January 1976
NOTICE: This publication may contain matter which could be considered immoral by ove rly sensitive persons. If you are likely to be offended by life as it r e ally is, please do not turn this page. Nothing in this magazine will be found offe nsive to children who have not yet formed their p r ejudices. The TEXaS caUER TSA .'v1EM3ER ORGA:-\l 1 :\ Tl 0';" ALAMO ·\REI\ CHAPTER--~\:\C Volume 21, Number 1 Greg P aSSI11U;'c 2 Q7 W,',yside January 1976 San Antonio, TX 78213
AGGIE S~ELEOL..OGICAL SOCIE! Y B () ') B lis 5 - - :\ 'i S PO Box 1 3 1-1 College S:a tion, TX 771'0 ttl COVER PHOTO
Jill Ediger in Wilson' ~ Cave. BALCONES GROT fO Photo by the editor. Sus CARTA VALLEY S. U. C. K. S. C. Erlwin K,tn a th 3507 Lindenw00d S an A,lgelo, TX 7£.0901 In this iss ue .... CORPUS CHRISTI CAVI NG CLUB Noma Hueh:1': --CCCC 10515 Emmord Lp Corpus Christi, TX 78-110 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR More talk about the TSA. Praise for the 175 Editor •••.•.•••.•.••.• ROLE OF THE REGION Results of a survey by the I/O Committee ••••••••• EVELYN BRADSHAW CAVE OF THE MONTH Diamond Cave--From the files of the ISS •• ••••••. . . RONNIE FIESELER GALVESTON SPi!:LEOi....OGI CA 1 ~ CAVER NICOLE GaRNER Bug of the Month! The Rhadine exposed • .• ••• • •••• •• . BILL ELLIOTT THE PANCHO PEDDLER Have you seen this doubtful messenger from the east? ..••••••• •••• ? SOCI ETY --GSS GROTTO NEWS Club ne w s from around the state ..•••• •••. •.••• ••••• ••• - ••••••.••••••••••••• Barbara Strenth 10 PHOTO TRICKS Trial by error--How to test your flashbulbs •..••••••••• eRA WL E. GOONARSE 11 GARBAGE Little known facts and bits of fiction .. • .•• • .••• • ••• • •••••• •••••••••• ••• •• •••••••• B ox 5296 I Z EDITORIAL Seething philosophical exercise of the editor' s prerogative •• • • •••••••• •.•••••••• •• 14 TRIP REPORTS The last in a series of questionable events ••• ••• . .•••••••••••••••• • •••••• ••• G a l veston , T X 77550 GREATER HOUSTON GROTTO T '1e resa CO'1nolly --GHG 7143 Triola ~ Houston, T X 77036 IlIUIIia LAREDO SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY--LSS PO Box 603 Laredo, TX 78040 SOUTHWEST TEXAS STUDE',T staff GROTTO--SWT EDITOR: Gill Ediger Student Union Bldg Rt 2 Box 98 San Ma.rcos, TX 7866£.0 Falls City, TX 78113 TEMPLE CAVING ASSOCIATIOi\: SUBSCRIPTIONS: James Jasek MiMi Jasek - - TCA 5315 Laurel Lake 5315 Laurel Lake Waco, TX 76710 WilCO, TX 76710 COLLATION: Alamo Ar.ea Chapter TE)(.I\S A&r GROTTO--A&I PO Box 2213 Texas A&I tsa officers Kings ville, TX 78363 CHAIRMAN: Wayne Russell PO Box 848 TEXAS SPELEOLOGICAL SURVEY Rockport, TX 78382 Ronnie Fieseler --TSS PO Box 5672 VICE-CHAIRMAN: Jimmy Clements Austin, TX 78763 Box 7438 Corpus Christi, TX 78415 UNIVER.SITY OF TEXAS GROTTO PO Box 7672 --UTG SECRETARY: Ruth Darilek UT Station 11929 Grapevine Austin, TX 78712 San Antonio, TX 78288 3 \J (The fo ll o w in g l e tte r s are a sampling of those letters of commen dati on to the 1975 editor. --ed. ) D ear J a m e s : Dear Editor, C ongr a tulations o n a job well done as editor of the CAVER. I thoug ht that Ca rl KU:1 a th 's e dito ria l in D l!cem be r ' s TEXAS a m sure y our talents w ill be missed and 1 wish y ou the best of CAVER wa s good and quite time l y . I can't help b ut to a gree w ith luc k i n the future . m o st e v erything h e s a id. I' ve felt th e sa:ne t y pe of f e eling s for a long time so it was good to s e e these feelin g s in print, especiall y B est wishes for '76 , b y some one f rom the pot and needle gen e ration. I didn 't rea li z e Johnnie L. M c Dowell th e impac t it would hav e until I walke d i nto a U T Grotto m e eting in Austin D ecembe r and some one came up a nd ask e d if I had read the l e tter a nd proc la imed that a bunch of Austin cave rs h ad tagged m e as a Dea r Ji m, catagory I pe rson. 11m not sure that Kunath would a gr e e to this or Tha nks for an exciting 1975. Keep up the good work and my not, but ~'ll s ay one thing, 11m not g oing to sit a round and preach appr e c iation to Mimi for her effort s and to you for a job well done. safety; I 'm going to try and DO some thing a bout it. E s pecia lly when there a re many cavers in Texas that seen to be s a tisfie d Margaret Wright with the low standards of safety that s eem to be appa r e nt in s ome San Antonio grottos. It's important that muc h effort s hould be expended to preve nt the t y pe of accidents and nea r accide nts that have happen E ditor, ed in Texas (and San Antonio) in 1975. But it' s going to take more Congratulations on an outstanding D ecember issue. That is a than just me to push a little harder a ll the time . W e are all i nter perfect example of wbat the CAVER can be . I would no t mind a t e s ted in conserv ation, how about m aking 197 6 the year for better all h aving the subscription r ate increa s ed if we could have a mag conservation of c avers in T e xas. The real r eason for this l e tter azin e l ike tha t e v e ry month. (Even now it's great f or $4.50. ) is to add a little to Kunath 's rambling s. It i s one of m y opinions, I hope the next editor can do as fine a job as you have . May be of which 1 hav e m a ny, that the TSA i s the b est instrunlcnt, if not some of us from the 93'1. c ould join the r a nks of tbe 5'10 Carl talk the only one , that can be construe d as a S o unding Board i n the e d about. I guess there are too many like me-expecting a lot and state. Wh e r e e lse can one sound off, proc l aim , b itc h, g ripe , c ontrib uting nothing except out $4.50 . make ame ndme nts, m ake mockery , beat c hes ts , ki c k a s s , and in g e nera l l e t off steam (not Stuehm) than a t a BOG m eeting? Da vid Roberts The fa c t that there is this o utlet nlay be ano ther r eason that D y ess AFB p e opl e or a r ea 's of Texas don't go o ff on th e ir own a nd te nd to sti c k togeth e r somewhat in th e h ope s tha t some th ing good can be (W e ll D avid, you just got one step closer to that 5'10 . I'll be look a ccon'plished for caving and c ave rs in Texas by the TSA. ing for m o re from you. --ed. ) L a s t year disc ussi on and dial o g w as dis couraged, if not s up pressed , for the s ake of short m e etings . 