Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 1990)
Monday, February 5,1990 The Battalion Page 5 4 ■sent Strait flealol J sual) to sJ no rii >t made 0Wers t gift! ii each to the autograph token by a r I le d, waited I 'e for the hand and ver- nce dons. Or if IW. oooth ackets.tow lrs > glossy dats and ed as a aspect to [e. But on for lever steam usly pt gifts and I eglectedhiil s troupe. | houtStraii.| ned e event. I were good I they? i'tratt fans | fans. He I .(coat'd & Hall excellent rent out of >led Strait to enjoy ne else. K diper ar jrri >e, the end l d suspenst i; t of tne oil f: for a fe* t is Hoppe seeing. It| higher, got ies yn The Pa- have to for the i_rr to six • delivers r of $3. acintosh sign the ■ herever irted, it cn," l' e king f° r )•” est story -vas "the 11 on the fie said. he man wonder l ed ‘Sto- a there. -ie 0^ It Used er is mil ice. F°, r aly holi- S spol- ogether xinipinS - ’ll keep profit of long aS jotirna- Birnmers close as Abandoned mine converted into billion-gallon scuba lake BONNE TERRE, Mo. (AP) — Far beneath the general store and the gas station in this little Midwestern tow n lies a water wonderland. Scuba diving, a sport usually asso ciated with the tropics, has come to Missouri. And the “Billion Gallon Lake Re sort,” converted from a long-aban doned lead mine, may be its most unusual attraction. “It’s like diving through a ghost town, or a shipwreck,” says scuba in structor Doug Goergens, who with his wife, Cathy, owns the flooded mine, now hilled as the largest fresh water dive resort in the world. “Or like soaring through a dalliedral. It’s an awe-inspiring experience.” Goergens’ superlatives can be dis counted to a certain extent, since he has a vested interest. He says he’s in vested about $1 million in the pro ject. But Jacques Cousteau’s son, Jean Michel, was impressed. The son of the man credited as being one of the inventors of scuba (Self-contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) in the 1940s, gave the resort rave re views. And Skin Diver Magazine has touted the mine as “a time capsule, an engineering marvel, and an un beatable weekend getaway.” Bonne Terre, or “good earth” in French, is a town of about 3,500 about 60 miles south of St. Louis. Last year the mine tapped into the landlocked Midwestern scuba mar ket for relatively low-cost, weekend- only forays, attracting 15,000 cus tomers. The lake was formed when the owners of the St. Joseph Mining Co., once the provider of jobs to 5,000, closed down operations and shut off the water pumps. Natural seepage of spring and rainwater flooded the mine. Marian Rivman, a spokeswoman for the Diving Equipment Manufac turers Association, an organization that monitors the industry, says Bonne Terre is unique. “People are diving everywhere,” says Rivman, known in the industry as the “Scuba Lady.” "But inland, there’s nothing com parable to the mine. It’s a great des tination.” Beauty, of course, is in the eye of the beholder. And the avid scuba fan has other attractions to explore in the United States, among them ship wrecks off the coast of North Caro lina, oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico or the kelp forests of California. The Florida Keys are perhaps the “I It’s like diving through a ghost town, or a shipwreck. Or like soaring through a cathedral. It’s an awe-inspiring experience.” — Doug Goergens, scuba instructor prime U.S. destination for the esti mated 2.65 million active scuba di vers in the United States, offering warm water, coral and fish. Divers also can investigate lakes, quarries and rivers, although visi bility often is severely limited. Such is the case at Lake Norfol k, Ark., a 500-mile round trip from St. Louis where Goergens used to take his scuba students. “Diving can be very, very inconve nient,” Cioergens says. He’s put a lot ot work into remov ing that negative aspect at the Bonne Terre operation, illuminating the mine witn 300,000 watts of lighting and installing showers and locker rooms. The mine, once the world’s largest producer of lead, has the craggy look of a lunar landscape. Jackham mers silent since the mine closed in 1961 jut out of solid rock. Scattered picks, shovels, ladders and helmets also were left behind, and their presence adds to the sur real surroundings. The lake is pale blue and crystal clear, with visibility more than 100 feet in lighting conditions Goergens describes as “late afternoon,” al though it appears to be closer to dusk. r Unlike other diving environs, the subterranean lake is devoid of life forms — no sharks to worry about here — and other distractions such as current, surges or tidal rushes. A constant water temperature of 58 degrees, a little chilly but bearable in a wet suit, makes it a year-round resort. When Goergens first dived in the mine in 1974 he described it as a “dark, scary place.” He saw potential, though, as a training ground for the 1,200 to 1,500 students his St. Louis com pany, West