Belfry Bulletin Number 038

The

Belfry

Bulletin

THE JOURNAL OF THE BRISTOL EXPLORATION

No. 38

1950

August

Important Notice to all Bristol Area Members As from Thursday September 7th. we shall be holding our weekly meeting at St. Mary Redcliffe Community Centre. This is situated in Guinea Street, and turning off Redcliffe Hill. The Pets’ Paradise is on the corner of Guinea Street, and you will find that the Centre is about 25 yards down Guinea Street on the right.

The new meeting place is far superior to the old one and is far more central for all, although those few members in the Redfield area will have be wander further a field.

Don’t forget! Until the end of August at St. Matthews Hall, and then, starting on Thursday September 7th. at St. Mary Redcliffe Community Centre.

T.H.S. ************************************* Gentle Dizzie ‘Dizzie is a gentle creature. Anyone can sit on her back, and she does not worry. Her keeper says that a man could put his head in her mouth with complete safety’. Childrens Newspaper.

Upon reading the above we thought that Dizzie had turned cannibal, but found that the Dizzie mentioned above is a hippopotamus, and NOT our gentle Dizzie. *************************************** Hon. Sec. has received the following letters: June 17th.

Henry and Josephine (Shelton) wish to thank our friends in the B.E.C. for the lovely presents, and we appreciate very deeply the support given us at St. Nicholas Church on June 10th. ????????????????????????????????????????????

The Barton.

Stanton Drew.

Nr. Bristol.

28th.June 50.

Our Dear Friends, May on behalf of Marie and myself, thank you from the bottom of our hearts, for the beautiful wedding presents that you have given us. We did not give you much warning as to the date of our marriage, because we were both scared as to what reception would be waiting for us when we got out. Now, we are sorry we did not tell you. You would have had a laugh, and we would have had some unique photos.

Marie would have had the sympathy of all you unlucky (?) spinsters, whilst; I should have had those envious glances from all you unlucky (?) bachelors.

Never-the-less we shall tell you when we get married again, so you can all come up and see us, Yours sincerely, Mr. & Mrs. F.W. Young.

BB38/2 SALES SERVICE Owing to an increase in price from the wholesalers, we very much regret that the following goods are slightly increased in price: Premier Lamps from 8/6 to 9/3.

Bottom and caps for above from 2/3 to 2/5.

Spare burners (Jets) for above from 4d. to 5d.

All other goods as before.

We supply:Helmets, caps, lamps and spares, and all caving and climbing and camping wants at the lowest possible costs to members. ************************************************ Next comes an account of a new cave system found by Roy Ifold and Co. very recently. There is much work to be done there still, and we here take the opportunity to congratulate Roy and his stalwart band on their discovery.

The Discovery and exploration of Ife Hole, a new cave near Chewton Mendip by Roy Ifold.

The new system was discovered during the course of a survey of interesting swallets by Mervyn Haman and myself. We were wandering around the countryside asking 1ocal people for information when we met an elderly gentleman with a shot-gun.

He told us of a cave in a quarry, which he had been down when a boy. Following his directions we found the entrance, and made a primary exploration. The cave was found to consist of a large chamber with two entrances. This chamber is, or was, roughly 40 feet long by 10 feet wide and the same high, with the floor sloping at angle of 45 degrees.

Since then we have dug in various directions with the assistance of Norman Petty, Jill Rollason and others. First of all we attacked the bottom of the boulder slope. This soon yielded to our efforts and revealed a small hole completely surrounded by loose rocks. This hole led, by way of a small squeeze to a rift chamber 30 feet long by 10 feet wide by 40 feet high, the floor of which should to yield to digging. This chamber is something like a wash-basin with the plughole blocked by boulders. When these are moved the floor on the western side vibrates. As these boulders require a lot of digging we are leaving them for the time being.

We next dug in the north side of the chamber. This revealed a 35 foot chamber running at right angles to the other and ending in a choke. This is the present scene of our labours, and so far have found two small chambers. We have made a line survey of the system as it stands at present and a detailed plan will be completed later.

