Mile 5 of the Pettyjohn Cave Survey

Most of the fifth mile took place in The Labyrinth, adown stream to the main stream and up to the Water
maze of stream passages. Surface water drains inFall, where they mapped the Squirrel Room above the
from Screech Owl Cave and other holes east of thewater fall. Returning to the junction of the two streams,
entrance to Pettyjohn Cave. I have been in Screechthey surveyed down stream to connect to station
Owl Cave but not to the end. It is a very small andP135. Next they started a survey up the small stream
tight cave. We have also made attempts to dig outpassage in the direction of Screech Owl Cave. At the
other deep holes in the area that possibly also drainbottom of the 30-foot mud climb down they picked up
into Pettyjohn.station P77 and started mapping the upper-level
Most of the Outer Limits are included in this mile. Thestream passage. The survey resulted in 824.96 feet
Outer Limits is a fitting name for this far- flung sectionT.H.C. Total survey now 23,772.43 feet.
of the cave. After about three hours of hard caving,November 1, 1970 - Richard Schreiber and Allen
you reach the really tough stuff.Padgett resumed the survey in the upper-level stream
The Pulverizer Squeeze allows you to climb andpassage and surveyed another 259.85 feet T.H.C.
squeeze down into the Sleazy Passage and TobaccoTotal survey now 24,032.28 feet.
Road. Just before Tobacco Road you turn northNovember 2, 1970 - Richard Schreiber, Allen Padgett,
toward the Outer Limits. At The Slit you have theDon Hunter and Barry Prince resumed the survey in
choice of dropping down, if you have a rope, to thethe JVC Room. On a rock in the middle of this room is
stream level or stay high for about three hundred feet.a marker JVC 1964. I presume that is when this room
Three passages at the end trend north west to southwas discovered. The lower stream passage (Porpoise
east with the longest about 200 feet.Passage), was surveyed down stream toward the
August 22, 1970 - Richard Schreiber, Ted Wilson andmud climb down. From the JVC mark they went down
Steve Wells went out to the end of Tobacco Roadthree feet under a ledge to enter The Labyrinth. This is
and picked up the survey at station W80A. Aftera maze section that is south of and below Screech
mapping about a hundred feet they went out to theOwl Cave. The survey resulted in 872.72 feet T.H.C.
Outer Limits and surveyed to the 4 Mile Mark. TheyTotal survey now 24,905.00 feet.
surveyed up the stream almost to the end of theJune 21,1971 - After nine months of no surveying,
passage. The survey resulted in 589.87 feet T.H.C.Richard Schreiber, Rod Price, John Eastburn and David
Total survey now 21,450.15 feet.Teal returned to The Labyrinth for more surveying.
September 12, 1970 - Richard Schreiber, John EastburnThe survey resulted in 675.03 feet T.H.C. Total survey
and Allen Padgett made a surface survey from thenow 25,580.03 feet.
entrance of Pettyjohn Cave to Screech Owl CaveDecember 7, 1973 - Two years later Richard
some 325 feet to the east. Screech Owl Cave wasSchreiber and Allen Padgett return again to The
probably first found during the spring of 1970, by EdLabyrinth and mapped 803.77 feet T.H.C. Total survey
Renner of the Florida State Cave Club. On Septembernow was 26,383.80 feet, only 12.89 feet short of the 5
16, Screech Owl Cave was dug open and the surveyMile Mark.
begun by Marion O. Smith, Cricket Haygood, JonFebruary 22, 1974 - Two months later Richard
Resager and Dan Dougherty Jr.Schreiber and Allen Padgett surveyed again in The
September 26, 1970 - Richard Schreiber and JohnLabyrinth and on the first survey shot of 32 feet they
Eastburn surveyed the north end of the Outer Limits.surpassed the 5 Mile Mark. However, they were not
While Ted Wilson and Bill Steele surveyed The streamaware of it due to the calculation errors in the survey
passage from station W112 of the May 14, 1970books.
survey. The combined surveys resulted in 1,497.29 feetSurvey trips have really started to slow, with three
T.H.C. Total survey now 22,947.47 feet.more survey trips in 1974 for a total of only four. There
October 10, 1970 - George Morris, Allen Padgett,was one more survey in 1981, then four more in 1983
Marion O. Smith and Doug Strait deepened Screechand the last recorded survey by Richard Schreiber in
Owl Cave by digging and continued the survey. And1985.
on October 20, 1970, Richard Schreiber, Marion and JimAfter 15 years of caving in Pettyjohn Cave I started
Young completed the survey of Screech Owl Cavere-mapping the parts that we had visited, unaware of
at 325.9 feet long and 107.1 feet deep. Chuck Hortonthe work done by Schreiber. In 1987 we made our first
did the chimney but did not survey because of the lacksurvey trip and began to record the previous survey
of room!station marks and would follow these with our own
October 20, 1970 - Richard Schreiber and Chucksurvey when possible.
Horton first mapped a short passage just above theThe raw survey data for the fifth mile is available in
stream level near the Chute or Luge. They then wentPDF format on my caving web site.