End Diving Centers, cer tifies annually. It has turned out to be much more. To accommodate the divers that now flock to Bon lie Terre, the Goergenses renovated a mansion once owned by the president of the mine and turned it into a country inn. They also transformed an old, ramshackle, train depot into a saloon and bed-and-breakfast inn, and their work, in part, has sparked re newed interest in tourism on the part of civic leaders. Goergens, who opened the mine to the public in 1981, believes more wonders may be in store. There are presently 24 trails to explore, but only four of the 17 miles of flooded tunnels,, which' would allow the entire town of Bonne Terre to fit inside, have been developed so far. WALDO LOOK' THE BOARD OF REGENTS GAVE ME A FREE PERMIT TO PARK ANYWHERE ON CAMPUS. 1 GOSH! AND BOB WIAT WILL WASH MY CAR ANY TIME I SAY.' By KEVIN THOMAS WALDQ IN BED WITH THE DALLAS COWBOY CHEERLEADERS, WAKES UP FROM HIS DREAM... WHAT A DREAM' WHAT ELSE COULD A GUY EVER WANT..? 5PA!>E PHILLIPS, P. L b/ Mftr TYKA & t SoNALfTVi^^i^cj jxloW, 1 MOffc , 'todmTChtz* MIGHT SHOTTLE SOS PfiivERS HAvE Yoo EvCK ftootM A SHUlTi-E 80s LATE Ar NIGHT? Cb You £vfR Wonder v/haT Kind ©f PERSON WOULD DRwE an Empty Bos around okj Friday NIGHTS while the rest oV College STATION IS HAVING THE TIME of THfi* lives?/Amaze Your friends 'A/ITH KNooJLEpGE oF these three late N/oar driver PERSON A Lit-IE’S FRom actual DATA OF ACTUAL Pivooi-o&nri THIS TYFT oF DR/VfR ADEPTS THE FACT THAT HE HAS Tb DRIVE FR/D4YNI6AT CAlm,Collective, usually 4 FAN oE FRAdk’-rwe droner" Sinatra • ^ArtH FoR SomHMAsuksm. Socially MAUDJustEO, TH<‘> primer. Actually fnjoy's the late night shift; watch rare signs of Nervousness,Excefs TALK!Mb AMP CAFFE/ME OVfKpoSE HOFE: MAy ATTEMPT To LeAO Riders in A cHoRv$ oF ''OHLAhiotAA" (y 7 ruMfs T\P£C Personality: THf>fAP-<45-//FCL' DRIVER dvFi e u 5 DRIVER’S {{SLEEP 1 . To THli PRIMER 0 f CoUEOE STAT/oM (S OUT PARTYiiMib FXCtPT H'M WATCH For BRWic ,FasT PF/MihlOj MUMBLEP CuRilMb; AfJP MElMTALLy A&Oin/F bB5TuREl To OTHER CARS OtJ THE RoAP. NOTE: TH/S TyPe of DR'MEr. ,- EASIEST To MAhHPOLATE /MTc, CHUCK 1Mb CMERYTH/Mb AMO TAFtMS THE BUS Cfew/M to lYEMrco For THE weeKEHO. . Vv^ re majoring in a special subject. ^You. J Get ready to fly for only 5/18 roundtrip—twice. Choose fro/n many of the more than ISO Northwest Airlines cities in the 48 contiguous United States. American Express Student Airfare .""'"''"Tyttet APPLY NOW: TRAVEL He^Sess related ■on SERVICES An American Express company 1-800-446-5389 You’re part of a special group of people. So we’ve created special privileges with you in mind. The tough assignments and long nights of college will soon pay off. In fact, they already have. As a student with a bright future, you’re eligible for American Express* Cardmembership now. You see, we believe in your potential. That’s why we’ve made it easier for you to qualify for the Card on your own, even if you don’t have a job. And by becoming a Cardmem- ber now, you can take advantage of the exclusive Northwest student travel privilege pictured here. The fact is, we’ve added special student benefits like these because were dedicated to serving our Cardmembers. So apply now. About six weeks after the Card arrives, you’ll receive your Northwest travel certificatesf Call today. We’re looking for ward to welcoming one of our most important Cardmembers. You. Membership Has Its Privilege NORTHWEST AIRLINES "If you are already a student American Express Cardmember and have a question on this program, please send your written question, a copy of your student ID and class schedule to: American Express, P.O. Box 35029, Attn: Student Marketing, Greensboro, NC 27425. Fare is for roundtrip travel on Northwest Airlines. Tickets must be purchased within 24 hours after making reservations. Fares are non-refundable and no itinerary changes may be made after purchase. Seats at this fare are limited and may not always be available when you call. Travel must originate by certificate expiration date and be completed within 60 days of that date. Travel may not be available between cities to which Northwest does not have published routings. City fuel surcharges not included in fare from Boston ($2.50), Chicago ($5.00), Denver ($2.00) and Florida cities ($2.00). Certain blackout dates and other restrictions may apply. For complete offer details, call 1-800-446-5389. © 1990 American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. THE AMERICAN EXPRESS’ CARD. FOR STUDENTS MORE THAN EVER. QtVaNTED: Enterprising Self-Starters When business starts booming it's time to think about expanding your operation. Adver tising in the Classifieds for the right person to fill the job not only makes good sense, it nets results! When you have an item to sell, a message to get across, a product to buy, a service to advertise...en terprising people use our Classi fieds for fast, economical and effective results! CALL 845-0569 The Battalion