.... , ;, \ 1971·

VIRGINIA REGION/NATIONAL SPELEOLOGICA L SOCIETY

Autumn

.;:

. I

Hunfington Va.

Was11fngtOlt

...

I

The Chair Speaks

29

30

45 51

.Autumn, 1971 Volume 2, Number 2 (Pub. Date: May, 72)

VIRGINIA REGION/NATIONAL SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

DistriCt of Columbfa Grotto washington. D. C, iJetItiJ_ ...

ESSO Grotto -W

Georp UnWersity rc>fto .

Washington, D.C.

32 STONE AGE CAVEMEN--They still live ( and in caves ) . . AP

33 NEW EQUIPMENT--From an unusual source. R.E. WHITTEMORE

34 TENNESSEE OR BUST--The Spring Project. R.E. WHITTEMORE

36 THE WATERPROOF SURVEY BOOK--Make it yourself. JIM DAWSON

38 STREAKING--Some pointers on a noble art STEVE KARK

40 VAR FOLLIES--Foto-foolishness at the Fall Meeting

41 NOTE TAKING MADE DIFFICULT--Mapping .R.E. WHITTEMORE

46 WVA SPELEO SURVEY--How it's going • . ROGER BAROODY

49 MINDING OUR OWN BUSINESS-·-A stormy session . BILL ROYSTER

52 CONSERVATION NEWSFRONTS--From the public press & WVHC

54 CAVRE--It needs your help . KIM SMITH• .

ABOUT THE COVER DEPARTMENTS

From a slide by Jim • • ."Moose" Dawson, this At Deadline

. • • •unusual shot of the en­ Letters . 29 Edi torial • . • .trance to Hellhole in

Pendleton County, West 31 Virginia was also used Grotto Spotlight 31 on the 00ver of the Con­ Crossword 32

Curio .vention Guidebook issue. Cartoon .We just happen to like

H!. Hope you do too.

THE REGION RECORD is published quarterly by the Virginia Region of The National Speleological Society. Address: Box 3585 CRS, Johnson City, Tenn. 37601. Subscriptions: $3 yearly.

28 THE REGION RECORD, Vol. 2

Region

Last minute stuff that wouldn't fit anywhere else

Would you believe it? We've gone and done it again. lie' ve published another batch of photo­graphs without any credits. A shocking eventuality, consideringlast month's cover photo was snap­ped by none other than yours (rew)truly. Depicted was Cletus Lee reading Brunton in a small south­western Virginia cave. Cletus also appeared on page 14, again holding a Brunton.

This month's cover offering comes to us compliments of Moose Dawson (NSS 8742) of VPI Conven­tion fame. This classic was taken in Hellhole, just a short cry from the scene of Moose's next produc­tion, the Old Timers' Reunion. Incidentally, we liked this photo so well we used it twice. It pre­viously appeared as part of the image montage that graced the Con­vention Guidebook cover. For the next issue, we have a real treat in store for us. The cover will be something special--a pleasing change of pace. Wait and see!

•

A number of our readers have inquired as to the significance of the initials "CRS" in our return address (see back cover.) Simple.It stands for Cave Research Sta­tion--but don't ammend the full name to your address labels. The Post Office hasn't caught onto it yet and anything other than the initials "CRS" may send our mail forever into some deadend passagein Bristol Caverns. But if youleave off the CRS, it will go to ETSU. There; now aren't you sorry you asked?

•

The second installment of the four-part mapping article is in this issue. Let us hope it does not become obsolete as quickly as the first one, in which brass car­bide lamps were shown as sightingpoints in the illustrations.

No. 2, Autumn, 1971

With this issue, we welcome a new member to our staff--Tom Vig­our (NSS 5669) of Waynesboro,Virginia. Vig served as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Virginia Region before being swallowed by eastern Kentucky for several years. But he is back amongfriends now and has joined the REGION RECORD staff as librarian. So keep those exchange issues com­ing; Vigour will scrutinize any­thing that is scrutible.

•

Concerning our frequency of publication--ignore previous cor­respondence, especially a tongue­in-cheek letter you may have re­ceived last December boasting of a six-week publication schedule. Forget it. We are now on a 30-day schedule until we "catch up". The deadline dates line up somethinglike this;

Winter 72--May 20 Spring 72--J"uly 8 Summer 72--August 19 Fall 72----0ctober 7

As of the Fall 72 issue, we will be "caught up" again. Now, only the most brazen of speleo-rag editors would advertise a schedule like that without equivocating. So we hasten to add that adherence to this masochistic manifest de­pends upon receipt of new mater­ial. The June 9 terminus is at hand and as yet we have no copyfor the Grotto Spotlight column. Send us something, or your grotto may be demoted from obscurity to oblivion.

•

One further item: Does anyone have an old Justowriter (no, not Justrite!) setting around? Ours was repossessed, and this desk typewriter type face is, shall we say, unprofessional?

Letters

Dear Whitt,

Each issue shows considerable improvement in format and repro­duction. Congratulations for a darn good newsletter.

Lynn Ferguson Dept. of Biology VPI&SU

Dear Mr. Whittemore:

Please enter a subscription for me to The Record for 1972 and send me the 1971 back issues.

I enclose a personal check for $6.00. Please advise if that is not the correct amount.

I bought a copy of the Spring 1971 issue, the "Convention Guide­book," through the NSS Office. I like it very much for its profes­sional look and good writing.

John H. Henderson, Jr. NSS 10182 Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Dear Mr. Whittemore:

I understand that you are the editor of the Virginia Region pub­lication "Region Record".

I bought a subscription to the Region Record about nine (9)months ago and have not received a Region Record since. I can not understand this. Is it due to mental incompetency on the part of the editor? Does the blame lie with the Virginia Region, the NSS, or with the general state of world affairs?

Unless this problem is straightened out immediately I will be forced to ask for (demand)my money back. Thank you for be­ing so understanding.

Jay Cox Kingsport, Tenn.

.Thank you for your kind, under­standing letter. It is through letters of this nature that we really get to know people in the NSS. It has been said that ten percent of the people do ninety percent of the work. We already know that ten percent. We see their names' in publications, we meet them at regional functions, we send cave locations to them c/o state cave surveys, etc. The only way we ever find out about the other ninety percent is when we receive a letter like yours. --Ed.

29

Can We Afford The Virginia Region? Recently your editor had the

opportunity to attend the annual business meetings of two different regional associations; the Virgin­ia Region, and the Southeastern Region. Among other differences in the conduct of these associa­tions was the disposition of funds. The SERA representatives voted to donate all excess profits (amounting to ebout $75) to the NSS headquarters fund. By con­trast, the Virginia Region repre­sentatives at their meeting voted to join the Conservation Council of Virginia, with ruL ual member­ship dues of $50. The treasury was unable to cover this cost, so contributions were solicited from each grotto in order to pay the first year's dues. The Virginia Region also maintains a membership in the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, which requires an outlay of $25 per annum. And while SERA, for all practical pur­poses, has no regional publica­tion, the Virginia Region boasts an official newsletter, which it occasionally must subsidize. An annual mailing or two also dips into the till.

The Virginia Region is now faced with the problem of financ ing its many activities, and a committee has been appointed to look into ways of raising addi­tional funds. Although it will be some time before the findings of this committee are made official, we can pretty well guess where the money will come from, so we are all prepared to fork over.

The Virginia Region has evolved into a strong, politically active organization; perhaps the most in­volved region in the NSS. It did not get that way by accident; we wanted it, we voted for it, and together we made it what it is. But the time has come for us to face up to the fact that it takes money to maintain these activi­ties, so we must now stand willing to finance them. I feel sure that if we had it to do over, we would probably never go back to the loosely-organized, do-nothing reg­ion we were ten years ago, like SERA and many others are today to varying degrees. I, for one, am

30

pleased with the interest and initiative shown by the Virginia Region, and I feel that mmst of us would settle for nothing less.

We are indeed fortunate to be a part of a region which is involved and active enough to get things done, yet s:nall and representa ti ve enough that anyone (!) can make waves. Anyone can write a letter to Phil Lucas or Bill Douty, or talk to them personally at any of a number of Regional activities. Anyone can write a letter to the editor of this publication and have the letter put into print. Anyone can subrni t an article, and chances are excellent that it will be published. If one feels strongly enough about Region busi­ness, he could probably get him­self elected by his grotto to the Region Council. Failing that, he could still attend the Council meetings and raise his arguments, and he will be heard- If you choose to become involved, you may finQ that through the Region you will have your best voice in Society affairs.

We have cited SERA (my apol­ogies to friends who reside there­in ) as one extreme, so let us now cite the NSS as the other. We have moved from SERA, which neith­er talks nor listens nor does; to the Virginia Region, which talks, listens, and does much; to the NSS, which only does. I for one do not agree with the Society's purchase of the headquarters building in Huntsville. Perhaps this is because there is really no limit to how much money the Board of Governors may commit the NSS to spend without any sort of referen­dum from the general voting mem­bership. Perhaps I feel this way because they bought Shelta Cave ($10,000) without so 'much as a straw vote, then purchased the adjacent property ($24,000) on the basis of a farcical opinion poll-­still no ballot. So now we are expected to jump gleefully onto the old fund-raising bandwagon with nickles, dimes and checkbooks all firmly committed to a cause which few will question. And who committed us? Sixteen people; mostly successful, middle-aged

businessmen, some of whom still go caving. And who did they commit? They committed about 3000 persons, some of whom still must make a weekly choice between another gal­lon of gas versus another ham­burger.

So where does this leave us? We have the NSS spending mucho of our dollars very freely, and we have the Virginia Region, which we've just recently voted into financial straits. Both will be asking for whatever spare change we have left after we promote our own speleological interests. If you are faced with a choice, as indeed many of us are, please give some thought to the following con­sidflrations: (1) Which of these two groups

offers you the greatest voice in its affairs?

(2) Which group's activities are most likely to affect your day-to-day caving in the coming year?

Personally, I agree with the roadsigns--let's keep Virginia green.

--R.E. WhIttemore

THE REGION RECORD, Vol. 2

'..

TldewaterO

Trog

I'm writing this column in an­ticipation of summer, when the activities of the Virginia Region really start to roll.