1 say this shoul d b e E d itor, avoided i n the futu r e. Let there b e r a nting a nd r a ving a nd le t I pro te st your quitting as editor of the TEXAS CAVER. I know thos e who wish to speak out be abl e to have the oppo rtunit y. Isn't it ' s a lot of h a rd work and y o u're criticiz e d a lot, but r'm backing it better to have a place to s ound off a nd be liste ned to r athe r than you a nd I kno w lots of others who a r e , too. I hope to see y ou r e h ave too m a n y muttering in their b ee r c ans fa r into the sJn aH s Utne yo ur editors hip soon. hours a fte r eve r y TSA mee ting , whic h c ould cau s e s plinte r g r oup s breaking o ff into who knows what. Da l e P a te A nd if the r e ar e th o s e wh o do no t like l o n g nlee tin gs , l e t Austin the m run, not walk, to th e nea r e st bee r keg ( hc a l'-hear ) whil e those w ho wi s h can stay a nd ta lk or lis te n. Beli eve it o r not, J a nl Cs , Minli , et a l: the re a re new p eo ple in cavi ng w ho conlC to TSA ;ll e e tings in o r der I tha nk you fo r"'7. good year of the CAVER. I hope the next to le a )'n m o r e .J. bout caving. bravc s oul can do ha lI as 'vel l. You hav e produc ed some thing , Kunath ha s said i t like it i s a nd 1 hope som e of u s can put the with littl e or no suppo rt at tinles, tha t a ll Texas cavers can be TSA into its prope r pe r s p ec tive and not tak e i ts po li tics too seri p ro nd o f. ous l y i n th e futu r c . M ~y O z totl b l es s you a nd yours in this ana nuevo. L e t' s hav e J11 0 ," e 111 e eti ng s and ge t tog e thc rs to ta lk and pl a n cavi ng a nd th e n l e t thcl"c be nlo rc cavi ng and l ess t Chuck Stuehm San Antonio Role of the Region Jame s, Love d the last issue (De c). Ke ep it up this year! . • . May be The Texa s Speleological Association Ls a Region I ca;;J'i;id new subs c ribers for the TC if the quality stays the same . of the NSS. O t h er R e rions include the South western R e gion {SWR} --which is New M e xico Keep on Caviq.' and far West Texas , Arizona R e giona l A s socia Jonathan Justice tion {AR A }, Southeastern R e gional Asso ci a tion Abilene {S ERA}- - which includes most of the South, Vir Dear James, ginia Region {VAR}, Mid- Appa lachia n Region I was very disa ppointed to read that you were giving up the e d {MAR}--which includes Pensylva nia and West itorship of the CAVER. I w as going to send m y subscription in Virginia, and others . u ntil I read of your decision. I feel that even with all the prob lems you nave had, you have done an excellent job. The CAVER can be improv ed, but it has already improved greatly in the past Leade rs from various Internal O rganizations year. It has achieved a level of quality which a great many publi {i. e . , Grottos & Regions } were que stioned a s cations can not and do not enjoy. to the role of the R e gions. Over 100 replies There are a great many suggestions to ITlake but apparently, upon your leaving, they are too late. At a ny rate , a 'posthumous ' were recieved. O verwhelmingl y they stated attempt will he m a de to air the se suggestions. that t hey did not believe that the sol e function of The fi rst is there seems to be an enormous l a ck of knowledge the R e gion was to provide social functions . The b y the cav ers of this sta te as to what ne eds to be done; whe re to function which apparently was most favored for find this information; mapping and mapping skills and, finally, a lack of motiv ation to get off their posteriors to do some thing con regions was coordination of projects happe ning structive. Perhaps a serie s in the CAVER to rectify this sitlliltion in the R egion. would be in order. Also, for purely s e lfish reasons, I would like to see some t y pe of 'Help Wanted' section added to help locate in T :'le results are shown bel ow. The 1 st column formation, maps , people , places and cave leads. I noticed Bill Elliott did something along these lines in the Dec embe r CAVER. lists the function, the 2nd is the % placing this Thirdly , I think with inflation increasing each year , a rise in the function in the top 3 priorities, and the 3rd col subscription pric e would be in order. umn is the % ignoring the function or giving it a As I said at the outset, I was v ery disappointed to r e ad of your low rating. decision to gi ve up the editorship, therefore until such time as you c hange your mind or an e qually compete nt editor is named I am withholding m y subscription and am asking a nyone w ho enjoys P roject Coordination 7 1. 2 11. 8 the CAVER in its present state to do likewise. I would hate to H unting for caves 17. 8 3 8. 1 subscribe and then hav e the CAVER revert to some of the non S ponsoring seminars 59.3 12. 0 sense which ha s transpired in the past. P ublishing ca v e surveys Thanks for your time a nd the gre at job y ou have done. 12.7 54. 2 Gathering s for fellowship 50. 0 16.0 R e spe c tfully , Regiona l P rojec ts / trips 39. 8 22.0 Cha rle s M . Ya t e s R e p resenting cav ers on Au s tin conservation councils 50.8 15. 0 (Gee, Charlie , you just w hipped up on about e v erything I w as go Talks at cons ervation heari ng s 43. 2 19.0 ing to say in my editorial. Thanks for the l e ad-in. Your sugg ~ s E xploring, mapping 21. 2 38. 