to Happen 57 Cover Design: A.L. Jeffreys Obtainable from: The Grampian Speleological Group 8 Scone Gardens EDINBURGH EH8 7DQ (0131 66 1123) Web Site: http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/~arb/gsg/ E-mail (Editorial) [email protected] -3- the grampian speleological group EDITORIAL: While rooting through the library for a missing report recently, I found myself leafing through some old press cuttings stowed away in an obscure box file. Headline stories of epic rescues abounded, accompanied by dramatic, if mostly blurred, photographs of pulp-helmeted cavers heaving loaded Neil Robertson stretchers out of rain-swept cave entrances. Most of the spectacular incidents were there - Peak Cavern, Mossdale, Giant’s Hole, Pegleg Pot, Ireby Fell Cavern, Dowber Gill (several times!) - and even a few international sen- sations such as the Pierre St Martin in 1951, but the thing which struck me most during my browse was: when did I last see such a spread in the daily newspapers? It was a well-known maxim in the 1960s and ‘70s that one didn’t become a rescue victim on a Sunday after- noon because reporters had the advantage of getting their story into Monday’s newspaper whereas an inci- dent safely wrapped up on a Saturday night usually sank into relative obscurity, but most of the examples quoted above really were ‘epics’ lasting several days so there was no escaping the fanciful reportage (which at least made a change from the latest Cold War crisis). Nowadays we so very seldom see something on this scale in the national Dailies that Joe Public, starved of misguided and ill-informed journalism, has largely shed his/her antipathy towards cavers and their ‘lunatic’ activities. There are several reasons for this, practically all of them, I like to think, positive. For a start, speleology has enjoyed a much better press in recent years, thanks in no small measure to television documentaries, predi- cated on intelligent natural history programmes and excellent standards of expedition recording. Education in the national parks, linked to novice ‘taster’ caving trips has also worked splendidly and a spate of popu- lar, well-written books has removed the mystique of caving and given people an opportunity to form a bal- anced and reasonable opinion of why we ‘crawl about in rabbit holes’. It is also true that rescue organisa- tions have woken up to the fact that news sells papers and if they want it to be accurate news, then they had better supply it. Thus press officers and spokespersons will be found at every major rescue, to prevent wild inaccuracies being broadcast by Baron Munchausen and his scribbler cohorts. Possibly another factor is the reduction of our caving population: less cavers equal less opportunity for acci- dent. On the other hand, in the 1950s, when there were probably slightly fewer people caving than today, the various CROs were not noticeably much quieter and some of the biggest operations occurred then - Neil Moss in Peak Cavern, John Frankland in Penyghent Pot, Bill Little and Lewis Railton in Ogof Ffynnon Ddu, plus not a few nasty episodes in the infamous Dowbergill Passage. Few of these could be marked down to inexperience either, most of the victims being established potholers well able to look after themselves under normal circumstances. So what has changed? Clearly, the advent of highly developed equipment and techniques has boosted per- sonal comfort and safety tremendously. Pots which used to be regarded as super severe are now routine ‘Sunday’ jaunts, Swinsto being a prime example. SRT has allowed major descents to be achieved by two or three people, a thing unheard of a few decades ago. Regarding the matter of rescues and press reporting how- ever, I feel we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the various rescue teams who have evolved into sophis- ticated, well trained units, utilising every improvement in method and gear to ensure the speedy retrieveal and evacuation of a casualty with the minimum of fuss. So often is this achieved that on occasion the whole affair is over before reporters can even reach the scene, meaning they have to make do with the basic facts, barely enough for more than one small parargaph. Which is as it should be. However, you would hardly expect me to expend ink on this matter without there being a cogent reason and it is this. In Scotland, although on the whole our caves are small and our caving population even smaller, we cannot afford to become complacent about the inherent dangers faced underground. With great good for- tune, we have not (yet) had to deal with an ‘epic’, despite there being ample scope. Let’s just imagine a few examples. How about a falling boulder critically injuring a caver deep in Chamber Pot (Argyll), compound- -4- ed by collapse of the choke below the main chamber? Think of my own situation in Claonaite; if that had happened to render a diver unconscious beyond sump 6b, how on earth would we have coped? Visualise the difficulties of bringing a stretchered casualty out from Straw Chamber in Uamh nam Breagaire (Applecross). These are ALL extremely possible incidents - indeed Claonaite has already occurred, although thankfully I was ‘walking wounded’- but our supply of active, available cavers is limited. In short, if you live and cave in Scotland, you have a duty, I put it as strong as that, to contribute to the Scottish Cave Rescue Organisation, which entails training in the field, study for, and acquisition of first aid certificates, and ensur- ing your availability at the drop of a hat if a call comes in. We appreciate that caves are scattered geo- graphically at great distances from Edinburgh and other conurbations which is why we devolve first call to the local MR team but if we think about the examples given above, underground rescue is clearly the exclu- sive domain of experienced cavers, ie YOU. We have received a good response for our practices and indeed shouts over the past few years but this can and must be improved upon. There are some excellent books in the library describing techniques for rigging verticals and steep slopes for stretcher hauling which are avail- able for study, plus of course familiarisation with the actual material is essential. Let’s not be rose-tinted about it, rescue is unglamourous, rough, hard work but, as Charles Kingsley so unas- sailably put it in The Water Babies: “Do as you would be done by”. Envisage yourself lying as victim in one of the situations I have described. It could happen. Now, who would you like to see coming in to help you? Right, so be on top of the job and become one of those people. Our primary aim is of course prevention. After that, speed and efficiency. Finally, if only for face-saving for the casualty, as little press coverage as can be achieved practically so that caving’s reputation is not tarnished. Which is more or less where I came in! As an addendum, it is well worth highlighting here that the club’s Tuesday evening meetings have changed venue. We now gather in the Cumberland Bar, Cumberland Street in the New Town of Edinburgh. This follows a long residence at the Cambridge (once the Zodiac) - over 30 years - but changing times have resulted in loud football on monster screens, loud music and even louder patrons, all at the same time! These ‘improvements’ have driven us (and I suspect many other sane people) away. When will the licensed trade wake up to the fact that noise is not necessary to sell beer? Alan L. Jeffreys, Editor ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AREA MEET REPORTS (To 22.10.06) (Edinburgh logs only) Activity continues to be widespread, but this Spring there was an emphasis on local (ie central Scottish) sites. Perhaps holidays and very hot weather prevented more serious caving! It should also be noted that this sum- mary does not take account of extensive reports written up in the Sutherland hut log, which are published separately, on an annual basis. ABERDEENSHIRE: There was a rather abortive search near Ballater for a dimly remembered mine entrance in July. After a fruit- less bash in a steep sided wood the job was abandoned, but Jim Salvona saved the day by leading everyone underground into a sandy soutterain a mile or so further east. ARGYLL: Work continued in Hibernian Hole in April when the new extension was engineered to make some small gains (see this issue). The same month Derek Pettiglio made a solo visit to Subway Cave above Tyndrum and using tape and compass compiled an improved survey of it. In May, there was more gain in Hibernian Hole, halted by precarious boulders.