‘Most daring quest since Everest’

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33815, 11 April 1975, Page 9

‘Most daring quest since Everest’

New Zealand Press Association —Copyright)

LONDON, April 10

An idea tossed around in a Yorkshire public house over a few pints will lead 24 sturdy Britons to snake-infested, unexplored caves in the far west of Papua New Guinea.

The caves, believed to be jthe deepest in the world,! extend for more than a mile below the Earth’s surface. The 24 male members of i the British Speleological 1 (cave-exploring) Expedition, 5 armed with diving aqualungs, J ropes and picks, will land at ‘ the Telefomin airstrip, in the West Sepik district, in June, f and will then tramp 15 miles . through tropical jungle. , The expedition’s secretary. ' Mr Robert Palmer, said yesterday: “I would say that pJ this is the most daring 1 I expedition since Hillary’s , conquest of Mount Everest. “A group of us — all cave; fanatics — decided after a I few pints in a Yorkshire pub’ > to tackle these caves, which; j are more than 6000 feet . below the surface The: deepest caves explored so

far, in France, are about 400®; J feet.” ’; The expedition will be led; '{by Mr David Brook, aged 30J a research assistant at Leeds : ■ University, of whom Mr ' [ Palmer said: “Dave is a very experienced cave-man — he ’ led the expedition into the > 4000 ft-deep French caves. : Most of us have never been ■ into caves of these dimen- ' , sions, but we know what to ' .expect.” I The £30.000 six-month' .'expedition will include a; ; geologist, biologist, anthropologist, doctor, linguist, and :'two cameramen. “It will take us a week to. get to the . bottom, and it will be pretty.' ; scary at first, but once you’re!, [into it you just take in then >|beauty. It will be pitch black land there’ll be bats flying 11 everywhere, plus plenty of'- : | snakes and poisonous!; spiders.”