9 tions are well taken and in fact , some have alre ady been put into operation. As most T e xas cave r s know , the Tex as Spe leological They came out strongl y for the sta tus quo w hen Survey is the undisputed authority on and c e ntra l repository for all cave information in T e xas (Bill Russe ll no twithsta nding). In problems of o v erla p ping interests arose. Often an a ttempt to rejuv inate both the cavers of T exas a nd the TSS, the negotiotions among the cav ers involv ed was sug TEXAS CAVER will publish monthly the nam e , l o cation, owne r, g ested as the appropriate course of a c tion in a nd other pertine nt da ta on sev era l know n but unma ppe d , u nstud such cases . {At this point, the I/ O chairperson ied Texas c aves . In addition, I will a lways s e rio us ly c on s ider articles de aling with any pha se of 'cave science'. A s you men wants to inte rj e ct an editorial. She h a s c on tione d , Bill is now editing for the CAVER a monthly s e ries on cluded that many such I/O probl ems can be biology. A sirniliar serie s on m a pping, or anything e Ls e , would traced to personaJity clashes, often where the b e a gre at he lp to me, the c avers of T exas , a nd the us e fulness individuals are all well motivated cavers a ble and content o f the CAVER. I await the d ay wh e n my m a ilbox o ver flows with suc h m a tter . Cla s s ified ad s by and fo r cave r s a r e a l to get a long with most people. Bitter speleo w a ys w elcomed . They are free as a s e r vice to our r eade r s . politicking helps no one and hurts the NSS. If Also, every e ffort is being mad e to s t ave off any inc r ea se in the the individuals in question c a n contribute m o r e s ubs c ription r a te . The TC is going i nto bu s ine s s . We ho p e to to caving in s e parate org anizations, with sell TEXAS CAVER a nd TSA T- s hi rt s , with profits going to the CAVER, to h e lp i n its ope r a tio n. K e ep a n eye out for the m. And othe rs m a inta ining g ood inte r-orga ni zation r e a las , Charlie , how c a n you e v e r c ompar e this editors compe t e ncy lationships , is that the best wa y to go? It's with that of another without a grubby c opy of this thing i n you r o wn too b a d that w e t a ke up time with speleo - strug hands ? Your subscription money, your contributions , a nd your g les, that c ould better be spent c onstruc tiv ely .} c ontinue d c omme nts a r e anxious ly awaite d. --ed. ) The above r ~ port is repr inted from the I/O NEWSLETTER in the inter est of a lleviati ng the pain of the 'ide ntity crisis' now popular within the TSA. 5 TSS NOS. ARE CELHl I£IGHlS o 40 Ft 0 20 FT. I , I I , I PLAN SECTIONS DIAMOND CAVE CORYELL COUNTY, TEXAS SURVEY BY U T S S. 8-16-;;4 Diamond Cave is one of the b e st known cave s in Coryell County. It is loc ated on a brus h c ov ere d plateau in the west part of the county. Frequently visited by l ocal s , it is a ni cc l ittle cav e to visit if the rather small entrance can be found. Severa l small pits in the floor seem to indicate eit her occ a sional searches for Indian artifa cts (a common past -time in the a rea) or that the cave may be r u m ored to cont ain t reasure as many caves nearby are s upposedly the repository of buried l oot . No rumors have be en h eard· about specifically about this cave however. Cavers h ave visited the cave from time to time and on August 16, 196 4, it was m apped by Jam es Reddell, B ill Russell, David McKenzie, and Tommy McGarrigl e . A collection of invertebrates was made at t his time and included c entipedes, collembola, mites, cave crickets, tenebrionid beetles, a ps eudoscorpion, spiders, pillbugs, and some larvae. The entrance t o Diam ond C ave i s a diamond-shaped ho le about 5' long and 4' wide , dropping 14' to a crawl extending i.P. two directions. To the w est it ends a fter abOu t 10', but to the . east it exten ds for about 400' w here columns split the passage into two distinct c r awlways . T hese come t ogether again after about 80' . After an a dditional 80' the cave narrows from about 20' to 3' and continues a s a crevice-t ype c r awl for an additional 50' before ending. The floor of the c ave is covere d w ith silt, although in some pla ces a thin layer of guano is found. Ronnie F iese ler Texa s Speleologic al Survey 6 By William R. ~l1lott The hadine- Beetles of Texas Caves The ge n us Rhadine (pronounced ruh-DIE-nee) con whole story. Geologic history has also ha d a great l a ins about sixty species, r a nging f rom Canada to influe nce on the evolution of Texas troglobites. M(!xico. Most inhabit caves, cellars, Inammal bur The caves of Centra l Texas are mostly in Creta rows, and rock piles. About nineteen species occur ceou,S (125 million years ago) rocks of the Edwards in Texas caves; eleven of them are troglobites (ex and Glen Rose formations. The uplift of Central Tex clusively c ave-dwelling), a nd are found in caves in or as occurred in the Miocene (IS million years a go), nea r the Balcones Fault "Zone (see map). These but exposure of all cave-forming limestones did not beetles have b een studied by several biologists, but occur at this time. Along the Fault Zone, the fault most of the taxonomic work has been done by Dr. ing caused exposure of cave-forming rocks sooner Thomas C. B a rr, Jr. of the University o f Kentuc k y . than away from the lault. Away from the fault, expo His most recent paper (1974) wraps up his work on sure (and the formation of cave entranc es) could not t he troglobitic fo rms of Texas. Mitchell and Reddell occur until the overlaying, non-cave-forming, late (1971) have discussed the troglophiles a s well. Cre taceous deposits were eroded. Even with this In this a rticle we shall focus on t he eleven troglo mechanism, Fault Zone caves were not available for bitic species, all of which are plac ed in the subter colonization by terrestrial animals until maybe early r a nea species by Barr. The eight other Texas spe Pleistocene. Caves away from the Fault Zone were cies are all troglophiles, that i s species which u s ua l not available until about mid- Pleistocene ( l, 000, 000 l y i nhabit caves but which may b e found in similar and 500,000 years ago, respectively). h a bitats elsewhere, and whi ch l a ck