Belfry Bulletin Number 128

No. 128

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No. 128

Editorial

SEPTEMBER 1958 Belfry Bulletin

Vol 12 No. 9

To most older members, the idea of holding the Annual Dinner and A.G.M in October will be somewhat of a novelty. It nearly caught the Editorial Board out last month, and the nomination forms were only printed at the last moment. For the same reason, this B.B. has had to be deliberately held back, so as to give the nomination forms a chance to come back before the voting forms so out with this B.B. The usual reminders - don't forget to vote, please try to turn up to the A.G.M., and do come along to the Dinner!

Last year, we only just had a quorum for the A.G.M. and in fact the meeting had to wait a bit until this was obtained we have never yet managed to cance1 one because of lack of bods and Dan's idea last year of having the A.G.M. in October was to make it easier for people to get there. It's on the SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4TH and the A.G.M. starts at 2.30. See you there. " Alfie." _______________________________________________________________________________________

Committee Meeting

At the August Committee Meeting, the following were elected members of the club; Michael Cunningham and David Brown. The committee then went on to finalize the wording of the new certificates for Hon. Life members. The installation of a calor poker for lighting the stove was agreed to. A letter from the M.N.R.C. proposing a memorial to Mr. Balch was read and the committee agreed to the idea of such a tribute. The Cuthbert's leaders list was extended (an up to date list of leaders will be found elsewhere in this issue). Albert Francis agreed to accept the job of foreman in charge of the erection of the new building and it was agreed to make a start on the reduction of mud from the Belfry site by having one lorry load of quarry waste delivered. _______________________________________________________________________________________

NOTICE

Will all members won have moved during the last year check that Bob Bagshaw or Bob Price have got their present address? We shall be beginning to think about the Christmas B.B. soon and they will be wanted for the usual list of member’s names and addresses. _______________________________________________________________________________________

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

To the Editor, B.B. I was most interested to read Kangy’s article on the Maypole Series in B.B. no 126. I agree it is depressing that the survey error will be up to fifty feet, but need it be this great? At present there seem to be three possible methods of getting distances and bearings (1), by using a tape measure (2) by optical methods (3) by radio methods. Method (1) is O.K. for short distances but much time is lost in running out the tape and getting the mud off it before a measurement is taken. Method (2) could be used, using the crossed lights principle, rather than the camera type of rangefinder. The main advantages are that it can be operated by one man and ranges to places normally inaccessible can be measured. (3) offers the advantage of being able to measure distances through rock, and so long traverse errors can be eliminated. The method allows the possibility of surveying underground with reference to fixed surface points.

Could the "bods who know" please comment on the above, and perhaps reply in the B.B. for the enlightenment of people like us?

Yours etc. George Honey.

Editor's Note: There's a lot of scope for comment here and we shall be pleased to print replies. I don't see how you are going to measure distances by radio methods - surely you will need some form of radar and the rock limits you to very low frequencies. Perhaps Norman Brooks could enlighten us as to how his radio device works and what it does?

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No. 128

CUTHBERT’S An account of recent activity by Chris Falshaw It is ironical that the smallest piece of passage discovered recently is the most important. This is the connection between the Rabbit Warren and Catgut. The passage, or squeeze as it really is, is not particularly tight, but awkward. Going through it one finds ones legs all mixed up, hence the name Cross Leg Squeeze.

The Rabbit Warren has been the scene of two other discoveries in recent months, the Tin Mine and an extension to the Soap Flake Pool. The latter was entered after removing a stalagmite barrier at the far end of the pool. It is now possible to float backwards through a narrow opening in the curtain into a small chamber.

There are no signs of any continuation. Apart from some nice curtains, the chamber has nothing to recommend it except free bathing facilities. The Tin Mine Dig finally yielded after great efforts by some imported members of other clubs. A tight squeeze can be negotiated into a medium sized chamber well decorated with straws. This chamber, like Continuation Chamber, has two streams entering. One is through an extremely small hole in the roof and it is doubtful whether this could be ever followed up. The other enters through a stone choke in the north end of the chamber. There may be a diggable way round this sump.

The streams join in the chamber and proceeded through a steeply sloping squeeze into a low passage which has been followed for fifty feet when the stream appears to run back underneath itself into gravel. Some excavation has open carried out at this point. Once again, the passage has nothing to recommend it except free bathing facilities, total immersion being almost inevitable.

It is now the 'open season' for maypoling and some good work has been done in this field. Maypole - a steeply ascending gully running parallel to and on the western side of the Maypole Series has been entered and penetrated for 3 poles vertical distance (not rods and perches, poles). It is thought that this gully may join up with Hanging Chamber, but sundry ironmongery is now needed to provide a reasonable safety margin. Maypole was entered on the same day as and is a passage about sixty feet vertically above the curtains and leads after 100' to the top of the cascade (can you do a traverse from this into Long Chamber, or am I showing my ignorance? Ed.) There are some fine organ pipes at the far end. Maypole was entered on August Bank Holiday Sunday. It is situated at the end of Disappointment Passage which is a tributary passage just below Gour Passage Pitch. Here a twenty foot pitch leads to a further 150' of steeply ascending rift with occasional squeezes and pools. This passage could be pushed further with slight widening. It is estimated that this rises over 200' which would put the furthest point reached fairly near the surface.