The cave appears to be of phreatic origin, with water rising from the lower tunnels. The system then became silted up until it was re-opened by Vadose water, a process which appears to be still in progress at the present time.

The cave is inhabited by long-eared bats and numerous spiders, rabbits, etc.

We should be grateful if any members contemplating a visit to Ife Hole would let the writer know. A club trip to the cave is being arranged in the feature.

R.A. Ifold. *************************************** Gerry Orren is still shooting bananas in the Cameroons, he has taken enough time off to do a bit of climbing and has sent in the following: UP MOUNT CAMEROON ON LIQUORICE ALLSORTS By ‘Orrible Orren Having just finished eight weeks hard slogging in the bush, and having had six hectic nights training on gin and beer, I decided the time was ripe to climb Mount Cameroon.

So Easter Saturday found my room-mate Bob and I driving in a truck up to Buea, which is the British Admin. Centre on the lower slopes of the mountain.

BB38/3 After having contacted the guide and bearers and distributed the loads, we left Buea post office (3,600ft.) at 2.00pm. First we climbed the hill and followed a narrow trail to hut 1. (an old German wooden bungalow) at 6,000ft. From here we pushed on up through the bush and finally emerged onto a steep grass slope at 4.15pm. Up and up we slogged, over one false crest after another. Looking back we were rewarded with a magnificent view from Victoria right round the coast and mangrove swamps and intersecting channels to the Cameroon River estuary and Douala and down south to Gaboon country beyond. The plantations on Tiko plain were spread out below us like a map. By now we had reached the very steep escarpment and had to pause more and more often to rest. The wind blew quite coldly up there and going up the broad face of the mountain I felt like a fly crawling up a wall! At last, at 6.15pm just as light was fading, we stumbled over the crest to hut 2. (9,000ft.) a tin shack situated in a small gully.

As usual the primus refused to function so we so we resorted to warming tins on the fire the bearers built.

The first can of soup that I jabbed with the opener spurted all over me and covered my pull-over with ‘Oxtail’. However, with some spam and bread inside of us, we lay down to sleep on a sloping board covered with straw. A few minutes later a tornado hit us and we lay there all night shivering, waiting for the roof to blow off. Luckily at about 6 the next morning the rain stopped and the roof was still with us leaking badly.

After a meal of beans and spaghetti (good old Heinz) we set out to reach the top. At first our route lay up a ridge through a scattering of shrivelled moss-hung juniper trees and then up two long steep escarpments of grass and rock. I found a lava-cave about here and it appeared to go back a long way. The roof appeared to be rotten, and not having either time of lamps, we left it and climbed on. Once over the top of the second ridge we caught the occasional glimpses of the summit up ahead, thro’ gaps in the racing cloud. Now the terrain took on a night-marish aspect and we scrambled up through gulleys of black volcanic ash and yellowish moss. The wind was terrific and the clouds were wet and clammy and we had to keep waiting for one of the boys who was feeling the altitude and the effects of the climb. So, uttering foul oaths about mountains in general and with continues exhortations to ‘George’ to ‘Keep moving’, we scrambled up the last slope of black slag to hut 3, (12,500ft.). This was a tin hut about 10 feet square. Inside we lit a fire on the dirt floor and whilst chewing bread, beans and liquorice allsorts, we inspected the scribblings on the walls of earlier travellers, through smoke-bleared eyes. In a wooden box we found the Log Book and a thermometer (Temp. 42F.)!!! and after entering our observations we prepared for the final assault. By now the wind was phenomenal and at our first try we were forced to lie flat on a ridge between two craters to stop ourselves being blown off!!!. Discretion being the better part of valour, we retreated back to the hut. The wind showed no signs of abating however, so we tried again. This time, by scrambling on all fours along the ridge, we made it to the top. (13,360ft.)

