Texascaveathe Volume 23, No.4, 1978 CONTENTS

Cave Springs of West Texas-Scott Harden .. 51 NSS Photos- Keith Heuss ...... 52 The 1978 NSS Convention - Ernst Kastning.53 Dead Dog Rescue- Pete Strickland ...•.... 54 A Story- Alicia Gale ...... 56 San Antonio Grotto News- George Veni .... 58 The Computerized TEXAS CAVER-Frank Sodek.59 Trip Reports ...... 60

COVER PHOTO - Photo mosaic of the 1978 NSS Convention in New Braunfels, Texas. Photo by Keith Heuss.

CONTENTS PAGE PHOTO - Looking into the 946 foot drop in Sotanito de Ahuacatlan on the discovery trip in 1971. Photo by · Keith Heuss.

This issue edited by: Keith Heuss

Assistant: Frank Sodek

The TEXAS CAVER is a bimonthly publication of the Texas Speleological Association (TSA)~ an internal organization of the National Speleological Society (NSS) and is published by James Jasek in Waco~ Texas.

SUBSCRIPTIONS are $5.00 per year. Persons subscribing after the first of the year will receive all back issues for ·that year. Single copies are available at 90¢ each~ postpaid. The TEXAS CAVER openly invites contributors to submit: articles~ reports~ news~ cartoons~ cave maps~ caving articles~ · and photographs (any size print bZ.ack. & white or color print) .for publication in the TEXAS CAVER. Address all SUBSCRiPTIONS and EDITORIAL material to the editor: James Jasek~ l0l9 Melrose Dr.~ Waco~ Texas 767l0. I When sending in a change of address~ please include your old address. Persons interested in EXCHANGES or FOREIGN subscriptions should direct correspondenc~ to the editor. Copyright The Texas Caver 1978 CAVE & KARST SPRINGS OF WEST TEXAS by Scott Harden Anyone who has traveled in the area states that there is a good chance that realizes that naturally occurring fresh they are cave springs. The springs former­ and permanent water is a rarity in west ly flowed up to 28 cfs, but heavy ground­ Texas. Although springs are generally few water pumping in the area caused them to and far between in the region, some of cease flowing. them are large and several are cave Santa Rosa Spring, eight miles springs. Below are listed all the major southwest of Grandfalls~ "flowed from a cave springs I know of from Del Rio west­ limestone cavern in a ravine." The spring ward. To my knowledge Goodenough, Cantu, no longer flows but occasionally takes Leon, and Santa· Rosa springs have yet to surface drainage. Brune includes a picture be illvestigated by cavers or cave divers. but no scale is given.

VAL VERDE COUNTY JEFF DAVIS COUNTY Goodenough Springs was an artesian Phantom Lake Springs, five miles west spring on the north bank of the Rio of Toyahvale, flows from a cave known as Grande, and is now about 150 feet beneath Kingston's Wet Cave. The cave extends a the surface of Amistad Lake. This was the short distance to a siphon, but reportedly third largest spring 'in Texas with a flow has been explored for a long distance oo the order of 150 cfs. It is a cave beyond. (TSS Caves of Far West Texas). spring, but divers were never · able to The flow averaged as much as 23 cfs in enter it because the current was too 1933 but has been steadily declining. In strong. Since it is now under 150 feet of 1971 the f~ow was only 5.7 cfs. The water water, the discharge has probably been for this and nearby springs in Reeves greatly reduced or stopped, and it could County comes from runoff from the Davis probably be entered. However, diving to Mountains which sinks into lower Creta­ such a depth obviously presents problems. ceous limestone south and west of Bal­ The maximum momentary discharge was re­ morhea. This is an interesting karst area portedly 3, 580 cfs (Brune, 1975) but this that has been little investigated by is probably an error. cavers. San Felipe Springs, one mile northeast of Del Rio, are now the third REEVES COUNTY largest springs in the state with a flow San Solomon or Mescalero Spring, at of about 80 to 100 c fs. They have been Toyahvale, rises "from caverns in the bot­ dived to a depth of about 70 feet to where tom of a large swimming pool," according both passages get too small (Smith, 1971). to Brune. However, on a recent trip to The springs are the sole water supply for west Texas, I visited the springs and the city of Del Rio and furnish irrigation found no significant openings. At the water to the only winery in Texas. They deepest part of the pool (about 25 feet are quite accessible and well worth a deep) one can see sand bubbling and churn­ visit when in Del Rio. According to ing with the force of the r1s1ng water. Brune, the recharge area for this spring This may have once been a cave spring but covers about 6500 sq. miles, extending any passages are now blocked by rock and into Pecos and Schleicher counties. sand. Cantu or Cienega Springs, two miles Balmorhea State Recreation Area, in west of Del Rio, "rises from a limestone which the springs are located, was the cavern into a walled up pool." Brune in­ subject of two interesting articles in the cludes a photograph which shows the pool June,1978 issue of Texas Parks and ~be fairly large. Discharge is 3 to 5 Wildlife magazine. The springs harbor two cfs. species of endangered fish, Cyprinodon elegans , the Comanche springs pupfish, PECOS COUNTY and Gambusia nobilis , the Pecos gambusia Leon Springs, eight miles west of or mosquitofish. The Leon Springs pupf­ Fort Stockton, emerge from holes anywhere ish, k• bovinus , was thought extinct un­ from 30 to 60 feet in diameter, depending til its rediscovery in 1965. Springs in on what report you read. They are ap­ the area include several other endemic an- parently quite deep, and Smith ( 1971) Continued page 59 51

