expoweb/years/1984/JOURNAL.CUCC.1984.asc

[begin ----- INDEX -----]
  TRIPOS Archive of "journal" on 02-Oct-84 at 21:15:07

  Seq        Creation Date        Length    File Name

*   1     07-Sep-84  13:47:00         52    journal.reality
*   2     07-Sep-84  11:36:47         44    journal.144
*   3     07-Sep-84  11:55:14         71    journal.safrica
*   4     24-May-84  17:33:16         18    journal.page
*   5     07-Sep-84  13:39:17        159    journal.bill
*   6     18-Sep-84  11:44:13         30    journal.hdr
*   7     07-Sep-84  13:26:06         60    journal.bulgaria
*   8     29-Aug-84  11:36:49         76    journal.wolf
*   9     07-Sep-84  11:48:03        166    journal.dye
*  10     07-Sep-84  13:29:08         88    journal.cz
*  11     07-Sep-84  13:35:46         59    journal.india
*  12     12-Jun-84  15:25:26          3    journal.g
*  13     14-Sep-84  11:05:18         25    journal.edit
*  14     07-Sep-84  13:52:02         94    journal.res
*  15     07-Sep-84  11:44:42         55    journal.summary
*  16     13-Sep-84  11:41:08         24    journal.143
*  17     14-Sep-84  11:03:55         46    journal.contents
*  18     14-Sep-84  11:06:50         55    journal.pres
*  19     30-Aug-84  13:16:18         27    journal.stop
*  20     07-Sep-84  11:25:31         53    journal.ext142
*  21     07-Sep-84  11:30:17         20    journal.ent41
*  22     13-Sep-84  14:17:23        102    journal.eec
*  23     13-Sep-84  11:41:37         44    journal.ent41-143
*  24     13-Sep-84  11:44:52        183    journal.dye-page
*  25     17-Sep-84  16:35:08         32    journal.quiz
*  26     13-Sep-84  12:03:39         79    journal.real-stop
*  27     19-Sep-84  13:37:40         26    journal.cover
*  28     26-Sep-84  13:05:43          9    journal.cost
*  29     26-Sep-84  13:08:03          9    journal.errata
[end INDEX]
[begin ----- TF0001 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'Reality is an Illusion caused by Alcohol Deficiency'
..astart '(or Why Stellerweg rotated this year)' 'A.E.R.Waddington (now sober!)' 35
..blank 4
 In 1980, when CUCC started to explore the new route in Stellerweghohle,
surveying was, for the first time, considered a priority. So it was that
a party of two surveyed from the Big Pitch to the head of the Big Rift
using the CUCC Suuntos. The same surveyor returned a few days later with a
different companion, to survey out from the Big Pitch to the entrance, this
time with the EXCS Suuntos.
 Back in the camp, calculators were punched, coordinates scribbled, and the
survey hastily drawn up. The surveyors looked at each other in some
confusion. The cave seemed to be floating, airborne, across the valley and over
a cliff. Unable to recall that it had been in daylight with a sense
of exposure, they came to the conclusion that it was plotted in the wrong place.
 The surveyors retired to the Bar Fischer to consider the dilemma. All
problems dissolved in a haze of Reininghaus beer fumes as the truth dawned.
One R.J. Shackleton, who had been is possession of the EXCS compass for
some time, was in the habit of storing it in the top of his fridge. This has
resulted in a slight magnetic adjustment, so the survey was now plotted not
to grid- or true-north, but to fridge-north! What was needed was a little
calibration, so, armed with a map, both compasses, and several more bottles of
ale, the party set out to take bearing on local landmarks.
 An hour or so later, it was decreed that the compass was 134$+o $l in error and the
survey redrawn accordingly. Since it was now inside the hill, all seemed to be
well. The compass quietly vanished from sight and all accompanying evidence
was destroyed.
 1981 saw a connection between Stellerweg- and Schnellzughohlen, but serious
surveying was carefully avoided. 1982 saw CUCC at the bottom of the system,
and a lot of surveying was undertaken to avoid ever going there again, but
Stellerweg was not rigged and hence the biggest closed loop kept its secret.
 1983, and our heroes connect the new entrance, 142 (ne$o'e 132), into the system.
Now comes the critical mistake. Wide-eyed, innocent and pleased with the glory
brought by pretty surveys, CUCC connect everything together with a half-mile
closed loop through 142.
 Back in England the greedy computer devours all the numbers and prints out the
misclosure, about two inches vertically - pretty good that eh? But what's
this? Just over a Quarter of a Mile out horizontally?!?!?!?
 Detective work soon revealed that a slight rotation would make Stellerweg
fit very nicely. In fact, the figure turned out to be 46$+o$l. But 46+134 = 180.
And 180$+o $l is a much more probable figure for a compass error than 134$+o$l. Also,
when the compass was traced, a sober experimenter found it had precisely the
error expected. Thus, the survey as published should rotate the section from
the entrance to the Big Pitch by 46$+o $l clockwise. The streamway from the Big
Pitch to the Big Rift needs translating appropriately, and the conveniently
unsurveyed Big Rift is a lot shorter than shown. None of the remainder of the
system was surveyed with the duff compass, but a big section of the
Sonnenstrahlhohle survey is also wrong, but that didn't have a north arrow
anyway (guess why!).
 It is expected that the survey will be redrawn correctly when enough
additional passage has been found to justify the work involved.
..aend
[end TF0001]
[begin ----- TF0002 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart '144 Guidebook Description' 'Pete Lancaster' 11
..blank 4
..copy
1623/144
Vd. Schwarzmoss Kogel, Totes Gebirge.
Altitude 1699m
47 40'19"N 13 48'53"E
Surveyed depth 284m
..fill
..blank 2
 The entrance lies 21m vertically below and 65m on a bearing of 94$+o $l from the
nipple at the end of the ridge running SSW from the Vd. Schwarzmoos Kogel.
 The 7m entrance shaft narrows to a squeeze through a slot to loose boulders
at the head of a 9m pitch down to a floor of large wedged blocks. A 16m
pitch down through a slot lands on a balcony at the start of a large shattered
shaft, 13m wide in places. This is passed by pitches of 15, 42, 5, 7 and
23m (belayed from a nipple on the opposite wall). The cave closes down to a
triangular slot 50cm wide, and a 13m hang against the wall drops into a short
section of horizontal passage with phreatic roof scalloping. This turns into
a traverse as a small stream in a canyon comes in from the left, and the
route follows this down as a 28m pitch to land in a pool. A short drop and an
11m pitch break into a level of extensive phreatic development. Following
the stream down a series of ramps leads to a large abandoned passage which
has not been explored.
 From the foot of the 11m pitch up a boulder slope, past a steep ramp to
the left leads to a series of small phreatic tubes which soon close down;
straight ahead, into a passage almost filled with layered mud and with a
strong inward draught, breaks out at the top of a large chamber, which is
descended down a layered mud wall. On the opposite side a large passage is
inaccessible, but thought to represent an important way on to Stellerweghohle.
From the bottom of the chamber, a 7m diameter tube slopes down at 60$+o$l#
for 40m. This turns vertical at a 14m pitch which caries a small stream to
a 10m pitch, after which the stream vadose canyon gets too tight.
 By swinging off the 14m pitch half-way down, a continuation of the main way
is reached. This is a 10m abandoned passage with dusty blocks and layered mud.
After 20m this closes down in a small chamber. Dropping down 13m in boulders
leads to a very small canyon; a passage on the other side of the chamber
continues as a canyon for 30m, but filled with mud. The final route out is
a 1m diameter, almost circular, phreatic tube with a small vadose trench in
the floor. This continues up at 35$+o $l for 70m, until it meets a very small trench
which draughts out. The tube elbows back on itself, but soon becomes choked
with mud as the small invading stream disappears down a crack.
..aend
[end TF0002]
[begin ----- TF0003 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'Caves Of The Cape Peninsula' 'Brian Derby' 19
..blank 4
 The Cape Peninsula stretches from the surrounds of Cape Town southwards towards
its termination in the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. The terrain is the
classic Fimbost, a rugged country of exposed rock and loose sand covered by
native Protea plants and newer immigrants such as Wattle. The geology is mostly
sandstone, though there are a few exposures of limestone. This area of South Africa
is not renowned overseas for its caves, the region further inland with its Kango
caves is much better known. However,
the Cape Peninsula is very interesting because its
caves are in sandstone. The morphology of the cave passage is very similar to
limestone caves and there is a considerable horizontal development (a maximum
reported of 400m+), though nothing significant vertically.
 Two distinct types of cave are evident, the classic rock-shelter and the more complex
cave analogous to limestone development. Two rock shelters are worthy of mention;
Elephants Eye cave in Constantiaberg which is a large entrance visible for many
kilometers, and Muizenberg cave which has a smaller rear entrance passing through
the mountain and has evidence of Stone Age habitation. These rock shelters
appear to be classic erosion features in soft rock, the rear entrance in Muizenberg
cave is related to a fracture in the rock. These caves which are little more than
surface features, are widely distributed in the region. The more interesting
and more complex caves are confined to one small part of the hills of the peninsula.
 Behind the coastal towns of Muizenberg and Kalk Bay is a small range of rocky
hills. Here three hills, Kalk Bay Mountain, Ridge Peak and the aptly named Cave
Peak contain over eighty caves. These vary in complexity from Avernus, a small
chamber with two 10m entrance passages to Ronan's Well with over 400m of tight
strenuous passage.
The surface morphology of the hills are strangely karst-like,
though sink features are absent.
I did make the elementary acid test on the rock and it didn't seem calcareous.
To reach the very top
of Cave Peak required a scramble and easy climb.
The cave entrances were at the foot
of a summit block where a steep slope intersected a 10-20m crag.
The hilltops are of exposed rock, highly eroded and faulted.
The cave
development is controlled by these faults, chiefly vertical faulting though
some features show a definite influence of the horizontal.
 A typical and very popular cave is Boomslang Cave. This cuts  the ridge,
offering an easy through trip for many a local hill walker.
The "front entrance" of the cave is typical of the caves I saw. A vertical fault
intersecting a rock face had been eroded deeply into the face, the entrance
was at the back of a small ravine above a pile of boulders. The passage continued
along the line of the fault, usually it was about 2m wide and up to about 15m
in height. When we were maybe 40m or so inside the cave a hole was visible in
the roof; a search on the surface failed to find this pitch entrance.
The passage closed in  and a stoop round led to a little chamber with about
10cm of water on the floor. There were three or four ways out of this room, one
got low and wet very quickly, another led into a wide passage of stooping height
and then into a largish circular chamber of about 10m diameter. From this chamber
there were several small passages one leading back into the chamber and two
leading to the outside world on the other side of the ridge. We took one of these
and it too was associated with a visible vertical fault. However about 5m from
the new entrance the passage entered a little widening and the exit was controlled
by a horizontal fault which created a small flat-out crawl.
Following this, we exited having tunnelled completely through the hill.
 The cave passages between the crawl and the main chamber were dry and their
floors were covered in a coarse grey sand. The passages associated with the
vertical entrance fault had a thinner sand flooring and also had extensive
damp or wet lengths. The presence of water suggests that these are erosive
rather than tectonic features, although development is clearly controlled
by the extensive faulting.
Sandstone caves are not unique to this region of the world, French expeditions
to Venezuela found huge sheer sided pits (two hundred metres deep!) in the
sandstone Roarima (Lost World) region. These pits had cave passage at their
bottoms. Although there are no similar caves in Britain the sandstone in the
Orkneys has huge sea eroded gorges many times longer than they are wide in its
cliffs, these "geos" are similar fault controlled structures.
..aend