Lying flat, we put our names in a bottle and replaced it in the cairn of stones. I took a few snaps lying there, but they didn't come out clearly. Then began the long descent at 12.30pm., and going down proved to be far worse than climbing up. In no time at all my legs felt like two sticks of rubber. Arriving back at hut 2, at 2.15pm. we found another party in possession. We had overtaken them the day previous in the forest and they had spent the night at Hut 1.) So we pushed on down and struggling down the steep escarpments with the aid of two long sticks we reached Hut 1 at 5pm. We decided to stay there the night as two carriers were lame and one had a fever.

So once again the old tin-opener went into action and with a bellyful of spam and beans we wedged ourselves on a narrow bedstead and lay there watching the rats run around the room in the lamplight. That night we have another heavy storm and we lay awake and ate liquorice allsorts!!

The next morning the rain stopped and at 7.30am. we stumbled and slid our weary way down to Buea, reaching there at 9.15, exactly 43¼ hours after setting out. Here we heard that the previous two nights’ storms had destroyed about a million stems of bananas on the plain and played havoc with telephone wires, roofs and trees all over the place. Sitting here, typing this epistle my legs are one big ache, but it was worth it and I’d go up again tomorrow.------IN A BATH CHAIR!!!!!!!

Note: - Mt. Cameroon, an active volcano, 13,360 feet high, last erupted in 1922, when a huge stream of lava flowed down the south slope into the sea. It is now two years overdue for its next blow-up.

G. Orren. ***************************************** It; is surprising how few members apparently can write. I have heard various persons say that various other persons are coming to the Dinner, but have myself heard nothing from the persons concerned. Will those members who are coming and who have not informed me PLEASE do so at once or else run the risk of being left out when the final arrangements are made.

T.H. Stanbury.

BB38/4 List of Members 1950. No. 5 Keith (Snogger) Hawkins 9, Quarrington Road, Horfield, Bristol. 7.

Miss Sybil Bowden-Lyle 31, Highworth Road, St. Annes, Bristol.

Tom Pink 53, Burnthwaite Road, Fulham, London S.W.6.

Assist/Insp. Brian Coase B.G., N.R. Police, P.O. Box 17, Lusaka, N. Rhodesia Hal Perry 20, Northfield Ave., Hanham, Bristol.

Len Burroughs 1, Ri hmond Park Road, Clifton, Bristol.

Pat Ifold 32, Coburg Road, Montpellier, Bristol. 6. (58545).

J.E. Monson 85, Warley Hill Brentwood, Essex..

Frank Young The Barton, Stanton drew, Nr. Bristol.

Cliff J. Brodie 10, Whatley Road, Clifton, Bristol.8.

Colin Andrew 170, Westbury Road, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol. 65841.

Norman Fillmore 14, Delving Road, Southmead, Bristol.

Miss Jill Rollason 157, Pen Park Road, Southmead, Bristol.

Maurice Brain 22, Blaise Walk, Sea Mills, Bristol. 9.

Norman Petty 12, Bankside Road, Brislington, Bristol. 4. . ****************************************** Dry Humour.

How doth the little Stalagmite Improve the shining hour, Whilst sitting on his cave bottom And waiting for a shower?

His pal, the Stalactite, doth hang Above him in the posture And rations his all-patient friend With monthly drops of moisture.

How Thirsty then our lowly mite Must get there in September, When whether he was wet last month He really can’t remember.

Just think how dry would you and I And our friends at the Hunters Become, if we felt like a pint – And had to wait for years, sir!

E. Vale ******************************************* We have a very cheap line in small pin badges in white metal; they 9d. each, first come first served. These badges are good value for the small cost and have been made for use until the enamel ones turn up in the distant future. ******************************************* T.H. Stanbury Hon. Sec. 74, Redcatch Road, Knowle, Bristol. 4. (Bristol 77590) F.W. Young, Assist. Hon. Sec. The Barton, Stanton Drew, Nr. Bristol W.J. Shorthose, Hon. Sec. London Sect. B.E.C., 26. Gateshead Road, Upper Tooting, London, S.W. 17.

Hal Perry, Acting Librarian. 20, Northfield Avenue, Hanham, Bristol.