THE 1978 NSS CONVENTION IN TEXAS by Ernst Kastning The dust has settled and the Yankees coffers previously inflated by 625 pre­ have retreated northward. A year and a registrants. Our treasurer, Pam Lynn, half of planning and hard work culminated skipped town temporarily for a couple of in a week of intense activity at the 1978 weeks but returned in time to handle the NSS Convention in New Braunfels, June second wave to Cypress Bend. 18-23. Nearly one thousand cavers came The scientific programs got well from nearly all states, including several under way on Monday with the full-day visitors from diverse places such as Ber­ Biology Session. Session attendance and muda, Canada, Mexico, Scotland, and South the number of high-quality papers were up Africa. Unlike recent NSS conventions, from those of conventions in recent years. there was no rain. Even former Texas rain Over 80 papers were given during the week, god , Barry Beck, was unable to muster a about double the number at Alpena, Michi­ cloud. There were so many scheduled ac­ gan. As expected, the special Mexico Pro­ tivities that few conventioneers found gram, Exploration Session, and Photo. Salon time to bask in the 90-degree weather or filled the Civic Center Auditorium. tube down the Guadalupe River. Indeed, the Rapid-fire slide lectures on explorations river had to compete with Peter in the longest, deepest, and most diffi­ Strickland's Magical Shower Machine and cult caves of the Western Hemisphere were Hot Tub for the attention of those who so realistic that many attendees commented craved refreshment. on how tired they felt watching these ac­ There was little in the way of warm­ tivities. The current high level of hard­ up time for the week's activities as hitting exploratory caving and surveying events began on Saturday and Sunday with in North America was brought into sharp pre-convention caving trips, a geology ex­ focus. cursion, and the Sunday night Armidillo Evening activities were especially Races and Chili Cookoff. Forty to fifty popular. A record amount of foot stomping die-hard cavers plumbed the celebrated and dancing at the Howdy Party Monday Devil's Sinkhole, while more cosmopolitan night reverberated well into the remainder conventioneers, and those with a scientif­ of the week. Over 20 million bats had a ic bent, opted for the Geology Excursion. chance to catch a glimpse of hundreds of Ranchers and townspeople will not soon cavers perched along the rim of the Brack­ forget the sight of three air-conditioned, en Bat Cave sinkhole Tuesday night. I am rest-room equipped Greyhound buses, carry­ sure that both groups will long remember ing 137 cavers, bounding over the back­ the encounter. Simultaneously, an endless roads of the Hill Country. stream of people passed through the diges­ Meanwhile, registration was going tive tract of Natural Bridge Caverns, full force at the Cypress Bend Park pavi­ listening to short interpretive remarks lion. There was some initial anxiety when from time to time by strategically sta­ registration had to be delayed six hours tioned caver-guides. Friday afternoon as the convention guide­ Dr. Thomas Glass, M.D. presented his book had not yet arrived from the lecture on snakebites and their treatment. sweatshop at Speleo Press. At 8:00 PM The surgically explicit slides and movie Ronnie Fieseler sped through the gate and opened many eyes, and shut many others. across the campground with a box contain­ Attendance at the ensuing Annual Banquet ing the first 54 guidebooks strapped to was not diminished by these sights, howev­ his Honda cycle, amidst a cheer from the er. Dr. C. Garth Sampson discussed the convention staff and early arrivals. We ecological implications of early hominid were in business, albeit in the eleventh remains from South African caves and Col. hour. Up until now, we had wondered if it Joseph W. Kittinger showed film footage would all take place. Many Austin cavers of his historic record-setting high­ and a few from out of town had spent many altitude parachute jump from a strato- . nights with little sleep while making sphere balloon. badges, writing, typing and printing the Photo Salon prints were on display three publications, and assembling the throughout the week in the Civic Center various paraphenalia and equipment. The lobby, accompanied by special exhibits on cash outflow was beginning to drain our 53 DEAD DOG CAVE RESCUE by Pete Strickland Around 9:00 pm, July 5th, Austin Pol­ the authorities realized that they coull ice summoned the aid of Austin Cavers to not handle this one, and they called th free a 14 year old boy and his two compan­ cavers. When we arrived at the scene i ions, trapped in a northeast Austin fissure looked like a small carnival - generator~ cave frequently visited by flashlight whirring, lights blazing, all kinds of resl cavers. Around midnight the pinned boy was cue equipment and vehicles, lots of firel freed and his two friends who had been men, police and around 150-200 people trapped behind him exited promptly. standing around. The cave, which has seen a lot of Several cavers had been pulling out traffic from flashlight cavers and occa­ smaller rocks while lying in the belly sional Grotto trips over the last 20 years, crawl leading to Jorg when I arrived. Ma­ has recently been threatened by the "Mopac" terial from both the wall beyond Jorg and expressway being built near the entrance the wall to the left was threatening to and over the cave. Bill Russell has had slide in around him. Various cavers were frequent talks with the engineer on the talking about using VW jacks to wedge project and determined that the cave was rocks, and plywood and stakes to stop far enough under the surface where it landslides. crossed the expressway's future path that I stuck my head in and found tha~ the cave should be in no danger. The en­ there was · a little dome 4 ft in diamete gineer failed to tell Bill that a utility and 3 ft high over Jorg. I also noted t~ trench was to be blasted 6 ft deep through the right wall and ceiling were solid. I the rock very close to the entrance. couldn't see how they could use jacks on The line was put in this spring and the rock, and it seemed that plywood shor­ the blasting loosened rock at the 30 ft ing would get in the way, so I realized level - right where a 10 ft crawlway from that the only easy way to move the big the entrance chamber reaches the top of a rocks pinning Jorg would be to get over him tight chimney-down. Cavers went there in in a sitting position with my feet on the May and dug enough that a small hole lead­ stable right wall and my butt on the un­ ing down was opened. They gave up before it stable left slope. I also realized th~ was large enough to get through and report­ getting in there and working would send a ed that the top of the hole had a lot of lot more material sliding down around Jorg . dangerous rock around it ready to fall in. As I started climbing in over him,[ Local kids must have finished the job stuff started sliding and Jorg said "What because it was passable when the three are you doing man?!" He was expecting his north Austin teenagers went in late Wednes­ head to get buried next. I told him I had day afternoon. Having completed their ex­ to get in there to get anything done . I plorations, the three were heading out when settled my butt against the unstable slope Jorg ·schwitzgebel, 14, who was in the lead, and immediately about 30 lbs of rock and apparently pulled on a loose rock when he gravel slid down against my back and start­ was mostly up through the chimney. Approxi­ ed trickling past my hips and around Jorg mately 300 lbs of rock and gravel slid down (who had a rather terrified look on his into the funnel-shaped hole he was emerging face at this point). from, trapping him from his knees to his Now that I was in a good working posi­ armpits in a vertical position. He was tion with both hands free, I started pass­ stuck like a cork in a bottle. He could ing rocks and coffee cans full of gravel to communicate with his friends below, Richard the other cavers in the 10 ft crawlway . 