Stories about a white speleologist. White speleologist - guardian of the Sablinsky caves White speleologist
It is impossible to imagine the natural habitat of man without sunlight, but this does not mean that man refused to explore the world of the underground.
Here are the famous ones Sablinskie caves near St. Petersburg they are not empty: they are chosen by speleologists, tourists, lovers of esotericism and... ghosts. The most famous inhabitant of this underground kingdom is White speleologist.
Just 40 kilometers from St. Petersburg along the Moscow highway, and you find yourself in the amazingly picturesque places of the Sablinsky Nature Reserve. Here, on an area of 220 hectares, unique for the plains are concentrated
terrain reliefs - canyons and waterfalls. And along the bank of the Tosna River there are entrances to the famous Sablinsky caves.
All of them are of artificial origin and were formed as a result of the extraction of quartz sand on the banks of Tosna. Even 150 years ago, during the time of Catherine II, the glass industry began to develop in Russia, and intensive development of quartz sand has been carried out in Sablino since 1860.
It was hard labor, when sand was carried in baskets to the mouth of the mine and sent along the Tosna River to glass factories. Later, trolleys appeared, and the sand was sent to the railway station. Three wagons of sand were mined per day, and workers were paid 80 kopecks per day.
This is how the Sablinsky caves appeared - ancient mine workings resembling adits. The method of sand extraction here was special - chamber-and-pillar, when during excavation, pillars-columns were left as fastenings, which alternated with the chambers where the main extraction was carried out.
The sand was mined of excellent quality, and the famous imperial crystal was made from it, which received the highest marks at international exhibitions. One of the most respected clients was the court of His Imperial Majesty. In 1924, the last miner left the caves, and Mother Nature began to work on them.
UNDERGROUND PEARL
Currently, there are four large caves in Sablino - Levoberezhnaya (“Trash”), “Pearl”, “Pants”, “Rope”, as well as several smaller caves: “Trekhglazka”, “Beach”, “Dream”, “Santa” Maria", "Count's Grotto", "Fox Holes". All caves look very colorful due to the fact that the walls are made of white and red sandstone, and the vaults are made of green glauconitic limestone.
The so-called “Trash” is rich in underground lakes up to three meters deep and with an area of many hundreds of square meters. These lakes are unique in their own way, and all thanks to anomalies associated with water filtration. For example, Pearl Lake either lasts for years or disappears within a day. There are floods here, and they start so abruptly that if this happens, you need to get out of here quickly, otherwise there will be trouble.
In general, Sablinsky caves are famous for their unpredictability. So, for example, sometimes spontaneous changes in the configuration of underground rooms occur, passages appear or disappear, and collapses occur. But these are flowers. After several hours of being in caves, hallucinations can easily begin: some people are “lucky enough” to hear distant female voices, others imagine different melodies.
One of the speleologists claimed to have heard a male choir singing the song “Varyag”. Experienced speleologists say: it’s better not to wait for visual hallucinations; once they come, they may never leave. But this is far from the only danger that awaits neophytes in the dungeon.
TEST OF STRENGTH
The most famous underground character of the Sablinsky caves is the so-called White speleologist. They say that this is not at all an ethereal shadow like other, often harmless, ghosts. The white speleologist keeps order in the caves and mercilessly deals with those who disturb their peace, coming here “with his own charter.” One day, a teenager decided to walk alone through the labyrinths of the “Pants” cave, where, according to legend, the grave of the White speleologist is located.
The invisible lord of the cave lured the guy into the farthest corridor and confused him. As a result, the boy got lost and was never able to get out of the trap. Only a few days later, a group of rescuers discovered a barely alive teenager and helped him get out. What did the young dungeon explorer do wrong? They say he decided to smoke there, but the cave spirit didn’t like it.
The story about the White speleologist has become overgrown with fables and legends over the years; it is now difficult to figure out what is true in it. It all started with the fact that a certain dungeon lover decided to go down into the caves alone. It was winter, when the entrances to the underground cavities were covered with solid ice.
The unfortunate speleologist slipped and went down at great speed. Hitting his head against the wall of the catacomb, he broke his cervical vertebra and died instantly.
