THE BOSSI SPRING 1992
by Beatrice Dell'Oro
The Bossi Spring is
situated at the Generoso Mountain in the District Ticino. The territory of this
mountain has been object of the researches of the Speleologist Group of Ticino
for different years who gradually, with accurate and patient investigations,
have discovered great caves in the upper part of the mountain, facts that show
that at the inside there still has to exist a vast system practically unknown,
corresponding to the hydrical net which is feeding the springs. Among these
there is the Bossi Spring which has always been an object of interest both for
the purity of the water, as well as for the regularity of the outflow controlled
by the Electric Company of Lugano.
Primo Meli of Rovio who in 1974 has reached the depth of
-47 meters
has peen the pioneer of the explorations. A second exploit was the one of Walter
Keusen and Olivier Isler, who in 1985 reached the depth of
-89 meters
and who went up again on the opposite part up to -40 meters.
In September 1991 Luigi Casati, who knew about the fame of the
source, decided to try the continuation of the exploration. This is a case in
which the entrance is easily accessible from the main road (it is only a few
meters) and the preparation of the material can be completed on the pavement at
the edge of the spring. The main tunnel of the spring goes down up to
-89 meters
with a medium inclination of 45° more or less regular, but the first handicap is
met few meters below the surface because the passage is low and big rocks
abandoned on the bottom prevent from penetrating in a simple way. The equipment
that is necessary for passing the depth of -89 meters consists of two
backmounted 20 liter tanks and others five 10 liter tanks: all in all a weight
of 150 Kg and an encumbrance without saying too much, quite considerable.
Already at his first dives Luigi starts with two 20 liter tanks and lets
companions, who serve as support divers leave a
10 liter
tank of O2 at
-6 meters,
the long hose of oxygen at
-12 meters
and a tank containing air for the decompression at -40 meters. The section of
the cave becomes triangular and wide enough after
-15 meters.
It follows a vertical fracture that at -50 meters is widened in a shaft. At the
base of the shaft there is a passage which leads down to
-83 meters,
where a narrow passage of 100 x 80 cm with gravel on the bottom begins. Passed
the lowest point at
-89 meters
Luigi goes up again on the opposite side up to -40 meters, after this he decides
to return because of voluminous clay blocks that, solicited by the bubbles, are
detached off the ceiling and falling down, making the water turbid and the
visibility nil. The explorations continue regularly in the following months,
always giving results. Small demanding footsteps in which every time the
techniques are improved and decompression charts are verified. During one of
the dives at
-60 meters
a tunnel going up again is discovered, which almost returns in the direction of
the exit (30° of difference): it is not simple to fix the Arianna line in this
place since in the passage there are neither grips nor protuberances and the
visibility, which is reduced in a few instants, doesn't give a lot of
possibilities to look around. Try after try, tasting, after some attempts Luigi
succeeds in finding a passage to resurface in a dry room: he removes the tanks
and after a walk of some meters he reaches a shaft that goes up but is
obstructed by threatening and unstable erratic rocks. Impossible and dangerous
to continue and in any case it is still not the right way, the way that is being
looked for. Almost every weekend is consecrated to the exploratory dives, which
are alternated with dives devoted to the topographical relief.
The writing slate hanging around the neck, the depht meter and the
compass well fixed and there he goes, one pass at a time with attention and
patience. The well positioned Arianna line facilitates the operation and gives
the possibility of an easy reentry when visibility becomes nil. The dives
continue in the following months beyond the
-89 meters
narrow passage and step by step Luigi tries to ascend trying narrow pasages,
inevitably encountering big amounts of clay breaking loose, narrow passages, but
discovering about ten meters more.
There are conditions to
get discouraged: every dive has a total duration of 2h and 30 minutes in average
and the decompressions has to be done in a narrow space of the cave.
Stopping in a small angle, in a water
temperature of 7°, the cold is felt penetrating more and more up to the bones.
The winter quickly passes and the memory fades of when, getting out
of the water, the sky is seen whirled up with snowing and the neoprene gloves
remain attached to the grating at the entry. On May 17 the nth dive pleasantly
starts under the omen of a serene sky and a pleasantly warm climate. Luigi
descends decidedly, hoping that this time perhaps it is the right one. He passes
the low narrow passage, ascends the opposite part up to -45 meters: he enters a
passage, discovered little before and ascends up to
-20 meters
in a narrow passage up to a place where he almost gets jammed. When he sees the
continuation in front of him, in the turbid water, he is forced descending among
some rocks down to
-30 meters,
after this he starts to ascend again in a beautiful forced conduct (2x1meters)
of
70 meters
lenght, until reaching
-3 meters
where an enormous rock partially obstructs the passage. He passes around this
rock and resurfaces! For an instant he looks around: the tunnel continues in the
dry but it is better to immediately return underwater and to return to the exit.