In March, the Spring Council usually starts things off. This year's Council meeting, I believe, has certainly set some events into action which will affect us for some time to come. Concerning the Council meeting, let me add that I was very pleased with the number of persons attending and the par­ticipation and interest during the course of the day. I hope I did not leave the impression of being wild-eyed and frustrated, because this is not true. My first con­cern has been for the apathy in the Region, but this meeting has done much to alleviate it.

Now on to the summer. The Reg­ion participates in several func­tions during the spring, summer and fall, both of the organized type and of the "happening" type. Along with the impact that in­oreasing numbers of cavers are having on caves and landowners is the impact of increasing numbers of cavers on caver parties, or­gies, etc. It will not be sur­prising if one or more of the scheduled events will have to undergo certain changes in order to survive.

Perhaps it would behoove us to begin considerations as to loca­tions which would be better suited to our needs. A stream or lake always seems to create a more re­laxed and interesting atmosphere, though this certainly is not pre­requisite for such functions.

Another suggestion I have re­ceived from several people is the creation of some sort of winter activity for the Region. This would break the monotony of the long months between the Fall Con­vention and the Spring Council Meeting. How about some of the more pregnant minds of the Region coming up with some concrete plans as to what �M

Chairman, Virginia Region

No. 2, Autumn, 1971

grottoUVA

ocrl

o spotlight

OTriangle

most realize.Shenandoah Valley peop e Hog Hole Cave is now being mapped by Dennis

The Shenandoah Valley Grotto Webb. Webb is also the club continues to meet monthly at Madi­ treasurer. He should be congratu­son College in Harrisonburg, Vir­ lated for managing the club money ginia. One or two scheduled trips very expertly because for once the are held per month, as well as Cave Club has spending money! many individual trips. Activities The Grotto officers are: Dale during the past year have included Parrott, PreSident; Bill Douty, the continued exploration and map­ Vice President; Liz Leach, Secre­ping of Blowing Cave and the gat­ tary; Dennis Webb, Treasurer. ing (almost ) of Madison Cave (a Other important positions: Janet Virginia Region project. An Queisser, Editor; Nancy Wick, annual Christmas party was held Conservation Chairman; Tuna John­this year at Massanutten Caverns. son, Program Planner; Ed Richard­There are approximately 35 members son, Club Equipment; Bob Page and in the SVG. Bill Park, Club Supplies.

--Ed Bauer --Useless (Pam Mohr )

Tidewater

Our grotto is carrying on a Let's Hear It penny drive to raise funds as our share of the Headquarters Fund. For the Limestone! Every member turns over the odd pennies which accumulate in one's purse. A collection is taken at west Virginia's Governor Arch every meeting. Moore has urged citizens of that

To support the Region in its state to propose an official need for funds to contribute to "state stone." In light of the conservation groups, we are carry­ fact that the same state just re­ing on a used paper drive since cently chose an official state used IBM cards and newspapers fruit ( what--or who--received that bring a price. honor we don't know ), we say, "why

We had a clean-up caving trip not?" into Breathing Cave over the Hal­ In a statement, the governor lowe'n weekend, having found trash said .the request was being made in in the cave as far in as the Natu­ conjunction wit)1 "mineral heritage ral Bridge area. week" in West Virginia, being

celebrated as part of the silver --Evelyn Bradshaw anniversary of the American Feder­

ation of Mineralogical Societies Incorporated.

Moore said, "Since the mineral resources of our state have played

The VPI Cave Club, with 33 mem­

VPI

such an important role in our bers and 40 trainees, logged over development as a state, it is 2000 man hours underground. The time we selected a state stone to Clover Hollow Cave and Panther join our designated state tree, Cave projects by Bill Douty were flower, bird and animal." (No men­completed. New River Cave is be­ tion of the fruit. ) ing surveyed again by Dale Par­ Recommendations ( and there can rott. He hasn't started any re­ be only one! ) should be submitted mapping yet because he keeps find­ to the Mid-Ohio Gem and Mineral ing booming virgin passages. Club ( no address given ) for con­There is more to that cave than sideration.

31

Stone Age Cave Dwellers: Discovered Alive, Well and Happy

(AP ) --Scientists have discover­ed that the stone age people who live in the remote Philippine rain forest make their homes in caves. Authorities say it is the first time in modern times that primi­tive people have been found using caves as their homes.

The people live in a dense for­est on the southern part of Minda­nao Island called Tasaday Forest. The Tasaday people say no out­siders have ever seen their homes in the large limestone and con­glomerate caves.

In March, president Manual El­izalde of Panimin ( the Philippines Presidential arm on national mi­norities ) contacted the Tasadays

for the third time in less than a year. Elizalde first contacted the people last June.

On the expedition with Elizalde were anthropologists and a number of journalists. The American avi­ator Charles Lindberg also joined them. Elizalde said the decision to go into the forest again was to determine the working and living area of the Tasadays.

Elizalde said the forest was being approached by logging roads which eventually would bring in the outside world. There are only twenty-four Tasadays remaining and anthropologists are fearing their extinction. But he says Panamin will do everything in its power to

OUR GIANT CROSSWORD Fiendishly contrived by RICK KEENER

see that they are allowed to live as they wish. Philippines presi­dent Ferdinand Marcos has declared the area off-limits to outsiders. At a ceremony at the presidential palace in Manila, Marcos reserved a 25,000 acre area for the gentle stone age people.

The Tasadays say their ances­tors have always lived in the caves. Elizalde says seeing the Tasadays in their orchid leaf G­strings at the mouths of their caveq is a shock. He says it's like a trip back into time thou­sands of years.

Elizalde says the Tasadays are gentle people who love their place in the forest and never want to leave. Scientists believe the people have been isolated for more than 1,000 years.

Their basic tools are made of stone and they are food-gatherers rather than hunters. They have never seen pottery or a wheel.

Members of the expedition were

HORIZONTAL

1. Side post 5. Pertaining

to Aden 10. Lack of

certainty 15. Ascending

devices 19. P----: sink

opening to underground

20. Businessman's concern

21 Hindu queen ( var. )

22. Friend (Fr. ) 23. Colonnade 24. Winter status

of Myotis Sodalis

26. Grape_: W.Va. cave

27. Surface depression

29. Adder 30. Hardened

with heat 32. Weird ( var. ) 33. River in

Germany 35. Technical

expression 36. Standing

firmly 39. Sun ( colloq. ) 40. Cheer 42. Capitol

of Niger 46. Duct 47. Big mother

truck 48. March 15 50. Swords (Fr. ) 51. Distant 52. Entrance 53. Jacket

filling

THE REGION RECORD, Vol. 2 32

.

invited to visit the caves where the Tasadays welcomed them al­though they seemed a bit nervous at first.

Newsmen d anthropologists say the people defy the popular notion that cavemen are lumbering, grunt­ing creatures who are fierce and ape-like.

Associated Press newsman John . Nance reports the Tasadays

they marry so that, as they say put

it, "we have a companion to share wi th."

There is sharing among couples stay say, "until white."

no divorce or mate­the tiny tribe, and

together, as they their hair turns

The Tasadays say their marriage ceremonies are just meetings of the entire tribe. They stand in their main, open-mouthed cave in the jungle, saying "Good, good."

The expedition expected to re­main with the people about ten days to study their cave site,

55. Father 56. Timothy

(dimin. ) 57. Co-author of

CELEBRATED AMERICAN CAVES

58. Fireproof clay vessel

60. National Insti tute of Radiology

61. Steak sauce 63. Wakefield

High School 64. Fifth sign

of zodiac 65. End of ice­

axe head 67. Robert A.

LaFollette's monogram

68. Small mark­ed cube

69. Pertaining to caves (var. )

74. FlOwing ice 79. Cheer 80. Tries 82. Hebrew

prophet 83. ___ -Aztecan:

North and Cen. Amer. Indians

85. Oriental sashes

87. Shade of green

88. Choose 89. Animato

(abbr.) 90. Some cavers

or injurious insects

92. Zion (var.)

No. 2, Autumn, 1971

93. Jo : English novelist

94. Feeble­minded

95. White weasel 97. Incorporated

(abbr.) 98. Indicated

air speed 99. Giggle

100. Tree trunk 102. Smooth 104. Footed

(comb. form) 105 Cavers'

compasses 109. Interest

(abbr. ) 110. Proportion

of silver 114. Hindu queen 115. That which

lacks physical substance (pI. )

118. 'No' in Kiev 119. Myotis

lucifugus (2 wds.)

120. Webfooted birds

121. Small quanti ty

122. H"wk's nest (var.)

123. Thin asbestos

124. Visible when streaking

125. Consumer 126. Native of

(suff., pI.)

their family relationships and their daily activities.

NEW EQUIPMENT

Nearly every piece of equipment a caver uses is borrowed from an­other sport or profession; cara­biners come from mountaineering, lamps from coal miners, packs from army surplus, etc., etc. Even the ubiquitous plastic baby bottle was not originally intended for cav­ing, believe it or not.

Recently, however, the writer discovered a product that, while not sold as a piece of caving equipment se, comes as a bonus along with another essential item.

VERTICAL 1. Chinese god 2. __ -cline 3. 'Shoot the

ing under great pres­sure

We are referring to the "new plas­tic pint" in which Kentucky Gentleman bourbon whiskey is cur­rently being marketed.

The new bottle is tough and flexible, and fits nicely into a coveralls pocket or a gas mask pack. It holds an ample supply of water for an average trip of, say, 12 hours, with some left over for drinking purposes. Recent worst­ca e application tests conducted in Virginia Region caves show that the new bottle is inferior in some respects to commercially available flasks, and superior in others; but on the whole it compares quite favorably. The plastic in the new bottle is thinner and less scratch resistant, and the lid tends to be quite brittle, however it is be­lieved that most Virginia Region cavers will tend to accumulate bottles much faster than they will wear them out.

rocks 82. �listing

speleothem

rew

4. Descending device

39. Word of un­known meaning

84. Hebrew measure

5. Not at sea 6. Frequency of

parties at NSS con­tions

7. European river

8. Born 9. One of God's

chosen people 10. Thin sheets

of CaC03 11. Cereal grain 12. Single

entity 13. Stephen

Vincent poet

14. Seed covering 15. WVACS' goal

(2 wds.) 16. Soverign of

Afghanistan 17. Subterranean

excavation 18. Ovule 25. Cavers'

organization 28. _ Hole:

W.Va. cave 31.