1 and John Fant, ages 12 and 14, in muffled started with the stuff behind my back and voices. then started digging out stuff around Jorg. Fortunately, a somewhat older family Every time I got the level around him do~ friend was waiting in the entrance chamber a few inches another landslide would come and summoned help. Firemen arrived at the down against my back and fill back in scene and attempted to free Jorg by tying a around him. For the first half hour it al­ rope under his arms and pulling until he most seemed like a losing battle, but the cried "uncle.". (He's lucky he wasn't in slopes of loose material finally achieved Kendall County or they might have hooked a an angle that was low enough to be fairlY tow truck to him.) Luckily at this point stable. Then I started making real progress 54 digging out the stuff around him. face just after midnight the scene was more In the middle of the pile of limestone frenzied than when we went in photogra­ tha t Jorg was sharing the top of the chim­ phers flashing, movie lights glaring, re­ ney with was a 150 lb rock about porters asking questions. 10 11 x1 4"x20". After I had removed gravel The crowd thinned out after the kids and rocks weighing up to 50 lbs from around left and we hung around sorting gear and the big one, I was able to get my fingers filling in reporters. A 4000 lb rock was under the 150 lb rock and lift it about 6 placed over the entrance that night by a inches . I decided it was too heavy to move front-end loader to keep out the curious. any farther in its present size, so I put There is still a debate among the authori­ one foot in the hole and cradled the rock ties over whether a locked manhole should between the side of my leg and the back of be installed or whether a million pounds of the hole while I beat on it with a hand concrete should be poured into it. sledge hammer. The hand sledge took off a The rescue got lots of coverage in the series of 5-10 lb flakes which reduced the Austin newspapers and on TV. One conserva­ size down to approximately 100 lbs. Then I tive paper blamed the cavers for not let­ was able to pull it up out of the hole, ting them seal it up a year ago. Most ac­ roll it carefully past Jorg' s head and flop counts had a firemen rescuing the kids with it down flat in the crawl way. The cavers maybe some mention of help from "local in the crawlway dropped a loop of rope over spelunkers" or the "University Spelunker it and sucked it right out of there. Society". We considered it par for the Jorg figured he was about free then, course. but we found that a couple of 75 lb rocks We did get a little positive PR a week and a bunch of smaller stuff were still later when a television film crew went to pinning his thighs. As I started lifting the entrance of Airman's Cave with a few ooe of the 75 lb rocks out, the 50 lb rock club members and filmed a little piece for in the loose wall that my butt was on the local news to the effect that caving shifted and threatened to slide down, with can be safe and fun. who knew what to follow. Pressing harder In analysis: The main thing Jorg did with my feet on the opposite wall I was wrong was caving in a climbing cave with a able to hold that rock with my butt while hand-held light. Lacking a light on his lifting the first one out. head, he probably was reaching blind as he Jorg seemed real ready to give it a came out of the chimney and pulled on a try and wasn't anxious to wait for a second loose rock as a result. What they did right 75 l b rock to go down the crawl ahead of was not only telling someone where they him , so I stuck one foot down the hole and were going but taking a friend to the en­ held that rock with the side of my leg trance to wait. while still holding the other rock with my What could we have done to prevent but t . 1 leaned over, grabbed him around the this? We could have kept the cave gated waist with both arms and pulled while he (lt was once, but the kids used the old struggled. His legs came right out of the ploy of pretending someone was trapped in remaining loose stuff, which rattled on there to get the firemen to break the gate down the hole. off for them.), we could have left the hole After resting a minute he got himself through the loose stuff filled until we had hori zontal and crawled on out the crawlway time to do the job right, or we could have under his own power. Although he was only pulled everything loose out of the chimney stiff and well-bruised, the Authorities had area - a project with little chance of hap­ their way and had him hauled from the en­ pening with the cavers putting all energies trance on a stretcher. into convention preparation. Meanwhile I passed out the 75 lb rock Finally, it is of note that even here from beside my leg and the 50 lb rock from in Austin none of the authorities knew of behind my butt (which surprisingly was not the Texas Cave Rescue number (817 772-0110). fol lowed by another landslide). I'd been at Luckily there were enough cavers here so it for perhaps an hour and a half and I was that someone in authority knew where to beat , so I crawled out and let Bill Russell call and we got the word. Elsewhere they in to check it out before the other two might have proceeded Kendall County style. started up. We have got to get that number to the au­ After passing out a few more rocks, thorities if it is going to do us any good. Bill gave them the "go ahead" and they scrambled up. When we emerged at the sur- CAVE SAFETY lS NO ACCIDENT 55 s T 0 ...... ····· .... ····· R ··.. ······:: -;:··•"'''_.. -·· ..) c;y ·.. '··· '· ~ ..· / ...... · -···-- ·-········· .·· .~ ..· .·· .l'·' ... .···· ······ .·:.:· -·. . .. ·...... :

