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by Goat Herder » Mon May 26, 2003 1:47 am
Really interesting reading.
Here's my take on it. It's a great whopping big cave and they had to build a shaft for an airhole and to lower gear (and treasure) into it. Given that the shaft is so deep, they had to do it in layers (therefore all the wooden landings).
Some rules of caves: build airholes upward, not sideways, especially near water. What's to say the flood tunnel wasn't accidental, and once some idiot flooded the cave, they could never unflood it. Also, being a cave, it quite likely it's got another entrance somewhere, although it wouldn't be much use to anyone anymore since the cavern itself is flooded.
One interesting twist is the existence of stagant water (which means that one part of the cavern must be separated from the sea water). Another is the bad air - may not have been caused by machinery, bad air is common in caves, therefore another pocket that the sea water hasn't got into. Another is the strong currents when they tried to dive in the cave, therefore must be at least 2 water openings (an inlet and an outlet) or else turbulence caused by wave action (perhaps an old blowhole?).
That's enough brainwork for me today. I'll ask my sister speliologist if she's got any ideas.
Live long and prosper ---- but don't let the Taxation Department know.
Interesting stuff. I espeacially like the idea that a bunch of 300 year old priates have managed to outsmart a whole load of modern people with all their technology...