__ -Dieu: prayer desk

33. _ Lib 34. Ray-like 36. Animal

dropping 37. Liquor dis­

tilled from molasses

38. Rocks chang­

(BibI.) 41. Fence of

bushes 43. Permeability

uni t (2 wds.) 44. Weird 45. River in

France 47. Winter cav­

ing hazard 49. Utah state

flower 52. French pronoun 54. Egyptian

diety 57. Saddle (Fr.) 59. Half

diameters 62. 'No' in

Edinburgh 66. Expire 69. Heavy

sword 70. Request 71. Same as

126 across 72. Small trop­

ical tree 73. Stockings 74. Flat

lamb fur 75. Large ele­

vations (abbr.)

76. Agency (abbr.) 77. Ocelot,

for one 78. Bridge 79. Needed to

use 4 down 81. Folds in

86. Antimony ore

89. Jointed sense organs

91. Mucus (dial. )

94. Assistant 96. Remove to

a distance (law)

99. More taut 101. Nine (comb.

form) 103. Material

for (suff.) 104. Fragment 105. Spoiled

child 106. Isidor

Issac physicist

107. Single 108. Let stand 110. Deflated 111. Ogles 112. Dry up (var.) 113. Pigpen's 116. Suffix used

in naming enzymes

117. Support garment for some female cavers

Solution on page 54

33

TO ERR IS HUMAN.

... to filch your neighbors' copies of

the record is a sticky wicket. play it safe. start a collection of your very own. a mere $3 a year. a small

price to keep body & soul together.

REGIC]\J RRX)RD box 3585 crs . . johnson city, tenn. 37601

Tennessee

Or Bust!

spring project promises .,

virgin "mestone, lots of caves and plenty of work

Hancock County, Tennessee will be the scene of this year's Spring Project to be held Memorial Day weekend, May 27-28. Approximately forty caves are slated for action with projects ranging from mapping to exploration of virgin pits. Ridge walking should yield addit­ional discoveries, and four-wheel­ing over rugged terrain may be required to reach some of the more remote areas. This portion of East Tennessee is one of the few remaining limestone regions that is still largely a mystery.

Permission has been secured for camping on the local schoolgrounds where running water and toilets will be provided. For the aged, non-camper types, excellent motel accommodations are available at a reasonable rate at the plush Town Motel, only three blocks from the campground and one-half block from the Greentop Inn. Reservations may be arranged by writing to the Town Motel, Sneedville, Tennessee. Rates are approximately $6.00 for a single and $12.00 for a double.

A nominal fee will be levied on all participants to defray costs, not including fines. By the way, Hancock County is dry, so BYOB-­but if you run short, ask.

To find Sneedville from civil­ization, first drive to Kingsport (shOwn on most highway maps), then take 11w south to just beyond Rog­ersville, where you turn right onto state route 66. Or you could take 70 just before Rogersville and go over to Kyle's Ford, then take 33 down. Hell, there ain't no easy way to get to Sneedville. Just get a road map and follow it until you find a landmark that is on the included map. And if you have a Brunton, be sure to bring it. You may not need it to map, but the compass may be your final recourse if you get lost driving.

.,Besides, if morning finds you still lost, the lid makes a dandy signaling mirror.

One final comment. The resi­dents of this area are unaccustom­ed to cavers, so whatever impres­sion you make may. be a lasting one. Please try to make it a positive impression. See you in Sneedviile.

THE REGION RECORD, Vol. 2 34

GREENTOP INN

TOWN MOTEL

S N EEDVI LLE

SPRING PROJECT '72: EAST TENNESSEE

No. 2, Autumn, 1971 35

\NI.\I ... ' ... F

JIM DAWSON

With the increased interest in cave mapping, more and more caves are finding their way into survey books and subsequently materializ­ing as neat, beautiful cave maps. In many cases, dry caves are the first ones to fall to the surveyor because they lack the one major ingredient which is a mapper's nightmare: water. Water has many beneficial uses, but getting on your survey book is not one of them. When combined with terra firma (cave mud, dirt, etc. ) and paper, water becomes a treacherous adversary. It changes clean, neat notes into a wet, soggy muddy set of hieroglyphics which are nearly impossible to decipher. Writing notes in such a soggy book is like trying to write down a recipe on a half-cooked lasagne noodle.

There are a few methods of cir­cumventing this old equation( water + paper = muck ) , such as: (1) don't map in wet caves, (2) don't map at all, (3) write data on the wall and take a picture of it, (4) let some other fool take the notes, or (5) make a water­proof survey book. A waterproof survey book is not as ridiculous as it sounds. The materials are not too hard to find, and con­struction is easy and should take only a couple of hours. Depending on yoUr ability to scrounge mater­

ials, cost is relatively low; it should not exceed $6.00.

MATERIALS

You will need five sheets of plexiglass, 4t" x 8" x 1/8" (cost, including cutting, is about $2.76. You will also need about 32 inches of waterproof tape (also kno as plumber's tape, conduct tape, etc. ) , six snaps ( large ) and a snap setter (unless you can make one ) , about 20 inches of 9/16" x

1/16" nylon sling ( or appropriate material for making straps ) , ten rubber bands (1/4" wide ) , about 20(or more ) sheets of mylar, 7 ' x 4", and some plastic cement for gluing the snaps to the plexi­glass.

CONSTRUCTION

Construction is fast and rela­tively simple. First, cut two pieces of tape seven inches long and then split them so that you have four pieces which are 1" x 7", then tape the pieces of plexi­glass together with a gap of about 1/8" between the sheets when they are lying flat (see Fig. 1). Tape the five pieces together so that you have a book, minus the binding on the spine. Next, put the rub­ber bands on at the top and bottom edges of the tape (about 1/211 from the edges of the plexiglass ) . For the spine, cut two more pieces of tape, 2" x 811, and bind the five pieces of plexiglass together, with the tape extending about 1/211

the

onto the front and back of the book. You can add more tape to the spine if you want a stiffer and more durable binding.

The length and placement of the straps is slightly tricky (see Fig. 2). Length depends on your preference but they should be long enough to allow some flexibility and movement of your hand. The strap for the back of the book will probably be around eight inches, while the front strap will be around six inches. Hold the book in your hand as if you were recording notes and carefully mark the points on the book where the straps should be connected. "Rough-up" the plexiglass and the flat part of the snap so that a good bond with the cement can be obtained. The closure strap should be placed in the center of the book near the edges and will probably be about three inches long. Plastic cement (or epoxy ) works quite well for gluing on the snaps, but should be allowed to set up overnight (or for the time recommended on the package ) . Snaps are set in·the straps with the snap setter. Unless you can invent one, you will probably have to buy it. A commercial snap setter will only run you about 50¢.

An alternate method of attach­ing the straps ( and one which is probably stronger ) is to cut small pieces of plexiglass and set the snaps through these pieces. Holes will have to be drilled to accom­modate the snaps and some bevel­

36

survey book

THE REGIO RECORD, Vol. 2

.,

�---- 4112 -" ----t-

d"'\ '

'

\00------ 112'''-' ------1<1

\ , 0'

ling is necessary to get a smooth surface. After setting the snap in the plexiglass, glue it to the book. This gluing of plexiglass to plexiglass will probably result in a stronger bond than gluing metal to plexiglass.

The mylar sheets should be cut to 7- " x 4". The thickness of the mylar depends on your preference, but 0.005 of an inch thick seems to be preferable. Of course, the number of sheets you cut is deter­mined by how much surveying you plan to do, but the book will easily accomodate 20 sheets, which should give you enough room for about 50 to 70 stations, depending on what kind of passage you en­counter. It is recommended that you make a grid which will act as a guide when recording survey in­formation. A No. 1 Rapidograph or other similar pen works very well for the dra wing. You might also want to make a grid for the sketching of passages, but this is not necessary if you have a good enough eye for sketch \ ork.

At this point, it should be mentioned that although you can wash the mylar sheets without des­troying the survey data, you must be extremely careful if there is mud on the sheets. If you write over the mud and then wash the mylar, the survey data will come off with the mud. Care must be taken to assure that the writing area is clean. After recording the data, it will not be affected by mud or water, but can be erased if 'necessary. The completed notes can be stored in the back of the book or anywhere that is conven­ient. New sheets of mylar can be distributed among the different sections of the book which keeps them relatively clean and ready for use. Changing the mylar and the grid(s) is fast and easy and also offers an excellent opportun­ity for a smoke break if you're so inclined.

The book works quite well (it has been field tested) and easily fits into a back pocket. No long­er will you have to carry a survey book around in your teeth to avoid getting it wet. It does not break easily and should stand up to the most demanding caves (or cavers). You'll find the book pays for it­self when you start transcribing the notes. How many times have you strained your eyes and brain trying to figure out what number is under the pile of mud which used to be your survey book? With the waterproof survey book, this scene is part of the past. Now, just haul out the book, wash off the pages and voila! beautiful, clean, easy to read notes are in front of you. Considering the convenience and accuracy ("Now was that 1870 or 1390?"), the invest­ment is well worth it.

No.2, Autumn, 1971

8"

8" o

I ...........

/O II / / ' j

/ ,.I /I II I

" " / I ;' ; ' TAPE

/I I

I I

I II

V8"

FIG. I

RUBBER BANDS

TA PE

(INSIDE)

SNAPS \

\ \ "

, ," , , ,

, , , \\ \

\ I ,I II "' J \ ,

reS-1___ -

, , , , , \ )\

...., ,"0:

I,.... /-./

4

COST BREAIGlOWN

1/8"FIG. 2

(OOTSIDE)

Plexiglass--5 sheets, 4t"x8"x1/8" (@ Sl.50/sq. ft.). Snaps--6 large (@ $0.79/doz.) . . . . . . . . . • . Rubber Bands--10, 1/4" wide (should be free) • . . . Straps--20" of 9/16"x1/16" webbing (@ SO.06/ft.) Tape-minimum 32" (@ S1.16/roll of 2"x30 yds.) • Plastic Cement--(epoxy will also work) • . • . . Mylar--several sheets, 7t'x4" (@ appx. $2 .OO/yd.)

7"

$2.76 0.40 0.01 0.12 0.04 0.59 2.00

TOTAL $ 5.92

37

lu,;��JL� f}��

ON THE NOBLE ART OF

.-;1111'

8 efore we begin I feel it only proper to warn those of

you with good backgrounds that this is an article about running naked. Some of you, I realize,

will look upon such things as sim­

ply lewd and nasty. However, some

of us do consider it a form of ex­

pression and it is for these peo­ple that this article is intended.