th e extreme re It aptlears, then, that c aves were available for duction o f e yes and pigment, and slenderness of body colonization along the Fault Zone first. Changes in and lirnbs that troglobites often show. I n the c ase of climate probably were responsible for wiping out the Rhadine, the troglophiles mostly occur on the Ed surface-dwelling ancestors, leaving isolated c ave ;;'ard s Plateau, the Llano Uplift, the Northwe st Texas popul ations to evolve their adaptations to cave life gypsum al' c a, around Alpi ne (B r ewster Co.), a nd the without the influx of 'surface' genetic traits. Troglo gypsum a r e a o f far We s t Texas (Culbers on Co.). bites have had, in ge neral, more time to evolve along Most are p laced in diffe rent species groups than the the Balcones F a ult Zone. troglobites . To furthe r complicate the situa tion, there is sim Why a re the troglobite Rhadine species found only ply m o re geological complexity along the Fault Zone, along the B a l cones Fault Zone ? This is one of the which has broken u p the cave populations from each most int eresting aspects to cons ide r, e s pecially when other. Faults, i s olated outc rops of cave-forming we find simil ar pa tterns occuring in other Texas ca v e lin1estone, and intervening river drainages are more ani mal s . I n most cases the gr eatest numb e r of trog common there, 50 there has been little underground l obite species occurs along the Balco nes Fault Z o ne. migration of troglobites for great distances. This O ne might s a y t hat the cave s in thi s part of Central has resulted in the evolution of closely related spe-, Texas a re, in general, wetter and have a higher or des and subspecies (races) in relatively small areas. ga lli c input than caves farther west; thus, these c aves For example, in Williamson and Travis countie s , support a r icher fauna and one would expect a higher there a re six Rhadine species and subspecies. Rha numbe r of troglobitcs there . But, this i s not the ,~ 8ubte rranea (see map) is limited to caves in Edwards Lime s tone between the Colorado River at cave Rhadine. Dr. Robert W. Mitchell , Texas Te ch Austin and the Sa n G abriel River a t Georgetown. It University, did his Ph. D. r esearch on R . subter has developed two subspecies b ecause of faults. ran~a in Beck' s Ranch Cave,. Williamso-; County. H e Rhadine a ustinica, in southern Travis Co., has not actually had a lab set up there! He studied the bee move d north, partly because the Colorado has cut be tle s ' feeding habits , distribution and dispersion (pa t l ow the Edwards, partly because the r i ver doesn' t terns of occurrence in the cave), and preferences and dry up. If it were a small s tream that occasionally tolerance s to light, temperature, a nd humidity dried up, bee tles could conceivably migrate across , (Mitchell, 1971a, b , c ). This particular species is a if t emper a ture and humidity c o nditions were just highly specialized predator on cave cricket eggs r i g ht. Another exampl e is Rhadine speca s peca , (other species are probably scavenger - predators). whic h i s limited to Glen Rose caves ~Bo erne , The beetles dig into the silt to uncover buri ed eggs while another subspecies, R. speca gentilis , that they smell. They a r e so automatically keyed on is found in Edwa rds caves ~ a r New Braunfels. Like having to dig up the eggs that they do not respond to wise , iso l a ted hills of Edwards Limestone near eggs placed on the surface! The beetles are found Helotes , north of San Ant o nio , have allowed two dis onl y in silt areas, where crickets l ay their eggs , but tinc t subspeci es of R . infernalis to differentiate. their dispersion is random. However, this is caused Another interesting aspect of the subterranea by two counter - acting behavior s- - a ttraction of males group is the occasi onal occurence of t wo s pe cies in to femal es (they smell them out), and repulsion be the same cave. Thi s has occurred in Marnock, Head t ween beetles of the same sex. The beetles are quarters, a nd Gov ernme nt Canyon Bat caves , a ll in slightly shy of light even though the e ye rudiments Bexar County (infernalis a nd exilis) ; Alzafar C ave , are practically absent. They prefer high humidity, north of Boerne , Kenda ll County (koepkei and speca); and they have a strong temperature prefe r ence which and Tooth and Kretschmarr caves , Travi s County changes with the seasons. I n the summer t hey pre 0 (persephone and subte rranea--see photo). In each of fer about 10 C , but in the winter they prefer about 0 these cases , one species (the f i rst in parentheses) is 20 C (cave temperature). Mitchell thinks that this 'robust' and the other 'slender'. Perhaps the robust shift serves to keep the beetles in the cave in the species a re more recent trog l obites and have habits summer when they could not survive outside. In the tha t a re just different enou gh to a llow them to coexist winter , under the right conditions, they could con with the s l ender species without too much competi ceivabl y migrate overland. tion (a biologist would say that they have little 'niche Rhadine subterranea wa s a lso studied b y Avise overl a p'). I n most of these cases , however , the ro and Selande r (1 972) to s ee if its genetic variability is bust speci es a re more a bundant. as low as that of cave fishes from Mexico, w hich Within the subt e:'ranea group , there is a general they a l so studied. It wa s found that the genetic var vague pattern of the mo st cave- adapted species i ability is quite high for the three genes they studied ( smallest eyes, most slender) being found closestto by electrophoresis (a biochemical technique). This the Fault Zone , whil e the l east cave- adapted ones finding is rather at odds with theories advan ced b y are farther away. This does not a l ways hold true . some students of tro gl obite evolution. Sever a l inte resting studi es have been done on the Suzanne Wil ey, former TSA Secretary and grad ecology, behavior, genetics , and physiology of Texas uate student at Texas Tech, did her master's thesi s Rhadine beetles: the su bterranea group l. R. spp. (eyed) 5b. R. infernalis ewe rsi 2a. R. tenebrosa tenebrosa 5c. R. infernalis subsp. 