I enlarged the Wire Wiggle slightly when I went through it
back in the 80's(?). I couldn't get my long legs around the corner,
so I used my Swiss Army knife to carve away a bit of rock so that my
knees could make the turn. It was quite soft, likely due to some
type of surface corrosion. I think the Wire Wiggle was originally
impassable when first discovered, thus the name. The corner is more
than a right angle; 120 degrees is more than 90 degrees.
An interesting thing about the gypsum needles at the back of
Airmans is that they can come and go, just like the calcite ice
people have been discussing. On one trip when I was there they were
plentiful and up to a foot long. On another trip a few months later
there were few if any to be seen. Later still they had
reappeared. Apparently they redissolve into the dirt when the
humidity is high enough.
For other interesting names, see the Cave Chronicles feature
in the December 2011 NSS News. I submitted one of my favorites for
that article, but it wasn't included. That was a pit in the mine at
Minas Viejas (across from Bustamante in Mexico) that we had been
exploring and mapping. Brian Burton (RIP) had his dog with him. All
of a sudden the dog raced down the passage and jumped into a
hundred-foot-deep pit! Of course it was killed instantly. We
couldn't figure out why it did that - maybe in the dim light it
thought it was a pool of water. In any event, we named it Dog Gone Pit.
And speaking of roaches, don't forget the Cockroach Siphon
at the end of the sewer tunnel that ran from the Oakwood Cemetery
where the AMCS (Austin Monument Climbing Society) used to meet, down
to Rosewood.
Mark
At 01:20 PM 2/14/2012, Andy Edwards wrote:
I do wonder if it was enlarged...it never seemed much worse to me
than the keyhole/birth canal. Does anyone have a section/vertical
profile of it? I'm not sure exactly what you mean by 120 degree bend...
-Andy
On Tue, Feb 14, 2012 at 10:59 AM, Preston Forsythe
<[email protected]> wrote:
To the best of my knowledge, Bill Russell pioneered that famous
route at the back of Airman's Cave. I know my trip there was with
Bill. That section of the cave has some amazing long thin selinite
needles. But, the 120 degree tight bend in the Wire Wiggle is a
killer as the knees will not easily bend to accommodate the
maneuver. Rumor is that passage was enlarged, somehow, by blasting?
As for other interesting cave passage names, I particularly like the
secondary entrance name to Cool Springs Cave, KY. That crawlway is
known as Roach's Runway. Reminds me of the old days at 1307 1/2
Kirkwood and the huge numbers of roaches before I led the boric acid
attack in the kitchen. Roach's Runway is another tight passage,
similar to the entrance crawl in Airman's. However, The Wire Wiggle
in the back of Airman's is way tighter than it's entrance crawl.
The current most incredible tight passage that I know of is the new
connection at Mammoth Cave between Donkey Cave and Pohl Avenue under
Flint Ridge. This tight virgin passage was pushed hard by Joyce
Hoffmaster on May 28, 2011. Donkey Cave became the Eleventh
Connection to Mammoth Cave. If you have access, see Roger Brucker's
write-up of this story in the Feb.. 2012 CRF Newsletter. I do not
know if the crawl was named or not. It may be the Donkey Kong push
(?) as the lead was a drain out of the Donkey Kong Pit.
And, while I am running on: how about that Drama in Lukina Jama in
Crotia by Bruce White in the new Feb., 2012, NSS News. One of the
best caving stories I have read.
Cavingly,
Preston in Muhlenberg Co., KY
==========================================
----- Original Message -----
From: [email protected]
To: Preston Forsythe ; [email protected] ; [email protected]
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2012 7:36 PM
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Schetromph cave
The Wire Wiggle in Airman's. Now there's a noble destination. All
Texas cavers should aspire to passing through its confines at least
once. We should have a club for those who have been through it.
Bill
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