Running naked is not just sim­ply running naked. There are, as

in any form of expression, certain rules that must be complied with

in order to maintain some degree of decency. Whenever these rules are deviated from in any manner, a

. lewd, nasty act occurs instead of a fine, clean expression of feel­ing.

Being naked is not the sole gift of cavers in the Virginia

Region; it is a national thing. All across the nation people are stripping off the clothing that

bonds them to society and are run­ning naked at beaches, at parties, at peace rallies, at rock oon­certs, in Congress, and on the main streets of our biggest cit­

ies. In his day, Sir Walter Ral­eigh spread his coat across a puddle of mud for a lady; today

thousands of gallant young men

spread their raincoats in subways, on corners and in drug stores for kindly old ladies. Being naked has developed nationally from an

act of lewd behavior to a fine

form of expression. Nudity is as

widely accepted today as Baby Ruth

candy bars and Coca Cola.

Within the last few years this "rage" of the nation has reached

caving circles. It is not at all

uncommon these days to see well­known people running around naked

at Region projects. Suoh acts oc­curred in earlier days, of course, but they were usually small inci­dents lasting only a short while.

But more recently the number and length of "streaks" has increased drastically. Only last year fif­

teen Region members sat in the back of Hixson's truck sans cloth­

ing for a record breaking six hours. Even a former president of

our beloved NSS has allowed nude photographs of himself to be pub­

lished in a grotto newsletter. Raw talent of this calibre is

rare, but with more streakers be­

ing born daily there should be no lack of "talented expression"

in the future.

by

STEVE

KARK

THE REGION RECORD, Vol. 2

.,

a._.AUt""""""':1·;t%. wv·

I know you are an­xious to express

yourself--but keep your pants on-­first learn a few

rules and regula­tions, customs and

courtesies that go hand in hand

with good streak­ing. Study them

well and run naked in peace.

*

'V\THY RUN NAKED? Wouldn't talking be a much easier

form of expressing one's thoughts? Actually, no! You will discover that after awhile mere talk be­comes boring; more parties become dull when people just sit around and talk quietly because most con­

versation at parties is completely trivial and lacks any sort of fla­vor.

Take the same group mentioned earlier and strip them naked--the conversation gains color. How can anything be trivial when you are naked? Besides, you don't have to worry about too much conversation. Most people WQn't even speak to you at all unless they too are naked, as they'll have a difficult enough time just looking at you. By taking off your clothes you actually achieve sensory stimula­tion. "You sort of tingle all over" one new streaker confided to me. Can you see now how running naked could be a form of protest? When you consider a gathering trivial and lacking any interest, a good healthy streak will break things up.

'V\THAT SHOULD I WEAR? This new rage requires the mini­

mal amount of equipment. Perhaps a good pair of sneakers would be in order to keep mud from between the toes. The avante-garde streaker wears socks because the

No. 2, Autumn, 197.1

effect is qu1 te stunning. Wearing jewelry such as watches and rings is also acceptable. Be your own guide and choose your wardrobe for your comfort.

'V\THAT FOR

FOOD OR DRINK IS BEST STREAKING? Eat what

ever you please--this is another benefit of streaking ( stay away from beans, though! ) . Drink what­ever you please--but do drink. It makes you feel slightly warmer. Above all, when you are drunk it slows some of nature's natural re­sponses to other naked bodies ( such as sudden rises in blood pressure ) . Such responses are frowned upon in communal streaking --in private, it's up to you.

When you run naked you should appear drunk even though you may not be. You will discover that non-streakers will accept you more

easily if you appear drunk. They will scoff off the act as some­thing done "under the influence."

'V\THEN DO I STREAK? Usually at night. Most streakers

I have talked to agree that night is probably the best time only be­cause that is when most parties start and most drinking begins. However, daylight streaks are be­coming more popular in private circles.

'V\THO DO I STREAK WITH? To answer that question I

could rattle off a list of names that would boggle your mind, but since some might consider that an invasion of privacy, and since there is no national club for streakers as of today, I'll just list a couple of tips. Never, never force anyone to streak with you or force yourself on someone else. When you streak, go some­where else where no one will be offended. Streak only in the com­pany of people who you know will not be offended. If you want to streak ask around, I'm sure some­

one will help you.

'V\THAT AIlE THE LAWS CONCERNING STREAKING? Again, don't

force yourself. Streaking at a peace rally is frowned on because there are so many people. The chances of someone taking offense are too great, and if you offend someone you're asking for trouble. Of course, some streakers consider this the finest form of the art ( "to streak and streak again an­other day" ) . A sense of taste and a sharp eye out for the gendarm­erie are requisites.

'V\THAT DO I DO WHILE I AM NAKED? There is a lot to

do. Most streakers prefer swim­ming ( sometimes called skinny­dipping ) . Some run around camp­fires, some sit and talk, some roast pigs, some even dance. The

important thing here is don't let the streak become sexual. Refrain from touching someone else unless it's agreed upon before d. Sometimes this "touch stimulation" is very rewarding. It has gained worldwide acceptance, but onoe it progresses to this stage it be­comes someth±ng entirely different from a streak. But the old rule applies--don't force yourself.

*

Well, that's about it. With that information you should, if you try, have many rewarding times running naked. Don't be satis­fied with simple nudity though­develop yourself into a fine streaker. If you leave no other mark on this earth, at least you can leave a footprint.

39

THE REGION RECORD, Vol. 2

40

how

The success of any cave mapping expedition de­pends more upon the competence of the note taker than any other team member. We learned in the first article of this series that a poorly set station may be backsighted. We know that tape­reading errors are quite rare. A good note taker, however, can detect compass reading errors almost immediately, and it is often the note taker who spies the nasty little side passages everyone else has overlooked. And when the exhausted party struggles to the surface after a weekend of work, a small notebook filled with vague, mud­covered symbols is usually all they have to show for it. If the note taker has done a good job, then everyone's efforts will be rewarded; if not-­well, that's beyond the scope of this article.

Volumes have been written concerning compass accuracy and simplified surveying de­vices, but dreadfully little verbage has been penned which would assist the novice in recording these all-important data. Ed Morgan, a noted cave mapper in the Virginia Region, points out that NOTEwhile all other aspects of cave mapping are a science, note taking alone remains an art.

Often, the various duties in­volved in mapping a cave are assigned in the following " • • . we'll let Phil read 'cause he's a skilled Ralph will set stations, he's experienced and will best ones; Pam will be 'cause she knows how to doesn't make mistakes.

manner: compass expert;

'cause

Bill will take notes 'cause he doesn't know how to do anything." �Ihat few people seem to understand is that taking notes involves more than just recording several columns of figures. If done correctly, the notes will not only reveal errors immediately, but may also lead to important connections and discoveries without hav­ing to wait until the map is plotted. But before we

mislead you - it is a gross oversimplification. The entire remainder of this article deals with exactly to fill up those pages. )

OTHER EQUIPMEN'l'

The note taker should carry two or three pen­cils with good erasers. The serious note taker will also carry a pocket knife or a small plastic pencil sharpener to keep his leads pointed. If you carry a cave pack, then that is where the notebook should be kept when not in use. I liber­ated myself from that albatross years ago ( after two trips ) and found that I could carry everything I needed for a 20-hour mapping expedition in my' jeans pockets--except the notebook. It didn't quite fit anywhere. It's too wide for a shirt

TAKING

pocket, and it protrudes from a hip pocket far enough to drag the ceiling in a low crawl way. So I sewed a pocket on the inside of my jacket which holds the book nicely. If you are a cover­alls caver, or wear fatigue trousers,

pick the designated note taker. Do you simply back tape, begin writing down shots? No! There

count and are several essential items which mustMADE DIFFICULT SECOND OF FOUR

your pockets are probably large enough.

Let us assume now that, in addition to your regular caving equipment, you have obtained a note book, several pencils, and a sharpening device. You have ar­rived at the entrance of the cave with your group and have been

be recordeLi . . •

BEFORE YOU START f<IAPPING

Open the notebook to the first page and write down the name of the cave. If you are surveying in a

particular section of a large system, write down the name of the section. (For example: Cave--Windy Mouth; Section-­Second Canyon, downstream. )

If this cave is part of a project, enter the name of

embark on a discussion of the project. (Example: advanced techniques, let Cave--Organ; Project-­PARTS ON MAPPING us begin by examining • • • Great Savannah. ) It may

also prove helpful to en­THE SURVEY BOOK ter the state and county in

which the cave is located. If you're anything like Next, write down the

me, a blank sheet of paper date. This is very impor­R ..E. WHITTEMORE is a devastating thing. I can't write without lines. so the first criterion for the survey book is that the pages be ruled. Beyond that, almost anything will do as a notebook. It is recommended, how­ever, that the serious note taker avail himself of good equipment. Several styles of professional transit books are on the market. K & E produces a spiral-bound model featuring waterproof pages which sells for about 98 cents, and is definitely worth the extra investment. One of' the greatest advantages of a professional field book is the page rulings. The left-hand page is ruled verti­cally into six equal columns, and horizontally into about 25 lines; the right-hand page is grid­ded off into quarter-inCh by eighth-inch rectang­les. Using this arrangement, compass and tape readings may be tabulated on the left-hand page, and a running map of the cave may be sketched on the right-hand page. (Don't let this last sentence

No. 2, Autumn, 1971

tant, especially in a large cave where completely dif­

ferent mapping parties may survey to or from each other's previous surveys. When this occurs, it is nearly impossible to maintain a consecutive numbering system for the stations, so often the dates of the various survey trips are the only means of connecting different surveyed segments of the cave together in the correct order. You may also wish to enter the type of survey being made, such as Brunton-tape, lensatic-tape, compass-pace, sketch from memory, etc.

The model, serial number, declination setting, and perhaps the ownership of the compass used should be entered. Then if a systematic error is found in plotting the notes, the compass may be traced and checked as a possible source of error. The declination setting is recorded because some mappers insist on using a "zero" setting at all times, while others prefer to adjust for local

41

o

FIGURE 1. Information to be recorded before mapping begins

STA. DIST. c 1

\" to i 0

FIGuRE 2. Format for recording instrument readings

42

declination. Still others leave it set on whatever it was on when they pulled it out of the case. At any rate, there is no standard­ization among compass readers, so it is left up to the note taker to standardize a practice of writing everything down so the key punch operator or draftsman can estab­lish a common denominator.

