Robert of Jolly

Robert of Jolly , born with Paris on July 5th, 1887, died in Montpellier in 1968 is a large French speleologist. Friend, disciple and (sometimes) competitor of Edouard-Alfred Martel, it starts again the speleology between the two world wars. It designed, adapted or imported material of exploration and techniques and took part in tourist installation several pits. It made of many speleologists.

Biography

Engineer attached to the Mines inspectorate, captain mechanic of reserve, Robert of Jolly took part in the two world wars (Military Cross).

It is interested in speleology following the reading of the works of Edouard-Alfred Martel. Child, it went on vacation close to the Vigan (Gard), where his/her grandparents had the vast wide ones of causses, truffées of Aven S and caves. At fourteen years, in a cave of Tessonne, under the Causse of Montdardier, it makes an interesting archaeological discovery.

In 1928, between the 21 and on July 26th, Robert of Jolly carries out a complete crossing of the Gorges of the Verdon. It is the first to cross the rooms of the Imbut on board a kind of rubber canoe.

In 1929, it becomes acquainted with Guy de Lavaur, it invites it to its countryside on the Grands Causses and initiates it with its techniques.

March 18th, 1930, Robert of Jolly takes again the work of Martel which had created the company of speleology in 1895. He becomes the president of the speleological Société of France (SSF) whose head office was in Montpellier. Its goal was to ensure the connection between speleologists and to help with the development of the activity of the prospectors of the basement. The largest speleologists of the time formed part of it, among them: Edouard-Alfred Martel (honorary president), Norbert Casteret, Bernard Gèze, Guy de Lavaur… the relations with Martel were degraded thereafter.

August 19th, 1935, with the abbot Glory and a team of speleologists, it explores the swallow-hole of Orgnac. It descends a vertical fifty meters. It coordinates the alteration work thereafter. The first room bears its name and its funeral urn is visible there.

In 1938, it takes again explorations of the Gouffre of Padirac with Guy de Lavaur: it exceeds the terminus reached by Martel in 1900. A barrier - major hurdle - and a large affluent of the underground river of Padirac bear its name.

One also owes him explorations of the Chourum Martin in the Dévoluy (Hautes-Alpes), of the cave of the Water-Heats (Yrénées-Atlantiques)…

In 1956, he advises to bore a tunnel to continue the visits in the Cave of Proumeyssac.

He generalized in speleology the use of a more reliable and more effective material which made it possible to progress in more difficult cavities:

  • to replace the rung and cable ladders to bar out of wooden: flexible scales with bars out of tube of élektron (very light metal alloy) and with amounts out of steel wire ropes. The weight and the volume of the scales spéléos were strongly reduced by this innovation. This type of scales is still used nowadays;
  • for lighting, it used a generator with Acétylène;
  • use of inflatable boats in river;
  • underground bivouac without tent, with a turned over inflatable dinghy.

Of Jolly his time by a discipline strict and hierarchical in the teams of exploration marks: only the older and experienced spelelogists belong to the team of point, the other team-members are there in support, they ensure the elder ones, handle winches and wait in the cold, on the stages. This effective organization, compared to the techniques used, will last until 1970. Thereafter, of the more restricted teams will be able to ensure only the entirety of explorations.

The French federation of Speleology created in 1964 the Prix Robert of Jolly to reward the speleological activity of exploration for a club or groups French clubs. This price is gathered with the Prix Martel in 1982 to distinguish the activity from a speleologist or a club who will have carried out an exceptional exploration or works with the evolution of speleology.

Distinctions

  • Bronze medal of Touring Club of France (1928)
  • Medal of the Company of statistics of Marseilles (1929)
  • Medal of money of the Cevennes Club (1931)
  • Price of hydrogeology of the Company of Geography of Paris (1931)
  • academic Palms (1936)
  • Member of the Academy of Science of Montpellier (1939)
  • Member of the Academy of Science of Nimes (1940)
  • Vice-president of the Company of Natural science of Gard (1950)
  • Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, on a purely military basis (1950)
  • Medal of research and the inventions (1958)
  • Gold medal of the Commission of the Sports (1953)
  • Gold medal of tourism (1960)
  • Officer of the Legion of Honor, to the title of speleology (1967)

See too

Related articles

External bonds

  • Biography of Robert of Jolly

  • the forwarding of the Orgnac Swallow-hole carried out by Robert of Jolly
  • the Martel path in the Verdon

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