[end TF0003]
[begin ----- TF0004 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'Page Pot' 'The Doctors Two'
..blank 4
 A possible dig was identified in the higher regions of the Metallurgy
Annexe Massif. The geology was mostly silicaceous but there is a definite
banding of limestone visible on exposures. The dig was opened when a poised
jammed cast-iron "boulder" was freed. This revealed a window onto a
large pitch, this was measured as 50ft.
 The pitch, an unbroken hang against the wall, was descended the next day.
The bottom was choked and all possible extensions closed in
after a few feet. The system is dry and filled with a loose black dust. There
is a possible boltable extension to an upper entrance, this could be one of the
many chimney-like structures visible on the plateau. If this were pushed a
total vertical range of 25m (80ft) would be achieved.
  The explorers do not think this is part of the sub-magog system and it
does not bring any nearer the second entrance to Royston cave.
..aend

[end TF0004]
[begin ----- TF0005 -----]
..include "hdr"
..font 2
..astart 'An Investigation into Climbing Rope Failures or'
..astart 'Why I Became an Arm-Chair Mountaineer' 'Bill Hawkswell, April 1984' 29
..font 0
..blank 4
     'I've done some work on mountaineering ropes. Do you want me to give you
an article for the journal?' I said .....
..blank 2
     I must have been feeling charitable at the time, since having just
written page after page of the official project report (the 'work' referred
to being my final year engineering project), the very last thing I felt
like doing was going over it all again. Anyway, I've done my best not just
to regurgitate it, but provide something of interest to cavers, since some of
the breed actually use this rope as their SRT cowstails and safety cords.
Whilst the opportunity presented itself, I also tested one or two caving
lifeline ropes as a check on their safety.
     The tests I performed fell into two categories; drop tests, and tensile
tests. The drop test rig (see figure 1) is meant to simulate the conditions
a rope experiences when it arrests a mountaineer's fall. Because the rope is run
through krabs, any fall means the rope will be dragged over and bent round
a krab edge - a radius of about 4 or 5 mm. Thus the drop test is not a straight
drop, but is carried out over an edge.
     The UIAA have set a standard test because of the infinite possibilities
of krab placement in a real rock climb. This is shown in figure 2. As may be
seen, the laboratory test is much more severe than the UIAA test but, dare I
say it, due to a somewhat lethargic attitude by the laboratory technicians
and limited space, I was lumped with what I'd got.
     Tests were caried out to investigate the cumulative damage effects of a
number of falls of a given fall factor. Here, I must explain what the term
fall factor means:
..blank
     Fall factor, $bn = (total length fallen)/(length of rope supporting fall)$b
..blank
     A little thought will show that this can only lie in the range 0 to 2.
     Numerous recent articles in the Caving Press (with which you are all, no
doubt, familiar) stress the fact that it is not the length of drop, but the fall
factor which is important in determining the severity of the fall. (ref,
$bRamsden, Paul: Cave Science vol9, no4, pp290-299, Dec1982$b).
 Falls of magnitude n=2 can certainly happen in leader falls in mountaineering,
and it is not difficult to imagine the same situation for a caver using his
cowstails on (say) a traverse line at a point where he must climb above it
as far as his cowstail allows.
 Anyway, I needed some graphs of, for example, retained rope strength against
number of falls, and since you can't (well, I can't) draw graphs on just two
points, I had to find a value of n which would give six or seven points (ie.,
you could drop the rope six or seven times before it broke).
      I tested both 9mm and 11mm diameter ropes as these tend to be the popular
sizes used in "half-rope" and single rope climbing techniques respectively
(well, actually this happens to be true, but I had nothing else to test in
any case). Single ropes were tested since even in the "half-rope" (two
separate 9mm ropes) method of climbing, it is possible for just one of these
ropes to sustain the entire fall if the system has been badly rigged.
     n=0.8 and n=1.4 gave acceptable numbers of results for 9mm and 11mm ropes
respectively.
     The ropes used were of 'kernmantle' construction (fig. 3) consisting of a
bundle of cords, held in place and protected by a woven sheath. The cords were
made up of three 'strands' twisted together, the strands themselves consisting
of many fine nylon fibres. Equal numbers of right-hand and left-hand 'twist'
cords were contained in each rope.
     The plotted trends of retained rope strength, and extension to failure
against number of falls showed a decrease (for 11mm rope) from 43kN at zero
falls to c. 12kN after five falls (this last specimen being severely damaged,
the sheath and some internal cords severed), and 35% at zero falls to 23% at
five falls. The 9mm was equally dramatic, equivalent numbers being 15kN to
5kN and 35% to 22% after five falls.
..blank
..page ~%page+1
     So! What was causing these failures?
     When a climber falls on his rope, the peak force in the rope (assuming
rigid belays and climbers, and no damping) can be shown to be given by
..blank
     $bF$-max $l = W [ 1 + sqrt (2n/s + 1 ) ]$b
..blank
..tabset 12l
     where $t W = climbers weight
           $t n = falls factor
           $t s = rope stretch as a fraction of initial rope length when the force
W is applied to it (ie., static percentage stretch when the climber sits on
his rope).
     Credit for this nasty really ought to go to Steve Roberts because he wrote
it down first, but I think I can say with modesty that it would have come out
in the wash anyway.
     Typically, for 11mm rope, s=0.03, n=2, and W=800N, then F$-max$l=12.6W=10kN,
ie. about 25% of the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of a new 11mm rope.
     Now during a fall, the rope is stretched, but does not fully recover
elastically. This leads to a lower value of s. Looking at the equation above,
it thus increases F$-max $l on subsequent falls. This longtitudinal stiffening
of the rope, with subsequent increase in peak load, is not in itself sufficient
to cause failure. Also, the climbers body, harness, and rope friction all add to
damping in the real case, reducing peak forces.
     The implications for SRT ropes are much more serious however. By their
nature they are low stretch (otherwise we'd all be prussiking on climbing
ropes) and so peak forces are much higher, damping is also less. The lesson is
obvious: SRT ropes should not be used in situations where they may have to
sustain falls (eg., lifelining) and in normal SRT use this is not the case.
..blank
     However, I digress.
     It was found that severe abrasion occurred at the "edge" in each of these
drop tests, due to the rope being dragged over it in tension. This abrasion
caused a gradual decrease in UTS, and once the sheath was ruptured, all the
central cords were immediately vulnerable to abrasion (fig. 4), leading to a
rapid fall in strength with increasing numbers of drops. (In fact, in nearly
all the tests, once the sheath had been torn through, the subsequent drop led
to failure, despite the sheath only representing some 20% at most of the rope's
UTS).
     To conclude, in new rope, the decrease in UTS due to abrasion and increase
in F$-max $l due to increase in stiffness eventaully cause failure by tensile
overload. Failure always occured at the edge where stress and abrasion were
concentrated. We may be thankful that in caving use, our cowstails, although
bent round the edge of karabiners in the end knots, are not usually subject
to severe abrasion.
     NB: One area of rope weakening that I was unable to investigate
sufficiently was that due to environmental degradation and fatigue. As an
indication, a 10 year old 11mm rope (not kernmantle), which had sustained two
severe falls, numerous small falls, and considerable later use for hauling
equipment up rock slopes was found to fail at c. 9-10kN, ie. one quarter of
its new counterparts strength, or alternatively would only sustain a fall
of n=1.4. (These results were independent of the amount of surface abrasion).
..blank
     Now to the caving lifeline.
     I tensile tested one sample of each of four specimens, namely:
     a) New Braidline (1984)
     b) Old Braidline (2 years old)
     c) Old hawser-laid 14mm diameter
     d) Old hawser-laid 12mm diameter
     Both hawser-laid ropes were "pretty old" but I had no details of their
age, other than that they were older than the Braidline. It had been decided to
retire the hawser-laid on the grounds that it was now probably unsafe.
     The tensile test results were as follows:
..blank
..copy
..font 4
..tabset 20l 26l 37l 54l
              $ts     $tUTS      $tCorrected  $tF$-max$l
              $t      $t         $tfor Knots  $t(for n=2)
New Braidline $t0.09  $t20.47kN  $t12.282kN   $t6.08 kN
Old Briadline $t0.09  $t11.125kN $t#6.675kN   $t6.08 kN
14mm Hawser   $t0.09  $t-        $t#9.976kN   $t6.08 kN
12mm Hawser   $t0.06  $t-        $t#7.231kN   $t7.24 kN
..fill
..font 0
..blank
     (Assuming that knotting the ropes leads to a reduction in strength to 60%
of the initial value).
     The value of 60% is debatable, but figures using it show that even the
grottiest bit of hawser-laid is actaully stronger (but not safer) than our well
used Braidline. Perhaps some more tests are called for (it could not be
ascertained what reduction in strength the grips caused in the Braidline).
     These figures for F$-max $l are a bit close to the UTS for comfort. However,
there are reasons to believe that a caving rope deteriorates pretty rapidly on
its first few trips, but after that, its mechanical properties tend to level
out. It is fair to assume that this has happened for all the used ropes. It is
also fair to assume that in all caving circumstances, the worst possible fall
encountered whilst lifelining would be n=1.
     So, it is safe to use all the ropes tested with the possible exception of
the 12mm hawser-laid, but the Braidline should be regularly tested again to
check for any further deterioration in strength.
..aend
[end TF0005]
[begin ----- TF0006 -----]
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[end TF0006]
[begin ----- TF0007 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'A Trip to Bulgaria' 'John Bowers' 21
..blank 4
 I think I went caving in Bulgaria - wandering through Sofia at midnight with
trams clattering out of the fog, grovelling along a cold, tearing rift
400m down, or laughing at Bulgarian jokes only made intelligible by a fourth
glass of brandy - it was all barely real, but I am pretty certain that I spent
a week in Bulgaria, visiting five caves.
..blank
 The cast was:
 John Bowers, that's me.
 Bev Wilson, of SUSS who have maintained contact with Bulgarian cavers for
many years.
 Andrzey Monkowski, Warsaw Speleo Club, and the Akademik Club of Sofia, who
have entertained many English cavers.
..blank
 The plane deposited us at Sofia at midnight from where we were whisked away
for the first of many drinking, eating and socialising sessions. It was also
then that the news was broken that the Akademik Club had discovered the
deepest pot in Bulgaria, and it was still going and I was to be involved in
a trip. After the initial excitement, I started to wonder. A big advantage
of Bulgarian caving is its very high bullshit to effort ratio. Its unlikely
that many English cavers will have done the same trips; a little gentle caving
and a lot of imagination can provide a large fund of stories with which to
bore people during the long, wet winter evenings in the New Inn. So what was
the point of doing a hard trip?
 A couple of days sightseeing, two pleasant caves in the Douhlata area and it
was off up into the mountains above Vratza. Drive up by great limestone
cliffs, through golden brown forests and on to a plateau with views of the
Balkan mountains stretching to the horizon. The plateau is well endowed with
dolines, interesting looking holes, and little water. Many of the caves have
required digging to gain entry and there are now a number of entertaining,
well decorated trips. One of these is Barkite 18, discovered in September 1983.
A short dig led into a crawling streamway for a few hundred feet to a
boulder strewn chamber, the bottom of a ramp that leads up at 30$+o$l. At
this point you have to take your wellies off and clean up before padding up
flowstone, squeezing past stalagmites to the stal choke at the top.
Unfortunately, not all the caves are as pleasant, Barkite 14 wasn't.
 Barkite 14 was discovered several years ago and had been extended over a
number of expeditions as various constrictions were passed. The pot was now
360m deep and still going, and we were to have the next pushing trip. The
party consisted of two Bulgarians (Peter Bervn and Phillipe), one Pole
(Andrzey) and me. I had been plied with stories of how grim the place was, but
the entrace series was an enjoyable chamber down a long flowstone ramp. Not
too bad this - should be out in time for a quick beer, what was all that talk
about an overnight trip? But it changed dramatically, as the roof dropped to a
nasty flat out wriggle to an awkward squeeze onto a pitch. And it never really
got much better. A slow descending narrow rift. An odd pitch, a bit of a duck,
just on down the rift for several hours. Then the walls parted to reveal a
black shaft, leading to.... the bottom just out of sight, 20m below. We didn't
reach the sump that trip; the next party down took in even more tackle to
find the final pitch just round the corner.
 Our exit was uneventful, if slow and cold. On emerging to a beautiful early
November morning, Andrzey and I decided to take a short cut back across the
hills. Several hours later we were still thrashing through the woods with
Andrzey swearing at me in Polish as we struggled up the wrong hill yet again.
Somehow, by mistake, we found the path back to camp, for a celebratory slab
of bread and sausage, a little sleep, and a glass too many of brandy.
..aend