Lastly, this opening page should bear the names of each party member and his particular job on the trip. There are two reasons for this. First, there is an outside chance that you may someday receive credit for your assistance on a project. Second, and most likely, however, if some­one makes an obvious blunder, he may be sked to help correct it.

So as the party stumbles into the darkness beyond the twilight zone, your ever-growing pupils should behold something that re­sembles Figure 1. If you have been diligent in your preparation, then you are almost ready to • • •

RECORll THE INSTRUMENT READINGS

Almost, that is, but not quite. First you need to fill out a head­ing at the top of each left-hand page using one of the formats shown in Figure 2. Two formats which are known to the writer are commonly used in the Virginia Reg­ion. Figure 2A shows the WVACS standard, which has gained wide acceptance because of its clarity and simplicity. Figure 2B is the transit book standard, shown here because the novice is apt to en­counter someone who is still using it.

Translating the heading symbols from ieft to right, "STA." is the station number from which the in­strument readings (known as "calls" ) are taken. "DIST." is the distance as read from the tape. "HOR. ANGLE" is the bear­ing, or compass direction from the station, sometimes abbreviated H.A. or A. "VERT. ANGLE" is the clinometer reading. "L", "R", "C" and "I" refer to distances of pas­sage boundaries from the station. "L" is the distance to the left wall, "R" to the right wall. "C" represents the floor-to-ceiling height at the station, and "I", or instrument height, is the dis­tance from the station to the floor. These four distances are usually estimated by the note tpker.

The major advantage of format 2A is the station numbering sys­tem. The station numbers are placed qn alternate lines. Be­tween station numbers are the instrument readings which connect them. The passage dimensions are placed on the same line as the station number they refer to, This way, there can be no mistake

THE REGION RECORD, Vol. 2

vI--t---E

270----w--

4 oo-...... --

-"""*--270

as to which station has which di­mensions. It is customary in the

2B format for the dimensions to rsfer to the "from" stations, but a novice may become confused, especially if several terminal shots are taken from the same sta­tion.

One other type of symbol should be noted. Whenever the compass reader backsights a shot, the note taker draws an oval around that call. Uluess, of course, all the stations are backsighted, in which case a note is entered at the be­ginning of the data to that ef­fect, and ovals are then dra around all front sights. The note taker should make certain that the instrument man gives him uncor­rected readings only.

THE SKETCH MAP

Up to this point, all we have discussed is the simple mechanical process of hearing a number and writing it do . For everything we have talked about thus far, a good tape recorder could replace the note taker entirely. It all depends upon what the note taker does with the right-hand page of the survey book that determines whether he is more or less valu­able than his Sony cassette. For upon that page a picture material­izes--a picture worth a thousand four-letter words.

Let us assume once again that we have begun to map a cave. We have completed the first page, (Figure 1) and have started a left-hand page (Figure 2). Before we commence drawing on the right­hand page, there are several de­cisions to be made.

First, what will the scale be? (Always sketch to scale.) For most caves, a scale of 1" 40' works fine. This is a handy scale because the grid markings in a field book are usually 1/8 x 1/4 inches, which translates easily into 5 feet by 10 feet. Further­more, the final map will probably be drawn to a smaller scale, such as 1" = 50' or 1" = 100', so your fuzzy, penciled-in details will become fine ink details when re­duced. Of course, if the cave is a dense crawlway maze, a scale of 1" = 20' ( x 5 rectangles) may be preferred for the sketch. If the passages are immense and lack­ing in detail, a 1" = 80' sketch would then be preferable. Always sketch on a larger scale than the final drawing will be, as the finished maps cannot be any more detailed than your sketch.

The next decision we need to make before starting the sketch is which way north will be. Ideally, the north arrow should be oriented so that your sketch starts at the bottom of the page and works up. For e ample, if you see that the

No.2, Autumn, 1971

cave trends roughly S 300 W (or 2100), then let the bottom of the page be north and begin the sketch in the lower left-hand corner. If you really have no idea which way the cave goes, just let the top of the page be north and begin the sketch in the center. When the map runs off the edge of the paper, start a new page, and this time adjust your north arrow so more of the sketch will fit on the page.

It will be most helpful in mak­ing the sketch if you draw a small compass card at the side of each page. Figure 3 shows four pos­sibilities, the use of which depends upon the type of compass being used. 3A is used in con­junction with a quadrant Brunton. The intermediate angles are easily estimated from 0 to 90. 3B is used with an azimuth Brunton. The novice mapper will most likely wish to include all eight numbers on the symbol, and eliminate the four smaller ones as he becomes more proficient. Symbol C is used with a mils Brunton. These first three symbols are valid on y if front sight compass readings are being taken. If the compass read­er decides to take all back­sights, the symbol must be rotated 1800, as in Figure 3D. Whichever symbol you decide is appropriate, draw it with the numbers increas­ing clockwise. Remember east is to the right of north. If you have trouble remembering, look at your wristwatch (the "3" resembles as "E"), but don't copy the face of a Brunton to use as a symbol. If the reasoning behind this ad­monition evades you, write to me c/o this newsletter, and I will send you an answer in a plain bro envelope.

The process by which a sketch map takes shape is perhaps best described by example.

The first piece of information you will hear called out is the tape distance, which you will record. This will be followed by the horizontal angle, which you will also record. While the com­pass man is taking the vertical angle, you will begin the sketch by plotting the angle and dis­tance. Starting at the zero point you have selected, refer to your north symbol and lightly sketch a line that approximates the hori­zontal angle. Then count off an appropriate number of rectangles along that line and place a point at the correct distance. After recording the remainder of the numerical data for the "from" station, you are ready to move on to the next station and sketch in the passage boundaries as you go (see Figure 4). Appropriate gaps will be left in the sketch for side passages. cross sections

Representative are placed along-

A

5

B o

3/5 45

CfO

ZlS t 5

180

c o

800

4000 ;!400

3200

o }80

2l.5

90

315

o

FIGURE 3. Various north symbols

side the passage outline, and any prominent features such as break­down, streams, formations, lakes, or mud mountains are included. An idea of what detail should be re­corded may be gained by studying a table of cave map symbols, such as the one on page 9 of Douglas' CAVES OF VIRGINIA. Incidentally, just sitting down and studying maps in state survey publications is not a bad way . • .

43

your

TO BECOME AN EXPERT SKETCHER

This is not to say, of course, that all maps are gems of per­fection. I would suggest you study the for their shortcomings more than anything else. To really become proficient, the fol­lowing exercises are suggested:

44

(1) Try sketching a cave map by copying one from a book. This will give you a feel­ing for proportion.

(2) Make a sketch map of a cave (or a portion of a cave) that has already been map­ped. Compare your sketch with the finished product. Do your corners turn too sharply--or not sharply enough? What about passage width? Does your sketch even resemble the published map?

(3) After you have done some sketching, try drawing up a finished map from someone else's notes. It may change your entire outlook on note taking. You may

find yourself wondering if whoever draws up a map from

notes will say the same nasty things about

. When you are confident that (a) you could give the notebook, fresh from the cave to (b) a key punch operator, and he could give a printout and the notes.to (c) a draftsman, and the draftsman could reproduce a map which could then be taken back to the cave by (d) Joe Caver so he could locate "area X" for a biological project, and if Joe Caver says to himself, "This map without a doubt matches this cave", then you are an expert note taker.

MISCELLANEOUS, OR X + Y = Z

Occasionally, sundry members of a mapping party will ask, "how much have we mapped so far?" Among his other duties, the note taker will be expected to have this information at the tip of his tongue, and be ready to regurgi­tate it at a moment's notice. It

FIGURE 4. Developing the sketch map

is difficult to keep a running total of the distance mapped and do a decent job of sketching at the same time, but just get caught without an answer and you'd better hope that the rocks in the creek are either too big to throw or too small to do permanent damage.

Here, at last. is a fast way to compute the surveyed distance. First, imagine the "DIST." column as being broken down into four sub-columns, which we will call "hundreds". "tens", "units". and "inches" (or "decimals").

If the "inches" columns are all added together and averaged (as­suming a random distribution), the average will be 5t inches. Like­wise, the "units" column will average 4t feet. Add these two together, and the total is 4'11i", or very close to 5 feet. So if we go through and count up the number of shots taken and multiply by 5. we end up with a figure we will call "X".

To obtain "Y", add up the "tens" and "hundreds" columns as though the "units" and "inches"

THE REGION RECORD, Vol. 2

... -------"

columns didn't even exist. For example, 10, 15, and 19 would each count as 1, 28 would be 2, 100 would be 10, and so forth. After you obtain the total, add a zero to the right-hand side to repre­sent the "units" column. You now have "Y". Add X and Y together and you have a pretty close guess as to how far you have mapped.

It should be pointed out that this figure is an approximation, but it will approach the actual figure as the surveyed distance increases. To find the actual length of the cave, add all of the tape distances together. Do not use "THC", a meaningless number obtained by projecting the tape distances onto an imaginary hori­zontal plane.

CONCLUSIONS

What you have just read began with several people teaching them­selves how to map. To this has been added ten years of watching and talking to more experienced people, and painful episodes of trying to teach novices how to take notes under less than optimum conditions. On top of this is a heavy icing of half-baked philoso­phy. In other words, what you have read is not the entire story, but perhaps it will ease some of the agony of learning. And at times when the agony seems un­bearable, just remember that no reasonable project coordinator will expect more than one hundred percent from you.

An Unexpurgated Cavers' Songbook Debuts

"She's Charlotte, the harlot, the girl I adore, the pride of the prairie, the cowpunchers' • • • "

Well, everyone knows the rest, but just in case you don't the introduction of the ultimate cav­ers' songbook, one which lets it all hang out, gives you an oppor­tuni ty to learn the charming lyric to this and numerous other ditties you thought you'd never see in print.

VPI Grotto has devoted the en­tire Winter, 1972 issue (X:2) of their TECH TROGLODYTE to the songs that cavers sing. There are eighty-one songs crammed between the covers, most replete with chord information for those who like to strum along. They run the gamut of cavers' sing-ins, from "Blinded by ... (a pungent form of flying missiles )" and "The Caver

Lover", to such esoteric standards as "The Canadian Railroad Trilogy" and "Country Roads."