A mad desire to tell everything: for this, during the decompression on the other
part toward the exit he makes himself understood by gestures to a companion, who
has gone down for a check if everything is all right, that he has succeeded! The
decompression (three hours) it seems really longer than usually. The places of
the stops are known thoroughly and during the waiting the time is killed by
moving some stones to make the place more comfortable for the next passage. It
is the first time in the world that in a sump of
-89 meters
the ascent of the opposite part is completed, resurfacing, but to have chased
the head out of the water for only an instant is not enough, it is not
sufficient, it will be necessary to return for seeing more. The following
weekend Luigi returns to the Bossi Spring with the purpose to exit on the other
side of the sump and to make a recognition of the aerial zone, alone, since
nobody is able to follow him. He will take an additional tank of pure oxygen for
the decompression with him. The exit from the sump, in the heart of the mountain,
is not simple, also for the fact that it proceeds on an unstable rockslide; in
addition the tanks and the rest of the material attached to the body, around
70 Kg.,
don't facilitate walking at all. It is necessary to gear off with precaution
putting everything in safe angles to avoid that something slips into the turbid
water. The operation happens with caution,then, after having put on the boots,
Luigi starts to advance on the ground and after few steps he sees a very tall
hall with two shafts that rise in vertical direction. Luigi tries to climb but
after about ten meters he is forced to stop before a dangerous passage even if a
little further the tunnel seems to become horizontal. Crossing the hall instead
at the bottom long side, after about 10 meters another sump is reached. The
situation seems to be problematic for considering an immediate exploration: the
entry is formed by an opening of around 70x50 cm, therefore small tanks
(7Liters) would be required. For anyone who wants to continue, this will be the
further material to bring along next time. Luigi returns along his footprints,
he is prepares to gear up again the bulky equipment that served him for reaching
this point with calm. On the edge of the water whose difference to hot chocolate
consists only in the temperature, he gears up with the tanks, the helmet,
prepares the regulators and the manometers carefully and methodically and
verifies the lights. A last effort to slip into the watertight gloves, a last
thought to the world that waits for him beyond, so far, so nearby and there he
goes, he slips in the water. The return almost seems to be longer. Sitting on
the wall in front of the spring the friends finally see the water tremble and
the air bubbles getting numerous and regular. The anguish of the waiting is
loosened and after five hours from the departure the shine of the lights is seen
again, then the helmet, then the tired but satisfied face. All in all the whole
job has been long and delicate, not only for the complexity of the exploration
in itself, but also for the calculation of the times of decompression of the
mixtures to be used at the various levels: Pure oxygen for the decompressions,
Surox for the part of the descent, compressed air, and mixtures with Helium
below
-75 meters
of depth. The choice of the mixtures has never been an improvisation of the
moment, or a patchwork of theoretical notions taken out off specialist's essays.
The participation at explorations and the exchange of experiences with other
cave divers, the verification of his own conditions and abilities every single
time, have led to an increase of knowledge, they have brought awareness of his
own physical and psychic limits; in addition to this the knowledge that the
decompression charts, studied by computers for a determined route with preset
times are purely experimental, when this account can be intended as a single
proof of the many tests that are necessary for establishing a precise rule, that
unfortunately includes a lot of other variables.
Luigi returns on 31
December 1992, to continue the climb, as well as diving the second sump. The
passage where he has stopped the last time is overcome, he passes on almost
horizontally for some meters, then he has to face a slippery vertical wall,
covered by a layer of thin clay.
Wearing the watertight dry suit and the rubber boots it is neither
very comfortable nor pleasant to climb. Having gained
25 meters
in height the situation is becomes really precarious (the smallest accident in
the present situation would cause irreversible consequences).
For a safe progression
ropes are needed and therefore he decides to go down.
Adequately equipped he faces the second
siphon and passes it for
25
meters stopping in front of a very narrow fissure at -6m. After a serious
evaluation of the situation he decides to return. Also this time the return
towards the exit is passing regularly and in total six hours are employed. When
the bills are made it occurs that the underwater part in total measures
550 meters
plus
50 meters
of emerged tunnels, that the level difference in water is -89 meters and in air
about +25 meters: in total twenty-three dives have been made. When the
explorations are prepared the people passing on the road stop to look, curious
about the big amount of strange equipments on the edge of the spring, and about
the characters dressed as divers in a place where there is no sea, it is far
away, and where in substitution there is a puddle of a few square meters; they
asks what there is to be seen down there and remain incredulous and admired when
they are explained that the water which up to that moment was only known as"
good to drink" originates from tunnels and passages that go down black in the
mountain in which someone was bold enogh to penetrate. Topographical designs
will be prepared, photos will be taken, they will be rendered public and those
people that quietly look at the water gushing out will be able to take advantage
at their turns having a comfortable peek at places unimaginable.
[Novità]
[News] [Dernières Nouvelles]
[Noticias]
[Home Page]
[Curriculum Vitae]
[Attività]
[Esplorazioni] [Album
Foto] [Corsi]
[Commenti]
[Home Page ENG]
[Curriculum Vitae ENG]
[Activity]
[Explorations] [Photo
Album] [Courses]
[Comments]
[Home Page FRA]
[Curriculum Vitae FRA]
[Activité] [Explorations]
[Photo
Album FRA] [Formations]
[Commentaires]
[Home Page ESP]
[Curriculum Vitae ESP]
[Actividades]
[Exploraciones] [Album Fotografias]
[Cursos Buceo]
[Comentarios]
[E-M@il]