2b. R. tenebrosa mckenzei 6. R. exilis 3a. R. koepkei koepkei 7. R. insol ita 3b. R. koepkei privata 8. R. austinica 4a. R. speca speca 9. R. persephone 4b. R. speca crinicollis 10. R. russelli 4c. R. speca gentilis 11 a. R. subterranea subterranea 5a. R. infernalis infernalis 11 b. R. subterranea mi tchell i 12. R. no ctivaga KERR SALCONES ESCARPMENT , , , , , , o 10 20 30 40 50M MEDINA KINNEY 8 on metabolic efficiency in four species of Rhadine. dina County! Much is yet to be l ea rne d In the near future we hope to have articles on Texas cave salamanders and amphipods. If there are othe r IUl> ics you readers would like to see covered, drop a line to: William R. Elliott, Dept. of Biology, Texas Tec h University, Lubbock, TX 79409. WOULD YOU BUY A USED PANCHO FROM THIS MAN? This itinerant pa ncho vender disappeared from his home in Pennsylvania some years ago. He has been v ariously seen a round the country in the company of a n unusual assortment of dogs and an othe r wise sane lady. He has been lately seen in the presence of doubtful cavers and other hairy persons. It is reported by reputable sources that he has propa g ated rece ntly and is holding up some w here in Central Texas. His only vice is addiction to the powerful drug caffein which he takes in the form of Coca Cola. He is harmle s s in this state. 9 I Grotto News It is the intent of this editor to eliminate the TRIP REPOR TS section from future issues uf the TEXAS CAVER. Instead, they will be combined with Grotto News in some form or fashion presenta ble to the eye. Please, in the future, report your trips under the auspices of some club or grotto if at all possible, using the basi c format below. An I ndependent category will be instituted for unaffiliated cavers. GALVESTON HOUSTON The unlikely spot of G a l veston is the site of the The GHG is meeting once a month on the third most recently formed Texas grotto. For some Tuesda y at the Museum of Natural Science. GHG tim," , Tom Iliffe has been trying to generate local members have been concentrating on Mexican cav interest in caving. Last July he was finally able to ing during the Fall wi th trips to the Rio Purification get a small group together to l uok at some s lides and area and other parts of Northern Mexico. b ecome familiar with some of the standard caving Club address: c/o Theresa Connolly gear. The group was enthusiastic. Because of the 7143 Triola a lmost total l ack of prior caving experience , Gorman Houston, TX 77036 F alls was chosen as the site of the first weeke nd trip. The area afforded an introduction to the use of ver tical gear and a lso served as a shakedown for the t esting of a wealth of newly acquired head and foot A&I gear. Sinc ~ the first trip in August , members have par Christmas vacation saw Jimmy Clements, Gan ticipated in the TSA Labor Day Project, made Gros dalf, Amador Cantu, Irene Gon zales , Dorthy Tucker, s er's Sink in October, and spent 10 days in and Mark Shumate, and Bill and Charlie Mayne deep around the Valles area of M e xico over Thanksgiving within the parasite infested jungles of Yucatan. {trip reports will be in shortly}, Spring and early From the 20th of D ecember to the 3rd of J a nuary summer trips are currently in the pl anning stages they pondered such things as Howler monkeys, ruins , and the grotto is most interested in participa ting in commercial caves, cenotes, mushrooms , rock phal the BOG meeting in San Antonio this January, li , and more than a few honky tourists. Caves and The Gal ve ston Spe l eo logical Society has some areas v isited included Grutas de Xl:acumbilxunan, r ather unique features associated with its member Loltun, a nd B a lanca nc he, plusUxmal ruins, Xt ojil ship {othe r than being geographically located some Cenote, and Chichin Itsa. 2 00 miles from the nearest honest-to - god cave}, Hal Harnm, Herman Smith, J eff and Torn Wright The membership draws heavily from the University were in the Bustamante area scouting for caves and o f Texas Medical Branch and a lmost every member pictographs from the 26-28th of D ecember. h as taken rabies immunization series . While the Janua ry 17 8< 18, Dorthy Tucker, Jimmy Clem r egular membership has stabilized at just over a ents, Gandalf, and Chris Griffith were in the New d ozen, the word appears to be getting out and new Room in Bustamante taking pictures. Afterward they £aces appear at every meeting. Members are busily went to Carri zal for a s wim. Great numbers of bats arming themselves with all the gear necessary for were seen there . Perhaps just passing through on t,h e serious caving planned by the grotto . their winter migration, C lub address: Barbara R . Strenth Club address: Box 2213 Box 5296 Texas A8 TBSTIIIG By Crawl E. Goonarse Upon purchasing several boxes of expensive flash If all these instructions have been diligently followed, bulbs, the astute photographer will note that the bulbs you will be rewarded with a buildup of static electric are seperated from each other, generally by means ity which will ignite any usable flashbulbs (Fig. 3). of a cardboard device (Fig. 1). Flc;, 1 In this configuration it is impossible for a photographer to determine the reliability of ignition of these bulbs. Generally, this is accomplished by testing the bulbs individually in a flashgun . The busy photographer often cannot take this tedious route and must seek other methods to determine the reliability; represented by R=.!. After completion of testing the photographer can N easily sort through the bulbs, . discarding as unreli where: p=percent