by Alicia Gale body length in front of her the floor ap­ She was tired of crawling. For the peared t o slope down a little; she was past fifteen minutes, she had bellied small so squirming around might just be along on the flat stone floor, her helmet possible. Hallelujah!!!! a dome. A big constantly scraping the ceiling; but the freakin' dome. Big enough to stand up in tube continued and she didn't half like and stretch and enjoy space. Claustropho­ the idea of backing through the 500 yards bia had been more eminent than she liked) of twisting passsage. Maybe, just ahead, to admit. Now all she want ed was to ge t she could find a place to turn around. A the Hell out. She squatted to squirm back

56 ~nto the tube to begin the long slither seemed comforted by her even as she was back to the mapping team. She heard a soft comforted by him. She slipped into him, whoosh; the dirt floor of the dome crum­ relaxing into easy gentle oblivion. bled out beneath her. Too startled to even Later, how much later she didn't scream , she fell, her flailing limbs know, she came to herself again. Her mind 1 ~~ching nothing as the dome belled into reached for him only to feel him slipping darkness. She gasped more in amazement back and away into the dark voids again. than fear in the millisecond that it took Even so, an aura of comfort and even fond­ to realize she was probably falling to her ness still surrounded her. She called out death. Her impulse to yell "falling" was for him but he wouldn't answer - she could cut short by impact. There was a great feel a deep distress emanating from him. flash, followed by darkness. It didn't Then she saw far above the cause of it. even hurt was her last thought. Light and now voices came from the dome She came to in the same darkness, that she had tumbled from. She heard a broken only by the dimming light of her rope sing out as it was lowered over the head lamp. She was aware of dull pain and lip above, and the clang of a bolt being areas of stickiness she knew damned well embedded. She heard the clanking of a ra­ were blood. A great fear of dying pos­ peller as he clipped in and the whirring sessed her; both legs were very likely of 'biners and rope getting louder even as broken and her whole torso felt splat­ a powerful light fell full on her dilated tered. The head lamp flickered once, eyes. The entity was not pleased; she twice, and then went out. As the darkness could sense his dislike of the light and engulfed her sne flailed out irregardless his growing malice toward her comrades. He of the pain. She had sat alone and unboth­ counted her as his own and only an an­ ered in total darkness many times in the guished "please, no" that sparked from her ~st but now she felt the panic r1s1ng in to him saved the man on rappell--with a overwhelming waves. Her scream faded into barely perceptible thud the two ton break­ a moan . down slab wedged back into place in the Then she was aware of a presence and cei~ing as its lord and master ceased his her terror reached new heights as waves of com~and. Even as her rescuer's boots comfort flooded over her. The thing, enti­ thumped down some ten feet below her on ty, whatever, soothed her. She saw nothing the breakdown slope, she felt his presence but felt as if a kindred spirit was draw­ recede for good and the pain came rushing ing out all the pain, the fear, the panic; back. In a haze that dimmed to black, she like warm water soothing aching muscles. was aware of Joe bending gingerly over her She thought she was very likely dying and and then shouting frantically over and didn 't really mind, but it, he?, reassured over that she was alive ..•.. her. Then there was total empathy. The hospital was monotonous. She knew He was old, infinitely old, but at that she shouldn't have lived through it, the same time ageless. His touch was that having been comatose for six weeks and of a sensitive youth but it held the know­ three days. She had come out of it eight ing reassurance of an old sage. He soothed days ago to the consternation of all, but her and took her pain onto himself only to she missed the deep sleep of coma; some­ turn it out again irito the darkness where times late at night when it was very dark it slipped easily onto the nerveless rocks and very quiet she could feel his presence and pools. In his mind she was aware of reaching up from his limestone halls below fluted draperies, of towering columns, of being strangely concerned for her welfare. still pools mirroring such wonders that In the last eight days he had not come and her mind shrank from to much beauty. And she was disconsolate. A doctor interrupted in the next heartbeat she was aware that her reverie. He was most distressed and he was the cave; the embodied spirit of immediately launched into a lecture about subterranean wonders and dark cavern how trauma usually stopped all ovulation palaces, inhabiting since the beginning for months and the comparative fragility the forever dark voids from which he ruled of the unborn fetus and how falls like she his crystalline domain. She was aware of.. took being instant death for a fetus. wonders no caver would ever see, forever· Then, plunging on as if afraid of losing lost , except to him. And she knew s~e his nerve he sputtered out, "Ms. Leaghter, would be quite content to remain broken we don't know how, but you are most defin­ and battered but in his embrace for as itely some two months pregnant." long as he wished, for he was lonely. He She smiled. 57 SAN ANTONIO GROTTO NEWS by George Veni

The SAG has been engaged in quite a new cavers fresh out of Bustamante? You diversity of trips and activities over the train them to become rough, tough worki~ past few months. October saw five of us cavers. Gary Poole took a group out to going up to Deadman's Hole which was lo­ some 50-foot cliffs for vertical training, cated without much difficulty, but the bad and the next day George took them out to air in the cave forced a quick exit. Not teach the art of surveying at John Wagner all of the trips were -so ill-fated. Ranch Cave Number 3. After that you take Among the surveyors, there has been a these new people to the well known area recent interest in producing many high caves to whet their appetite for the ~k­ quality Bexar County maps. The last four nown. Meanwhile, between trips, you rein­ months of 1977 had thirteen caves surveyed force the call of the unknown with tales and six maps drafted. The survey has led of passages long and deep which reach the to relocating many long lost and