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Just engaging in a bit of detective work (I've done basic online stalking with no luck). This letter was sent to us 28 years ago. I'm almost certain that I replied (I replied to everything) and most members in the Cave Clan had access to his address (it was a much smaller group in those days) so he would have heard back from us. I have no recollection of any follow up communications. There are plenty of possibilities; he may have been put off my my/our reply; he may have moved or even died; he just got busy with real life and never got back into it; etc... Every now and then I come across his letter and I wonder whether he did become part of an urban explorer scene or did he just explore alone for awhile? I'd love to say hello and see how he went (keep in mind this is 12 years before Infiltration, and even though there was place-hacking and the like going on, urban exploration wasn't even a though in Ninj's nether regions). I'd say he'd be in his early 50s and who even knows if he used his real name. I decided to put his real name as it's quite common and it would be hard to follow him up without it (if someone does find him then I'll ask a mod to remove his surname). So I thought I'd chuck it up here on the off chance that he did get involved and maybe one of you knew him - unlikely, but I also figured that some of you would like to have a read anyway. Cheers, Doug. - - - - - - May 26, 1993 Cave Clan P.O. Box 268 Abbotsford 3067 Greetings: I'll be very surprised if this letter actually reaches anyone and equally surprised if I get a reply, but here's my story anyway. I'm a television critic in Fort Worth, Texas, USA and recently had a British travel video entitled Rough Guide come across my desk for review. According to the press materials, the tunnels under Melbourne were among the colorful locales visited by the crew. This was of particular interest to me, because one of my favorite weekend activities is exploring the sewers and drainpipes of Fort Worth. This hobby began several years ago in high school when I would sneak out of the house at night to venture into caves near Austin. Then, I explored the tunnels beneath the university I attended in Dallas, and I just picked up the old tunnel bug again a few months ago and began delving into the underdark of my new home, Fort Worth. The tunnels at Southern Methodist University in Dallas are wonderful, full of pipes and water and ladders and chambers and remind me of what you'd see in an Alien-type horror movie. There are also wonderful steam blasts that go off every so often and scare the living daylights out of you. It's wonderful how you begin to believe in dragons and lycanthropes when there's no light around and an eerie noise roars out of the darkness. This was all great fun until I graduated, and now I'd rather not get caught down there; they'd probably think I was some weird pervert, crawling under the campus of my alma mater some three years after graduation. And college is supposed to lead you to better things. The drainpipes of Fort Worth aren't nearly as fun so far, they tend to be dull and long and too small to stand very straight in. However, I heard just the other day from a civil engineer that there are tunnels in the downtown area that are impressive indeed. I will be checking those out in the next few weeks. At any rate, I watched the segment dealing with the Cave Clan with interest and was disappointed at how little time was spent under Melbourne. However, I was ecstatic when I saw a quick shot of a hand placing a sticker with an address on a wall. I rewound the tape several times, copied the address, and here's my letter. I've heard of the great and terrible tunnels under Paris, but never imagined that Australia would contain an underworld worth exploring or the crazies to explore it. It would be a great thrill to hear from any member of your group, as I would truly love to correspond with fellow tunnelers from other parts of the globe. I'm looking forward to your reply. Sincerely, Scott White **** Wonder Drive Fort Worth, Texas 76133 USA
[last edit 4/10/2021 1:46 AM by Doug - edited 1 times]
The Urbex Zine Guy https://www.cavecl...wtopic.php?t=12259 | |
Wow! His name doesn’t immediately ring a bell, but the address tripped me out when I saw it because my grandparents lived on the corner of Wonder Drive and Welch until the mid/late 90’s! Both of my parents were raised in that neighborhood. I’ll ask my mom tomorrow if the name rings a bell for her. It was a close-knit neighborhood in my parent’s generation and it sounds like this person you’re looking for might have been in that neighborhood around the time my family was still around there. What a trip that would be if this guy was my grandparent’s neighbor! If you can think of any other clues, feel free to PM me. I’ll ask my mom about it tomorrow. Unfortunately, my dad passed away several years ago or I’d ask him since he actually lived there growing up.
I wandered till the stars went dim. | |
That's bizarre. It really is a small world Let me know how you go. Thanks
The Urbex Zine Guy https://www.cavecl...wtopic.php?t=12259 | |
Also, a correction. This was only 3 years before Infiltration, so there is more of a chance that he received Infiltration.
[last edit 4/11/2021 9:34 AM by Doug - edited 1 times]
The Urbex Zine Guy https://www.cavecl...wtopic.php?t=12259 | |
He doesn't sound like he'd become a tattooist, although he has a photo tagged Urbex on Pinterest. Scott White visualvortex.com·@visualvrtx·Scott White is a tattoo artist located in Lake Worth, FL. Scott can be contacted at: http://facebook.com/scottwhiteartist 163 followers · 27 following
The Urbex Zine Guy https://www.cavecl...wtopic.php?t=12259 | |
Following his TV Critic line of work, this Scott White would be early 50s. Edit: it says he's been active since 1967 but he doesn't look that old.
[last edit 4/11/2021 10:14 AM by Doug - edited 1 times]
The Urbex Zine Guy https://www.cavecl...wtopic.php?t=12259 | |
My mom didn’t remember anyone with that name and I did a little bit of searching of my own, but struggled to narrow down such a common name. I found one guy that looked promising since he grew up in Austin (the letter mentioned Austin), but that turned into a dead end. I’ll keep asking around. I wish I’d seen this thread before Easter and I could’ve asked my entire family all at once, lol.
I wandered till the stars went dim. | |
Posted by Dee Ashley My mom didn’t remember anyone with that name and I did a little bit of searching of my own, but struggled to narrow down such a common name. I found one guy that looked promising since he grew up in Austin (the letter mentioned Austin), but that turned into a dead end. I’ll keep asking around. I wish I’d seen this thread before Easter and I could’ve asked my entire family all at once, lol.
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Thanks for doing all of that. It's a bit of fun. I'll have another look soon. Might even become full stalker and start emailing people
The Urbex Zine Guy https://www.cavecl...wtopic.php?t=12259 | |
Posted by Doug
Thanks for doing all of that. It's a bit of fun. I'll have another look soon. Might even become full stalker and start emailing people
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I’m kind of a nerd, so doing online searches, staring at maps and reading raw data are all what I consider good times, haha.
I wandered till the stars went dim. |
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