reliability able those bulbs failing to ignite (Fig. 4). I =ignition completed N=number of bulbs. The author has evolved a testing procedure which may' be readily implemented by anyone. Begin by .removing all the bulbs from the card board and dumping them randomly into a rp.d nylon stuff sack (Fi~~ 2). The photographer now has a large supply of tested Place this container into a green bulbs with which to proceed in his photographic en nylon daypack and toss into back of vehicle. Drive to deavors. some low humidity area. Rummage around in the vehicle making sure to jostle the pack in the process . . NEXT MONTH: . How to Shorten Strobe Cords 11 T SA CON'.' E !'ITI O N -- The a nnual TSA Convention is coming--probably in April--at a t i me and p l ace to be a nnounced later. You can help make it a success b y prepa rin g a tal k or slide show to be presented the.re. AI!3o, the annual TSA P huto Sal on is held at that time. I f you have slides or prints suit abl e for the Salon , be sure to enter them. An entry form will b e avai lable l ater. For more i nformation on the upcoming convention, contact J i mmy C l ements, Box 7438, Corpus Christi, TX 78415. A l5.ttl.e known fact a m ong some of the more recent converts to caving is tha t i n t he Black H i ll s of South D? kota, north of Rapid City, is a shrine to St. B e nedic t, pa ~ro n s aint of cavers. The P a i sano Grotto and the Univ ersity of Texas Grotto are in danger 01 being dro pped by the NSS f or not filing an annual report. Their Secretar ies sho uld co ntact E ve l yn B r adshaw, 1732 Byron St, Alexandria, VA 22.3G3. The 1967 & 1968 SP ELEO Di GESTs are now available from the NSS Office for $ 6. 50 each, p ostpaid. Send check to NSS Office, Cave A·fenue, Hunts v ille, AL 358 10 . The SD :s a compendium of the best articles culled fr.Jm Grotto a nd R egion new sletters during that year. ~he Spring NSS BOG meeting will be held Saturda y 28 Februar y in D e arborn, MI. Anyone interested in taking ~ bout a week (5 days) to drive up and b a ck s hould contact F i eseler (512) 282-0613 or Ediger (512) 484-2103, poth NSS Directors representing you in the Na~io~a l Spe l eologica l Society. You will be able to view and parti . ~ ipate in an NSS Board Meeting a nd help with ga s expens e s and hav e a g ood chance of seeing some detestible :~now and unbearably cold weather. O'.l ghta be a fu n r un t ho u gh . 'Next time you're leaving a cave and see s o me trash that someone else carried in--pick it up and pack it out. This minor bit of 'cav e maintena nce' b y y ou c ould mean a prettier c a v e nex t v isit. C" ving Safety is a good buy these days. You can affo rd to use plenty of it--and it costs you nothing--not even your life! The TEXAS CAVER welcomes the following o ld and new caver s to t h e ranks of the NSS: John and Cecily Buckley (NSS 16810 & 16 8 11) of 10624 Candigann, E l Paso, TX 79935 James Clark (NSS 16794) of 3713 Stillmeadow, Bryan , TX 77801 Noma Hoehne (NSS 16838) of 10515 E mmo rd Lp , Co rpus Christi , TX 784 10 Terry Jones (NSS '16820) of ) 6240 San P edro , Box 257 , San Antoni o , TX 78232 Richard, Lowery (NSS 16808) on the Coast Guard Cutter 'Point Baker' , B ox 667, Port Aransas, TX 78373 Changes of address include: William E. Damewood (NSS11742) to 3 608 Shell, Midl a nd, TX 79 70 1 Lewis Paul Johnston (NSS 15988) to La Plaza Apts , #18 1, 8244 R e s earch Blv d, Austin, TX 78758 Peter Spro'use (NSS 14445) to Box 8424 , UT Station , Au sti n, TX 78712 We hope that by now the following persons ha ve rembered to pay their NSS dues. If you see 'um, remind 'um! John Brady--El Paso E ddie R owl a nd--Lubbock Richard Guerrant--Austin Noe l E cke rt Sloan- -Amarillo Ri cky Mashburn--Robert Lee Fred Starling--El Paso "As feral depredations took their toll a m o ng the m 'ore loutish of the cave-dwelling Henny Youngmans, cul tural evolutio;" took a mighty leap somewhere along t h e fr ozen shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Some genius (history no longer ' records his 'name or even his s ex) realized that the inherent silliness ... of animals could be realized through visual representations. 'A nd s o, on the walls of Lascaux, Altamira, and countless other caves, the first comics were born: Enter the comic s trip!" --Martin Blubber, B. Sh. , Magdalen College, from NATIONAL LAMPOON History of the Comics. 12 for you as a fellow caver. I will present it to the public in a professional, hopefully entertaining man ner. I may at times editorialize on its contents, but only in the constructive interest of caving education and safety. The second promise is that if I do not get enough material to justify a press run, then the press will not run. So yes, this is the beginning. In your hands you hold the first bullet. The last bullet will be my decision to not turn that press on. I'm charging you with the responsibility to call the shots in between. Don't make me use that last bullet. Some comments on the contents of this issue are in order: I would be remiss to overlook Chuck Stuehm's comment on the "pot and needle" generation. Having promised above to be only constructive, I must point out that it is this sort of ~omment that leads and has led to much of the factionii lism that has prevented the TSA from becoming as effective as it couJ.d be under circumstances where one caver is more accepting of another caver's individuality and opinions. An honest and open criticism must be accepted in an honest and human-to-human manner. A cutting, sarcastic com ment will only breed contempt. The 'bug article' by Bill Elliott is the continuation of the Cavernicole Corner begun in last month's CAVER. It will be a regular feature with Bill acting as Contributing Editor for Biology. I would welcome other such articles or seTies on other aspects of s.::ience, to include mapping, speleogenesis, hydrol ogy, or whatever. The Grotto News lead-in, I