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Camping out with VPI Grotto on Jeff Higgenbotthams farm. Tanzwell Co., ca. 1948. Photo by S. A. Loyd
1943 VPI |
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The history of the VPI Grotto was compiled from the chronicle written by Mike Frieders and Bob Barlow for the Silver Anniversary issue of the TECH TROGLODYTE, and by Anne Whittemore from conversations with Ackie Loyd and Tommy Watts.
The large concentration of caves in the Blacksburg area, as well as in the rest of southwestern Virginia, makes Blacksburg a natural area for cavers. No doubt, ever since the creation of Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1872, students have visited the caves in the area. No attempt was made, however, to form a caving group on the campus until 1942.
It all began when Tommy Watts, already an NSS member, Ralph Hess, and George Crabb became interested in a cave well-known to the community of Blacksburg as Nellies Hole, located within walking distance of the town. Feeling that others might be as impressed as they with the beauty and adventure of caving, these original three formed the Cave Club as it is still best known on the campus. Acting through Dr. Holden of the Geology Department, the club was brought to the attention of the national society. A national meeting of the NSS was held at VPI on September 5-6, 1942, resulting in the chartering of the VPI Student Grotto, the first such grotto for the young society.
The first meetings of the new grotto were organizational and the members were concerned with drawing up a constitution to be presented to the NSS officials for approval. Officers were selected; Tommy Watts was chosen as president, F.L. Gaddy, vice president; Dawn Owens, secretary-treasurer. Membership in the new grotto was open to undergraduate students at VPI who had an interest in speleology. In January 1944, the grotto began publication of a newsletter, the GROTTO GRAPEVINE. This contained articles on speleoscience, trip reports, personality sketches of various members, and good-natured mudslinging. - Frieders/Barlow.
According to an article in the September 1, 1944, GROTTO GRAPEVINE, Aloysius Ignatz Cartwright, fondly known to all Grotto members as A.I. , was adopted as an active member in 1942. He lives in Clover Hollow Cave from which he discovered America before Columbus.
From Watts and Loyd: Crabb was responsible for naming Salamander Blow in Clover Hollow Cave. He was in a very tight passage, and a salamander kept trying to crawl into his mouth. He couldnt use his arms to shove it away, so in desperation, he bit it in half, and blew it out of his mouth!
During the early days, caves were explored on Sundays by hiring a coal haul truck driven by a fellow named Greeves. He didnt cave. Hed put bales of straw in the truck for us to sit on. In very cold weather he would add a tarp to huddle under. One time we explored New River Cave with the temperature at -5 F!
Immediately after World War II an influx of students returned to VPI. The club was active in exploring and mapping Starnes Cave, Smoke Hole, Clover Hollow Cave, Pig Holeand Newcastle Murder Hole. Wed leave by 7:00 AM on Sunday so that the girls could be back in their dormitory by 10:00 PM. The dining hall usually packed a lunch for us, and often if we returned early, wed go to the Blue Ribbon Diner (now called The Greeks) for dinner.
During this time, NSS membership cost $3.00 per year and VPI Grotto dues were $1.00 per year. Our dues were used predominantly to purchase equipment. The club met every Thursday evening to select a trip leader for the weekend trip. It was quite an honor to be a trip leader. The leader was responsible for making sure everyone had a good time, that everyone and everything was done safely and that the group returned to campus on time. On a usual trip to Pig Hole, as many as thirty people would be put in and out In one day. One person had to remain on top. When the first crew was ready to come out, they pulled themselves up from the bottom, and then pulled the rest of the cavers out from the top. If any girls were along on a trip, a faculty member had to accompany the group.
In October 1944, the Grotto made a trip to Hell Hole, WV. They left Friday night at 7:00 PM in Greeves truck. Near Monterey they began looking for gas. Nothing was open; they ran out of gas at the Thorn Creek Road into McCoys Mill. Ackie Loyd, serving as the trip leader, and Greeves walked into Franklin at 3:00 AM, not knowing how far theyd have to walk. The people at the hotel were very nice, and gave them a place to sleep. In the morning they got gas for the truck, and some NSS people gave them a ride back to the truck. They found everyone camped on the ground around the truck with a layer of snow on them! The entire truckload of cavers returned to town, where they were able to cook their own food in the hotel restaurants kitchen. Then they proceeded out to Hell Holewhere they met a number of other NSS members who had camped there.
Several ropes were put down the drop, and a large number of people were dropped into Hell Hole. When Ackie was being hauled up, the rope got miserably tangled. Ineffective bumbling on the surface left Ackie about eighty feet off the floor for at least an hour. One of the DC Grotto members said that they would leave him there until morning. After much hollering, Ackie persuaded them to allow the VPI Grotto members to work on the mess. In a very short time, Ackie was lowered to the floor, all the ropes hauled up, and a single rope lowered; Ackie was up in no time!
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