[end TF0007]
[begin ----- TF0008 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'Wolfehohle - Act I' 'John Bowers' 5
..blank 4
 With the bottoming of Stellerweghohle, some of the older members felt it
was safe to return to Austria and the attractions of lemon ice creams,
gooey cakes and a little idle prospecting in the sunshine soon had the might
of EXCS racing their bath chairs along the autobahns to Altaussee.
 The advantage of age is that it provides the experience so valuable in the
act of prospecting. Don't bother with the big open shafts, they always choke
in snow or boulders - look for a horizontal draughting entrance not too far
from the road. So the first find, 140, was a loose, open rift, just below the
summit of Schwargmoos Kogel, and miles from anywhere. Bunde lashed arms and
legs were endemic, and no-one was too sorry when it inevitably choked at
-100m, and even Julian couldn't be forced through the final boulders.
 Ambling down from 140 after a surveying trip, John and Julian deviated from
the normal route and happened across Wolfehohle. Its main entrance lies 18m
above 82, and is a 2m high, 1m wide walk in passage complete with an icy
outward draught. From the start, Wolfehohle had all the symptoms of going
horribly deep - see next years journal to see if it lives up to its promise.
The two explorers, minus lights, felt their way along the passage, throwing
stones ahead to test for a drop, but it was soon obvious that shorts and
T-shirts alone wouldn't be adequate to push the pot to its end.
 The next day Ben, Naomi, Julian and John finished derigging 140 and with
armfuls of rope romped off down Wolfhohle. A rapid bolt and the team surged on
down the 19m pitch into a chamber complete with the skeleton of a wolf
who had fallen in via another entrance. The drop continued down; this was
dismissed as an irrelevance but could be worth looking at, and the way on was
a loose 3m climb up into a draughting tube. It then decided to go down an
awkward climb, later laddered, and after a short grovel it opened up and
popped over the edge of a great black hole. With whoops of ecstacy the
explorers lobbed boulders over the edge and grinning listened to the
tantalising booms as they bounded into the depths. And then Ben realised he'd
have to go down and suddenly he didn't feel very well.
 A retreat was made for some more tackle, and the next day saw frightening
quantities of rope ferried to the edge of the pitch. Off to the left, an
interesting crawl tempted Julian and Naomi, and they disappeared down this to
intersect a large passage leading to another set of smaller shafts partially
descended before it was decided to concentrate efforts on the big pitch.
One of the attractions of this alternative route is that the large passage
also comes back to the head of the big pitch, so the crawl could be avoided
by a spectacular Tyrolean traverse rigged across the 80m drop. Meanwhile
Ben and John were bolting down the big pitch with a series of glorious
French style freehanging rebelays. The shaft opened into a large rift, with
some black peaty mud on the walls in the upper section - no explanation
for this mud was ever found. The rift bottomed out at a small streamway
which continued with a bit of a traverse and a short drop. There had been
enough excitement for the day and so it was time to exit for an early
evening beer in the sun.
 The weather turned nasty, but after a couple of days the party returned.
The gear had been scattered around the entrace to dry in the sun, and
longjohns now had to be dug out of the snow, resulting in much whimpering.
But two slightly damp cavers were soon back on the big pitch, wondering
what it would be like with the water flowing. Fortunately the rope gave a
fairly dry hang, and the descent was continued down the rift, avoiding most
of the stream with a series of short traverses and pitches before meeting
a second shaft. Here it was impossible to escape the water, and the icy
wind and spray soon penetrated the thickest longjohns. While it may be great
for the bolter at the sharp end of the rope, with much to keep him
occupied and enough exercise to stay warm, his partner squatting on a ledge
above has nothing to do but shiver and ask himself why he's there. There
was no obvious answer, and the team retreated.
 Ben and John now had to go home, despite despite wanting to stay and help
derig, so Wiggy joined Julian in a final pushing trip. The final section
of the second shaft was descended and a few shorter pitches followed, before
a truly tremendous shaft was reached. The last decent length of rope (40m)
was fed down and Julian descended. The rope hangs free after the first metre,
and for most of its length hangs in the middle of a circular shaft
approximately 6m in diameter. The rope ended 3m off the floor so Wiggy sent
down a short length of rope so the descent could be completed. Beyond another
pitch estimated at 15m continued, but lack of rope precluded a descent.
Time had run out so the cave was surveyed and detackled.
 Wolfehohle still has much to offer; there is no reason why it shouldn't
reach -800m. Many leads have not been explored and the pot should provide
the younger generation with fun for the next couple of years while
EXCS return to their retirement.
..aend
[end TF0008]
[begin ----- TF0009 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'Dye Testing in Chapel-Le-Dale' 'Julian Griffiths' 15
..blank 4
 $bIntroduction$b
 Over the course of the previous year a series of water tracing tests based
on the streams feeding the Gods Bridge resurgence in Chapel-Le-Dale have
been carried out. It was hoped that these tests might give some indication
of the potential of the diving sites in this part of the valley. The original
work in this area was carried out by members of the Yorkshire Geological
Society in the early 1900's, the results of this work being published in
Volume 15 of their Proceedings (1904). Although very comprehensive their tests
did not include Joint Hole, nor, because theirs was a study on karst water on
Ingleborough, did they cross the valley to test some of the streams sinking
on the slopes of Whernside. As access to Joint Hole has recently become easier,
Joint was an obvious candidate for testing and there was also much speculation
about a branch in Midge Hole possibly leading up to Ellerbeck Hole. The test
was fairly straight forward, or so it was thought.
..blank
 $bResults$b
 The results of the test have been a bit of an eye-opener. Conventional
wisdom has Meregill Hole going to Meregill Skit, Roaring Hole to Joint Hole,
Great Douk Cave and Hardrawkin Pot to Hurtle Pot and Ellerbeck Hole to
Midge Hole. Quite how the Great Douk to Hurtle myth arose is something of a
mystery as the YGS's tests indicated that Great Douk did not go via Hurtle
on its way to Gods Bridge. However, this is the route given in "Limestone
and Caves of North West England". It may have resulted from misinterpretation
of the map published in the proceedings which shown a line drawn from Great
Douk to a point $b just below $b Hurtle. In the event Hardrawkin and
probably Great Douk go to Joint. I say "probably" for Great Douk because it
hasn't been tested to Joint (there were no detectors in Joint at the time)
but it certainly doesn't go to Hurtle which leaves one with few alternatives.
 Sunset Hole goes through the lower streamway in Roaring on its way to
Meregill Skit and although Meregill also goes to Meregill Skit the results
of the test were significantly different from that done by the YGS. When
they did the test Meregill Skit appears to have been a permanent resurgence
whereas now it only acts as a resurgence in very wet weather.
The dye was introduced at 1pm in the surface stream and reappeared next
morning at Meregill Skit. Next time, the dye was introduced into the stream
below Aven Entrance, but took several days to reach Meregill Skit.
Detectors removed 64 hours after the dye was introduced were negative.
There are a number of possible explanations for this.
 $b(a) $b The fact that Meregill Skit no longer resurges under normal conditions
reflects a fundamental change in the course of the water underground so that
it now takes a far less direct route to its eventual resurgence.
 $b(b) $b There is another outflow from the Mere which takes an entirely
separate and far shorter route to Meregill Skit. This could be proved
either way by an exact repeat of the YGS test.
 $b(c) $b The dye coming out of Meregill Skit was not in fact from Meregill but was
the remnant of a previous test. The only reason for putting this alternative
foreward is that it was the reason for another of their false results,
Sunset Hole to Hardrawkin. However, I think that this is unlikely.
 Whilst on the subject of Meregill Skit and Joint it is apparent from the
tests that the two connect quite close behind Gods Bridge. Tests that were
positive at Joint Hole were negative at Meregill Skit and therefore the water
in Joint does not flow through Meregill Skit on its way to Gods Bridge.
 Further up the valley having "lost" the first lot of dye in Ellerbeck Hole
a second attempt with double the quantity proved that Ellerbeck goes to
Hurtle and not to Midge. It is likely to be the source of the deep route
in Hurtle though this has not been specifically tested.
 Whilst this testing has solved a number of problems it has by no means
completed the work on streams feeding Gods Bridge. There remain a number of
loose ends to tie up including testing Great Douk to Joint and Ellerbeck
to the deep route in Hurtle. There is also a need to establish the watershed
on the Whernside side of the valley. Does Blake Bank Moss Cave represent
the limit of the Gods Bridge catchment area or does it extend to Dale
Barn Cave? Its a long time since we've heard anything about the trans-Craven
system!
..blank
 $bThe Tests $b
 A diary of the tests is given below. The exact location of each of the
major detector sites was as follows.
..blank
 $bGods Bridge $b - Normally one in the furthest upstream of the two main
resurgences and one in the highest rising in normal conditions. In fact it
doesn't matter where the detectors are placed at this site as one of the earlier
tests established that all the risings are connected.
 $bHurtle Pot $b - Bottom of entrance boulder slope going upstream, just before
passage turns left.
 $bJoint Hole $b - 15m into the first sump.
 $bMeregill Skit $b - 10m into bedding plane at bottom of pot heading
approximately South East.
 $bMidge Hole $b - In a pool at the end of a crawl which leads off opposite to
where the entrance crawl drops into a roomier trench. This was not a very
satisfactory site as it is not clear that there is much flow in this
pool except in wet conditions.
..blank
 $b12 Feb 1983 $b - Control detectors placed at Gods Bridge, Hurtle Pot and
Midge Hole. Water conditions low.
 $b19 Feb 1983 $b - Control detectors removed. Water still low. All detectors
were negative.
 $b12 Mar 1983 $b - Detectors placed at Gods Bridge, Midge Hole and Hurtle Pot.
3 pints of dye introduced at Ellerbeck Hole. Water conditions low.
 $b19 Mar 1983 $b - Detectors retrieved from Gods Bridge, neither appeared
convincingly positive. Midge Hole was too wet to enter. The detectors in
Hurtle Pot had disappeared.
 $b10 Apr 1983 $b - Detectors in Midge Hole collected. Both negative.
 $b16 Apr 1983 $b - Detectors placed in Gods Bridge, Hurtle Pot and Midge Hole.
1 gallon of dye introduced at Great Douk.
 $b23 Apr 1983 $b - Detectors at Gods Bridge and Hurtle Pot retrieved. Those at
Gods Bridge were positive, those at Hurtle Pot negative. Good flow of water
during test.
 $b30 Apr 1983 $b - Detectors at Midge Hole retrieved. All were negative.
 $b30 May 1983 $b - Detectors placed in Hurtle Pot, Joint Hole, Midge Hole,
Meregill Skit and Gods Bridge. 1 gallon of dye put down Hardrawkin the next
day. Conditions dry, but heavy rain within a day.
 $b4 June 1983 $b - Detectors retrieved from all sites. Those at Joint Hole and
Gods Bridge were positive, those at Midge Hole, Meregill Skit and Hurtle Pot
were negative.
 $b2 July 1983 $b - Detectors placed in Joint Hole, Gods Bridge, Meregill Skit
and the lower streamway in Roaring Hole. 1/3 to 1/2lb of Leucepher powder
introduced at Sunset Hole.
 $b10 July 1983 $b - Detectors at Meregill Skit, Joint Hole, Roaring Hole and
Gods Bridge removed. Those at Roaring Hole and Meregill Skit were
faintly positive, those at Joint Hole and Gods Bridge negative. The latter
were out of the water when collected and either this or the dilution
between Meregill Skit and Gods Bridge could have accounted for the result.
 $b27 Aug 1983 $b - Detectors placed in Gods Bridge, Joint Hole and Meregill
Skit. 1 gallon of dye put down Meregill Hole in the stream just below the
Aven Entrance. The Mere was full, but water in the resurgence was very low.
 $b30 Aug 1983 $b - Detectors retrieved from Gods Bridge, Joint Hole and Meregill
Skit 64 hours after dye was introduced. All were negative. This contrasts
with the YGS test which came through in a day.
 $b25 Sep 1983 $b - Rest of detectors retrieved from Gods Bridge, Joint Hole
and Meregill Skit. Those at Gods Bridge and Meregill Skit were positive,
Joint Hole negative. Heavy rain in the intervening period.
 $b4 Mar 1984 $b - Detectors placed in Joint Hole (in 3rd sump), Hurtle Pot
and Gods Bridge. 1 gallon of dye introduced at Ellerbeck Hole.
 $b18 Mar 1984 $b - Retrieved detectors from Gods Bridge, these were positive.
 $b25 Mar 1984 $b - Removed detectors from Hurtle Pot. These were positive. Good
flow of water during the test.
..blank
 $bMethod $b
 The method $bwas $b basically that outlined in the Yorkshire Subterranean Journal
No. 2 pp46-49. Cotton wool was placed in small plastic bags which had had
holes punched in them with a normal handpunch. These were tied on to diver's
"Snoopy Loops" (loops of inner tube with a loop of diving line attached) and
the Snoopy Loops wrapped around a convenient boulder. Where possible the
bags were covered with other boulders. These detectors proved extremely
robust, the only ones that were lost weren't placed by me and I suspect that
they were incorrectly placed. If the site was poorly supplied with boulders
(such as Meregill Skit) the bags were attached to a diver's lead weight; this
seemed to work equally well.
 Originally stockings were used in preference to plastic bags. This was
stopped though when a control detector left in a bowl of water for a week
developed a thin fluorescent film on it. This despite that fact that the
stocking showed no obvious signs of fluorescence when tested under UV light
prior to the construction of the detector. A similar wad of cotton wool in
a plastic bag showed no fluorescence. All the tests outlined in this article
were done with plastic bags.
 To try to minimise the possibility of contamination the detectors were
inspected under a UV lamp prior to placing and, wherever possible, the dye
and the detectors were handled by two different people. Two detectors
were placed at each location. When one of these was removed for testing
it was replaced by another detector. On the tests that were positive this was
a useful check on whether all the dye had flowed through or whether the
site was still contaminated.
 Generally positive results were unmistakable with large fluorescent blotches
round the holes in the bags. The dye did not penetrate very far into the
cotton wool so there is a danger of the flourescence being hidden by dirt
if the detector was left in too long. Few detectors were left in for more
than a month for this reason. The only poor result was from the one at
Roaring Hole where Leucepher powder was used. A solution seems to be the best
way of introducing the dye. The dye used for the rest of the tests was
Photine CS dissolved in Diethyl Glycol Monoethanolamine and water E=90.
..aend

