UMTNGIER (Krang)
25.199900,92.275200
Description
An estimated 20 m wide circular, funnel-shaped collapse doline in Lakadong Sandstone merges into an estimated 6 m wide rhomboid hole that breaches the sandstone caprock (above coal seams) and descends an estimated 50 m (or so) vertically down into a shaft in Lakadong Limestone and gives access to a pothole floor which, in February 2002, was covered with fallen boulders and littered with the remains of four more or less disintegrated human bodies. ETYMOLOGY: The Khasi "ka tngier" (noun) is a short form of "ka tyngier“ and signifies »a platform suspended just above the hearth (in a Khasi house) where firewood is kept« (SINGH, N 1906: 238). A perched ledge? Unidentified »local people« (no names recognised) near the Inspection Bungalow at the village of Umlynsha said something, which Brown, M W (2002: Mss) interpreted as if they had told him that Krang Umtngier is also called »Krem House« (note 1) or, perhaps, Krang –>Busti (basti, Hindi loanword, dwelling, a collection of huts). SITUATION 1852: On the one-hand side at an unspecified distance »west of this« (note 2) and on the other »at b on plan [note 3]« (OLDHAM, T 1859: 146, plate IX). SITUATION 1995, 2001: Close to the village of Umlatdoh in the Lakadong coal field. SITUATION 2002: In »the remote and somewhat spooky Lakadong area« (JARRATT & AUDSLEY 2002). APPROACH 1995, 2001: From the I.B. (Inspection Bungalow) near the road junction settlement of Umlynsha, follow the road to Umlatdoh village for 45 minutes, climbing up until a clear grassland area with a Shaktiman road junction is reached. Here, a small hamlet with a playing ground (football / cricket field) lies some 100 m further north-east and the pothole gapes in jungle with tall trees about 50 m south-west of the road junction (Gebauer, H D 1995, 2001 personal observation). APPROACH 1995, 2001: Foreigners tend to reach the gaping hole rather by following the motorable road than the short-cut from the the I.B. (Inspection Bungalow) at the road junction settlement of Umlynsha (note 4) in a south-easterly direction towards the village of Umlatdoh (note 5). Having ascended from the I.B. for about 45 minutes on foot (about 2.5 km along the road or 1.5 km along the short-cut), one reaches the grassland covering the Lakadong Plateau and a road junction near (±100 m) N25°12'04”: E092°16'32”(WGS84). Here, a small hamlet with a playing ground (football / cricket field) lies some 100 m further north-east and the pothole is hidden in a jungle with tall trees about 50 m south-west of the road junction (Gebauer, H D 1995, 2001 personal observation). APPROACH 2002: A shorter walk is to take the short-cut, a footpath east of the I.B., up through trees, then past graveyard near N25°12'00.2": E92°16'23.4" (Brown 2002: Mss). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1852: »A deep pit-like hollow, overgrown with jungle, when some coal has been extracted. … A deep hole here pierces to the beds below, and appears to me to have principally resulted from the falling-in of the rock in all probability into a large cavity or open space in the limestone beneath. … About eighteen feet [5.5 m] below the coal and these irregular beds of sandstone, we find thick limestone full of nummulites, and in every other respect similar to the limestone under the coal at Cherra. We are enabled to see this by the falling in of an old cave in the limestone, by which a deep hole has been formed towards the northern end of the croom« (OLDHAM, T 1859: 146-147). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2002: A circular, funnel-shaped pothole, about 20 m in diameter, breaches the sandstone caprock and passes by an abandoned coal measure 8 m below the surface. The 6 m wide rhomboid mouth is undercut to a circa 10 to 12 m diameter shaft in Lakadong Limestone, descending 35 m to a floor strewn with boulders and, in spring 2002, with human corpses, represented by four with flesh and two skeletons (after Brown 2002: Mss). TACKLE: The relatively soft sandstone requires exceptionally long bolts that are to be loaded exclusively with shearing forces. Two 10 m ladders, 60 m of rope (or 25 m + 35 m ropes: rebelay off base of ladders, rigged off trees, below sandstone). Possibly more rope for back-ups. Gloves, mask, wellies, disinfectant and a strong stomach [Mark W. Brown]. PROSPECTS (Brown 2002: Mss): A small slot between boulders in the eastern corner could be a continuation but the lack of notable air aircurrent (2002.02.21, unspecified time) combined with the stench of decomposing corpses prevented pushing. A possible passage, 15 m up from the shaft base, was sighted on the north-east side. CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: Human body disposal, either dead or alive: »Freefall practice area for suicidal coal miners« (Brown 2002: Mss), disposal of »criminals« (or so), etc. The rumour goes that the place is haunted. On 23rd February 2002 Mark W. Brown and Martin Groves, the "Lump" (in Khasi: Lynglun), were recce'ing opposite side of the shaft and they thought they heard voices / mining below --to the point that they both shouted down. Noises then stopped. Local people suggested that two immigrant Hindu coal miners committed suicide one year ago and others had fallen in previously. Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt (in: JARRATT & AUDSLEY 2002) narrates how »… … Martin, Mark, Shelley and Dan … had set a precedent during their first week in Shillong by finding the body of a recently murdered teenager floating in a river. In Lakadong their main aim was to descend two c.50 metre potholes located near the village and neighbouring immigrant coal miners' encampment. Surrounded by the usual horde of curious villagers they rigged the first pot and were not unduly surprised to hear the sounds of people apparently working in the depths below. These were obviously colliers who had entered from another, unknown entrance. After shouting down a warning, Dan abseiled into the depths to stop short of a group of at least six people at the shaft bottom. The shouted warning had been unnecessary as his new acquaintances had very obviously been dead for some time, and probably not by accident. There was no other access to the pot. Without getting off the rope our now thoroughly discomfited hero rapidly changed over and headed for the sweeter smelling surface to report to the locals that this reputedly 700 metre deep hole could not be bottomed due to lack of tackle!«
NOTE 1: Quite naturally, it did not dawn on the self-respected expedition caver Mark W Brown to consider attempting to ask disrespected »local people« (no names mentioned) why this cave is called »Krem House« (sic!) or what this means. We can, however, safely assume that the so-called »local people« near the Inspection Bungalow at Umlynsha were not only much more familiar with the area than Mark W Brown but also said neither "krem house" nor "iing cave" pronounced »ying cave« to Mark W. Brown because 1. the Lakadong people speak Lakadong Khasi dialect whilst the standard Khasi language is spoken by the Sohra people 1.1 the English "cave" is called "krem" in Sohra and "krang" in Lakadong 2. "house" is neither Lakadong Khasi nor standard Khasi but 2.1 either the English word for "ka ïing" 2.2 or a foreigner's corruption of a Khasi word, e.g. háp-shop [leit] (verb, transitive) »to fall into misfortunes« (SINGH, N 1906: 81); »to befall« (SINGH, N 1920: 41) ki hamsaia (noun, a legal term) »the neighbours« (SINGH, N 1906: 80) ka hisa (noun) »a share« (SINGH, N 1906: 82).ba husiar (adjective) »alert« (SINGH, N 1920: 14); »cautious; circumspect« (SINGH, N 1920: 63, 72). NOTE 2: »this« (OLDHAM, T 1859: 146) refers to an occurrence of coal: »Close to the village« (Lakadong N25°11'03”: E092°16'21” WGS84). NOTE 3: »Plan of the Plateau of Lakadong« (Oldham, T 1859 plate IX). NOTE 4: »Umlingsha« (Brown 2002 Mss) is indicated as »Umlynsha« near (±150 m) N25°12'24”: E92°15'52” (WGS84 modified from Everest 1830) on Survey of India Half-Inch sheet 83-C/SW (edition 1922). Mark W. Brown positioned (2002.02.21, GPS Garmin 12) a certain »Umlingsha tea house« near (unidentified precision error) 25°12'29.0”N: 92°15'42.9”E (WGS84). NOTE 5: Umlatdoh N25°11'43”: E92°16'40” (±1 km, WGS84 modified from Everest 1830, Survey of India Half-Inch series sheet 83-C/SW edition 1922). NOTE 6: »2-12-95 Long tedious drive to Lakadong. Meet village headman and enquired about local caves. Visited a deep pothole, which was not descended. Returned to Jowai and then to Shillong« (Brooks, S J in: BROOKS, S J et al 1998: 18).
Documents
Bibliography 03/07/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1890: Rahmatulla Khan (in: LATOUCHE 1890) shows a »Swallow Hole« in his One Inch to 400 ft (circa 1: 4800) map of the "Lakadong Coal Field". 1995.12.02: A Lakadong Sardar (sorry, name lost) guided Brian D. Kharpran Daly, Simon J. Brooks, H. Daniel Gebauer, Lindsay B. Diengdoh, etc., to the entrance of a pothole recorded as »Krang Umtngier« but neither the village headman nor the cavers had neither sufficient tackle or time to enter and investigate (note 6). 2001.02.23: Kondrick Dkhar, then the Lakadong Sardar (village headman), reported the cave name »Krem Tngier« to Brian D. Kharpran Daly, Mark W. Brown, Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt, H. Daniel Gebauer, Lindsay B. Diengdoh and Shelley A. Diengdoh. 2002.02.21: Daniel B. Harries (gas testing) and the photograph takers Mark W. Brown, Shelley A Diengdoh and Martin "The Lump" Groves descended in search of recreational adventure and claimed to have "surveyed" (sports caver standards) a lump sum of 52 m to a degree yielding a total of survey length without a trace of survey data or anything reminiscent of a cave plan or a vertical section.