🚀 go-pugleaf

Perhaps this newsgroup can be used to post information & inquiries
concerning caving techniques conservation etc.  Since the distribution
of readers is across the country, local exploration tales may not be of
general interest.  I did post an inquiry on cave mapping programs and
got (thanks folks) a good number of useful responses.

Here's an interesting technique for cave digging:
A number of Colorado cavers have permission to work on digging projects
in a commercial cave (Cave of the Winds).  Our last dig went along a 
horizontal passage and then straight up for over 30 feet.  During the
excavation of this chimney the air at the dig face became bad.  We
rigged an air pumping system as follows.  The dig is only 300' off 
the comercial trail so we ran extension cords to the beginning of the dig.
This powered an old cannister type vaccum cleaner.  The output of this
was connected to 80' of plastic pipe (about 2'' dia) which was run to the
top of the dig.  Duct tape was used to make this connection.  A very 
satisfactory airflow was obtained and it appears the pipe could be
much longer. The vacuum was used in pump mode,  not suction mode.
Although its not that often that one is working in a commercial cave
300 feet from the tourist trail,  this technique could possibly be
extended to wild caves where the dig site is close to the entrance if
a portable generator was used