WAH SAPOH 1 (Kyrshan Dhar 1999) (Krem)
25.295800,92.501400
Description
A seasonal stream disappears as »a sink (stream cave) in bed of a dry river« (Harp 2002.02.16 Mss) and gives access to a »vertical series into horizontal passage ending in [sic! for: giving access to an unexplored] flooded zone« (Brown 2002.02.17 Mss: Krem Tyrnem). ETYMOLOGY: The cave is called after the seasonal stream which has been said to be locally known as the Wah Sapoh (Raibok Patlong 1999.02.17) or Wah Sapor (Roilian Nampui 2005.02.11), which appears to describe a "seasonal stream" as the Khasi prefix "sa" means »to be affected with« (SINGH, N 1906: 178) and the Khasi noun "ka pór" translates as »the time, a period« (SINGH, N 1906: 163).Andrew "Andy" Harp (2002.02.16 Mss: Krem Tyrnem) was not able to identify the original, locally known name of the cave and decided to fall back on private language (note 1) to concoct a Pseudokhasi »Krem Tyrnem = Hammer Cave« (note 2) but hastened to explain that this is merely »a field name given because a hammer was used to enlarge wet crawl.« SITUATION (Gebauer 1999.03.30): According to the recorded GPS readings, which had been read with precisions rendering these positions utterly useless, Krem Wah Sapoh lies 630 m in a direct line approximately south (173°) from the church at Tangnub (N25°18'07”: E092°30'06” WGS84: 1145 m asl). APPROACH 1999 (Gebauer 1999.03.30): From the village of Tangnub (church N25°18'07”: E092°30'06” WGS84: 1145 m asl), the cave entrance is reached by following the well trodden path which descends in a south-easterly direction towards Krem –>Umte (Pynthor) near WGS84 N25°17'20”: E092°30'34” (±150 m): 950 m asl (Gebauer 1999.03.30). Where a hollowed Strangler Fig tree (Ficus constrictor) flourishes on the escarpment at the level of the pinnacles, an inconspicuous trail to the south (right) goes off the main path and leads to an uneven, recently (winter 1998/99) jhumed (slashed & burned) area above the northern (orographically left) bank of (the stream) Wah Sapoh or Wah Sapor. APPROACH 2002 (Harp 2002.02.16 Mss "Krem Tyrnem" amended by Brown 2002.02.17 Mss dated 17/2/02): »Go to Tangnub, obvious closed depression to left of road at [±36 m] N25°17'54.6” : E92°30'06.3” . Easy route is to follow ridge down to paddy field [HDG: Is this the jhumed bri / deforested and burned piece of land prepared for cultivation in 1999?] at [±16 m] N25°17'45.7": E92°30'08.5”: 994 m asl. Drop down through trees to right (MWB: south-west) and follow dry river bed to limestone cliff. Cave is entered through boulders in floor. Harder route is to just follow dry river bed down from road to cliff.« POSITION 1: WGS84 N25°17'43”: E092°30'05” (±50 m): 930 m asl (Gebauer 1999.03.30, wobbly 4-channel GPS Garmin 4). POSITION 2: WGS84 N25°17'45.5": E092°30'05.3" (±36 m) without elevation (A. Harp 2002.02.16, 12-channel GPS Garmin Etrex). POSITION 3: WGS84 N25°17'45.1": E092°30'05.0" (±50 m): 1090 m modified after »20 m S to hole« near N25°17'45.7": E092°30'05.0" (±30 m): 1091 m (Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt 2002.02.16, blunderful Magellan 360). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1999: The seasonal waters of the Wah Sapoh / Wah Sapor sink between clean washed boulders lavishly decorated with large spiders (Arachnidae: Aranea: Sparassidae: conf. Heteropoda sp.). A wriggly 5 m descent down gains the edge of an undescended 5 m ladder drop (Gebauer 1999.03.30). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2002.1: »Krem Tyrnem (Hammer cave) … Dave, Andy, Mark … entered through boulders, 8 m ladder pitch, 7 m free climable pitch, 50 m pitch, then 20 m of passage to a strong draughting duck [note 3]« (Hodgson 2002.02.16 Mss: SUTDIARY.WRI). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2002.2: »Series of chambers in breakdown for about 20 m depth (one 10 m ladder), one pitch (free climbable) for 7 m, then rift passage for about 10 m, pitch of about 50 m, then 20 m passage to duck with good draught (MWB: 300 m of 4 to 6 m wide crawling or walking passage trending 190°. Ends (?) in still draughting ducks, and sumps)« (Brown 2002.02.17 Mss amendment to Harp 2002.01.16 Mss Krem Tyrnem). CAVE CONTENTS: »Calcite, flowstone and stals [stalagmitic or stalactitic speleothems], rounded fluvial deposits in main horizontal passage, mud and sand banks.« PROSPECTS: »Ongoing, howling draught, duck (MWB: ducks, low prospects unless mask and snorkel taken.« TACKLE REQUIRED: Harp (2002.02.16 Mss): »10 m ladder, 20 m lifeline, 15 m rope, 60 m rope, 3 hangers for Spits« (note 4). Brown (2002.02.17 Mss: Amendment to Harp 2002.01.16 Mss: Krem Tyrnem) recommends »slings, wetsuit.« CULTURAL HISTORY: Brown (2002.02.17 Mss amendment to Harp 2002.01.16 Mss) draws attention to the surprising but personally experienced impression of having been led to believe that there once had lived --or still lives-- in this world an unacknowledged »Local woman« without identified name, who »knew nothing of cave's existence« (note 5). CAVE LIFE: Harp (2002.02.16 Mss) recorded »Lots of spiders (various species), unidentified bats, crab, small white fish and shrimp« (Arachnida: Aranea, Crustacea: Brachyura: Palaemonidae, unpigmented Pisces, Chiroptera). Only because Hodgson (2002.02.16 Mss) stated that somebody had »many white loaches seen« KOTTELAT, HARRIES & PROUDLOVE (2007: 43 table 2) list Krem Wah Sapoh among the caves in the »Sutnga area« (sic! qua: Shnongrim ridge) in which the cave dwelling loach Schistura prob. papulifera (Teleostei: Balituridae) has been recorded.