Anyone who likes to sip and sing will find many old favorites in this collection.

INDIAN CAVE PICTOGRAPHS Archeological theory says that these pictographs represent

the gods of hunter Indian tribes, probably of Algonkian or Iro quoian stock. Carved in sandstone, they are found in a small rock shelter in Harrison County, West Virginia, known as Indian Cave. For clarity, the carvings are highlighted in these photos with chalk. Photos courtesy of Monongahela Grotto.

No. 2, Autumn, 1971 45

Randolph County,

County,

-WEST VIRGINIA SPELEOLOGICAL SURVEY------

a

46

PROGRESS report ROGER BAROODY

The West Virginia Speleological Survey last year saw the publication of its first bulletin, entitled Bulletin I, Caves of by Doug and Hazel Medville. The limited run of only 500 copies is all but sold out and those of you who do not have this excellent publication had best hurry with your money as the remainder are going rapidly. This Bulletin will soon be followed by Caves of Northwestern Greenbrier

covering Culverson Creek, the Higgin­botham-Coffman area and hopefully Buckeye Creek. Other counties and perhaps a completion of Greenbrier County will be following in the com­ing years.

Cave surveys are now in progress for Poca­hontas, Tucker, Monroe, Pendleton Counties and the counties in the northeastern panhandle of the state. The activity is rather intense with new caves being found continually. We are now approaching the point where there is some group affiliated with the Survey working in every major limestone area in West Virginia

Included in this report is the new list of caves over 2 km. in length. The total is 41 caves. For those of you who wish to adhere strictly to the international guidelines of 3 km., West Virginia has 27 caves in this cate­gory with at least four caves ready to precip­itate themselves onto this list with a little more mapping.

Using the Holsinger method of summarizing cave-list data, Hest Virginia has 204.16 miles of passage on the 2 km. list. This makes the

average cave about five miles in length. The following gives the breakdown accord ng to coun­ties:

Greenbrier County 17 caves 147.18 miles Pocahontas County 10 22.77 Monroe County 6 13.08 Randolph County 4 12.48 Tucker County 3 6.16 Mercer County 1 2·50

This is an addition of 24 miles in the last eight months. This does not include any new data on Greenbrier Caverns and it is assumed that the group working on that cave has decided to make their data priveleged as did the pre­vious group. It is hoped that they 'r/ill con­tribute as least footage of surveyed passage in the future.

Since the Director of the Survey was off climbing mountains in New Hampshire during last fall's field project, he cannot give an account of what was done. Some caving was accomplished as attested to by the loss of a WVACS brunton to a person from Ohio during this weekend.

Hopefully the Survey can supply the Virgin­ia Region with more weekend projects; there is plenty left to be done. The only problem so far has been in mixing the Survey with the Virginia Region and producing floods of rain. This prob­lem is being worked on and hopefully a solution will be forthcoming.

THE REGION RECORD, Vol. 2

County

Long Caves of West Virginia (as of Feb. 6, 1972)

Feet Miles

212,746 40.3 64·9

13.13 21.01

13.937.

13.84 8.

9. Cassell Pocahontas 35,000 6.63 10.67 10. Ludingtons Greenbrier 29,363 5.56 8.95 11 • Acme Quarry Greenbrier 28,500 5.40

12. Bowden Randolph 22,040 4·17

13. Friars Hole Greenbrier 22,000 4·17 6.72

14. 3.59 5.79

3.59 5.79

5.57

3.47

19·

2.31

3·70

3.47

25.

3.38

29. 2·73

2.44

2.44

33.

7,544 1.43

1.42

37.

1.33

40. Piddling Pi t Pocahontas 6,900 1. 31 2.10

41. Otter Maze Tucker 6,566 1.24 2.00

No. 2, Autumn, 1971 47

1 • Greenbrier Caverns Greenbrier 2. The Hole Greenbrier 86,750 16.43 26.44 3. McClung Greenbrier 69,329 4. l<lindymouth Greenbrier 65,290 12.35 19.90 5. Culverson Creek Greenbrier 63,435 12.02 19.73 6. Bone-Norman Greenbrier 45,706 8.66

Maxwelton Greenbrier 43,369 8.65 Benedict's Greenbrier 40,237 7.62 12.28

8.64

6.72

Simmons-Mingo Randolph 19,200

15. Cave Hollow-Arbegast Tucker 19,000

16. Greenville Saltpeter Monroe 18,369 3.48

17. Wades Cave Greenbrier 18,335 5.55

18. Flower Pot Randolph 17,308 3.28 5.27

Overhol ts Blowing Pocahontas 15,336 2.90 4.67

20. Chambers Monroe 14,548 2.76 4.42

21. Beacon Mercer 13,200 2.50 4.02

22. Buckeye Creek Greenbrier 12,200 3.72

23. Carpenters-Swago Pocahontas 12, 126 2.30

24. Dry Cave Greenbrier 11,385 2.16

Higginbotham System Greenbrier 11,095 2.10 3.38

26. Laurel Creek Monroe 11,093 2.10

27. Snedegars-Crookshank Pocahontas 10,000 1.89 3.05

28. Hunt Cave �lonroe 9,500 1.80 2.89

Martha's Pocahontas 8,958 1.70

30. Cass Pocahontas 8,900 1.69 2.72

31 • General Davis Greenbrier 8,011 1.52

32. Poor Farm Pocahontas 8,000 1.52

Burnside Monroe 7,684 1.46 2.34

34. Harman's Haterfall Randolph 2.30

35. Cook Pot Pocahontas 7,488 2.29

36. Sharps Pocahontas 7,464 1.41 2.28

Canterbury. Monroe 7,272 1.38 2.22

38. Hern's Mill Greenbrier 7,000 1. 33 2.14

39. Mill Run Tucker 7,000 2.14

History English Speaking Peoples.

very special

48

BE CREATIVE IN THE PAGES OF THE REGION RECORD! HERE ARE SOME P

OINTERS

IITYPE--You name it and if it's of interest to cavers, we'll con­

sider it. One thing though, highly technical stuff (such as how

many ears a bug has) probably won't make it.

Three or four double-

ARTICLES

Send these to the Bul­

letin. llLENGTH--He aren't too picky, so long as you don't attempt another

of the spaced, type-written p ges will equal one prlnted page.

IIFORYillT--Whatever best stimulates your creative juices (ahem). If it's apparent you've created an important new literary style, we'll try to refrain from meddling with errant Gommas and semi-colons, dangling participles, misplaced paragraphs and trifles like that.

ILLUSTRATIONS IISIZE--On our dummy paste-ups image area is 9 x 13 inches.

Column l1idth is 2.8 inches. After everything--text, drawings, headlines, etc.--is slapped into place, the whole mess is photo­reduced by 25%. Several time consuming steps can be eliminated if your illustrations conform to the size of the dummy page.

II PS--Most will have to be reduced. While a thirty-foot long map looks impressive as hell wrapped around a room, it'll get you a tire iron wrapped around your head if you expect us to Shrink it. If your map is three or four feet long, fine and dandy, but in all cases inquire before you go off the deep end. Fold-outs are E X PEN S I V E and will be considered only in cases.

llMEDIUM--Pencil, blue ink and blue map reproductions will not re­produce well, so stick to black ink or black maps. Leroy map labels if possible. If you can't, use a light pencil and we'll do it.

PHOTOGRAPHS IIHalf-tones must be made from black and white prints, so shoot in

black and white if possible. IIYou can save us added expense and grief if you have a photo

studio (or a friend with the equipment and know-how) convert your color slides to w prints. Or try projecting them on a flat, white surface and take a b&w picture of the projected image. In despara­tion, send us the slides and we'll fool around with them.

IISize isn't critical since we'll use our innate (or is that in­nane?) sense of graphics to determine size in the finished layout. Snapshot size is usually sufficient, but if in doubt, ask. Be sure the image is clean and crisp with lots of contrast. You could make the cover!

IIDon't forget to identify the subject matter of your pics. In­clude captions if required.

The Region Record-Box 3585 CRS-Johnson City, Til 37601

THE REGION RECORD, Vol. 2

Virginia Highlands servancy.

Virgin­

Safety

Virginia Survey.

Virginia Speleological Survey.

Survey.

MINDING OUR

OWN

BUSINESS Minutes of the Spring Meeting

The Spring Council Meeting of the Virginia Region was hosted by the University of Virginia Grotto March 18 at Charlottesville.

Chairman Phil Lucas called the meeting to order at 1:20 pm. In the absence of om Vigour, John Tichenor was appointed delegate­at-large; Vice Chairman Bill Douty was appointed acting secretary in the absence of Bill Royster (who arrived later). Grotto repre­sentatives were: Blue Ridge, Fagen and Fagen; D.C., Huttner; Holston Valley, Whittemore; P.S.C., Wil­liams; Monongahela, Garton and Wymer; Shenandoah Valle , Kerby; Tidewater, Moss; U.Va., Turbovitch and Gates; VPI, Queisser and Turenne; WVACS, Maus and Hixsor.

ESSO, Greenbrier, George Wash­ington, Iron Mountain, Parkers­burg, and Sligo were not repre­sented.

The minutes of the 21st meeting of the Virginia

annual Region

The tabled

were read and approved. treasurer's report was pending a later discussion of the Region's financial affairs.

ANNOUNCEMENTS .The chairman requested all

grottos to verify their current mailing addresses with the secre­tary. Grottos and individual members were asked to submit Con­gress of Grottos proposals, to be sponsored by the Region, to the chairman. •The chairman announced that the

Windy City Grotto is proposing to sponsor a Black Hills Research project for summer of 1972. If approved, the project would con-

No. 2, Autumn, 1971

sist of cave exploring, mapping, and surface work with camping and meal costs covered for all.par­ticipants.

.The chairman reminded all grot­tos to send copies of their publi­cations to the Library of the U.S. Geological Survey in order for the USGS to continue their policy of sending free topographical maps to the Virginia Cave Survey • •The chairman announced that the

Greenbrier Grotto had been formed in Ronceverte, West Virginia, pri­marily by area high school stu­dents.

.Jim Dawson announced that there is an active caving organization in the Franklin, West Virginia area in the process of securing NSS Grotto status.

