Caving in Switzeland
by Mo Marriott.
Caving life is really very dull here. It consists of exploring one ruddy vertical
hole after another! To be serious, it is
actually pretty interesting most of our efforts are concentrated in an area
about forty miles from here and this area is real mountain Karst country,
albeit rather juvenile. The amount of
work to be done is vast, work that can, however, be unrewarding at times. The area is simply littered with shafts, some
of them deep (deep means over three hundred feet) but many of them are
disappointingly blocked with snow, even at quite considerable depths. The deepest hole to date was found to be
blocked with a mixture of snow and ice at a depth of about twelve hundred feet
and it took the best part of eight days to find this out! (I wasnt on this trip, unfortunately). Our great hope is that we shall be able to
get into a system which will connect with a quite gigantic rising in the South
West corner of the area. Our hopes are
spurred on by two things. First, the
size of the rising, which seems to dictate that the whole area is being drained
at one point this augers well for the existence of a master type system. Secondly, there is a very large difference in
height between the main area where the shafts are found (1,8000 to 1,9000
metres) and the rising at 450 metres O.D.
If we could push a system right to the rising level, we
would have a world beater on our hands, although I might add that this
possibility does not figure very largely in our calculations or account for our
enthusiasm. I feel that if such as
system id ever found here, it will only be at the expense of a lot of very hard
work. Of course, there is also the possibility
that such a hole does not exist here in any case. Our biggest ladder pitch so far is just on
the six hundred foot mark and ruddy marvellous it was too!
I had one or two second thoughts just as I was getting on to
the ladder, but it is quite the finest shaft that I have ever seen, or am ever
likely to see for that matter. It struck
me as slightly ridiculous at the time that this monstrous pitch free hanging
all the way was deeper than the deepest British cave. I can assure you that it gave me a profound
sense of respect!
The principle disadvantage of this kind of caving is that
the available caving season is rather short. One can usually reckon on beginning in the early part of June, and the
season ends in October or December depending upon the weather. Of course, a cold winter or the early onset
of bad weather can cut down the available season even more. Even though the skiing season acts as a
compensation during the winter months one gets a bit frustrated knowing that
those dam great holes are just waiting there, probably blocked with snow.
That is more or less a general picture of caving here in
Editors
Note: We expect that Mo will be
surprised to see this article, as it was not intended by him to be such, but
was part of a letter. However, we understand that we have his permission to
print it, and we hope that Mo will keep us abreast of his work out there
during the summer.
Photographic Competition
Members will note that the rules for this competition have not yet been published. This is because the grapevine has so far failed to suggest that anyone might be thinking of entering. We obviously dont want to run a competition for which there is going to be insufficient support. Perhaps people have got the idea that this is a fantastically difficult thing to do. The organiser would therefore appreciate if anyone who thinks that he or she might possibly enter could let him know, and it might then be possible to arrange the competition to suit their ideas. Contact Alfie for further information.
Caving Notes
G.B. Saturday, March 26th. 11am at the Belfry.
Easter. April 8th 11th.
Swildons. May 15th. PRACTICE RESCUE 10AM SUNDAY. Meet at
Agen Allwedd. May 21/22. Names to Dave Irwin. Members not having signed an indemnity chit should do so as soon as possible. Forms available from Keith Franklin or Dave Irwin.
June 18th. St. CUTHBERTS PRACTICE RESCUE. 11am. All leaders please note this date.
--------------------
Nife Cell Spares. Main lamp bulbs and armour plate glasses are available at the Belfry. Any other spare parts can be ordered against cash.
Carbide Lamp Spare. Most spares are available.
Access to
Mendip
Caves
(Continued from the January B.B.)
Longwood Swallet. This cave is controlled by the Charterhouse
Caving Committee. Indemnity forms are
obtainable from R.J. Bagshaw,
G.B. Cavern. As for Longwood Swallet, but the permit must
be countersigned by the Hon. Sec. of the U.B.S.S. There is also a U.B.S.S. charge of 1/- per
caver as a tackle fee. For permission
and keys, write to Dave Irwin, 9
Rhino Rift. As for G.B. Cavern.