forgotten antipodes of the earth. However, remember caves and also to the discovery of new when the reins on these cavers are caves, some of which have proved uniquely released, look out! beautiful, making them well respected not The SAG now has its own monthly only in Bexar County, but anywhere. Among newsletter. There is no cost. Just se~ these caves are: Tick 'n Delight Cave, your self-addressed stamped envelopes to: characterized by gleaming white flowstone "floating" in the air (due to the mud un­ Range of Darkness derneath being washed away); Pick-Up­ c/o Will Schwartz Sticks Cave, a large room containing hun- 5024 Concord Ridge dreds of butter colored soda straws which San Antonio, Texas 78228 average three feet long, the longest being almost seven feet; Roan's Cave, reminis­ Your· subscripions will last as long cent of Carlsbad Caverns is yet another as your stamped envelopes do. new cave that is making Bexar County worth visiting. November 12 and 13 was the Cave Res- cue and Training Session at Edge Falls. Eleven SAG members attended. On January 28, John Cross organized another safety session, aimed primarily at teaching theor.y behind medical treatment and the immobilization of patients for transporta­ tion. It is felt that too much medical ~18AG_ treatment has been learned and in order to be of assistance, the caver should under­ stand WHY something is done rather than HOW. Transporting was also deemed very important because stabilizing the patient will, in most cases, be done by trained EMTs while the manpower and cave knowledge Speaking of connec­ for vertical ascents and the like is up to tions - Brinco / In­ the cavers. All of this safety and survey­ fernillo did; Blow­ ing is quite good, but as the cliche goes, hole I Deep didn' t "All work and no play ... " quite. Tell your November 24 through 26, twelve cavers fellow cavers to got away from it all by going to the Gua­ subscribe to t he dalupe Mountains and visiting Cottonwood, Texas Caver and get Hidden and Black. And to help bring in the details in fu­ .-...... /MJ' the New Year, on January 1 and 8, seven- ture issues. teen San Antonio cavers and seven Kings­ ville cavers went to see Gruta del Palmi­ to. TO ERR IS HUMAN - TO REALLY FOUL THINGS UP What do you do with a group of eager TAKES A COMPUTER 58 The Computerized TEXAS CAVER REFERENCES by Frank Sadek 1. Brune, Gunnar, "Major and Histori­ cal Springs of Texas," Texas Water When Keith Heuss volunteered to do Development Board, Report 189, March 1975. this issue of the TEXAS CAVER, he was di­ 2. Smith, A. Richard, Personal com­ ligently working on his personal computer munication, 1971 • system; for he had great visions of using 3. Echelle, Anthony A., and Hubbs, it to type this month's issue. Well, he Clark, "Haven for Endangered Pupfish," might have succeeded if there would have Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine June not been a convention in New Braunfels. 1978. During the long return drive from a New 4. Leifeste, Tim, "Spring-fed Oasis," Mexico caving trip after the convention, op. cit. we were discussing this issue, and I hap­ pened to mention that I had access to a large minicomputer system at work. Our computer has an auto-answer modem, so all we needed to get connected wa~ a modem (NSS - continued) tied to Keith's computer, with his comput­ cave-related postage stamps, saf~ty and er working like a stand-alone terminal. A techniques, and the NSS Museum. The first modem we borrowed didn't work properly, so Annual Map Salon was a success with over Keith took the time to make one from 35 entries. scratch. We had no problem with the one he The only distinct complaint we heard built , and in short time we were communi­ all week was that things were too quiet in cating with the computer. the late evenings. Bill Torode of Hunts­ Keith typed the articles and trip re­ ville commented that this was because the ports into the computer and I proofread Texans, who are known to have livened up and corrected them at a later time. The past conventions, were too busy working files could be modified at any time up to their tails off putting on this one. On the final printing. Words, sentences, or the other hand, we think everyone was too even entire paragraphs could be added, busy all week long with the program to deleted , or moved around with very little have any time or energy left over for idle time and effort involved. The files were carousing. then processed -by a text formatting pro­ Some additional memorable events of gram which did the marginal justification the week include: and columnation. The final typing was Gradually going broke on the break­ done by an electric typewriter that was fast -plan with Hotel Faust. interfaced to the computer. Keith had been Chuck Hempel and Doug Medville's editor for the SWTG newsletter before, and short course on pyrotechnics and their au­ he was really amazed at the time saved in tomobile demolition demonstration at Terry the text preparation for this issue. I Raines' place. wish the computer we have at work could be The mad dash to local barbeque pits made available for every editor of the by several frenzied Texas cavers upon TEXAS CAVER, but it was hard enough for me realizing the food shortage at the Ban­ to steal the computer time and supplies quet. for this issue, much less several more. The efficient door prize _give-away. A caver fainting dead away into Orion Knox's lap during the snakebite program. (Springs - continued) How no one was brave enough to com­ imal s, including a small crustacean and pete in the bump-gate contest against the two aquatic snails. The population of £. current West Texas champion. elegans at Comanche Springs became extinct Zero attendance from one of the grot­ when those springs failed. ( Echelle and toes closest to the convention site. Hubbs, 1978.) The 1978 Convention was a great suc­ In past years quite a few of the cess. The convention staff has received springs in the Pecos river area have gone verbal and written congratulations from dry due to man's presence. Many of the many participants. Our budget wound up in springs still flowing are in danger of go­ the black. The Convention Committee thanks ing dry. This is quite unfortunate, as all Texans who contributed to making this they are of great scientific, recreation­ the best NSS Convention ever. Let's see al , and economic importance. all of you in Pittsfield next year. 59 DESTINATION: Florida Caverns State Park, high "bench", of sorts, which