SOOTINCK CAVE, Umthe

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A kind of cave entrance, which looks like an approximately small rift (Dowswell 2000.02.22 Mss: Krem Sootinck) without identified size, was not only understood to face an unidentified direction but also to lead to a kind of pool and then via a squeeze to a bedding plane crawl (about 5 m wide), which passes via a choke to a further crawl tending to a so-called left (without identified direction). A stooping sized passage continues for an estimated 50 m in an unidentified direction. ETYMOLOGY: No autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for what effective outsiders christened Sootinck Cave in honour of Neil Sootinck (Shillong). SITUATION: According to Peter N F Dowswell (2000.02.22 Mss: Krem Sootinck), the entrance to this cave without identified name lies about 200 m below the abandoned mine workers' camp at Umthe and on the orographical right-hand side of an approximately small riverbed (sic!) without identified name, which is characterised by flowing froman undidentified area in an unidentified direction to join at an unidentified spot further downstream an unidentified river.At one point, where there is a drop of about 1.5 m in the streambed, there is an approximately small (sic!) rift. CAVE CLIMATE: Peter N F Dowswell (2000.02.22 Mss: Krem Sootinck) reports to have noticed at an unspecified time on 22nd February 2000 an impression according to which the cave entrance to this so-called Krem Sootinck is without noticeable air draught (or so). CAVE LIFE: Peter N. F. Dowswell noticed on 22nd February 2000 in Krem Sootinck sort of small spiders, only about one inch [2.54 cm] in diameter (Dowswell (2000.02.22 Mss: Krem Sootinck).