To be continued.
Emergency Food
The Chelsea Cave Group were recently given an illustrated
lecture on the Horlicks Packs, and many types were passed round for inspection,
including the two Aggy M.R.O. packs.
The average adult requires about four thousand calories per
day an example for practical purposes in an emergency being 4oz of sugar (in
form of sweets, tablets, etc and a pint and three quarters of water). This is sufficient for 24 hours. The representatives at the lecture added that
teenagers normally require something in excess of this, but the additional
quantity would vary very much from one individual to another..
A pack now being manufactured by Horlicks for emergency
occasions is contained in a standard tobacco tin, this type weighs only a few
ounces and it is well to carry in addition to such items as matches, candle,
toilet paper, spare bulbs, iodine and medicated plasters in a similar tin. This kit can be easily be assembled for a few
shillings. Who can tell when Swildons
will flood again?
One or two novelties were also shown. A plastic clip used to seal polythene
wrappings, when empty of food stuffs, makes a useful water bottle with clip
seal. An extra tobacco tin lid with an
H shaped hole punched out of its centre makes a useful emergency stove. The centre flaps may be bent downwards at
right angles to the plane of the tin lid and the tin itself then fitted into
the lid. This arrangement leaves a space
under the tin for a small block of solid fuel of the metaldehyde type.
Also being manufactured for long expeditions are 20 man-day
boxes constructed of plywood and stiffened with bimetal frames. These have been designed primarily for Polar
expeditions, but have been used on mountaineering expeditions. They are completely Husky proof. Apparently, these dogs are blessed with extra
strong jaws and are often fed with unopened tins of bully beef.
If water is suspect in any cave, a small drop of iodine will
completely sterilise it, although the taste will be quite revolting. A sterilising kit may, on the other hand, be
bought from any good chemist for a few shillings if necessary.
Although hot food is pleasant, it should be well down on the
list of priorities. In emergencies, the
temperature of the food is unimportant with respect to calories. The actual calorific value of the food hardly
changes with temperature. This has
recently been proved in the
From his records and questionnaire sheets which are sent out
with every consignment, the lecturer concluded that water was the major
problem. Although it was bulky, water
should always be carried as the one and three-quarter pints per day minimum was
absolutely essential.
Editors Note.
The above has been in the B.B. files
for some time, but has not been published before as we have no record of the
name of the contributor. However, we
thought that the subject of what and how much to take in the way of emergency
food supplies had not been tackled before in the B.B. and so we are breaking
our usual rule. Perhaps we can have some
comments from any of our medical members?
Instructions for passing through Swildons Sump 1
In these days of wet suits and other sumping gear, it may be
of interest to read Don Coases original instructions for passing Sump 1 in
Swildons. This is reproduced from the
B.E.C. caving log for July 1946 six months before the B.B. started.
1. Get straight into the water up to your
neck. Dont paddle around and take half
an hour getting up to your waist. The
cold will sap your vitality.
2. When up to your neck, let your breathing slow
down to normal. About a minute should be
enough for this.
3. Deliberately sink to the bottom before
moving. Then pull yourself along the
line, but dont rush it. The reason for
this is that there is a step in the roof (see sketch) and contacting this too
forcibly is not good for the cranium. Dont take too deep a breath before starting. It only strains the lungs and heart.
4. As soon as the step is passed, let yourself
rise. Some one who has been through
before should preferably go first, so as to hold the guide wire up on the other
side, as it is possible to go under another overhang if not careful. Go through with the guide wire in your RIGHT
hand, and use it to pull yourself along with. DONT let go of it. You have
plenty of room to swim with your feet to help you along.
5. Returning. Repeat above, but there is no step to contact. Guide wire should be held in the LEFT hand
this time.