It is not known who buried him in the underground gallery of the “Pants” cave and placed a metal cross on the grave mound, but since then speleologists have made sure that there is a helmet on the grave, and on the mound itself - matches, lighters, cigarettes, money and even a flask with water. You cannot touch these things, because they belong to the White Speleologist.
Despite the restless spirit of the Sablinsky Caves, they are very popular. The St. Petersburg School of Speleology was even opened on their basis. Schoolchildren, geologists and geographers undergo internships here. But inexperienced neophytes will not even step foot into the dungeon without the supervision of experienced adult comrades. One story is passed down from mouth to mouth.
One day, the scientific supervisor responded to the persistent requests of the students to arrange a meeting with the unknown. At the bottom of the gallery the man placed an overturned bucket and a lit candle on it.
The observers sat to the side and stared at the fire for half an hour. Suddenly the bucket tilted, confident, quick steps were heard, and the candle suddenly floated through the air. Crowding each other, everyone who was underground jumped out like a cork. Since then, no one has had the desire to disturb the spirit of the Sablinsky Caves in vain.
ACCORDING TO CAVE LAWS
In the foreseeable future, Sablinsky caves will become a place of unique scientific experiments. One of the remote underground galleries will be isolated from the outside world, which will allow scientists to observe the natural course of natural processes occurring underground.
Why were the Sablinsky caves chosen as the site for the scientific experiment? The location of the Sablinsky caves is unique in itself. 500 million years ago there was an ocean shore here, and therefore now animal fossils are often found on natural limestone slabs. Scientists hope to discover many more interesting and unknown things here.
Sablinsky caves also have a special temperature regime: all year round the air temperature there is at 7-8 degrees Celsius. This circumstance largely explains the special love that representatives of the animal world have for these caves: bats and butterflies gather here for the winter.
The atmospheric conditions in the cave are such that the tree placed by speleologists for last New Year retains its appearance for almost a whole year. Perhaps observations of the processes occurring in the Sablinsky caves will allow scientists to open new horizons in science and technology.
The Legend of the White Speleologist
Somewhere in the twenties, a young guy came into the system. Nobody remembers his first or last name anymore. I only remember that he always went underground in white overalls. Very soon he already knew the system like the back of his hand, treated it with respect and it paid him back in kind. And in general he was a good person. Something just happened to him - the guy was killed. They killed in caves, no one really knows by whom and why. But he didn’t leave the system, he still walks around it in his white overalls. That's why he was given the nickname - White Speleologist, or simply White.
Bely became the guardian of the caves, helping those in distress. He really doesn't like it when someone says they saw him. He sets a condition for those who are saved to remain silent about meeting him. If the condition is not met, a person can be “sprinkled” anywhere, even in an underground passage. In general, Bely does not like it when people wag their tongues; he severely punishes liars and braggarts. He does not tolerate drunkenness and sloppiness in the system, he is angry. And to make him angry means either getting lost, or breaking something, or completely fall into a collapse.
The Legend of the White Speleologist
It happened in the Caucasus mountains. In one of the villages there lived a boy. Herding cattle. And then one night he came across a cave in the mountains. No one in these places had even heard of its existence. And he decided to explore it. I took a flashlight, string, chalk, food, drink and went there. He began to visit the cave every day and soon studied it thoroughly. Several years passed like this. One day, people from the capital came to their village and asked the villagers if anyone could become their guide in the mountains. The elders consulted and asked this boy to lead them through the mountains. They climbed in the surrounding area for several days. Here people from the capital ask:
Is there any cave in these mountains?
The boy thought and said:
Yes, there really is one cave here, and tomorrow I can take you there.
And so they did.
They had been walking underground for a long time: judging by the clock, the day was approaching evening. It was time to go out. But then one of the capital’s residents wanted to inspect the well. They secured the rope, and the boy was the first to descend. And either the ledge in the wall collapsed, or he himself was already tired, but he somehow unsuccessfully sank to the bottom of the well and seriously hurt his leg.
What's happened? - the capital shouted from above.
There’s something wrong with my leg, I can’t get up.