NOTE 1: »It savours of impertinence for Europeans to assert their views against the usage of other civilisations« (LONGSTAFF, T G in: Swami PRANAVANANDA 1939: The sources of the Brahmaputra …- Geographical Journal ISSN 0016-7398 (London: Royal Geographical Society), vol. 43, no. 2 (February 1939), page 135. NOTE 2: The Khasi noun ”u 'nem” is a contraction of ”u tyrnem” and is »a hammer« as "u tyrnem-bah" is »a big hammer« and "u tyrnem rit" is »a small hammer, etc.« (SINGH, N 1906: 140,241).NOTE 3: Tony [Anthony] Jarratt (2005.07.27 Mss amendments to South Asia Cave Register 2002.04.18) suggests to comment this »drafting duck« with a hearty »Sic!« to point out that a grade 3 siphon with air flow is meant. H.D. Gebauer (2005.08.19), however, finds the presence of feathered designers is funny. NOTE 4: The Khasi noun "u spit" is »a very small species of bamboo very good for making ties« (SINGH, N 1906: 211) and the Khasi verb ”biah” means »to spit; to change; to return the excess money in a barter« (SINGH, N 1906: 12) but the "spit" of Harp (2002.02.16 Mss: Krem Tyrnem) is rather a rock anchor (a self-wedging iron stud sunken into a hole drilled into rock) used to attach a rope. NOTE 5: Subscribing to such a creed is of little importance because Raibok Patlong from Tangnub village had reported the cave name »Krem Wah Sapoh« already on 17th February 1999 whilst Kyrshan Dkhar, also hailing from Tangnub, even guided on 30th March of the same year 1999 a whole team of cave entrance spotters to this site.
Documents
Bibliography 04/07/2016Histoire
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1999.02.17: Raibok Patlong reported the cave name »Krem Wah Sapoh« to Brian D. Kharpran Daly in company with Simon J. Brooks, Georg Bäumler, Richard "Ritschi" Frank, Christine Jantschke, Herbert Jantschke, Mike Zawada and Zuala Ralsun. 1999.03.30: Guided by Kyrshan Dhar and in company with Earl Francis Lyngdoh and eight students of Wells Cathedral School, it was Herbert "Daniel" Gebauer and Robert "Rob" Lamb who reconnoitered the potential. 2002.02.16: Mark W. Brown, "Yorkshire Dave" Hodgson and Andrew "Andy" Harp found the cave on recce, dropped a pitch and claimed to have "surveyed" about 100 m from surface to head of 50 m pitch to a degree yielding a disputable survey length but no cave survey (cave plan). 2002.02.17: M.W. Brown, A. Harp and Dorien Verboven photographed and "surveyed" (tape spotter standards) additional 240 m; total: 338 m without arriving at a survey (cave plan). 2005.02.11: Guided by Roilian Nampui, it was Georg Bäumler, Gregory D. Diengdoh, Herbert Jantschke and Christine Jantschke, who eventually got the entrance to »Wah Sapor« (Krem Wah Sapoh) shown. Unfortunately, they were mislead to believe the cave had been explored (JANTSCHKE 2006: 147) only because sports cavers once had claimed to have "surveyed" there.
Cavités proche
| Distance (km) | Nom | Longueur (m) | Profondeur (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | WAH SAPOH 2 (Kyrshan Dhar 1999) (Krem) | ||
| 0.0 | WAH SAPOH 3 (Kyrshan Dhar 1999) (Krem) | ||
| 0.0 | WAH SAPOH 4 (Jantschke 2005) (Krem) | ||
| 0.1 | GIBBON DOLINE ARCH (aa -) | ||
| 0.1 | GOLDEN CAVE, Wah Sapoh (aa -) | ||
| 0.1 | GIBBON DOLINE (aa -) | ||
| 0.1 | GIBBON DOLINE CAVE 1 (aa -) | ||
| 0.1 | GIBBON DOLINE CAVE 2 (aa -) | ||
| 0.1 | GIBBON DOLINE CAVE 3 (aa -) |