Our group consisted of horizontal cavers, only engaging in vertical work when has been no other possibility. We made several trips in 1971, 1972 and 1973, at a period when the last discoveries were being made and the mapping was completed. I experimented with a movie taking in the cave but was not pleased while using results, which is often viewed in my small web world-wide-web Ledge Stepping Stone Borders For Defined Pathways . One scene does show the Elephant ears right after being broken and for a first trip and I have a picture within the Elephant ears before being broken with John Van Swearingern IV and John Wallace.
The first reason slate is so perfect happens because it is produced with natural materials that when taken out on environment it is have any negative consequences. This is something we can't say about involved in wood tables.
Flashing can be seen above the slate application, but it is also found inside stone. May possibly have damage or corrosion and you will not know it until view a problem.