.Jim Dawson announced that he was responsible for the NSS Con­vention questionnaire in the April NSS NEWS and requested all members to complete and return the ques­tionnaire.

.Kim Smith reported that the Nature Conservancy has purchased the mineral rights on Dolly Sods. He also reported that the Forest Service is interested in sugges­tions pertaining to establishing as wilderness areas existing sec­tions of the Monongahela National Forest. Such proposals should be sent to the Forest Service, Elkins, West Virginia.

COMMITTEE REPORTS .West Con­

The chairman appointed Jim Dawson as the Region's repre­sentative to the Conservancy.

.Conservation Council of ia. John Tichenor reported that the Council had had some success with projects in 1971. l�embers interested in being placed on the Conservation Council's mailing list should contact John Holsing­er. Tom Williams reported that the Conservation Council had met on the morning of March 18th and that their organization and issues were impressive.

.Closed Cave List. It was re­ported th Pighole was about to be closed; Clark's Cave is open only to Boy Scouts; Bowden Cave system has been subject to exten­sive vandalism (mostly trash) and the owner has threatened to close the cave by dynamite. The Monon­gahela Grotto is gating the cave. A key will be available at the PSC Field House. Jones Saltpeter Cave in Lee County, Virginia has been closed.

Due to the very limited re­sponse, future changes in the closed cave list will be indicated only in the minutes.

.Cave Rescue Communications Net­wor The chairman announced that the CRCN is virtually non-existant due to the poor response of grot­tos to repeated requests for lists

of responsible members. Doc Brown indicated that he was wil­ling either to continue his effort or to turn over responsibility for the CRCN to others. After some discussion, Charlie Maus moved that the vice-chairman be given the responsibility of updating the list annually. The motion was seconded and passed . • Committee. Guy Turenne

was appointed as chairman. There was no report • • Cave John

Holsinger reported that work on the supplement to CAVES OF VIR­GINIA is complete and that the manuscript would be submitted to the publisher in April 1972. The supplement would include 680 new caves, additional information on 501 other caves, and maps of 159 caves. The total number of known caves in Virginia is now 2,319.

With publication of the supple­ment, the Virginia Cave Survey will be turned over to Phil Lucas, and all new material should be sent to him • •West

Phil Lucas read a report from Roger Baroody which indicated that 500 copies of West Virginia Speleological Survey Bulletin No. 1 (CAVES OF RANDOLPH COUN'T:Y) had been nearly sold out. Bul­letin No. 2 (CAVES OF NORTHERN GREENBRIER COUNTY) is being pre­pared. The West Virginia long cave list currently includes 41 caves, 27 of which contain over three kilometers of surveyed pas­sage.

.The REGION RECORD. R.E. Whi t­temers reported that the REGION RECORD had developed financial difficulties due primarily to the inclusion of the convention guide book in the Spring 1971 issue. He indicated that unless quality was sacrificed, the RECORD would have to be subsidized to some extent by the Region, and recommended that the $48.76 debt to the Region be cancelled. ,After a limited dis­cussion, the matter was tabled pending a later discussion of the Region's general financial condi­tion.

.East Tennessee Cave R.E:--Whittemoxe announced that plans for the Spring Project (Mem­orial Day weekend at Sneedville High School, Sneedville, Tenn.) had been formulated, and final details would appear in the next issue of the REGION RECORD.

OLD BUSINESS .The chairman read a letter from

the Deputy Acting Director of the National Park Service thanking the Region for its support of the presidential wilderness proposal •

.The chairman read a letter written to the owners of Beacon Cave, in reference to the closing of that cave. Guy Turenne report­

49

ed that the letter had been in­effective and that one entrance had been bulldozed shut. A second entrance was not closed, and the bulldozed entrance has recently been dug back open by locals. Turenne requested that the cave not be visited until the access problem stabilizes.

NEW BUSINESS •R.E. Whittemore announced that

the Holston Valley Grotto wished to host the fall meeting. There were no other proposals. The meeting will be held in the Tri­City Tennessee area in October. Final details to be announced. •Gordon Kerby announced that thd

Shenandoah Valley Grotto was in the process of gating parts of Paxton's Cave, due to the exces­sive caver traffic and vandalism through the formation sections. He indicated that the present own­ers do not want the responsibility of maintaining the key, and pro­posed that a key be maintained by each of the grottos in the Virgin­ia Region. The concensus of the grotto delegates concerning this was asked and there was general approval.

.The chairman read a letter from Don Schleicher, Chairman of the Pittsburgh Grotto, requesting membership of that grotto in the Virginia Region. Schleicher indi­cated that most of the grotto's caving is done in l-lest Virginia and that they wish to be affili­ated with other area cavers. He also indicated that the Pittsburgh Grotto was a member of the Mid­Appalachian Region and due to their long membership in that region, they wished to be members of both regions. After some dis­cussion, it was the concensus of the Council that the Pittsburgh Grotto would be welcome to partic­ipate in Virginia Region activ­ities, but that the Region constitution and by-laws should not be amended to allow voting membership of a grotto affiliated with another region. Charlie Maus moved that the chairman direct the secret[,ry to write the Pittsburgh Grotto thanking them for their interest in the Region, but de­clining to offer voting member­ship. The motion was seconded and passed. It was also the con­census of the Council that the Pittsburgh Grotto be included on the Region mailing list.

.The ohairman initiated a dis­cussion of the general financial condition of the Region. The treasurer's report was given for the period October 2, 1971 to March 18, 1972, showing income of $156.00, expenditures of $103.84, and a ash balance of $221.90. Bill Royster reported that the Region has in the past several years had annual income of approx­

imately $130.00, derived from registration fees at the Fall Meeting, Spring Council Meeting, and Spring Project. Disbursements for one annual mailing to the membership ($70), dues to the West Virginia" Highlands Conservancy ($20 ), and miscellaneous operating expenses ($30), result in an annual gain of approximately $10. This annual gain plus several non­recurring sources of income, has created an unallocated reserve fund of approximately $110.00. Royster pointed out that the Council had authorized payment of $50.00 annual dues to the Oonser­vation Council of Virginia. Reve­nue for this purpose was raised in 1972 by special assessment of grottos. Without additional sources of income, 1973 Conserva­tion Council of Virginia dues would have to come from the un­allocated reserve fund.

.Royster also proposed that the Region allocate funds sufficient to sponsor two mailings per year to the general membership.

.Charlie Maus moved that the chairman appoint a committee to study the financial situation and propose additional sources of revenue by mail ballot to the mem­bership by July 2, 1972.

It was the concensus of the Council that the financial situa­tion should be discussed by the entire Council and nqt by commit­tee, and Maus withdrew his motion 'on condition that the treasurer propose a definite financial pro­gram.

Royster suggested several sources of additional revenue. Maus noted that Royster had not made a definite recommendation and recalled his motion. It was seconded and defeated. There was additional discussion of possible sources of revenue.

.Guy Turenne moved that it be the concensus of the Council that a second general membership mail­ing in early spring would be de­sired. Seconded and passed. • Maus moved that the REGION

RECORD debt to the Region be re­tained, but not called at present. No second.

Whittemore moved that the debt be cancelled. Seconded. After discussion in which Whittemore indicated his desire not to con­tinue as REGION RECORD Editor without some degree of Region financial support, and in which Maus indicated that tbeRECORD was an independent publication of the Region and thus it was not in the Region's interest to subsidize the

RECORD without closer control of its operation, Whittemore's motion to cancel the debt was passed.

Tuna Johnson moved that the Region subsidize the REGION RECORD up to $100 per year. No second.

Wymer moved that the REGION

RECORD be affirmed an official publication of the Virginia Reg­ion. No second.

Turenne moved that the Region subsidize the REGION RECORD up to $100 per year as needed upon proof. of need of financial support. Seconded.

Maus moved that the motion be amended to indicate that any sub­sidy be in the nature of a loan. No second •

John Tichenor moved that the motion be amended to specify that in the event of cessation of pub­lication, all assets and uncircu­lated issues of the REGION RECORD become the property of the Region. Seconded and passed •

Turenne's motion, as amended, was passed.

Jim Hixson moved that the REG­ION RECORD be declared a wholly owned subsidiary of the Region. Seconded. r�aus indicated that such action would make the Region responsible for the REGION REC­ORD's liabilities and obligations. The motion was defeated.

.The chairman indicated that the Council had approved new expendi­tures for subsidy of the REGION RECORD, payment of dues to the Conservation Council of Virginia, and an additional annual mailing to the general membership, and that new revenues of approximately $200 were needed. General dis­cussion of revenue sources follow­ed.

John Holsinger indicated that a committee should study sources of income rather than the Council, since some changes in these sourc­es may require an extensive constitution or by-law change.

Suggestions for new revenue were: registration fee at Spring Project and Speleo-go-go; conser­vation fund collection at Speleo; establishment of dues from non­grotto affiliated Region NSS mem­bers; and $10 annual assessment of grottos.

Tichenor moved that the grottos be assessed $5 per year. No sec­ond. Turenne moved that the grot­tos be assessed $10 per year and that a non-paying grotto's repre­sentation in the Council be reduc­ed by one-half.

Royster stated that the Region's treasury would remain solvent until the 1972 Fall Meet­ing without further action by the Council.

Turenne withdrew his motion. Tichenor moved that the chair­

man appoint a committee to study sources of revenue and report to the Fall Council Meeting. Second­ed a'nd passed.

The meeting was brought to a close upon a vote for adjournment.

William F. Royster, Secretary-Treasurer

THE REGION RECORD, Vol. 2 50

�j.ii� IN A SLEEl.Y RESTAlJRANT -

60

"30 20

MEAL.

PUrOR y' WANT OE.SS Q:r?I"\ENLl IT COMES WitH 1\-\E.Gl?oSSI3U u £1<

F. R\E.t> u EASe. Coli:E \3REEoZ.t:,

AI"IEQIC A . . .

\..OYE 11' OR LEAVE. IT/

No. 2, Autumn, 1971 51

Conservation Newsfronts

Nature Conservancy

to the Rescue at Sods

(AP ) --A plan to help preserve the unusual nature of the Dolly Sods Scenic Area of West Virginia by buying the mineral rights under and land adjacent to it was an­nounced recently by the Nature Conservancy.

The conservancy said it has se­cured an option to buy the rights for some 15,558 acres of the area in the Monongahela National For­est.

