Science Abuse Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Started off simple enough. Some people had a sink hole in their front yard, with a dark bit in the bottom. Small cave, word gets around to the ODNR, who goes to have a quick look. Has an ancient chainlink cover over it, which is packed with leaves, debris, and actual soil. Shines a light into a gap at a funny angle and she sees a crack, bout 4ft deep, 2ft wide, runs off out of sight. http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/2225/holezb9.jpg Emails are passed around, a few volunteers show up. Fortunately I have a camp-shovel in the subaru's "WTF Kit", so I get to digging out the steel gate. As I dig, bits fall in the cave and go "plunk" into some water. We notice that it's taking a really long time for them to go plunk. Neat! http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/5972/pitip2.jpg The old crap is off, revealing a deep dark hole. Everyone is remiss for not bringing their vertical gear, no one thought that they might run into something like this.... ...Except me. Conversation: Me: "I've got a harness and some rope, looks like some one could get in and out of there" Group: "Nuts, we didn't bring anything" Me: "I've got spares, willing to share. Who's going in first?" Group: "*blink*....*blink*...you." So I got to rappel through this wee crack. Once through, things open up into a room about 12ft long, 6ft wide, and a 16ft ceiling. I'm also rapping down next to a huge floor to ceiling flowstone formation with a pot at the bottom, definitely the biggest in central ohio. http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/1166/roomsq6.jpg The ceiling is dripping like rain, so I only got a couple of bad pictures. There are a few small cracks that lead to a lower (and oddly dry) room. No one else is coming down, so I opt not to risk it. Getting out was a difficult mix of rope climbing and rock climbing. If one were to fall down there, they wouldn't get out. I don't think paramedics could get you out without snapping your likely broken neck. I felt that, at any moment, some one would shout down "It puts the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again". You can see the sinkhole from Section Line Road, the entrance to the cave is only 100ft away, but no one's been down this thing before. Boldly going where no man wanted to go before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnaplay1647545503 Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Thats awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evan9381 Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 wtf. where is this at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evan9381 Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 you got any pics from outside the hole to put the size into perspective? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRTurbo04 Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 dude youve got more balls then i will ever have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Science Abuse Posted January 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 you got any pics from outside the hole to put the size into perspective? Not yet. I didn't take any, but others did. Even one with my ass plugging the hole. This was just today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toms03cobra Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 section line is deleware right?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 My buddy was clearing an old addition to a house in German Village he was renovating. He was motoring around the backyard with a Bobcat...when the ground crumbled beneath him and he almost fell with the Bobcat into a 12ft deep cavern. Was an old heating oil or water well of some sort that was still more than half full of dead water. Freaked him the fuck out. He called me saying how he could've drowned. The Bobcat was moving forward when the ground caved and if he didn't keep moving it would've swallowed him and the 'Cat in a second. Bottom line - - - you're a ballsy man for volunteering to drop down a newly discovered chasm in the ground. :thumbup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Science Abuse Posted January 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 My buddy was clearing an old addition to a house in German Village he was renovating. He was motoring around the backyard with a Bobcat...when the ground crumbled beneath him and he almost fell with the Bobcat into a 12ft deep cavern. Was an old heating oil or water well of some sort that was still more than half full of dead water. Freaked him the fuck out. He called me saying how he could've drowned. The Bobcat was moving forward when the ground caved and if he didn't keep moving it would've swallowed him and the 'Cat in a second. Dayum! Sure it was man-made? May be a sistern? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 I take Section Line to work and back everyday...interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunissan28 Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Started off simple enough. Some people had a sink hole in their front yard, with a dark bit in the bottom. Small cave, word gets around to the ODNR, who goes to have a quick look. Which department of ODNR was out there? My dad works for the Geological Survey at ODNR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 May be a sistern? THAT'S what it was. Sorry...the post was early in the morn. The house is on Deschler, one of the oldest in the Village. I think it was an old water sistern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Science Abuse Posted January 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Which department of ODNR was out there? My dad works for the Geological Survey at ODNR. Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, specifically Ecology. Clay: Sure ti was all man-made? It's not rare for people to find a cave on their property and convert it into something else. Most commonly, it's wells. I've heard of at least one old well that just looks like a well at the top, and a fair bit of the way down. But at the bottom of the well, there's an underground stream and a narrow cave. The one I was in would have made a great sinstern, all they'd have to do is cement the small crack that drains the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qtr_pndr Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 got 2 in my yard and almost each neighbor has one 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qtr_pndr Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 section line is deleware right?? correct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImUrOBGYN Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Well, that's fucking awesome. I don't think I've ever come across a cave someone else hasn't come across though I did find some hot springs in Nevada on one of my desert excursions. (Almost didn't come back from one of those one summer.) This sounds right near my house. Can you pm me where it's at exactly? I have no rappelling equipment and wouldn't do that by myself anyway, but would love to shine a flashlight or just take a gander; maybe show the gf or throw that body, uh, I mean throw a coin in and make a wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Science Abuse Posted January 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 (edited) got 2 in my yard and almost each neighbor has one Sink holes, caves, or sisterns? Has anyone been in them? Mind if I come have a quick look? Should only take a few minutes each, just basically shining a light down any cracks I see. What we're doing is a continuation of the Ohio Cave Survey, trying to log all of these things. Could you PM me an adress so I can mark them on an area map? Would like to see where you are relative to previously mapped "Karst Terrain". This is quite cool. Edited January 9, 2009 by Science Abuse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Science Abuse Posted January 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 This sounds right near my house. Can you pm me where it's at exactly? I have no rappelling equipment and wouldn't do that by myself anyway, but would love to shine a flashlight or just take a gander; maybe show the gf or throw that body, uh, I mean throw a coin in and make a wish. Ehh that would be very frowned upon. "In some ones front yard" was not an exageration. When you bent over to look in there, you'd be wiggling your ass at their front door. plus, it's so deep, wet, and warm (compared to the outside) that you wouldn't see much other than your light refraction off the fog. If you want to get buggy, I've got a cave for you over in Dillon State Park. The folk I was with were collecting specimines of various things. I managed to find and capture a wee cave isopod. It was full of cave crickets, many small weird things, and gobs of these spiders: http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/298/metaei0.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87GT Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Very interesting. If I had any rock climbing experience I would want to go down and explore with you. ^_^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicktcfcsb Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 over perpared Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinwebb Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 wow that is amazing i have been to a few small caves my friends have found and such but nothing quite like that. Would be something cool to do with my free time. Is there a good link of any good caves in the area that arent well known about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Science Abuse Posted January 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Is there a good link of any good caves in the area that arent well known about? Not really. They're generally protected and almost always on private property. The local exception being at Indian Village Camp down in hilliard. The caves are in a ravine just south of the rowing clubs boat house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qtr_pndr Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Sink holes, caves, or sisterns? Has anyone been in them? Mind if I come have a quick look? Should only take a few minutes each, just basically shining a light down any cracks I see. What we're doing is a continuation of the Ohio Cave Survey, trying to log all of these things. Could you PM me an adress so I can mark them on an area map? Would like to see where you are relative to previously mapped "Karst Terrain". This is quite cool. nobody been in them as far as i know and you got a pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitrousbird Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Not really. They're generally protected and almost always on private property. The local exception being at Indian Village Camp down in hilliard. The caves are in a ravine just south of the rowing clubs boat house. Really; I am a 3 minute walk from the boat house. Will have to go snooping around and check that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nurkvinny Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 I grew up on a property bordering Dillon. Fun stuff to poke around in there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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