Appeal for Contributions
The next issue of Infiltration (#15) is going to be about infiltration at sea. If anyone has any stories of stowing away on ships, boarding boats, sneaking around on cruiseliners, ferries or oil rigs, or any other deep sea hijinks, please get in touch with me (ninj@infiltration.org). Thanks!
Californians Can't Jump
On 23 October, 60-year-old California-native Jan Davis plunged to her death off Yosemite National Park's 975-meter El Capitan peak during a series of parachute jumps organized to protest park rules banning such jumps. Davis was the fourth of five jumpers in the protest, which was organized in response to the 9 June drowning death of a jumper who successfully parachuted off El Capitan, only to drown in the river below while fleeing from park rangers. (Thanks to Ultraviolet for this story.)
On 24 October, 23-year old California-native Jeb Ray Corliss was charged with trespassing and fined $65 after parachuting from the Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls. Another man who made the 145-meter jump managed to escape authorities. (Thanks to Sharry Walderman for this story.)
On 9 November, 33-year-old California-native Bonnie Dutile parachuted from a 500-foot, 500,000-volt transmission tower became snagged on a catwalk and dangled for four hours before being rescued. Dutile was charged with trespassing, and a 25-year-old male accomplice was charged as an accessory. "We're glad she's OK, but on the other hand it was an incredibly foolish thing to do," Pacific Gas & Electric spokesman Jonathan Franks commented.
Cro Goes to Court
On 27 October, Cave Clan member Cro went to court to defend himself on trespassing charges, reports _Il Draino_ editor Morkal Dungoy. Cro was placed on a one-year good behaviour bond without conviction and
ordered to pay $300 to the court fund.
According to the story which appeared in the _Herald Sun_ the following day, "A subterranean group known as the Cave Clan were yesterday likened to bushwalkers and abseilers who wanted to travel in uncharted territory. But a magistrate found the idea of trekking through Melbourne's underground tunnel network bizarre and inexplicable. Magistrate Bill Gibb said he found it 'beyond comprehension' that Cro chose to visit the 'dirty, smelly and dank drains' under the city. Cro, a recreational caving enthusiast, yesterday pleaded guilty to being unlawfully on the premises of Royal Melbourne Hospital on May 28. Prosecutor Sen-Constable Kyle McDonald told the court Cro was caught entering an underground boiler room. The court heard Cro was in company with members of the Cave Clan, who regularly navigate through tunnels under the city."
A Social Engineer
On 1 November, a Munich homeless man hijacked a subway train carrying 200 passengers. Wearing a uniform, the man managed to convince the driver of the train that he had come to replace him. Police said the man handled the train competently and knew immediately how to give the name and number of the service he was operating over the radio.
Subway managers brought the joy ride to a halt by switching the signals to red, but the man escaped, leaving the train sitting on the line for 50 minutes. He was later detained by police on charges of disrupting public order, impeding public services and theft.
This incident marked the second time the man had hijacked a subway train in the past two months.
Dutch Train Surfing
Petr Kazil reports that on 8 November, a 14-year-old train surfer from Weert was arrested by the Roermond police. As the train rolled through Roermond Station, the youth jumped on the platform attached to the train, dismounting a few minutes later. The youth was taken into custody by the railway police and handed over to the police. According to a Rotterdam paper: "In the Netherlands train surfing is not practiced regularly. In 1997 a French boy was killed when he tried to surf a Dutch train with his friend."
Hope you enjoyed this installment. If you have any comments, corrections,
questions, suggestions or submissions for Infilnews, please get in touch.
Sign up for Infilnews by e-mail.
Ethics
Infilnews