believe, is self-ex planator.y:-Tdo;otreally dislike Trip Reports as such, I just think that they can be presented more ef fectively in the form of Grotto News. Reports of in teresting or significant trips wi~rtainly be accept Is this the begin>ling? ed and encouraged when written in the form of an O r. :: he 4th day of January, the TEXAS CAVER did article. An article is much more enjoyable to read not h ave an editor. In tha past few weeks I have and has the advantage of giving the writer some de scrou'lged arourld and put together these few pages. gree of flexibility in deviating from the truth for the I t is, I realize, very inadequate. I apologize with sake of a good story. Indeed, some of the best cave out furthar ex:cuse, I must personally take credit for fiction I've read was based on trips which actually the poor quality --I hope to improve that in the future, happened. Fiction or near fiction on cave-related As to quantity: I started with nothing and am grateful topics will always hold a high priority so long as I'm to Bill Elliott and R ')nnie Fie seler for contributing editor. Likewise, poetry, crossword puzzles, mind the bulk of this issue. The lack of a feature article, tricks, and the like will hold a place of honor on the a C aver of the M ·:mth, m any photographs, and other pages of the TEXAS CAVER. The encouragement of things can \v:-l ly be reme died with your support. If, indi vidual talents in the caving world goes well in six m u ntp.s, I have not earned that support, the beyond the taking of photographs and the leaving of TE)(AS CAV ER will be a thing of the past. footprints. It was with a graat d eal of apprehension that I The Garbage column belongs to you. It is not even considered consenting to edit this publication. ' limited to :me page. You may use it to buy, sell, Too many reasons against it presented themselves. trade. inform, announce, or whatever, anything. I did not promise anybody a nything. N0ne-the-less, Quotations are solicited. Practical jokes on fellow I have g r eatly enjoyed putting this issue together. It cavers are expected, so long ~s they remain in the is the sort of work that is play to me. I cannot, how spirit of fun. For it is b y hoo-rawing ourselves and ever , justify putting out so little in the future. Much our friends that life is somehow made a little more of this issue is filler, devised by me. I do not intend bearable. to s upply more than a very few words (outside of the And a personal note: If I tend to editorialize a lot editorial department) for future issues. The bUl'den more than you are used to, please bear in mind that has been laid elsewhere--if not on you, then on those it is free--I pay for these pages. It further allows around you. Encourage them t o contribute. me to discover errors in my point of view. If I say I will make only 2 promises. The first is that I something wrong, I'm sure to hear about it. But I will treat your contribution as a valuable extension of must warn you now, if you convince me I'm wrong, yourself--with as much respect for them as I have don't get mad when I change my opinion to yours. 13 Elsewhere in this issue find a reprint froIn the are Inany drugs which affect a person both physiolog Internal Organizations NEWSLETTER concerning the i cally and psychologically. O ·Jr Inain concern here, "Role of NSS R egions" (of which the TSA is one). In of course, is that a person be fit while in a cave- the closing stateInents of the report, the I/O chair for his safety as well as the safety of others who Inay Ina n editorializes on internal squabbles within the depend on hiIn. For this reason, drug use while cav region, poi~ting out the harIn dO:le by such "bitter ing has long been frowned upon. Alcohol is recog speleopoliticking". This probleIn was Inore than ev nized as one of these drugs. Unfortunately, nicoti ne ident at the Labor Day TSA BOG held at C entury Cav and caffein, which both affect a person's Inental and erns. I have vowed, as TC editor, to wage war on physical wellbeing (visualize a nicotine fit) have not the narrow-Ininded conservatisIn that has stagnated been properly criticised. But there are a few cavers the TSA. In the past few years, so Inany rules and who do condone, in fact even proInote, the use of regulations have been proInulgated to control votes at drugs to acheive a 'high' while partying (usually the BOG neetings (the constitution has been rewriten drug is SOIne forIn of alcohol). Medical studies have t wice) that we all need lawyers with us to get any proven, beyond the shadow d a doubt, that alcohol is seInblance of business conducted. The rediculous one of the Inost toxic (poison) and addicting drugs now squabbles over who has the right \'ote, speak, pro taken by hUITlans. Heroin ("of which use by cavers is pose Inotions, sneeze, et cetera has taken all the significantly unknown) is addicting, but not toxic in fun and business out of the :meetings and put a lot of usuable aInounts. Marijuana is neither addicting nor tiIne wastage in. SOIne degree of order is necessary. significantly toxic. So, in a Inore or less free soci And Robert's Rules of Order handles the probleIn ety, such as we profess in the US where it is a per nicely . (The ~le is that nobody's read the daInn son's right to decide if he drives a Ford sedan or a book. The gross ignorance of parliInentary proce 4WD Power Wagon, where it is his right to decide be dure was appalling.) But all the political Inaneuver tween white bread and tortillas, and where it is his ing to prevent one grotto or another froIn voting is right to choose between beer and root beer, why in just so Inuch deficant. SOIneday, I hope, the conser the world is it neces sary that we find fault with a per vative faction will wake up to the fact that nothing the son for wanting to find his high with a safe, non-toxic TSA does is so iInportant that such shenanigans