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105 lines
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<title>1983: Cambridge Underground report</title>
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<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../css/main2.css" />
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<center><font size=-1>Cambridge Underground 1984 pp 35-36</font>
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<h2>Reality is an illusion caused by alcohol deficiency</h2>
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<h3>(or Why Stellerweg rotated this year)</h3></center>
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<p>In 1980, when CUCC started to explore the new route in Stellerweghohle,
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surveying was, for the first time, considered a priority. So it was that
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a party of two surveyed from the Big Pitch to the head of the Big Rift
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using the CUCC Suuntos. The same surveyor returned a few days later with
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a different companion, to survey out from the Big Pitch to the entrance,
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this time with the EXCS Suuntos.
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<p>Back in the camp, calculators were punched, coordinates scribbled,
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and the survey hastily drawn up. The surveyors looked at each other in
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some confusion. The cave seemed to be floating, airborne, across the
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valley and over a cliff. Unable to recall that it had been in daylight
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with a sense of exposure, they came to the conclusion that it was
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plotted in the wrong place.
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<p>The surveyors retired to Bar Fischer to consider the dilemma. All
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problems dissolved in a haze of Reininghaus bier fumes as the truth
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dawned. One R.J.Shackleton, who had been in possession of the EXCS
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compass for some time, was in the habit of storing it in the top of
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his fridge. This has resulted in a slight magnetic adjustment, so the
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survey was now plotted not to grid- or true-north, but to fridge-north!
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What was needed was a little calibration, so, armed with a map, both
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compasses, and several more bottles of ale, the party set out to take
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bearing on local landmarks.
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<p>An hour or so later, it was decreed that the compass was 134° in
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error and the survey redrawn accordingly. Since it was now inside the
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hill, all seemed to be well. The compass quietly vanished from sight and
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all accompnying evidence was destroyed.
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<p>1981 saw a connection between Stellerweg- and Schnellzughöhlen, but
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serious surveying was carefully avoided. 1982 saw CUCC at the bottom
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of the system, and a lot of surveying was undertaken to avoid ever going
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there again, but Stellerweg was not rigged and hence the biggest closed
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loop kept its secret.
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<p>1983, and out heroes connect the new entrance, 142 (née 132),
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into the system. Now comes the critical mistake. Wide-eyed, innocent and
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pleased with the glory brought to CUCC by pretty surveys, CUCC connect
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everything together with a half-mile closed loop through 142.
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<p>Back in England the greedy computer devours all the numbers and prints
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out the misclosure, about two inches vertically - pretty good that eh?
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But what's this? Just over a quarter of a mile out horizontally?!?!?!?
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<p>Detective work soon revealed that a slight rotation would make
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Stellerweg fit very nicely. In fact, the figure turned out to be
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46°. But 46+134=180. And 180° is a much more probable figure
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for a compass error than 134°. Also, when the compass was traced,
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a sober experimenter found it had precisely the error expected. Thus the
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survey as published should rotate the section from the entrance to the
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Big Pitch by 46° clockwise. The streamway from the Big Pitch to the
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Big Rift needs translating appropriately, and the conveniently
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unsurveyed Big Rift is a lot shorter than shown. None of the remainder
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of the system was surveyed with the duff compass, but a big section of
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the Sonnenstrahlhöhle survey is also wrong, but that didn't have a
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north arrow anyway (guess why !).
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<p>It is expected that the survey will be redrawn correctly when
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enough additional passage has been found to justify the work involved.
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<p align=right><font size=+1>A.E.R.Waddington</font> (now sober!)
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<p><hr />
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<!-- LINKS -->
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<ul>
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<li><a href="../../smkridge/41/41.htm">Stellerweghöhle</a>
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main guidebook page</li>
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<li>Cambridge Underground 1984,
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<a href="../../../jnl/1984/index.htm">Table of Contents</a></li>
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<li>1983 Expedition info:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="log.htm">Logbook</a></li>
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<li>Main Expo report, Cambridge Underground 1984:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="wolf1.htm">Wolfehohle</a> - Act I</li>
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<li>Exploration and Survey of <a href="exp142.htm">1623/142</a>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="exp142.htm#possext">Possible extensions</a>
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to the 41-142-115 System</li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="143144.htm">143 and 144</a> Guidebook descriptions</li>
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<li><a href="list.htm">Summary of Caves 1983</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="bcracc.htm">BCRA Caves & Caving Report</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="../../pubs.htm#pubs1983">Index</a> to all publications</li>
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<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expeditions intro page</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../../index.htm">CUCC Home Page</a></li>
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</ul>
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</body>
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