If exercised, the option would result in the sale of the rights for over $500,000, the conservancy said.

The land at Dolly Sods is owned by the U.S. Forest Service, but the mineral rights are held by private interests. The conservan­cy said it obtained the option to the rights from the West Virginia Coal and Timber Co.

The conservancy, a private en­vironmental organization, said the mineral rights to protect Dolly Sods are being secured for intend­ed transfer, at what it costs the conservancy, to the Forest Service during the fiscal years 1973 and 1974.

The organization often provides assistance to government agencies at all levels to acquire natural lands in advance of the agencies' ability to do so.

The Forest Service has describ­ed the Dolly Sods area as one of "unusual scenery and vegetation, upland bogs and windswept plains at the 4,000 foot elevation range." Wildlife in the area in­clude black bear, deer, beaver, wild turkey and ducks. Plants in­clude azaleas, mountain laurel, rhododendrons and blueberries.

Thomas W. Richards, president of the Nature Conservancy, said in a statement: "The future of the Dolly Sods area has for a number of years been in question. The outstanding . mineral rights could have permitted their owners to

mine throughout the area which would have effectively destroyed this unusual and important natural area.II

JIM DAWSON

This is a new column in the REGION RECORD and one which will hopefully appear in each issue. Its purpose is to inform you of the West Virginia Highland Con­servancy's actions anl of the cur­rent status of different issues in which the Conservancy is involved. The Virginia Region is an Asso­ciate Member of the WVHC, and this column will review the information presented in THE HIGHLANDS VOICE, its newsletter. (ED: The Region is also a member of the Virginia Conservation Council and THE REC­ORD needs someone to regularly report on that organization's ac­tivities. Any volunteers? )

MEETING

An interim Board meeting of the West Virginia Highlands Conserv­ancy will be held on July 8, 1972 near Durbin, W.Va., in the vicini­ty of Cheat Bridge. If you desire accomodations, please make reser­vations with Dabney Kisner's Motel at Durbin.

ALTERNATE PLANS FOR WILDERNESS AREAS

President Nixon has directed the U.S. Forest Service to ask for public comments on the question of identifying and protecting wild areas of the East. Many of the lands in the East do not meet the criteria of the Wilderness Act be­cause they have been used by man

in the past. The Forest Service has suggested such legislation as: (a ) an amendment to the Wilderness Act, (b ) new basic legislation to cover these lands, and (c ) indi­vidual legislative actions to establish wild areas as needed. There are administrative means at present to preserve and protect wild areas. These means are: (a ) Forest Service multiple use plans, (b ) classification of these lands by the Secretary of Agriculture, and (c ) Executive order classi­fication.

The Forest Service has request­ad that comments on possible alternatives be sent to the Re­gional Forester, Jay H. Cravens, 622 West Wisconsin Avenue, Mil­waukee, Wisconsin 53203, or Chief Edward P. Cliff, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250 before the end of May.

DAVIS POWER PROJECT

The Davis Power project, which is being proposed by the Mononga­hela Power Company, would consist of two reservoirs: a lower one in the Canaan Valley and an upper one on the eastern slope of Cabin Mountain in Tucker County, West Virginia. The Canaan Valley res­ervoir will cover about 7,000 acres (11 square miles ) , which will inundate about one third of the valley floor. The upper res­ervoir, which will lie on the western edge of Dolly Sods, will cover about 600 acres (1 square mile ) when full. The two reser­voirs will be connected by a tun­nel through the crest of Cabin Mountain and by penstocks (one 27 feet, two 19 feet and four 14 feet in diameter ) from the tunnel to the powerhouse on the lower reser­voir. The lower reservoir is expected to fluctuate four feet, while the upper one will have a fluctuation of 57 feet. The Mon­ongahela Power Company filed its Statement of Environmental Factors on June 1, 1971 and hearings on the project should start in April or May of this year.

THE REGION RECORD, Vol. 2 52

BOUNTY HUNTING: Concerned about strip m n ng or

stream pollution? Wondering what you can do to help? Now Uncle Sam may pay you to help catch violat­ors who are ruining our waterways. The Rivers and Harbors Ac of 1899 makes it illegal to pollute a nav-, igable waterway or its tributaries without a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. Violators are subject to a fine of $500 to 52500 or thirty days to one year in jail for each violation. The federal government is responsible for prosecuting violators of this law, but it largely relies on private citizens to "catch" the polluters by obtaining evidence of the pol­lution. As a reward and incen­tive, the law provides that half of any fine may be given to citi­zens who have provided information leading to arrest and conviction. Thus, in addition to helping clean up our rivers, you may be able to collect $250 to $1250 for each conviction.

One provision of the law allows industries to apply for permits to pollute. If the polluter has a permit from the Army Corps of Eng­ineers, he is not violating the law unless he is violating the terms of his permit. Therefore, write the Corps to find out if the polluter has a permit.

The law includes all rivers and lakes big enough to use for com­mercial navigation. It also in­cludes direot and indirect tribu­taries of navigable waterways. However, it is extremely difficult

,to trace pollutants from the point at which they are dumped into a small creek through several larger creeks to a navigable waterway. Hence, practical considerations limit the law to polluters who

ump pollutants directly into rivers and lakes, or into creeks only two or three removed.

When you are ready to take your samples, you will need a camera loade with color film, five to ten sterilized mason jars, a note­book, and at least one friend to operate the camera and serve as a witness. Photograph the pollution source and the pollution as it en­ters the stream, recording the exact place, time and date of each photo, the name of the photograph­er, your name, and the names of any additional witnesses present. Take samples at the following lo­cations:

1. 50-100 feet upstream from the

No. 2, Autumn, 1971

sourc'e of the pollution. 2. The pollution itself (if pos­

sible to do so) before it enters the water.

3. The stream at the source of pollution.

4· 50-100, feet downstream from the source of the pollution. If the pollution is dumped in­to a tributary of a navigable stream, also take a sample from the tributary 100 feet upstream from its mouth, and a sample from the stream the tributaries enter about 50­100 feet downstream from where it enters. Be careful not to scrape bottom or stir up the water when sampling. Have a friend photograph you while taking the sample. As soon as you take a sample, cover, seal and label the bottle with the date and place where it was taken. Have all people pre­sent make a written, signed and dated statement of

' what

they witnessed.

Each set of samples constitutes a record of a separate offense.

HAVE BOTTLE WILL TRAVEL

from THE HIGHLANDS VOICE

If you sample on several·occa­sions, you will establish a pat­tern of pollution which will strengthen your case. Also, you will increase the possible size of your bounty. One couple in New

,Jersey collected $12,500 under this law.

It is very important to pre­serve your evidence. If for any reason (such as having it tested) you give the sample to anyone else, make a record with the sig­natures of the· persons giving and receiving the samples, the reason for the transfer, and when and where the transfer takes place.

Your samples are now ready for analysis. At this point you should file your complaint with the Army Corps of Engineers or the Environmental Protection Agency and give them your samples; they will usually test the samples for you. Write them at least once a month to find out what they are doing. If they recommend prose­cution, either ask a lawyer to help you or write the local U.S. attorney to request one-half of any fine assessed. GOOD HUNTING.

53

CAVRE: It was way back; 'in 196? that

John E. Co;per, 'then chairman of the Virginia Region, put the finishing touches to his documen­tation of the Region's history. While John subsequently went on to bigger and better things, his his­toric effort was consigned to some desk drawer or musty briefcase where it was to languish for eight years.

Then in, 1970, John Holsinger thought it would be a good idea to unearth the History and revise it, and to that end a committee, head­ed by Ed Bauer, was appointed., Someone suggested it be called The,

Committee For Action On The Vir­ginia Region's Evolution--CAVRE for short (the records mercifully don't reveal who coined the feeble acronym) .

Ed, drawing on the resources of Holsinger and Henry Douglas, did,a creditable job of filling in the gap of eight years; he then turned the whole thing over to us for publication.

Now, after two years of putting off, we're finaliy' going to pub­lish the damned thing, come hell or high water! Whether future histories will look upon this dec laration as a promise or a threat will depend 'largely upon you. Leave us explain!

The written history of the Region, interesting enough in its own right, will be just the "jump­ing off place" for the special edition of the RECORD which we en-

IT' NEEDS YOUR .HELP!' ial'issue of the ,'RE CORD. We will do it if .you"'ll,'help us. We"feel certain that the complete photo­graphic history of the Virginia Region does exist, filed away in scattered (and forgotten) drawers, closets and attics.

vision,. for we want to embel ish this official histor ical' account photographically. It's well enough to read about the first meeting of the Region in Lexington back in 1950, but if ,we can see what it looked like, it will take on a new dimension for old-timers and newcomers alike. We all know the Region hosted NSS con­ventions at Natural Bridge, Mountain Lake and Blacksburg, 'but they can be lived again (or for the first time if you missed them) if we can see what they looked like. Starting ­to get the idea?

And'then there are the People. Especially the People. We spell that with a capitol "P" (which probably should be "I" for indi­viduals) because it is People who have made the Virginia Region what it is today. We, have people who are legends, near-legends and pseudo-legends. The Region has produced many of these; some of these produced the Region. And we want to show them to you.

We can't forget the grottos and other organizations which, techni­cally, are the Virginia Region. Some of em pre-date the Region. A few even pre-date the NSS (after all, it was here that the NSS was born). A couple of them came into existence only this year. They too have their own stor,ies to tell and, if only briefly, we'd like to tell and show those too.

We've been saying what we'd like to do with our proposed spec-

If you ave photos of the first meetings of the Region back in the early 1950's, of the NSS conven­tions which the Region has hosted, of the many projects and con­claves, of people who have been the prime movers in keeping the Region strong and healthy--if you have any of these, we'd like to use them if we may.

Ive 'd like each grotto to check with its members and compile a brief account (written and photo­graphic) of its origins and major accomplishments. And those photos which 'are "stories wi thin them­selves"--we want them too.

This is the kind of thing we're after. Ive want to show the human side of the Region's history. If you can help, be sure to identify all the people in your pictures (plus the photographer) if you can, and include a thumbnail des­cription of what's happening and its significance.

We promise to safeguard all pictures and return them when we are through. Even if you don't have photos of your own, but can guide us to others who have, let us know.

We're counting on you to make this project successful!

Crossword Solution

Think Sun!

54 THE REGION RECORD, Vol. 2

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