Submitted by: Tony Sultana – DFW Grotto, May 1998

Team: Marcus Barksdale, Tony Sultana, Dennis Burt, and Richard Sultana

Total Hours: 16.5

"Uh, Tony? I think I’m stuck!" Richard Sultana showing what happens when you don’t obey signs.
Photo by Tony Sultana.
 
 

With the success of physically linking Last Gasp with Chimneyer’s Delight (CD) last April, we planned to continue the survey of Last Gasp into the first level of CD. This proved a little more difficult than planned, when it took us about 45 minutes to locate the cave system. Following the red markers really pays off
when your memory is going!

Once located, Marcus did a brief overview on survey for Dennis and myself, including instruments, placing survey stations, surface survey, and documenting. With none of us having been in this particular connecting passage, but with Richard Sultana’s description of the new passage from the prior month, we decided to lower a ladder into CD to permit a through trip once completed.
 

Flowstone formation in Chimneyer’s Delight at CBSP.
Photo by Richard Sultana.

 
The passage proved somewhat difficult at times, being 10 to 12 inches wide most of the way. The steepness of the passage was also a challenge for measuring to a survey station, due to holding your position long enough to get a reading.

The passage ended above the floor of the Table Room, with an opening to the second level directly below. Continuing the survey required a short horizontal chimney crawl across the opening, lowering us onto one of the two stone blocks that make up the tables.

We met up with the CD Team at this time as some of them were returning to the surface. Our survey continued a short way further into the Breakdown Room adjoining the vertical entrance to CD. We finished for the day by surveying to one of the existing survey points that the CD Team marked a few months ago.
 

Tony Sultana poking thru a squeeze in Chimneyer's Delight. CBSP.
Photo by Richard Sultana.