[end TF0009]
[begin ----- TF0010 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'Czechosolovakia' 'Julian Griffiths' 23
..blank 4
 Three weeks after returning from Austria I was back across the Channel, this
time en route for the Moravian Karst in Czechoslovakia. There is a certain
mystique about an area such as Moravia, in my mind it was a close relative
of Transylvania. I had vision of a mountainous region, dotted with lofty
castles and inhabited by Count Dracula look alikes. As it happened it was not
unlike Mendip and not even the wildest imagination could mistake the beer
lust of the local inhabitants for blood lust. The nearest thing that approached
it was some villagers sat in a local bar watching a CSSR v. USSR ice hockey
match on the TV.
 Close inspection of my road map of Europe revealed that Moravia is only about
100 miles north of Vienna. It is close to Brno, famed for the Bren gun and the
fact that nearly every army in Europe has trampled on it at some stage. The
site of the battle of the three armies, Austerlitz, is nearby. Here Napoleon
saw off the combined armies of Russia and Austria. The region's similarities with
Mendip are that it is gently rolling countryside, reaching no great height,
but incised by two large gorges. It must be said that this is as far as the
similarities go. The caves are typically very large old phreatic systems, the
largest of which, the Amertska Jeskyne, is nearly 40km long.
 Being an official camp all the delegates were put up at a local hotel. I was
lucky to share a room with the only other English speaking person there,
Tom Iliffe of Bermuda. Also sharing the room was one of the local
Czechoslovakian cavers, a friendly chap who kept what could only be described
as a bottle of clear methylated spirits under his bed. This he would offer to
anyone who happened to come into the room. Prolonged exposure to it was
ruinous and so visits to the room had to be timed very carefully. Lectures
took up the first two days. A translation service was provided, but where
someone was lecturing in a language other than Czech the lecture was translated
into Czech first and then relayed to the other translators to translate into
other languages. This somewhat delayed the impact of the speech on the audience
and it was unnerving to find the audience laughing at a joke you'd told five
minutes ago.
 The formalities of lectures over the diving commenced. Just to make sure we
could all dive we were taken to a local reservoir where visibility and
shallow depth was assured. A little while later, sat in a pool of liquid mud
at -45ft, I began to doubt their claims. The appearance of my side mounted
tanks with no buoyancy compensator was greeted with something akin to mass
hysteria by the assembled divers. There was much jostling for place to get
a photograph of the weird and threatened beast before they moved in for a
closer inspection.
 The first proper cave dive was in the Amertska Jeskyne, a cave that runs in the
hills alongside one of the deep gorges. How nice to be able to walk to the
diving site in dry grots with your gear in a rucksack on your back, to change
into drysuit at the sump. Not that carrying gear was compulsory for the divers
as the Czech organiser had provided any number of sherpas. Brief pause for
photographs for the local paper and then off into the beautiful, crystal clear
phreatic tube. This continued for 300m until it opened out in the roof of a
large chamber. Below the chamber dropped away to -30m and more and the
continuing passage has not been pushed by the Czechs. The sump which is fed by
percolation water heads away from the gorge at right angles to the main system.
It could be a long dive. Afterwards we walked up to the 180m open air shaft
of the Macocha Chasm which drops into the Puuka river, the downstream
connection and eventual resurgence of the Amertska Jeskyne.
 Thinking that I might be feeling a little homesick the Czechs said that they
had a good British sump lined up for me the next day. This was in the Barova
Jeskyne, a cave close to the resurgences in the other gorge. Upstream was
supposed to lead through to the Byci Skala though no-one had pushed it. Beyond
this there is considerable potential up towards the system's sinks, but
unfortunately the upstream sump in the Byci Skala is choked. The carry into
the Barova Jeskyen was typically Czechoslovakian, ie. easy. The Czech diver
with me explained that we would have to use hand signals in the sump, not the
BSAC ones I was accustomed to, but something that approximated to bottom
pinching. The significance of this became apparent when we turned to come
back in the second sump having decided that digging would be required to make
any further progress. The mud was so thick that I couldn't see my diving
partner. Hence a quick couple of pinches rectified the position and it was an
appalling dive back. The Byci Skala is close by so we went for a tourist trip.
 It is a very impressive cave and steeped in history. A medieval lord who had
died nearby whilst on a caravan was buried with all his entourage in a rock
shelter near the entrance, such was the fashion in those days. About 400m
inside the entrance a plaque announces that Marie Theresa was there. She didn't
have to use her own carbide, the full length of the cave being lit by torches.
In the second world war the cave was used as a munitions factory and several
years after the war a German officer was found hanging in one of the chambers
near the entrance. Most of the cave consists of long phreatic passage and there
is a long canal section in the middle for which we used a boat. The whole lot
didn't take more than a couple of hours to complete.
 The final day was to a be a dive through to the Amertsha Jeskyne from the
Macocha Chasm, a dive of 400m. Unfortunately the visibility was too poor to
enable the line to be laid from where it finished about 220m in so we had
to content ourselves with a dive to that point and back.
 In between the diving the Czechs entertained us royally. Beer at 20p a pint
oiled the cogs of international communication and their plum brandy left you
with something to remember it by the next morning. A very fine week's caving.
..page ~%page+1
..aend
[end TF0010]
[begin ----- TF0011 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'The Cave Temples of Ajanta and Ellora' 'Brian Derby' 26
..blank 4
 India is not a land renowned for its sporting caves and pot-holes. In fact the
large desolate basalt plains of the Deccan plateau can hardly be considered
fruitful territory for speleologists. Nonetheless this area boasts some of
the finest decorated cave temples in the World. The secret, of course, is that
the temples were carved out of the reasonably soft volcanic rock of the region.
Some of the temples are hardly caves, one of the finest is a complete building
with walls and roof carved out of a cliff-side and a total floor area greater
than that of the Parthenon in Athens. Most are of a more modest size and are
tunnelled into the side of the hills. The two most famous sites are conveniently
near each other close to the town of Aurangabad in Maharashtra state about
200 miles from Bombay. These are the Ellora caves which are decorated with fine
sculptures and the Ajanta caves which are the more famous on account of the well
preserved wall paintings.
  India has a healthy tourist industry and one can get to the caves by tour or
local bus from Aurangabad. Aurangabad is well connected by train and air to
the rest of India because of the caves. They are certainly one of the sites
any self respecting tourists would wish to include on their itinerary.
 The caves at Ajanta were the first to be made, they are all Buddhist and date
from about 200 BC to 650 AD. There are 29 caves in all, 24 monasteries or
Viharas and 5 temples or Chaityas. The caves are cut into the sides of a steep
river valley in a densely forested region. They were discovered purely by
chance in 1819 by an English hunting party out after tigers. Typically they were
very badly damaged after their discovery both by graffitists and the warm humid
air which entered when they were opened. This is especially unfortunate because
of the exceptionally beautiful wall paintings found inside some of the caves.
However in the 1920s two leading Italian art restorers were brought over and
after long an painstaking work some of the former glory was recaptured.
Access to the caves is limited because of their fragility and lighting is dim
and only on when tour parties are inside. Despite this the paintings are
magnificent.
 The caves were constructed by driving in a series of horizontal adits, these
were then connected by cross passages thus leaving the roof supported on
pillars of rock. These pillars were often carved, in fact all statues in the
caves were carved from the rock in situ.
 The caves at Ellora are more renowned for their carvings. Ellora also has a
mixture of religions represented in its caves, there are 34 caves; 12 Buddhist,
17 Hindu and 5 Jain. The Buddhist caves are smaller and more subdued than their
Ajanta counterparts. They were all built after the caves at Ajanta between
600 AD and 800 AD during a period of relative Buddhist decline, all but one
are Viharas. The Hindu caves are the most famous at Ellora because of the
profusion of wall carvings, they were built around 900 AD but the earliest were
probably built when the later Buddhist caves were being finished because of
similarities in decoration. All these caves are temples, the most famous being
the enormous Kailassa temple. This is dedicated to Shiva and has been in
practically continuous use since it was built. Over 200,000 tons of rock were
removed and the whole edifice was carved from the top down so requiring no
scaffolding. Finally, a few hundred metres away from the main site are the
Jain caves, these are similar to the Buddhist caves in design but are covered
in carvings of a very fine detail. The Jain caves were the last to be built on the
site and date from 800 AD to 1000 AD.
 India has other cave temples at various other sites, mostly in Maharashtra,
but none of the others compare to the well preserved examples of Ellora and Ajanta.
If a caver visits the sub-continent, he can visit these sites and at least
claim to have been underground. As well as this benefit of being able to tick off
another country the caves are well worth a visit on artistic merit alone.
..aend
[end TF0011]
[begin ----- TF0012 -----]
..k file/a
gcal <file> to t:<file>
copy t:<file> to canon:
[end TF0012]
[begin ----- TF0013 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'The Editorial Bit' 'Mike Richardson' 2
..blank 4
 Well, here we are again, another year later and another later journal.
 Editorials should be like mini-skirts, long enough to be decent but short
enough to maintain interest, so.....
 I'd like to thank everbody who wrote articles and helped with the production
of the journal, and encourage anyone who might feel like doing so in the
future. Thanks especially to Becky who proof read it, because my spelling
is awful.
 Any comments, slanders or libels should not be directed to me, but to next
year's editor, Nick Hawks, c/o James Hickson, address below. Preferably you
could inundate him with articles.
 Since I had no entries for the quiz in last year's journal, the prize, which
was to have been a case of Champaigne, will have to remain in my possession.
The answers are to be found elsewhere in this edition.
 Finally, apologies for the late publication this year, but a certain critical
article which shall remain nameless only arrived two days before departure
for Austria. The only consolation is the Austria '84 Stop Press.
 OK, thats it, off we go.....
..blank 6
 Dr. J. Hickson
 Pembroke College
 Cambridge
..aend
[end TF0013]
[begin ----- TF0014 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'Cambridge University Caving Club' '' 38
..blank 4
..copy
..tabset 15l 35l 55l
$b Committee 1983-84 $b