borders Marianna, Florida flood plain of large cyprus. This particu DATE: December 23-25, 1977 lar plain is an overlap point of th CAVERS: Tomm and Joan Reinbold northern/southern flora and fauna, and du REPORTED BY: Tomm Reinbold to the glaciers, several species of plant & animals of both regions are isolated to In August of 1977, my wife, Joan, and gether in this small pocket. "True" blin I decided that we'd spend the Christmas crayfish, salamanders, . "crickets", and holidays doing my 12 days of annual train­ or 6 species of bats inhabit some of th ing for the Navy Reserve in Pensacola, caves, which are carefully guarded, o Florida, and maybe do some caving in our course. off time. We contacted the Gainesville and The history of the plain Tallahassee student grottos for assis­ noteworthy. There is a rock shelter tance, and got the names of some east thought to have been used as early a Florida cavers. Unfortunately, a previous­ 11,000 years ago, and around 1810 when An­ ly planned trip to Alabama made a rendez­ drew Jackson was chasing Indians aroun vous too difficult, but some information the state, the park caves were often used was exchanged. as temporary hideouts by the Indians. On my way to Pensacola, by way of Jackson is known to have marched and Vicksburg, Mississippi, my registered bivouaced throughout the park. The park­ classic(!!) '65 Mustang chose to finally ing lot for the one commercial cave is si­ drop its ailing rearend, so before we tuated on top of an Indian village and could treck off to any caves, I had to many artifacts are displayed. find a used third member from a wrecking After setting up camp, in 60 degree yard and swap it into my drive sunshine, we gathered our gear and headed train ... that was a caving experience of for the flood-plain trail caves. The firs the "third member" kind. It was late in was a "tunnel" type, approximately 150 the evening of Friday, the 23rd, before we feet long, a small stream in the bottom, left Pensacola, in the rain, for Florida with the exit down a 20-foot-wide by Caverns State Park in Marianna. 6-foot-high walk. We had been told there Arriving about ' 11PM, we found a camp­ were about 10 caves along this trail, but site at a small lake and set up. By 3AM it turned out to be half that, some having the drizzle had turned into an inch-per­ several entrances. hour downpour, driven by tornadoic winds; The longest, McDowell's, had a short and we learned later that there were, in 20 foot · pit at one entrance and was wet fact, tornadoes to the north of us. The and fun. A roost of 200-300 bats was over tent survived, but the floor was floating a 15 foot wide pool, and not having been off the ground like a water bed and we really asleep, they were annoyed with our lost several stakes. presence. We had been collecting trash The following morning, we dried out from the four smaller caves and I finallY and cruised out to the park. The park had to tie some coveralls into a bag to personnel were most helpful, drawing maps carry it all. In McDowell 1 s we found 6 to some of the 30-plus caves in the park, shoes, 4 of which were open-toed sandals, and giving directions to several other if you can believe that!! The other tras~ caves in the area. was the usual flash cubes, wrappers, The topography of th~ park is quite beer/soda cans, and at least a mile of al interesting. The caves are along a 15 foot manner of string, chord, catgut and twine. 60 ~Dowell 's upper level was reached at the went to the caverns Monday morning. At end of about 1/4 mile of sticky clay about 1:00 everyone met outside the city walk/ stoop and it turned out to be botanical gardens. After some last minute decorated with moderate sized columns, running around, we headed to McKittrick draperies , etc. , but in keeping with the Hill. On the way out, Jim Childers' car presence of a ll the junk, it was pretty broke, so we loaded Jim and Al ice into ~ch vandalized. As we exited out another Mike Furrey's Cherokee and made plans to entrance we found several tiny black (with fix his car on the way out. Upon arriving yellow dots) salamanders groping about in at the hill we all j umped into our caving the glop. At the entrance, we heard voices gear and headed for Endless Cave. After and crawled out to greet a family of six, several tiring hours of going in circles discussing the perils of the netherworld. we realized why it was called Endless. I'm sure they thought us completely in­ Then we noticed that Sherman wasn't with sane. us any longer, so we split up into two The sun was almost gone and the tem­ groups and eventually found him waiting pera ture was falling fast so we beat feet at the entrance. After lynching him, we back to camp and took hot showers in the all returned to camp and ate supper. bath house, our nearest and only neighbor. The next morning we went to McKit­ We were the only campers there for Christ­ trick Hi ll Cave. The cave was rather mas Eve and Day. That night we ate a good unusual, but had no formations to spealc dinner and sacked out on pine needles, of. Later in the day, we went into Sand deep in a forested swamp, an owl hooting Cave. That evening, some cavers from the in the distance· and a clear, crisp full Texas Tech Outing Club arrived and went ~on sky. Nice ... except for the cold front into Endless, and after exiting drove down that came through and plummeted the mercu­ the road and camped by McKittrick Hill ry to 24 degrees by morning. Cave. The next morning we packed up and Christmas Day we broke camp, but be­ fixed Jim's car. We then all treated our­ fore l eaving we did take the tour of the selves to a meal at Long John Silver's commercial cave. It covered about a mile (our last "real" food). We met back up at of we ll decorated well-cared-for passage, the gardens ,once again, and from there we some of which was dug out by the CCC years headed to the Guads. At the Guads we load­ ago , but left rough, instead of paved. ed down Tynes' Land Cruiser to capacity Here I must make mention of the management with two packs and put the rest of the of the cave. The"tour guide did understand gear in Mike Furrey's Cherokee. Then we caves , speleothem growth, and the ecology started up the hill. The next morning, we of t he cave. He also turned off the trail took a very enjoyable trip to Hidden Cave, lights as we passed each point, in an ef­ but the cave was rather cool and damp. The fort to halt fungus growth. There was also next day we braved the high ridge winds an informative slide show presented prior and went to Big Door. Mike Furrey dropped to t he trip, covering many aspects of the skylight. spe l eogenesis . For a small cave, their ef­ Saturday, we all trooped over to Cot­ forts to keep the cave somewhat natural tonwood and Jerry Trout took us on a rath­ were commendable. Despite some weird er pleasant tour of the cave. The gate to weather , it was a worthwhile trip. the back levels had been blasted off. Sun­ day Jim, Alice, Kathy, Margret, and Mike left for home because of pressing engage- ments and illness. The rest of us drove DESTINA TION: McKittrick Hill , Guadalupe out Ussery trail and found what we thought Mts.