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Jamaican Caving Notes |
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MAY 11, 2003 HISTORY CAVE, AKA JOHN'S CAVE Position: WGS84 - 18 10 45.0 N, 77 09 03.1 W, Alt 380 m, +/- 15 m Field notes: I. C. CONOLLEY Cavers: R. S. Stewart, I. C. Conolley, M. Taylor We are in Windsor, Trelawny, and we are heading to Lluidas Vale to find a cave with breccia that could possibly be fossils of a bygone age. Stef says this is for a Professor who needs to get the position of the cave for possibly future work. Remembering the Quickstep caving trip, when we used a short cut and almost never got there, we decided this time to take the well-worn path. We used the main road to Kingston as far as Ewarton and then turned off to Lluidas Vale - a simple though lengthy journey. Then the questions began. Stef, in his inimical style, gets out and does his speal. The man is satisfied he is on official business and tells him where to find Mr Slue. Another check and we are on our way. A young lady comes out. Oh Mr. Slue is not here now. Won’t be coming back until tonight. No, nobody here can take you. He is in Ty Dixton. How far. Not far. So Ty Dixton it is. We are in Ty Dixton. There are some people on a verandah. Where do we find Mr Slue? No it's not this Ty Dixton. This is Top Ty Dixton. He is at Bottom Ty Dixton. By now they are getting the picture that it is actually a cave and not a person that we really want. Two young men, Mark Case and Richard Dose, who always take people to caves, are there and willing to take us. They know all the caves in the area, and yes, they know the cave on Slue’s property. Well let's go. Then, when there, the usual confusion sets in. Stef says this does not look like the place. He shows me the chart. It's not. When he tells them it's not the place, suddenly the lights are on and they say, "oh but that place is far and if we are to go there we have to leave now". It is a long walk. This episode reminds me of the story of the guy who lost his watch one night and is looking for it under the street light. His friend turns up and joins the search, "Where did you lose it?" "Somewhere up there - some five metres away." "But then why are you looking here?" "Because this is where the light is." So we got the closest cave. This cave was on the Worthy Park property and we are told that school children from all over come to that cave. They are really a series of caves. You go in and then come out and go in again. It is also a river course in the rainy season. They say its called JOHN’S CAVE. The cave is comprised of stratified limestone looking like some legendary giant of a people created it with limestone building blocks equal to their size. "I was 'ere" markings date back to 1820. Might be worthwhile looking at at some later date. (Continue to Slue's) |
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