Andy Dolby    $t President       $t Bill Hawkswell  $t Secretary
Brian Derby   $t Tackle Sergeant $t Mark Russel     $t Treasurer
Adrian Mills  $t Dinner Lady     $t Mike Richardson $t Editor
Becky Ward
              $t James Hickson   $t Senior Treasurer

..tabset 24l 46l 67l
$b Resident Members $b

Andrew Dolby  $t Caius (81) $t Richard Furlong $tQueens'
Bill Hawkswell $t Caius (82) $t Adrian Mills $tQueens' (83)
Nick Hufton $t Caius (83) $t Mark Russel $tQueens'(83)
Mike Mendl $t Caius (83) $t Jon Swale  $t Queens  (83)
Dave Popper $t Christs (83) $t Terry Carroll  $t Robinson
Mike Richardson $t Churchill (82) $t Gill Beak $t Sidney Sussex (83)
Heather Wall  $t Churchill $t Alan Cousens $t Sidney Sussex (81)
Roy Want $t Churchill (83) $t Dave Rogers $t Sidney (83)
Judith Greaves  $t Clare (80) $t Prof. J.F. Adams $t Trinity
Alan Flack $t Clare (83) $t Richard Borcherds $t Trinity (82)
Lynne Strangeways $t Darwin (83) $t Robert Brady  $t Trinity
Jim Trueman $t Clare (83) $t Piete Brooks  $t Trinity  (75)
Dave Beedie $t Downing (83) $t Chris Chyba $t Trinity
Pete Elliot  $t Downing $t Mark Hunter $t Trinity (81)
John Parrington $t Downing (83) $t Alex Ryba $t Trinity (83)
Andrew Simpson  $t Downing (82) $t Becky Ward  $t Trinity (82)
Nigel Quinton  $t Emmanuel (82) $t Paul Webb $t Trinity (83)
Chris Sharman $tEmmanuel (83) $t Bob Whitaker $t Trinity (83)
Mark Roddick $tFitzwilliam (83) $t Alison Carey  $t Trinity Hall
Martin Hall $t Fitzwilliam (83) $t Tim Lunel $t Trinity Hall (83)
Charles Ashcroft $t Girton (82) $t Andy Strangeways $tTrinity Hall (82)
Noel Plumley $t Girton $t Graham Hamilton $t Wolfson (83)
Steve Crawley $t St Johns (80) $t Philip Sargent $t Wolfson (80)
Brian Derby  $t St Johns  (79) $t Dave Edgar $t (82)
Stephen Douglas $t St Johns (82) $t Christine Haseler
John Hibbert  $t St  John's (79) $t Theresa Hobbs  $t A.R.E. (82)
Simon Burt $t Kings $t Mike Martin
Barry Nichols $t Kings  $t David Riley $t (83)
Ian Threlfall  $t Kings (82) $t Jane Troke
Gavin Andrews $t Magdalene (83) $t Wendy Webb $t (83)
Bill Byrne  $t Magdalene  (83) $t Pam Abbot $t CCAT (82)
Griselda Knight $t Newhall (83) $t Caroline Bamber $t CCAT (83)
Fiona MacCallum $t Newnham (83) $t Sally Bliss  $t CCAT
James C D Hickson  $t Pembroke $t Alison Borlase  $t CCAT
Doug Astill  $t Peterhouse (72) $t Nick Hawks $t CCAT (83)
Nigel Beaumont $t Queens' (80) $t Caroline Hirons  $t CCAT
James Cooper  $t Queens  (78) $t Sue Orchard $t CCAT (83)

..tabset 20l 40l 60l
$b New Committee 1984-85 $b

Mark Russell    $t President       $t John Parrington $t Secretary
Jim Cooper      $t Tackle Sergeant $t Chris Sharman   $t Treasurer
Martin Hall     $t Dinner Lady     $t Nick Hawks      $t Editor
Mike Richardson $t Librarian       $t Brian Derby
                $t James Hickson   $t Senior Treasurer

..tabset 22l 44l 66l
$b EXCS Members $b

Doug Astill $tDave Harrison $tMike Perryman
John Bowers $tChristine Haseler $tPhilip Sergent
Charles Butcher $tJohn Heathcote $tRob Shackleton
Andy Connolly $tJames Hickson $tMike Shearme
Nicole Davies $tSimon Kellet $tMike Thomas
Martin Evans $tCarole Leach $tNick Thorne
Simon Farrow $tRod Leach $tPhil Townsend
David Flatt $tJont Leach $tJack Upsall
Doug Florence $tFraser Macdonald $tRuth Upsall
Dave Fox $tBen Van Millingen $tAndy Waddington
Dave Gibson $tJames Newell $tSimon Whitaker
Julian Griffiths $tAndrew Nichols $tAnne Winstanley
Geof Wyss

..fill
..tabset 30l
 1984 Dinner Awards
..blank
 Golden Boot        $t Brian Derby
 For stranding the President, Secretary, Editor, and two other members beyond
the Long Crawl in DYO by removing the ladder.
..blank
 Silver Slipper     $t Mike Thomas
 Because he won it last year.
..blank
 Driver of the Year $t Mike Martin
 For being "blown off the road" and doing as much damage to his car as it
was worth.
[end TF0014]
[begin ----- TF0015 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'Summary of Caves in the Totes Gebirge 1983' 'Pete Lancaster' 13
..blank 2
 $b 1623/135 $b
 Shaft choked -20m
 East Schwarzmoos Kgl c. 1790m
..blank
 $b 1623/136 Steinschlagschacht $b
 Shaft -194m
 East Schwarzmoos Kgl 1797m
 135m on 066$+o$l from VdSMK 47$+o$l40'47" N 13$+o$l49'05" E
..blank
 $b 1623/137 $b
 Shaft -47m
 East Schwarzmoos Kgl c. 1790m
..blank
 $b 1623/138 $b
 Shaft. Very large entrance. Snow plugged -40m
 East Schwarzmoos Kgl c. 1790m
..blank
 $b 1623/139 $b
 Shaft. 2 pitches to -30m. Too narrow
 East Schwarzmoos Kgl c. 1830m (near top of small hill)
..blank
 $b 1623/140 $b
 Shaft -95m to choke
 South Vd Schwarzmoos Kgl 1796m
 126m on 194 from VdSMK. 47$+o$l40'41" N 13$+o$l48'57" E
..blank
 $b 1623/141 $b (Described as 131 in Cam. Underground 1983)
 Shaft -30m
 South Vd Schwarzmoos Kgl 1603m
..blank
 $b 1623/142 $b (Described as 132 in Cam. Underground 1983)
 Connected to Schnellzug-StellerwegHohlen System
 South Vd Schwarzmoos Kgl 1603m
 47$+o$l40'09" N 13$+o$l48'38" E
..blank
 $b 1623/143 $b
 Shaft -124m. Too narrow
 South Vd Schwarzmoos Kgl 1698m
 47$+o$l40'18" N 13$+o$l48'51" E
..blank
 $b 1623/144 $b
 Shaft -285m
 South Vd Schwarzmoos Kgl 1699m
 47$+o$l40'19" N 13$+o$l48'51" E
..blank
 $b 1623/145 $b (Wolfehohle)
 N.East Schwarzmoossattel c. 1685m
..blank
 $b 1623/146 $b
 Unexplored entrance
 N.East Schwarzmoossattel c. 1700m
..aend
[end TF0015]
[begin ----- TF0016 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart '143 Guidebook Description' 'Pete Lancaster' 8
..blank 2
..copy
1623/143
Vd. Schwarzmoos Kogel, Totes Gebirge
Altitude 1698m
47$+o$l40'18" N 13$+o$l48'52" E
Depth 124m
..fill
..blank 1
 The square shaped entrance lies just below (22m vertically at 34m on a bearing
of 158$+o$l) the nipple at the end of the ridge running SSW from the Vd.
Schwarzmoos Kogel. The first pitch starts after a short climb down boulders,
from here light may be seen entering from another entrance, 143b. The pitch
(20m) lands on a small ledge and a short free climb leads to a traverse over
wedged blocks. The next pitch (10m) is rigged over the edge of the last
of these and brings one to a balcony at the start of a 23m shaft. Another clean,
almost circular shaft (19m) follows, to a climb (6m) down wedged boulders.
The passage now narrows to a small vadose canyon with a stream in it, but soon
turns verticle at an 8m pitch, quickly followed by one of 18m. At the foot of
this final shaft the stream flows down a rift, approximately 10m deep, but
too narrow to follow, the draft blowing inwards.
..aend
[end TF0016]
[begin ----- TF0017 -----]
..include "hdr"
..blank 4
..copy
..tabset 3l 55l 80l
 $c Cambridge Underground 1984
 $c Journal of the
 $c Cambridge University Caving Club
 $c and the
 $c Ex Cambridge Speleologists

 $c Vol. 3 No. 4
 $c Copyright CUCC September 1984
..blank 4
..astart "contents" "" 1
..blank 4
The Editorial Bit                                $t Mike Richardson   $t 2
The President's Bit                              $t Andy Dolby        $t 3

Austria 83
 $t Wolfehohle - Act 1                           $t John Bowers       $t 5
 $t Exploration and Survey of 1623/142           $t Philip Sargent    $t 7
 $t Possible Extensions to the 41-142-115 System $t Philip Sargent    $t 8
 $t 143 Guidebook Description                    $t Pete Lancaster    $t 8
 $t 144 Guidebook Description                    $t Pete Lancaster    $t 11
 $t Summary of Caves in the Totes Gebirge 1983   $t                   $t 13