The people from the capital conferred, threw down a backpack with a supply of food, drink and candles for several days, and they themselves went to the exit. Either they wanted to call for help, and then for some reason they got scared, or something else, but only the next morning there was no trace of them in the village. The boy's mother was the first to sound the alarm. The villagers abandoned their work and went in search. Several days passed. It was all in vain.
Here one guy, a friend of our hero, says:
Listen, there’s a cave nearby, maybe they’re there?
How many years have we lived here, we have never heard of any cave.
No, there is - and he led them there.
People stocked up on everything they needed, and the search began. After some time, they found a coil of rope and an untouched backpack in one of the wells. There was no one else there.
Since then, the White Speleologist appeared in the caves. He can be in any cave, helping the lost and desperate. He revives life in them when, it would seem, everything is over, and becomes a guiding light of salvation. But if you are a scoundrel and a bastard, then no one will help you. And death will await you from hunger and darkness, from fear and loneliness and from the punishing hand of the White speleologist.
The Tale of Two-Face
Once upon a time there lived a gentleman. His serfs mined pebbles in the quarries. The work, of course, was such that people soon began to grumble. Especially those who are younger. Well, one guy chatted away - it was the master who chained him in the quarry. That guy had a girlfriend, she stayed with him in the caves, and there, they say, she disappeared. And then strange things began to happen at the quarry, frequent collapses began, the rock became junk... The master went bankrupt...
Now, if a person in the system is left without light - well, there, the last candle has gone out or the lantern has broken - and is completely alone, then there is nothing you can do about it - sit and wait. Either the search party will find you, or - remember your name. It is in such desperate moments that a naked girl with a candle appears in front of the lost person. And silently he beckons, like, let’s go, I’ll take you out. And it really does lead out, only at the very exit it turns into a rotted corpse, and the man dies from a broken heart.
Therefore, if you are going to go with her, then not to the very end. As soon as the familiar places begin, you need to turn your back to Two-Face and say: “Thank you, then I’ll go on my own...” Not everyone, however, manages to understand that the exit is not far away. In the early nineties, in Byaki (one of the cave systems near Moscow) they found a guy - a marine. He didn’t make it about twenty meters to the exit; he died of a broken heart. They didn't find any light on him. And at the same time, the guy was well known in Byaki - he was in excellent health and did not drink...
White Speleologist
In the caves, usually quite far from the entrance so that tourists who accidentally drop by or homeless people who come to light a fire on a cold autumn night will not stumble upon it, there is the Tomb of the White Speleologist. This is exactly how experienced speleologists respectfully call this place in a very special voice, as if pronouncing every word in capital letters.
The White Speleologist's Tomb is not a real grave in which someone is buried, but something like a sacred place - a memorial monument that the cavers themselves They do it in every cave - it’s a tradition.
The White Speleologist is not a ghost, but a legendary character - the spirit of the people who ever died in this cave, this is the common memory of them. On the grave mound there are usually all sorts of things - matches, cigarettes, half-burnt candles. They must not be touched under any circumstances - they belong to White. Experienced speleologists always light a candle at the grave and share matches with White. They also bring things of dead speleologists here - a flashlight, a helmet, a notebook...
The destruction of Bely's grave is severely punished according to cave laws, by people, and by Bely himself. So, if you come to a cave and stumble upon such a place, remember Bely, and with him all the dead speleologists, and go wander through the amazing cave world. Leave the candle. Let it burn.
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The Legend of the White Speleologist
It happened in the Caucasus mountains. In one of the villages there lived a boy. Herding cattle. And then one night he came across a cave in the mountains. No one in these places had heard of its existence. And he decided to explore it. I took a flashlight, string, chalk, food, drink and went there. He began visiting the caves every day and soon studied them thoroughly. Several years passed like this.
Once, people from the capital came to their village and asked the villagers if anyone could become their guide in the mountains. The elders consulted and asked this boy to lead them through the mountains. They climbed in the surrounding area for several days. Here people from the capital ask:
- Is there any cave in these mountains?
The boy thought and said:
- Yes, there really is one cave here, and tomorrow I can take you there.
And so they did.
