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International NewsTom Miller's ~aster's research atMcMaster University.THE RUMOR we reported in issue 5 ofa very deep Canadian cave has turnedout to be little more than that - arumor. The cave, D6, has actuallybeen surveyed to +110 m by the VancouverIsland Cave Exploration Group.Meanwhile, Canadian caver, Paul Griffiths,apparently checking pits a­bove the cave in hopes of a connection,has generated publicity in thenew media claiming the existence ofa 900 m deep cave. Sounds likecounting your chickens before theyhatch.IN THE SAME VEIN, the first issueof the new Belgian publicationSPEALP reports that Greek cavershave found a new deep shaft calledPropantes. The Greeks claim it hasa minimum drop of 418 m (El Sotanois 410 m) but they apparently havenot even descended it yet!THE 1978 NEW GUINEA EXPEDITION willreturn to the Atea Kanada riversink, reports Dr. Julia James ofSydney, ,Australia. The Atea Kanadais an awesome river cave with a lowwater flow of 12 cu-mecs (Yochibaverages 1 cu-mec, or m3/second),located on the remote Muller Plateauin Papua New Guinea. The Atea Kanadahas a steep gradient and it islikely that many vertical pitcheswill be encountered in the exploration;these may have the full forceof the Atea River flowing over them.The required perserverance to explorethis ultra-technical cave is matchedby its world-record depth potentialfrom sink to resurgence. The Aussiesare planning on fielding up to 60people, including 30 active cavers,for 2-1/2 months. Anyone for a swim?A 1000 METER SHAFT has reportedlybeen found in Austria. It has alarge waterfall entering 150 mintothe drop. A 500,m cable with 22 kgweight "swung free"in the shaft andbased on this they estimate a dropof 500-1000 meters. It is so farundescended.(Jim Smith)THE 1977 AMERICAN EXPEDITION TO GREECEhas returned and correspondent, JimSmith, has sent details of explorationon the Astraka Plateau. Duringthe first two weeks they descended25 p~ts in the 20-60 m range andextended "Hole of the Married Women"an additional 8 m past where theBrits claimed the passage was tootight! This impressive cave beginswith three spectacular drops: 131 m,52 m and 91 m, all free. In anotherarea the group descended two moreimpressive virgin pits: Tripa Spera63 mand Tripa Opedius 132 m freefall.The group then hiked up theProvetina area and descended bothProventina and Epos Chasm. Smithdescribes Proventina "the firstdrop is 165 m sheer to a ledge. Thenext drop is 207 m freefall - a massiveshaft." This totals to 372 m,less than the 376 m drop in Golondrinas.Winding up the trip, they bottomed158 m deep Gailo Tripa near Ele~phantopos, a large pit the Brits hadlocated, but had descended only 30 m.TAG BRIEFS: Alabama' s Small Cave hasbeen pushed to a depth of 156 m,making it the second deepest cave inthe state just behind Fern.Pushes by Marion Smith, RichardSchreiber, et al have led to a 3-1/2second freefall pitch in BloodstoneCave, noted for its shaky breakdown3