England
 $t Dye Testing in Chapel-le-Dale                $t Julian Griffiths  $t 15
 $t Page Pot                                     $t The Doctors Two   $t 18

Abroad
 $t Caves of the Cape Peninsula                  $t Brian Derby       $t 19
 $t A Trip to Bulgaria                           $t John Bowers       $t 21
 $t Czechoslovakia                               $t Julian Griffiths  $t 23
 $t The Cave Temples of Ajanta and Ellora        $t Brian Derby       $t 26

Technical
 $t An Investigation into Climbing Rope Failures $t Bill Hawkswell    $t 29
 $t Draft EEC Caving Regulations                 $t                   $t 33
 $t Reality is an Illusion .....                 $t Andy Waddington   $t 35

Miscellaneous
 $t Austria 84 - Stop Press                      $t Mike Richardson   $t 36
 $t Answers to Last Years Quiz                   $t                   $t 37
 $t Resident Members 1983-4 and Dinner Awards                       $t$t 38
..fill
[end TF0017]
[begin ----- TF0018 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart "The President's Bit" 'Andy Dolby' 3
..blank 4
 Austria last year was plagued by bad weather. Promises of fierce Alpine
sunshine did not materialise as a damper was put on the proceedings.
Nevertheless, much prospecting was done, numerous holes were found, and this
year's expedition can look foreward to two holes wide open at 270m and
200m, and the prospect of linking the Stellerweghohle system to a higher
entrance increasing its depth to 990m.
 Back in Cambridge the Club year got off to a good start. The squash went well,
or so we thought, probably mainly due to the catering arrangements. The coach
trip to Carlswalk succeeded in getting 45 freshers cold, wet, muddy and either
jubilant or miserable in two waves and record time. This, combined with our
quick persuasive tongues and charming manners produced a large number of
new members.
 As seems to happen every year the departure of a number of the clubs oldest
and most experienced members at the end of the year left the club with only
a handful of cavers capable of leading trips. Fortunately those who did remain
did come on meets and did take novices caving. We saw a few years ago what
happens when the experienced cavers form a clique and leave the novices
to their own devices. Luckily this was avoided. The lack of experience at the
beginning of the year poses a perenial problem with much concern being
expressed over what will happen next year. I can see no solution to this
problem. The idea of recruiting a large number of members at the beginning of
the year to provide the next year with experience just doesn't work. Most
people don't like caving and nothing you can do will make them. You're stuck
with the fact that only a small number of people will stay with the club and
gain the necessary experience. This year, therefore, thanks to those who
did remain to lead novice trips. Caving has gone on as normal with a full
minibus hurtling up to the Dales every fortnight during term.
 These term time trips have been well attended by new members and the caving
has been more oriented towards the novice. It also became possible to hire
cheaper minibusses as we had a driver over 23; this, with the travel subsidy
provided by the Societies Syndicate, brought the cost of travel and
accomodation down to below ten pounds for the weekend.
Vacation meets have become quiet affairs attended mainly by experienced cavers
who are then free to do their own thing.
 Socially the club is as active as ever. The Wednesday night pub meet in the
Granta became the club's focal point. Nearly all the active resident members
descend on the Granta much to the delight of the charming Landlord and
Landlady. The other weekly pub meets still occur though are slightly less
well attended, and Tuesday lunches are still popular. Numerous parties have
been thrown, some exceptionally good, some awfull. The dinner came and went
bringing with it the traditional debagging of the president, and the
soon-to-be-traditional secretarial streak. The dinner also incurred the wrath
of the college authorities who showed their displeasure in a material fashion.
 We will return to Austria this summer mainly by default. CUCC has had summer
expeditions to Austria for the past 8 years now. This year interest was
expressed in going somewhere else, preferably more 'exotic'. Austria requires
little organisation and since no-one was willing to do the work necessary to
go elsewhere, we are returning there.
 Finally I would like to thank everone who has helped in the running of the
club over the past year, and wish the committee the best of luck for the
coming year.
..aend
[end TF0018]
[begin ----- TF0019 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'Austria 84 - Stop Press' 'Mike Richardson' 32
..blank 4
 Since the journal is so late this year, here's a brief report on CUCC's
latest activities.
 Steinschlagschacht bottomed at about 240m, with the rift suddenly becoming
to narrow to follow. Due to lack of enthusiasm it was not surveyed below
last year's limit. Wolfehohle also stopped, at a sump, just after 400m, but
was surveyed. The Wolf, it seems, is actually a Bear of some description.
We can now look foreward to a period of mindless recrimination while the
name is haggled over.
 The attempt to connect into the Stellerweghohle system from above (entrances
143 and 144) yield an audible connection, in one direction at least, but is
too long to be hammered open.
 Some prospecting was done on the plateau, heading towards the Ht. Schwarzmoos
Kgl., which is getting a depressingly long way from the Car Park. Maybe future
expeditions will have to camp on the plateau.
 Apart from that, it rained rather a lot. The beer tent was decorated with
sweetcorn by the simple expedient of heating a can until it exploded. Some
boy scouts subsequently asked us not to let off fireworks in the middle of
the night. The Landlady at the Staudnwirt also indicated that Meatloaf et. al.
at full blast tended to drown out the musak in the bar. Still, it was
discovered that it is possible to have a drunken bop for 4 people
in the back of a small Land Rover while doing 50 mph. along the road to
Grindlesee at 3 in the morning.
 See next years journal for the full sordid details!
..aend
[end TF0019]
[begin ----- TF0020 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'Exploration and Survey of 1623/142' 'Philip Sargent' 7
..blank 4

The 1623/142 entrance lies in thick pine-scrub above the Stogerweg (path 201)
roughly halfway between Windloch (132) and Stellerweghohle (41). It takes about
ten minutes to climb/fight/thrash through the bunde to get to it from the path.
The entrance is labelled "P132" in red paint because the 1982 expedition
used cave numbers which had been allocated to a german team, thus caves
described in "Cambridge Underground 1983" as 131 and 132 have been renamed as
141 and 142. Cave 142 is the one with the Big Chamber in it, "half the size
of Gaping Gill" according to last years' grade 1 survey, in fact it is
about 90m by 30m, and 40m high.

142 was originally explored by Phil Townsend, Doug Florence and Mike Thomas
in 1982, and almost caused Mike and Doug to call out a rescue for each other
when they got seperated in its intestinal complexities. This year Wiggie
found a 20m pitch near the entrance which he almost lobbed off (which didn't
go anywhere). Gail and Philip had great difficulty finding the Big Chamber
(3rd time lucky) but found a dripping shaft with caravan-sized jammed boulders
in it instead. This was later pushed by Julian and pronounced to be very
reminiscent of the German Series in Stellerweg (41),but smaller and more
miserable. Later that same trip Julian, with Philip and Naomi, found the
connection with 41 along the Rodent Runway; named after a nondescript
skeleton with big teeth found in the connection chamber at the bottom of the
first pitch in 41. This party had set out to find the connection but had
given up after pushing innumerable 45 degree rifts to their conclusions and
were looking for a pitch-less way to the Big Chamber when they found themselves
standing in Stellerweg.

Apart from the entrance grovel, a few active drips, the shaft pushed by
Julian and the Big Chamber, the entire 142 system is a dusty, abandoned series of
hading chambers formed phreatically on a set of joints at 45$+o$l# to the
horizontal, parallel to the very similar Stellerweghohle entrance series. The
joints run almost precisely NE-SW and are tilted such that the chambers all
slope down to the SE. The bedding is not obvious in the cave, but in two
widely-separated locations it also appeared to lie at 45$+o$l# to the horizontal,
but at right angles to the joints such that it dipped to the NW. Surface
features in the area of the caves, the south end of the Schwatzmooskogel,
supported this observation.