-Lincoln Nat'l Forest was Ussery Trail Cave. It went down about DATE : Jan 1-12, 1978 six feet and ended (after about an hour of CAVERS : Alice Akers, Jim Childers, digging). With some more digging, it Del Holman, Alan Montemayor, might open up. We also looked for J.R. John Tynes, Mike Furrey, Gold with no success, and checked some Sherman Starks, Tom Reinbold small leads, the largest going about ten Kathy Camp, Margret Jacobs, feet of very small crawl and endi ng in a John Brooks, Trigger tiny room. Monday, we headed for the REPORTED BY: John P. Brooks Pinks. After almost heading out the wrong ridge, John Tynes took off with the map Monday afternoon, the ASS'es began and got about a 1/2 mile lead. So we re­ gathering in Carlsbad. Some of the group luctant ly followed. Our group got 61 separated, but we found the caves. We DESTINATION: Newton County, Arkansas split into two groups and did Pink Dragon, DATE: May 26-29, 1978 Pink Palette and one other Pink · cave. CAVERS: John Chelf, Scott Harden, Alan Montemayor tried to chimney the drop Keith Heuss, Mike Walsh, in Pink Panther, but we saw it couldn't be Phil Winkler done, so we returned to camp. The next REPORTED BY: Keith Heuss morning, we headed back out to Pink Pan­ ther. Tynes stayed in camp to rest. We We left Cedar Park at abou~ 7:00 p did the drop, and found this cave to be Friday afternoon after installing a due the prettiest of the caves we had done. tape boot between Mike's truck cab an Because of the many loose rocks on the camper. Our destination was to ·get out 0 drop, we decided that it was smart to not Texas before camping. We made it as far a have a large group in this cave. We saw Camp Arrowhead, Oklahoma. We barely sur the jaguar and several other skeletons. vived the mosquitoes the first night. We returned to camp arriving well after Saturday our first stop was il dark. The next morning, the weather Clarksville to do some grocery shopping looked bad, so we decided to head down the We got a cave lead from a grocery bagge mountain. As we started packing out a snow at the store. He told us of a cave nea storm hit, but it ended and had all melted Jasper. We later found out that the cave when we reached the cars. We headed for belonged to the Edgeman' s. We did not get Carlsbad and munched at Long John Silvers to go to the cave this trip. Our first and then headed our separate ways. John trip for the day was Bat Cave near Baxley, Tynes, Sherman, Del and I stopped at the It is a fairly large cave, however it has Pitt Grill outside Cisco and admired the been vandalized due to heavy non-caver womanly features of our waitress. Then it traffic. After the cave we went to Lost was back to the Dallas-Fort Worth metro­ Valley National Park. We went through the plex, before heading back to College Sta­ tunnel and entered the cave at the end of . tion. the canyon. Later we went swimming in one of the local rivers to clean up. Brrr, the water was quite chilly. We camped near Little Bear Cave that night. Sunday morning we talked to some cavers who had been in Little Bear Cave. They had a map of the cave and showed us DESTINATION: Helotes Hilltop Cave, how to get to the big room. We saw mos t of Bexar County the cave. Very impressive. That afternoon DATE: February 5, 1978 we swam in the creek near Jasper. We ate CAVERS: Mike Alfaro, John Cross, hamburgers in Jasper and drove to Diamond Bruce Eriksson, Dave Guerrero, Cave, a commercial cave south of Jasper. Teeni Kern, Daniel Kershner, After taking the commercial tour of Dia­ David & Bryan LaCombe, mond Cave, we drove to Hot Springs and Gary Poole, George Veni, camped at a roadside park outside town. Randy Waters, Tina Wise Monday we . visited the Hot Springs REPORTED BY: Randy Waters park and played tourist for the day. We left Hot Springs and were on our way back Members of the S.A.G. met at the usu­ home before noon. al time and at the usual bank on a mild Sunday, then we went over to rendezvous with the rest of the cavers at Mursch's Sporting store and proceeded to guide our vehicles near the cave entrance. We found the small entrance rather quickly and rigged a french ladder and belay line for .... the major drop just past the entrance. John and I acted the role of belayers. Everybody made it down safely and I stayed on top of the major pit in order to belay some cavers out. Everyone poked and crawled around and the exit from the cave went very smoothly. A fine pleasure trip! 62 DESTINATION: Fort Stanton, McKittrick Velvet to the Sombrero room before leaving Hill, other New Mexico caves the cave. · The crawl out wasn't too DATE : June 30-July 4, 1978 pleasant since we were tired, but we made CAVERS: Steve Fleming, Keith Heuss, it out after spending four hours in the Dale Pate, Frank Sodek ' cave. -We promptly headed back to Roswell REPORTED BY: Frank Sodek to crash for the night. We did not get up early Sunday morn­ We left from Keith's house about 4:30 ing. In fact, we were barely able to get pm for a long 4th of July weekend of cav­ up at allJ after the full first day of ing , and arrived at Steve Fleming's house caving. So we decided to go down to in Roswell eleven hours later. We woke up Carlsbad and try to get in on a New Cave fairly early Saturday morning and went to tour. Unfortunately, it was the 4th of Steve 's office to meet a fellow worker of July weekend, and there were no . openings his and his family, all of whom were going rema1n1ng. The trip was not lost, because to j oin us to do the first cave. We drove we did go into Carlsbad Caverns. Steve had west of Roswell and north of the Capitan just accepted a job as a Park Technician Moun tains to Torgac's Cave. We had lots of starting the end of July, so he was really fun climbing in the entrance, and in the excited (and he really had a big head.) We first room there were many