are and natural herb rather than a poisonous, Inanufac necessary. The BOG should be a place to solve COIn tured, and potentially addicting drink? Why is it not Inon probleIns of caving within the region to every an individual's choice to decide which 'high' he pre one' s bene~it, not to haggle over boring rule s to fers? Why Inust we constantly judge a person 'bad' everyone's detriInent. when his choice is not the one we would Inake? Let's And lastly: Though a caving publication Inay choose our own poison's with our own personal lack seeIn to SOIne not the place to discuss 'pot and need of abandon, and allow others to choose their's in the les', the fact that SOIne cavers Inay favor such things saIne way. In the spirit of personal freedoIn and and others veheInently oppose theIn causes a break fairness, let's stop condeInning a person for how he down in the fellowship we should enjoy as cavers, and gets high, and only judge hiIn on his contribution to justifies their Inention here. I hope it can be the last the caving world. Inention. As an aviator, I have been taught that there --Ediger The TEXAS CAVER is edited and published Inonthly by Gill Ediger and the O ztotl Supply COInpany. Deadline s are insignificant, but proInptness is a virtue. The editor is serious in intent and uniIn pressed by eager, but shallow support. All contributions of a lit erary or graphic nature should be sent to the editor at the addres s in the front cover. g-v Subscriptions, which are $4. SO/year, are handled by JaInes Jasek F ':; G~t l·r ,(-t- .-/ in Waco. Also see inside the front cover for his a ddress. ~ w<'i (,,\ Letters to the editor are welcoIned as well as personal COInInents ; I ,L''/\ on the contents of the TEXAS CAVER. We will Inake every effort 1,,1,1 to Inake this a Ineaningful, enjoyable publication to you. Your unfalt"ing .uppo,' i. u'ged. cS 14 TRIP REPORT WHERE: Bateman Ranch Sink. before dawn. Once at McKittrick Hill, we viewed : WHEN: 15 November 1975 new gates on Endless and Sand and split into 3 grot WHO: Gary Brite, Jonathan Justice, David Roberts. to enter S.and. Fieseler and Morris led mapping teams while the other half of the group flailed abo ~ This was the first ;ave trip for Gary's new GMC the cave taking pictures and getting lost. The map and it worked great. n was only fitting that we take ping ended after about 1000 feet as we were all tin it to River Styx which has seen quite a bit of Abilene from the long drive with little sleep. Some, howevl activ ity lately . The n lain object was to check out felt up to a short visit to Endless Cave. several of the sinkhoIE.s. One was a bust, the second Friday morning we marveled at the 5 new gate! one we could enter, but it was just breakdown, and on McKittrick Cave before leaving for the Guadaluf the third, Bateman Ra . .ch Sink, was found to be much Prior to reaching the highway, Fieseler's truck su larger than listed in tl:.e TSS. Instead of 40-50 feet fered additional problems which roadside repairs we found it to be 250-300 feet to the breakdown. would not alleviate; so Fieseler and Vinson turned Dav e and Jonathan craw led around in the breakdown toward Carlsbad as the balance went to the mountai for an hour and finally found a way through to the A short detour was made along the scenic loop beYI main passage again. It extends for another 40 feet Klondike Gap but increasing winds and decreasing but is too shallow to follow without some digging. temperatures soon forced us to the base of 'three Later, we went in the Amphitheater Entrance, then mile hill'. McEchern, McKee, and Larason cauglt to the Junction Room and out the dry entrance. There a ride to Cottonwood and spent the next 20 hours were many bats in all passages so if you go to the photographing the cave on the same frame of film cave take care not to disturb them. while the rest enjoyed a large campfire and a weI. We feel there is yet a lot of work to be done here. come change from the McKittrick Hill scenery. The cave from the Bateman Ranch Sink most likely Shortly after dark, the Fieseler truck (with $120 connects with River Styx which would put it over worth of new parts) arrived and great tales were to 8000 feet with an easy chance of reaching 2 miles if Saturday morning, most of the group followed some of the side passages are mapped. Who says Fieseler to the 'pink' caveS while a smaller group that gypsum caves aren't worth it? went with Kunath to some obscure portions of Cotto' wood Cave. Upon emerging from Cottonwood, SO n1 winds persuaded the group to retreat to the previoul WHERE: Sand, Endless, Cottonwood, Pink Panther, campsite. The 'pink' expedition arrived much late! Pallette, Damn, and Pink Dragon Caves. WIt. h tales of snow and wind gusts of 70 mph on the I WHEN: 27-30 November 1975 ridges. WHO: Tom Byrd, Laura Denison, Paul Fambro, Sunday was spent in driving to the end of the Ronnie Fieseler, Harold Ingersoll, Carl scenic loop, traveling eastward, eating chili at Kunath, Sherri Larason, Mike McEachern Kunath's, and traveling eastward some more. ~cDowell, Mike McKee, Jim Moore, The road is now paved all the way to the EI Paso G\ Mike Moore, Neal Morris, Mark Pennington, intersection and graveled to Klondike Gap. These Barbara Vinson, Jon Vinson. improvements have noticeably changed the visitatio: pattern as Winebagos and pickups pulling cycle trail " The trip began in a familiar manner. Fie seIer's ers were seen in the area. However, the final thn, truck refused to start as we tried to leave San Angelo. miles to Dark Lookout has deteriorated to the worst Sandwiching his nearly lightless vehicle between the state in memory and serves as an effective deteranl Kunath and Pennington trucks and adding Fambro to to casual tourist traffic although caver traffic co ntil the convoy in Big Spring, we arrived in Carlsbad just ues to increase. 'beTEXftS CftU~R Rt2 Box98 Falls City, TX 78113 To