Traversing across the tops of the 45$+o$l# ramps was generally easier in 142
than in 41 and so this new discovery provides a slightly easier way in to
this part of the Stellerweghohle-Schnellzughohlensystem. (However it is
extremely dry and dusty and cannot be recommended for contact lens wearers.)
The chamber where the routes to the Big Chamber and the connection
diverge was pretty thoroughly investigated, as were all the leads from
there back to Wiggie's pitch near the entrance, but there are lots of
leads in the Rodent Runway itself that have not been followed and the
ways out of the Big Chamber have not all been entirely exhausted. There
is plenty of scope for more discovery in this cave which is not only close
to the path, but requires very little tackle.
..aend
[end TF0020]
[begin ----- TF0021 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'Possible Extensions to the 41-142-115 System' 'Philip Sargent' 8
..blank 4
 At the end of the 1982 exploration it was thought that 141 (aka 131)
would connect with the 41-115 system. The 1983 expedition actually
connected 142 instead, 141 being found to be get too small quite
rapidly. This connection is not a very significant discovery and has
added nothing to the depth of the system. However, the perched phreatic
tube found in 144 by Pete and Chas is a very much more interesting
possibility: it is at the same altitude as the Big Chamber in 142 and
the confused series of passages at the head of the Big Pitch in 41
(see area survey), and is only 150m away from either of these horizontally.
If we could push a connection to 144 next year from the 41-142 leads
we would not only add 74m to the total depth of the system (making a possible
total of 972m) but we would have found our own highest entrance to the system
so that it would become a CUCC/EXCS discovery from top to bottom. In
these circumstances we should perhaps take care with the name we give to
144, we couldn't have our biggest and best discovery go down in history
under its interim desciption: "Tonys-secondhohlen-system"!
..aend
[end TF0021]
[begin ----- TF0022 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart "Draft EEC Caving Regulations" "Anon" 33
..blank 4
 It has come to our notice that caves do not fulfil the EEC aim of
standardisation throughout the community, and that they are generally in
contravention of EEC Health and Safety Regulations (H&SR). We have therefore
drawn up a standard for caves that will be enforced by new legislation.
..blank
 $b Size $b
 This raises questions of both length and depth. Many caves pose unacceptable
strains on the stamina of cavers, and the general aim here is to shorten
all caves to an acceptable size. Many will also need enlarging, the
Commission feeling that the "squeezes" and "crawls"  that are found
underground are too dangerous.
 As a general rule all cave passages will be large enough as to permit the
passage of a beach-ball of 2m diameter. This will, we feel, help to reduce
the incidence of both back-ache and abrasion of elbows and knees among cavers,
bringing the sport into line with the H&SR.
 There are also many caves that are too deep. Pitches are another
unacceptable hazard, and must therefore be brought under careful control. We
propose two alternative systems.
 a) For larger caves, a chair-lift system. These will be operated in accordance
with safety regulations similar to those used in mountainous regions.
 b) For smaller caves, pitches will be eliminated and slopes with an angle not
exceeding 45$+o$l# instituted. These slopes will have numerous holds within
them, and will not exceed 7m in length. Professional staff will be employed to
supervise their use, and to ensure that the slopes are kept clean and dry.
Lifelining will be compulsory, and performed by the above staff.
 Concerning the lengths of caves, we feel that no caver should cave for more
than 4 hours without rest. This leads us to the provision of facilities
within caves.
..blank
 $b Facilities $b
 These are currently in a deplorable state. Refreshment is normally limited to
a soggy chocolate bar, while there are no provisions for rest or recovery after
or during strenuous exercise. This state of affairs cannot be allowed to
continue. The commission therefore proposes the following changes.
 a) Rest stations. These will consist of warm and comfortable cafes, with
showers and rapid drying rooms attached. Warm, non-alcoholic, beverages will be
served, as will hot food, reaonable prices being gaurenteed by an EEC subsidy.
Stops at rest stations will be compulsory, to prevent cavers reaching
dangerous states of exhaustion and exposure.
 b) Communications. This is another area which has led to accidents in the past.
Thus, emergency telephones will be installed at 100m intervals within the
cave to prevent cavers becoming lost. They will be clearly signposted, and
a map of the cave will be posted by each telephone showing its position.
 c) Lighting. This is currently the most urgent problem. The current lighting
in caves is appalling, falling below the most lax H&SR requirements.
Natural lighting is virtually non-existant, while personal lighting is
often minimal and unreliable. We therefore propose to install low-power
lighting throughout the cave, with high-powered lighting at all awkward and
potentially dangerous places. Back-up generators will be installed in case of
power failure.
 We now consider the question of equipment used by cavers.
..blank
 $b Personal Equipment $b
 This is often dangerously varied and of questionable reliability. We therefore
feel it necessary to impose certain guidelines.
 a) Clothing. The existing wetsuit is barely adequate given that its method
of operation requires the wearer to be wet. This must therefore be replaced by a
drysuit with a portable temperature control unit. Full-face helmets complete
with visors will also we worn to avoid accidental injury on any remaining
rock prejections. The existing harnesses are in the main inadequate, but in
future two will have to be worn in case a failure.
 b) Ropes and Ladders. Ropes are seen by the commission as being among the
most dangerous pieces or equipment used, especially when employed in the
"SRT" mode. In future, any remaining "SRT" pitches will be done with a lifeline,
although given the changes outlined above we can see both ladders and ropes
ceasing to become important.
..blank
 $b Temperature and Water Levels $b
 The question of H&SR also raises the issue of cave temperature and water
levels. Many caves are dangerously prone to flooding, so that streamways will
need diversion into reservoirs separate from the main body of the cave. From
here the water can be heated to a suitable temperature and released back
into the streamway at a safe, controlled rate. These provisions will both
raise safety standards and increase comfort.
..blank
 $b Conclusions $b
 This report outlines the standards to which member countries will, in future,
be expected to conform with regards to caves. The commission realises that
reaching these standards may well prove costly, and has several suggestions
to make.
 a) All real caves should be sealed and new ones created by roofing over
derelict quaries, the new cave being constructed of strong but lighweight
synthetic materials. This would have the added advantage of
reducing the danger in the event of the cave collapsing due to unforseen
stresses.
 b) Local caving councils should apply for EEC Rural Development Grants.
Another source of grant income could be CAP-aided mushroom production. Either
request should prove fruitful.
 c) Part of the cost of re-modelling existing caves could be met by offering a
section of the cave as a storage area for EEC agricultural products; however,
any attempt to store wine surpluses by circulating them through streamway
networks will be opposed and funds not granted or withheld.
 d) A final source of grant aid may be found by clubs appealing for EEC
funds for the assistance of ethnic minorities, the current rather exotic
clothing and quaint rituals of cavers almost guaranteeing a sympathetic hearing.
 Hopefully this memorandum has made clear the impending changes in speleology.
We at the commission feel sure that all cavers will join with us in seeing
these new standards as a major advance, and will therefore hasten to
implement them.
[end TF0022]
[begin ----- TF0023 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'Possible Extensions to the 41-142-115 System' 'Philip Sargent' 8
..blank 4
 At the end of the 1982 exploration it was thought that 141 (aka 131)
would connect with the 41-115 system. The 1983 expedition actually
connected 142 instead, 141 being found to be get too small quite
rapidly. This connection is not a very significant discovery and has
added nothing to the depth of the system. However, the perched phreatic
tube found in 144 by Pete and Chas is a very much more interesting
possibility: it is at the same altitude as the Big Chamber in 142 and
the confused series of passages at the head of the Big Pitch in 41
(see area survey), and is only 150m away from either of these horizontally.
If we could push a connection to 144 next year from the 41-142 leads
we would not only add 74m to the total depth of the system (making a possible
total of 972m) but we would have found our own highest entrance to the system
so that it would become a CUCC/EXCS discovery from top to bottom. In
these circumstances we should perhaps take care with the name we give to
144, we couldn't have our biggest and best discovery go down in history
under its interim desciption: "Tonys-secondhohlen-system"!
..aend
..blank 3
..astart '143 Guidebook Description' 'Pete Lancaster' 8
..blank 2
..copy
1623/143
Vd. Schwarzmoos Kogel, Totes Gebirge
Altitude 1698m
47$+o$l40'18" N 13$+o$l48'52" E
Depth 124m
..fill
..blank 1
 The square shaped entrance lies just below (22m vertically at 34m on a bearing
of 158$+o$l) the nipple at the end of the ridge running SSW from the Vd.
Schwarzmoos Kogel. The first pitch starts after a short climb down boulders,
from here light may be seen entering from another entrance, 143b. The pitch
(20m) lands on a small ledge and a short free climb leads to a traverse over
wedged blocks. The next pitch (10m) is rigged over the edge of the last
of these and brings one to a balcony at the start of a 23m shaft. Another clean,
almost circular shaft (19m) follows, to a climb (6m) down wedged boulders.
The passage now narrows to a small vadose canyon with a stream in it, but soon
turns verticle at an 8m pitch, quickly followed by one of 18m. At the foot of
this final shaft the stream flows down a rift, approximately 10m deep, but
too narrow to follow, the draft blowing inwards.
..aend
[end TF0023]
[begin ----- TF0024 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'Dye Testing in Chapel-Le-Dale' 'Julian Griffiths' 15
..blank 4
 $bIntroduction$b
 Over the course of the previous year a series of water tracing tests based
on the streams feeding the Gods Bridge resurgence in Chapel-Le-Dale have
been carried out. It was hoped that these tests might give some indication
of the potential of the diving sites in this part of the valley. The original
work in this area was carried out by members of the Yorkshire Geological
Society in the early 1900's, the results of this work being published in
Volume 15 of their Proceedings (1904). Although very comprehensive their tests
did not include Joint Hole, nor, because theirs was a study on karst water on
Ingleborough, did they cross the valley to test some of the streams sinking
on the slopes of Whernside. As access to Joint Hole has recently become easier,
Joint was an obvious candidate for testing and there was also much speculation
about a branch in Midge Hole possibly leading up to Ellerbeck Hole. The test
was fairly straight forward, or so it was thought.
..blank
 $bResults$b
 The results of the test have been a bit of an eye-opener. Conventional
wisdom has Meregill Hole going to Meregill Skit, Roaring Hole to Joint Hole,
Great Douk Cave and Hardrawkin Pot to Hurtle Pot and Ellerbeck Hole to
Midge Hole. Quite how the Great Douk to Hurtle myth arose is something of a
mystery as the YGS's tests indicated that Great Douk did not go via Hurtle
on its way to Gods Bridge. However, this is the route given in "Limestone
and Caves of North West England". It may have resulted from misinterpretation
of the map published in the proceedings which shown a line drawn from Great
Douk to a point $b just below $b Hurtle. In the event Hardrawkin and
probably Great Douk go to Joint. I say "probably" for Great Douk because it
hasn't been tested to Joint (there were no detectors in Joint at the time)
but it certainly doesn't go to Hurtle which leaves one with few alternatives.
 Sunset Hole goes through the lower streamway in Roaring on its way to
Meregill Skit and although Meregill also goes to Meregill Skit the results
of the test were significantly different from that done by the YGS. When
they did the test Meregill Skit appears to have been a permanent resurgence
whereas now it only acts as a resurgence in very wet weather.
The dye was introduced at 1pm in the surface stream and reappeared next
morning at Meregill Skit. Next time, the dye was introduced into the stream
below Aven Entrance, but took several days to reach Meregill Skit.
Detectors removed 64 hours after the dye was introduced were negative.
There are a number of possible explanations for this.
 $b(a) $b The fact that Meregill Skit no longer resurges under normal conditions
reflects a fundamental change in the course of the water underground so that
it now takes a far less direct route to its eventual resurgence.
 $b(b) $b There is another outflow from the Mere which takes an entirely
separate and far shorter route to Meregill Skit. This could be proved
either way by an exact repeat of the YGS test.
 $b(c) $b The dye coming out of Meregill Skit was not in fact from Meregill but was
the remnant of a previous test. The only reason for putting this alternative
foreward is that it was the reason for another of their false results,
Sunset Hole to Hardrawkin. However, I think that this is unlikely.
 Whilst on the subject of Meregill Skit and Joint it is apparent from the
tests that the two connect quite close behind Gods Bridge. Tests that were
positive at Joint Hole were negative at Meregill Skit and therefore the water
in Joint does not flow through Meregill Skit on its way to Gods Bridge.
 Further up the valley having "lost" the first lot of dye in Ellerbeck Hole
a second attempt with double the quantity proved that Ellerbeck goes to
Hurtle and not to Midge. It is likely to be the source of the deep route
in Hurtle though this has not been specifically tested.
 Whilst this testing has solved a number of problems it has by no means
completed the work on streams feeding Gods Bridge. There remain a number of
loose ends to tie up including testing Great Douk to Joint and Ellerbeck
to the deep route in Hurtle. There is also a need to establish the watershed
on the Whernside side of the valley. Does Blake Bank Moss Cave represent
the limit of the Gods Bridge catchment area or does it extend to Dale
Barn Cave? Its a long time since we've heard anything about the trans-Craven
system!
..blank
 $bThe Tests $b
 A diary of the tests is given below. The exact location of each of the
major detector sites was as follows.
..blank
 $bGods Bridge $b - Normally one in the furthest upstream of the two main
resurgences and one in the highest rising in normal conditions. In fact it
doesn't matter where the detectors are placed at this site as one of the earlier
tests established that all the risings are connected.
 $bHurtle Pot $b - Bottom of entrance boulder slope going upstream, just before
passage turns left.
 $bJoint Hole $b - 15m into the first sump.
 $bMeregill Skit $b - 10m into bedding plane at bottom of pot heading
approximately South East.
 $bMidge Hole $b - In a pool at the end of a crawl which leads off opposite to
where the entrance crawl drops into a roomier trench. This was not a very
satisfactory site as it is not clear that there is much flow in this
pool except in wet conditions.
..blank
 $b12 Feb 1983 $b - Control detectors placed at Gods Bridge, Hurtle Pot and
Midge Hole. Water conditions low.
 $b19 Feb 1983 $b - Control detectors removed. Water still low. All detectors
were negative.
 $b12 Mar 1983 $b - Detectors placed at Gods Bridge, Midge Hole and Hurtle Pot.
3 pints of dye introduced at Ellerbeck Hole. Water conditions low.
 $b19 Mar 1983 $b - Detectors retrieved from Gods Bridge, neither appeared
convincingly positive. Midge Hole was too wet to enter. The detectors in
Hurtle Pot had disappeared.
 $b10 Apr 1983 $b - Detectors in Midge Hole collected. Both negative.
 $b16 Apr 1983 $b - Detectors placed in Gods Bridge, Hurtle Pot and Midge Hole.
1 gallon of dye introduced at Great Douk.
 $b23 Apr 1983 $b - Detectors at Gods Bridge and Hurtle Pot retrieved. Those at
Gods Bridge were positive, those at Hurtle Pot negative. Good flow of water
during test.
 $b30 Apr 1983 $b - Detectors at Midge Hole retrieved. All were negative.
 $b30 May 1983 $b - Detectors placed in Hurtle Pot, Joint Hole, Midge Hole,
Meregill Skit and Gods Bridge. 1 gallon of dye put down Hardrawkin the next
day. Conditions dry, but heavy rain within a day.
 $b4 June 1983 $b - Detectors retrieved from all sites. Those at Joint Hole and
Gods Bridge were positive, those at Midge Hole, Meregill Skit and Hurtle Pot
were negative.
 $b2 July 1983 $b - Detectors placed in Joint Hole, Gods Bridge, Meregill Skit
and the lower streamway in Roaring Hole. 1/3 to 1/2lb of Leucepher powder
introduced at Sunset Hole.
 $b10 July 1983 $b - Detectors at Meregill Skit, Joint Hole, Roaring Hole and
Gods Bridge removed. Those at Roaring Hole and Meregill Skit were
faintly positive, those at Joint Hole and Gods Bridge negative. The latter
were out of the water when collected and either this or the dilution
between Meregill Skit and Gods Bridge could have accounted for the result.
 $b27 Aug 1983 $b - Detectors placed in Gods Bridge, Joint Hole and Meregill
Skit. 1 gallon of dye put down Meregill Hole in the stream just below the
Aven Entrance. The Mere was full, but water in the resurgence was very low.
 $b30 Aug 1983 $b - Detectors retrieved from Gods Bridge, Joint Hole and Meregill
Skit 64 hours after dye was introduced. All were negative. This contrasts
with the YGS test which came through in a day.
 $b25 Sep 1983 $b - Rest of detectors retrieved from Gods Bridge, Joint Hole
and Meregill Skit. Those at Gods Bridge and Meregill Skit were positive,
Joint Hole negative. Heavy rain in the intervening period.
 $b4 Mar 1984 $b - Detectors placed in Joint Hole (in 3rd sump), Hurtle Pot
and Gods Bridge. 1 gallon of dye introduced at Ellerbeck Hole.
 $b18 Mar 1984 $b - Retrieved detectors from Gods Bridge, these were positive.
 $b25 Mar 1984 $b - Removed detectors from Hurtle Pot. These were positive. Good
flow of water during the test.
..blank
 $bMethod $b
 The method $bwas $b basically that outlined in the Yorkshire Subterranean Journal
No. 2 pp46-49. Cotton wool was placed in small plastic bags which had had
holes punched in them with a normal handpunch. These were tied on to diver's
"Snoopy Loops" (loops of inner tube with a loop of diving line attached) and
the Snoopy Loops wrapped around a convenient boulder. Where possible the
bags were covered with other boulders. These detectors proved extremely
robust, the only ones that were lost weren't placed by me and I suspect that
they were incorrectly placed. If the site was poorly supplied with boulders
(such as Meregill Skit) the bags were attached to a diver's lead weight; this
seemed to work equally well.
 Originally stockings were used in preference to plastic bags. This was
stopped though when a control detector left in a bowl of water for a week
developed a thin fluorescent film on it. This despite that fact that the
stocking showed no obvious signs of fluorescence when tested under UV light
prior to the construction of the detector. A similar wad of cotton wool in
a plastic bag showed no fluorescence. All the tests outlined in this article
were done with plastic bags.
 To try to minimise the possibility of contamination the detectors were
inspected under a UV lamp prior to placing and, wherever possible, the dye
and the detectors were handled by two different people. Two detectors
were placed at each location. When one of these was removed for testing
it was replaced by another detector. On the tests that were positive this was
a useful check on whether all the dye had flowed through or whether the
site was still contaminated.
 Generally positive results were unmistakable with large fluorescent blotches
round the holes in the bags. The dye did not penetrate very far into the
cotton wool so there is a danger of the flourescence being hidden by dirt
if the detector was left in too long. Few detectors were left in for more
than a month for this reason. The only poor result was from the one at
Roaring Hole where Leucepher powder was used. A solution seems to be the best
way of introducing the dye. The dye used for the rest of the tests was
Photine CS dissolved in Diethyl Glycol Monoethanolamine and water E=90.
..aend
..blank 10
..astart 'Page Pot' 'The Doctors Two' 18
..blank 4
 A possible dig was identified in the higher regions of the Metallurgy
Annexe Massif. The geology was mostly silicaceous but there is a definite
banding of limestone visible on exposures. The dig was opened when a poised
jammed cast-iron "boulder" was freed. This revealed a window onto a
large pitch, this was measured as 50ft.
 The pitch, an unbroken hang against the wall, was descended the next day.
The bottom was choked and all possible extensions closed in
after a few feet. The system is dry and filled with a loose black dust. There
is a possible boltable extension to an upper entrance, this could be one of the
many chimney-like structures visible on the plateau. If this were pushed a
total vertical range of 25m (80ft) would be achieved.
  The explorers do not think this is part of the sub-magog system and it
does not bring any nearer the second entrance to Royston cave.
..aend