unusual gypsum headed to the Texas border looking for formations. The cave was also unusually some beer · (no beer sold in New Mexico on cool- Steve says the temperature varies Sunday), but the small store was closed. from 42-45 degrees. We went to a nice for­ Dale showed us the entrance to Border mation room, where Steve, Keith, and Dale Cave, and we also stopped at Parks Ranch took photographs. After 1 112 hours Cave We went back to Carlsbad to get Steve 's friend and his family decided they Keith's van and then headed for McKittrick had seen enough of the cave, so we led Hill, where we ran into Jonathan Justice them out. We reentered the cave after they and friends sleeping again. left and went to the Football Field, a The next morning the Abilene foursome large room 100' by 200', eight to fifteen joined us for a trip into Endless Cave. fee t high. More pictures were taken, and Steve didn't want to go, but we persuaded then Keith broke out two Cyalumes. We him to. And believe it or not, Dale, played like small kids for thirty minutes, Keith, and Steve did not take their cam­ throwing the light sticks around the large eras in, only Jonathan Justice! We stayed room with the shutters of the cameras in Endless for about three hours, and then open . The cave has two entrances, but we went to Sand Cave. We crawled around to exi ted from the main entrance. the different entrances and had fun chim­ We then took off for Fort Stanton, neying. After leaving Sand Cave, we prac­ only stopping to eat at the Smokey the tically ran through McKittrick Cave. It Bear Cafe. Steve showed us some real nice was hot when we got out, so we hurriedly petroglyphs aiongside the small creek packed up and left McKittrick Hill for south of the Fort Stanton complex. We en­ Carlsbad. Steve headed back to Roswell, tered Fort Stanton cave around 6:30 pm. and the Abilene cavers went their separate Initially the going was slow because we way. The three of us remaining bought beer were picking up string and trash left and the essential ingredients for a big behind by vandals. The main passage is batch of Keith's chili and headed for real nice, and seems even nicer when Cry­ Parks Ranch Cave. Parks Ranch Cave is an stal Crawl is entered, a 400' crawl that extensive gypsum cave with about 5 en­ has been heavily vandalized, but still has trances located about halfway between some long selenite crystals growing out of Carlsbad and the Texas border. I t has a the floor. After exiting Crystal Crawl, respectable amount of passageway, but the there is more passage before the next typical passageway is six feet high and crawl is encountered, Hellhole Crawl. We three feet wide and very winding. The met some Alamagordo cavers coming out of thought of Keith's delicious chili and the Hellho le as we were entering. Hellhole is ice chest full of beer was too much to a 1500' duckwalk I stoop I walk a little I bear, so after forcing ourselves to remain hand s-and-knees crawl. After leaving in the cave for two hours, we quickly ex­ Hellhole, we were amazed to find Jonathan ited for our finest meal of the trip and a Justice and three other Abilene cavers beautiful sunset over the Guads. The final sleeping in the cave. We went on through day of the trip was spent on the road back the keyhole gate and through the Hall of to Austin. 63 The Texas Caver BULK RATE 1019 Melrose Dr US. Postage Waco, Texas 76710 PAID Forwarding Postage Guaranteed Permit No.1423 Waco, Tx. 7671(

DESTINATION: Gorman Falls are Edge Falls and Hamilton Pool. Panther DATE: July 22-23, 1978 Creek Cave emerged into a steephead about CAVERS: Rick Goss, Keith Heuss, 100 feet wide and 20 feet deep. Just belo~1 Dale Pate the cave level is a spring flowing about 5 REPORTED BY: Keith Heuss gpm. Bill looked for salamanders, without success, while Quinn, · John and I mapped We had originally planned a trip to the cave which is only about 50 feet long the Langtry area, but due to complica­ but has three entrances; two at the level · tions, we ended up going to the Gorman of the spring and one upper pit entrance cave area. dropping 15 feet into the cave. The We arrived at the cave area early Sa­ present water level is below the cave, turday afternoon, only to run into which contains only a few dry old forma­ Johnathan Justice for the second caving tions but some excellent spongework and trip in a row. After a quick look at the other phreatic features. falls and Gormanlette Cave, we had plenty We then continued to a larger of time to explore Gorman Cave to the spring not far away that was reported to syphon and get out of the cave before sun­ flow 50-100 gpm. The spring (actually set. several springs) comes from a much more Sunday, me and Rick located Gorman spectacular and larger steephead than Pan­ Cave on the 7 1/2 minute topo map. The ther Creek. The eastern branch is a cliff river is about two to three feet lower dropping 20 feet into a pool about 100 than normal ane we observed a spring out feet wide and of undetermined depth. The in the river among some rocks which are western branch is narrower and contains a normally under water. The spring has cenote-like pool of great but undetermined quite a flow and it may come from within depth, separated by a rock bridge from the cave. We were threatened by rain so another, very clear pool about 15 feet we headed back and were on our way back deep with abundant and beautiful aquatic home early Sunday afternoon. vegetation. Bill looked for salamanders in the pool and downstream but apparently the habitat is not suitable, although Bill is fairly certain that there would be DESTINATION: Kendall County salamanders in the cave system that prob­ DATE: July 22, 1978 ably feed the springs. Unfortunately there CAVERS: Scott Harden, John Moder, is no way to reach any passage except Bill Russell, Mark Shumate, perhaps with an aqualung. Bill did swim Quinn Woods across the large pool to a visible en­ REPORTED BY: Scott Harden trance, but he only found a small cave in­ habited by a nutria, and lots of nutria Quinn and I had obtained a lead in bones on the floor. Bill brought back a the area the previous weekend. The cave complete skull with two very long front turned out to be at the head of a steep­ teeth making almost a half circle each, head, i.e. a canyon or valley ending and John decided to it was the skull of a upstream in an amphitheater-like enclo­ mastodon-nutria. With that the group split sure. Good examples of Texas steepheads back to Austin and San Antonio.