They had been walking underground for a long time: judging by the clock, the day was approaching evening. It was time to go out. But then one of the capital wanted to examine the deep gap in the floor of the cave. They secured the rope, and the boy was the first to descend. And either the ledge in the wall collapsed, or he himself was already tired, but he somehow unsuccessfully sank to the bottom of the crack and seriously hurt his leg.
- What's happened? - the capital shouted from above.
- There’s something wrong with my leg, I can’t get up.
The people from the capital conferred, threw down a backpack with a supply of food, drink and candles for several days, and they themselves went to the exit. Either they wanted to call for help, and then for some reason they got scared, or something else, but only the next morning there was no trace of them in the village. The mother of the missing boy was the first to sound the alarm. The villagers abandoned their work and went in search. Several days passed. It was all in vain.
Here one boy, a friend of our hero, says:
- Listen, there’s a cave nearby, maybe he’s there?
- How many years have we lived here, we have never heard of any cave.
- No, there is - and he led them there.
The villagers stocked up with everything they needed, and the search began. After some time, they found a coil of rope and an untouched backpack in one of the cracks. There was no one else there.
Since then, the White Speleologist appeared in the caves. He helped the lost and desperate, he revived life in them when, it would seem, everything was over, he was a guiding light of salvation. But if you are a coward, a traitor and a bastard, then no one will help you. And a fierce death will await you from hunger and darkness, from fear and loneliness, from the punishing hand of the White speleologist.
An ordinary person who has never wandered underground, and if he has been in a cave, then only under the strict supervision of some guide, will never understand and feel what we feel. Even if it’s difficult to call our hobby extreme, we get no less impressions and emotions than, for example, climbers.
That day I received confirmation of the rule that I had so carelessly neglected. "Hope for the best and prepare for the worst." This story, as you probably already guessed, happened to me in the caves, an avid visitor of which I am.
Bravely walking along the drifts I knew, I didn’t even dare to think that I could get into some unpleasant, much less dangerous, situation, but by coincidence, it happened to me. The batteries on my only flashlight were dead. Can you imagine what it means to be left without light underground? All my chances of getting to the surface decreased significantly, but still they were not zero, because I had my lighter in my pocket.
I must say that this lighter was simple and more suitable for lighting a cigarette than for walking a many-kilometer route underground, but I had no choice and I began my slow journey to the surface.
I walked in complete darkness, only occasionally illuminating my path with a lighter, and at the same time I thought how I could get into this situation. I definitely remembered that I had inserted completely new batteries into the flashlight, but they still failed me at the most inopportune moment.
I can’t say exactly how long my “walk” lasted, because the concept of “time” does not exist underground, but I can say with complete confidence that I felt uneasy. I immediately began to remember various things: ghosts, spirits and demons, which speleologists had repeatedly told me about, and even my skepticism could not drive away the fears from me.
What have I not seen or heard during this time? I tried to assure myself that it was all just my imagination, coupled with fear, that painted these pictures. I tried to overcome myself and stop being afraid, but no matter what. I was unable to control my fear.
When I saw a tiny point of light ahead, I was already on the verge of panic and you can probably imagine my joy. Without thinking about anything, I went to where my salvation was.
A man in a white overall and with a white helmet on his head was sitting near the wall. He was busy dripping a new passage, and there were many candles around him.
“Good morning,” I greeted the man in white.
Looking up from what he was doing for a minute, but without saying a word, he took a flashlight out of his pocket and handed it to me. I took it, turned it on and walked forward, lighting my path with a flashlight. After walking a dozen steps, I turned around and looked at the place where my savior had just sat. There was nothing there: no spatula, no candles, not the man himself. I smiled and moved on.
Now I knew for sure that I would leave the System. The man who gave me the lantern was probably known to everyone who had ever been downstairs. Legends were told about him, but only a few saw him with their own eyes. He was called the White Speleologist and he was a spirit who helped all those who were in danger. He was loved and revered. A glass was always raised in his honor.
I got out of the caves safely and after I arrived home, I decided to paint this miniature. I decided to write it in honor of Bely, who saved my life.
Perhaps you may ask, did I lose the desire to wander through caves after that incident? No, because now I knew for sure that I had a friend and helper, and if I suddenly got into trouble underground, he would always help me.