[end TF0024]
[begin ----- TF0025 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart "Answers to Last Year's Quiz" "" 37
..blank 2
 $b Where is McDougal's Cave $b - somewhere in "Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain
..blank
 $b Who Visited Eldon $b - Defoe in "A Tour through the whole Island of Great Britain"
..blank
 $b ...and Wells $b - Defoe as above
..blank
 $b Who had a dig going $b - Mole in "The Wind in the Willows"
..blank
 $b Who was nearly eaten in a cave $b - Odyseus in "The Aeneid"
..blank
 $b Who lived in a hole $b - Bilbo Baggins in "The Hobbit"
..blank
 $b Who got lost $b - from "Three Men in a Boat" at Hampton Ct. Maze
..blank
 $b Who said $b - Bruce Bedford in "Challange Underground"
..blank
 $b Whose door $b - Smaug's door on The Lonely Mountain in "The Hobbit"
..blank
 $b Who else got lost $b - from "A Passage to India" by E.M. Forster
..blank
 $b Who made a pilgrimage to a cave $b - Bruce Chatwin in "In Patagonia"
..blank
 $b Who compiled $b - Roget in his Thesaurus
..blank
 $b Who discovered a fairly large underground pitch $b - Alice in "Through the Looking Glass"
..blank
 $b Who came out of a cave at night $b - Dante in "The Inferno"
..blank
 $b Who ate too much underground $b - Winnie the Pooh
[end TF0025]
[begin ----- TF0026 -----]
..include "hdr"
..astart 'Reality is an Illusion caused by Alcohol Deficiency'
..astart '(or Why Stellerweg rotated this year)' 'A.E.R.Waddington (now sober!)' 35
..blank 4
 In 1980, when CUCC started to explore the new route in Stellerweghohle,
surveying was, for the first time, considered a priority. So it was that
a party of two surveyed from the Big Pitch to the head of the Big Rift
using the CUCC Suuntos. The same surveyor returned a few days later with a
different companion, to survey out from the Big Pitch to the entrance, this
time with the EXCS Suuntos.
 Back in the camp, calculators were punched, coordinates scribbled, and the
survey hastily drawn up. The surveyors looked at each other in some
confusion. The cave seemed to be floating, airborne, across the valley and over
a cliff. Unable to recall that it had been in daylight with a sense
of exposure, they came to the conclusion that it was plotted in the wrong place.
 The surveyors retired to the Bar Fischer to consider the dilemma. All
problems dissolved in a haze of Reininghaus beer fumes as the truth dawned.
One R.J. Shackleton, who had been is possession of the EXCS compass for
some time, was in the habit of storing it in the top of his fridge. This has
resulted in a slight magnetic adjustment, so the survey was now plotted not
to grid- or true-north, but to fridge-north! What was needed was a little
calibration, so, armed with a map, both compasses, and several more bottles of
ale, the party set out to take bearing on local landmarks.
 An hour or so later, it was decreed that the compass was 134$+o $l in error and the
survey redrawn accordingly. Since it was now inside the hill, all seemed to be
well. The compass quietly vanished from sight and all accompanying evidence
was destroyed.
 1981 saw a connection between Stellerweg- and Schnellzughohlen, but serious
surveying was carefully avoided. 1982 saw CUCC at the bottom of the system,
and a lot of surveying was undertaken to avoid ever going there again, but
Stellerweg was not rigged and hence the biggest closed loop kept its secret.
 1983, and our heroes connect the new entrance, 142 (ne$o'e 132), into the system.
Now comes the critical mistake. Wide-eyed, innocent and pleased with the glory
brought by pretty surveys, CUCC connect everything together with a half-mile
closed loop through 142.
 Back in England the greedy computer devours all the numbers and prints out the
misclosure, about two inches vertically - pretty good that eh? But what's
this? Just over a Quarter of a Mile out horizontally?!?!?!?
 Detective work soon revealed that a slight rotation would make Stellerweg
fit very nicely. In fact, the figure turned out to be 46$+o$l. But 46+134 = 180.
And 180$+o $l is a much more probable figure for a compass error than 134$+o$l. Also,
when the compass was traced, a sober experimenter found it had precisely the
error expected. Thus, the survey as published should rotate the section from
the entrance to the Big Pitch by 46$+o $l clockwise. The streamway from the Big
Pitch to the Big Rift needs translating appropriately, and the conveniently
unsurveyed Big Rift is a lot shorter than shown. None of the remainder of the
system was surveyed with the duff compass, but a big section of the
Sonnenstrahlhohle survey is also wrong, but that didn't have a north arrow
anyway (guess why!).
 It is expected that the survey will be redrawn correctly when enough
additional passage has been found to justify the work involved.
..aend
..blank 5
..astart 'Austria 84 - Stop Press' 'Mike Richardson' 36
..blank 4
 Since the journal is so late this year, here's a brief report on CUCC's
latest activities.
 Steinschlagschacht bottomed at about 240m, with the rift suddenly becoming
to narrow to follow. Due to lack of enthusiasm it was not surveyed below
last year's limit. Wolfehohle also stopped, at a sump, just after 400m, but
was surveyed. The Wolf, it seems, is actually a Bear of some description.
We now anticipate a period of mindless recrimination while the
name is haggled over.
 The attempt to connect into the Stellerweghohle system from above (entrances
143 and 144) yielded an audible connection, in one direction at least, but is
too long to be hammered open.
 Some prospecting was done on the plateau, heading towards the Ht. Schwarzmoos
Kgl., which is getting a depressingly long way from the Car Park. Maybe future
expeditions will have to camp on the plateau.
 Apart from that, it rained rather a lot. The beer tent was decorated with
sweetcorn by the simple expedient of heating a can until it exploded. Some
boy scouts subsequently asked us not to let off fireworks in the middle of
the night. The landlady at the Staudnwirt also indicated that Meatloaf et. al.
at full blast tended to drown out the musak in the bar. Still, it was
discovered that it is possible to have a drunken bop for 4 people
in the back of a small Land Rover while doing 50 mph. along the road to
Grindlesee at 3 in the morning.
 See next years journal for the full sordid details!
..aend
[end TF0026]
[begin ----- TF0027 -----]
..include "hdr"
..bindfont 7 b 233
..foot
..endf
..copy
..font 7
..linedepth (~%linedepth*3)/2
..space 4
     $b Cambridge Underground 1984$b
..font 2
..space 4
        Journal of the
        Cambridge University Caving Club
        and the
        Ex Cambridge Speleologists

        Vol. 3 No. 4
        September 1984
..space 10
..font 7
..linedepth (~%linedepth*3)/2
     $b Cambridge Underground 1984$b
     $b Cambridge Underground 1984$b
     $b Cambridge Underground 1984$b
     $b Cambridge Underground 1984$b
..fill
[end TF0027]
[begin ----- TF0028 -----]
Mike's costs for the Journal 1984

    Letters begging for articles				00-96
    Letters begging for advertisments				00-96
    Photocopying batch 1					60-00
    Photocopying batch 2					23-00

Receipts
    Six sold (mikeR,wiggy,steveC,graham,becky,phil)		 6-00
[end TF0028]
[begin ----- TF0029 -----]
..include "hdr"
..font 0



Last minute note: this year's competition, spot the pages which Becky didn't
proofread!


[end TF0029]