know that there is a cavern in morrision ,but also heard there is a cave. if so is it backmount or sidemount.thanks for any info.
Printable View
know that there is a cavern in morrision ,but also heard there is a cave. if so is it backmount or sidemount.thanks for any info.
It was once a nice cave, deep too. I heard that the Sheriff had it dynamited back in the day, so it's not much more than a cavern anymore. I've been in it backmount, but it didn't go far....can't really recall how far, but there was no goldline in there and one reel was sufficient.
-skip
Its a great cavern, and there's a rope installed going through the middle of the cavern from OW, for what its worth.
I've heard of someone worming in no-mount, but can't verify it personally.
There are signs that someone was trying to widen one of the vents up at the bottom to regain entry... but the vent seems to have been filled in a bit since then.
Its a beautifuly cavern. *shrugs*
Skip I think you are right, according to Sheck's book "Caverns Measureless to Man" there was a very deep cave at Morrison. After a fatality there in the late 60s, the Sheriff ordered the cave dynamited closed.
How hard would it be to excavate? How much dynamite was used and how far in?
from diving there it looks like quite a large bit of rock... but ive only dove there once so take it for what its worth, there are quite a few sand boils though
That was tried discretely X years ago but was finally deemed too dangerous for one diver and the idea abandoned.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigBoB
You'd have to suck out several thousand pounds of sand, gravel sized limestone, and larger pieces.
Its a big cavern currently, about twice the size of Ginnie's ballroom. The "cave" entrance was at the backside, probably 100' total penetration. The cavern is pretty wide open.
The real question is how SAFE would it be to excavate it.
Oh... and would the State allow it, or if done without permission, what would be the ramifications(keep in mind this place JUST opened back up to the public with an entry platform and steps, complete with "Scuba Stations" and "Scuba Rinse Stations")? RIGHT NOW, its a diver friendly spring...
I was just sitting here thinking would that be legal???Quote:
Originally Posted by SuPrBuGmAn
Technically... it was probably more illegal to blow the entrance shut. Pumping it out, could be considered a "restoration".
See now you are thinking logically, but not sure if it would be the legal thing to do.Quote:
Originally Posted by SuPrBuGmAn
Vortex gets away with pumping quite a bit of sand out the cave there... might be the key.
For those of you with OCD, at normal river levels the restriction is at 91'.
Ervings "World Wide Skin Divers Guide" vintage 1968 reported Morrison had been explored to 290 feet pre-dynamiting. Sheck corrected that figure and said it was actually explored to 248 feet. The max depth post dynamiting back then was 101 feet. I pen and inked his updates in the Skin Divers guide which is where I got the revised data.Quote:
Originally Posted by cavediver256
Donn
speaking of Morrison I had heard it was closed due to flooding. Anybody know if it is back open yet?
Years ago, you could see a piece of number 18 twist flapping in the flow beyond the restriction - tempting
Never made much progress
2nd hand info, but apparently someone else from you area dove it and it was like diving tea. The water levels are still high, I'd expect it to be flooded for ATLEAST another week if the waters continue dropping as they are now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nix
Thanks for the info guys, I appreciate it.
There is also a rumor of another vent off in the swap somewhere to access the cave. Never seen any proof of this, probably just a rumor...
Its next to the deep section in Jackson Blue and where Die Polder meets the Floridian Aquiffer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dark Eternal
Ah ok, thanks for clarifying that up. I know exactly where you are talking about now!Quote:
Originally Posted by SuPrBuGmAn
You need to stop telling people about these, Mat! Pretty soon those passages will be damaged from all the traffic there!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by SuPrBuGmAn
It still looked pristine last night!:diverQuote:
Originally Posted by RN
Let's see, the alternate entrance to Morrison's is near Jackson Blue? Yeah....
Only relatively... Its more in between the deep section at Jackson Blue(not on the map-secret!!!) and where Die Polder opens up to the huge passage that is the floridian aquifer. So if you meet the two systems halfway... you might be close to... Ginnie(Oh snap!).
If there's something closer, we'll need to take one of our boats.Quote:
Originally Posted by ShagMan
Yeah, that's still on my to-do list... have to wait for the water to be low again!
I have studied the talus slope at the bottom of the spring just outside the restriction. IMHO, the only way to safely excavate the restriction would be to jet/install about 15 lineal feet of sheet pile 6 feet into the base of the sand slope. This would provide a retaining wall to prevent a downward shift of the talus slope and infilling the restriction. Obviously, any kind of approval for such a structure would be impossible to obtain.
Several months ago I meet one of the retired Navy divers that blew the arch that collapsed onto the entrance of the lower chamber. He was so proud of his effort. I was doing my best to keep my hands from closing in around his throat.
You should have told him, "You know, there's a bunch of cave divers that would like to meet you."Quote:
Originally Posted by OutlawCaver
Quote:
Originally Posted by OutlawCaver
Vince, I disagree. I believe that with about a 12 inch airlift, 175 CFM compressor,and about 150 feet of 12" flex discharge hose, using surface supplied gear, you could get most of that junk out of the way in two or three days. Hell, give me two weeks, and I could suck all the silt out also. We can just discharge into the spring run, right? Then a day or two with a 90 pound jackhammer, and there you go.
I can't say that I'm happy about your restraint there, Vince! Geez, it would have been a completely justifiable choking!Quote:
Originally Posted by OutlawCaver
For those interested, Sheck included a map and some interesting stories of dives there, pre-explosives, in "Caverns Measureless to Man."
It has been several years since I have dove Morrison and I am trying to remember the restriction. How much work do you think it would take to make the restriction passable in a no mount configuration?
Probably alot...
Oh, and if anyone is looking for the bowling ball, I hear its at MBT Dive shop in Pensacola now.
Put it this way: if you weigh 200 pounds you're going to have to lose about 190 to get through.Quote:
Originally Posted by tdmp
I took a look last time and I couldn't see any feasable way to get it done without surface support, especially since you're burning through your gas for breathing and lifting, at 95 feet while doing it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slüdge
SO, if I cut off my head and put it on the end of a long stick I would be OK?
What about underwater digging and "chemical" expansion devices? or is the whole thing too unstable?
There's a large sand/debri pile sloping into where the main entrance used to be. You move some at the bottom, more sand/debri slides into place. You'd have to suck the pile down significantly I think.
The cave seems pretty solid, but I'm not an expert. I've just stayed at a Holiday Inn Express once.
You look down there and you can still find the old blasting wire(or what I was told is the old blasting wire).
Well the Brits have been doing it for years and we have had some good success as well with Chicago pneumatics drills (filled with bio oils/BIG generator) and certain types of inserts.Ours are private property and I imagine the Brits as well.We also are normally removing glacial debris not the actual cave.
I doubt permission would be forthcoming for that site??
If it was viable to go slow and quiet :) then an eazy - breaker might suffice-but it would be a loooong haul. As for conservation-it's well past that point and opening would be bringing it back closer to a normal state IMHO