Some digging has been carried out at the bottom of the entrance shaft. The original purpose of this was to facilitate shunting operations for certain of our larger members. Ochre Rift was entered and now extends for 100'. The passage seems to run in the direction of ArĂŞte Pitch and there are two digs available at the lower end. A grade 4 survey of the region would confirm whether digging would be profitable or not. An interesting series of passages have been entered in Lower Traverse Chamber. The main oxbow is excessively tight at the lower end but widens out eventually into a large bedding plane which is forty feet above the main stream. It is possible to cross over the streamway and enter the top end of Lower Traverse Chamber.

Projects in hand for further exploration includes a dig in Beehive Chamber where it is hoped that an alternative route for the stream may be found, and various scaling techniques are being used to got into Hanging Chamber. The other places where extensions to the present system are most likely to be found are Coral Series, Continuation Chamber, Cerberus Series and the Pyrolusite Series.

Regarding the survey, the position is as follows; Don Coase had surveyed from the duck to the Railway Tunnel, a distance of 1,300 feet at a C.R.G. grade 6 standard. Kangy has surveyed the Maypole Series at a grade 4 standard and run a centre line to the entrance. Bryan Ellis and myself were engaged on a grade 5 survey of the Rabbit Warren when the Cross Legs Squeeze was discovered. We have now surveyed from Continuation Chamber through the Catgut to the start of the Maypole Series. Thus Continuation Chamber is now roughly fixed with relation to the surface, and appears to be somewhere under the Beeches back garden, not, as rumoured, the S.M.C.C. detailer. This position is interesting as, if the water flowing into Continuation Chamber is in fact from Plantation Swallet, then this does not cross the present Cuthbert’s System, as was originally supposed, but flows across the valley north of the present entrance. Bryan and I now intend to continuing survcying through Harem Passage to the Rabbit Warren, and on the way, link up

No. 128 Page 3 with Don Coase’s survey. Alfie is at present engaged in modifying astro compasses for continuation of the grade 6 survey.

Other work of a more scientific nature being carried out includes a continuation of the temperature readings at odd intervals, and an investigation into Ochre stalactites. If anyone has any information on this latter subject, I shall pleased to hear from then. Experiments have been carried out using a notched weir for water flow measurement. So far these have not been successful. It appears that half the water flowing in at Plantation gets lost before it reaches the duck!! Some water tracing experiments have also been carried out using paper maker's alum and an ion exchange column. Results again were suspect for a number of reasons, the chief of which was insufficient planning prior to the experiment.

Chris Falshaw. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Situations Vacant.

Builders' labourers will shortly be required by the B.E.C. on the construction of the new stone tackle shed. The committee have agreed to allow FREE BELRRY NIGHTS to all who come and work on this job.

Will anyone who is willing to put in some work on this contact Alfie or the Works Foreman, Albert Francis. _______________________________________________________________________________________ LETTERS RE LETTERS Editor's Note. The recent publication of B.B.C. Caving Report No 3. on the construction of light weight tackle by Bryan Ellis, has caused quite a lot of thinking on this subject. As a result, we arc printing two of the letters received in this B.B. To the Editor, B.B. Dear Sir, I have read with interest the B.E.C. Caving Report on lightweight ladders. Something that occurred to me when reading it was that the rungs, which are very slender, were not checked or tested for bending.

Presumably the fact that intensive use had not produced a bending failure of the rungs may be considered good enough. I have calculated that the maximum bending moment that the rungs will sustain without breaking to be 168lb/in. This means that the weight of a 170lb/in concentrated on one rung is loading this to a point near its limit. While this is excellent design for ultra lightweight tackle which is used with care by experienced people, I think that a factor of safety of 4 would be right for general caving use.

Shock loading, mentioned by Mr Ellis in the report, means in effect that any weight applied to the ladder is doubled. Thus an overall factor of safety of 4 would give a factor of 2 under the conditions of shock loading. For this, a suitable rung would appear to be 5/8" by 14 s.w.g. in the same metal. The reason that rungs of this ladder have not bent is probably, as Mr Ellis says that shock loading is exceptional and that it is rare that all of ones weight is applied to one rung. Much body weight is taken by the hands so that the weight is distributed between two or three rungs.

In spite of this criticism, I shall continue to use, if I may, the tackle designed by Mr Ellis. It is light, easy to manage and perfectly safe if used within its limitations. Furthermore, I weigh less than the average man.

Kangy (For reasons of space, the calculations which Kangy supplied with this letter have had to be omitted. The safety factor he obtains from the bending moment quoted above of 168lb/in. is 1.5. i.e. it would require 256lbs applied to one rung to break it in bending.)

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No. 128

To the Editor, B.B. I would be grateful if you could find space to publish the following addition to my report on the manufacture of lightweight caving ladders.

Since the report was originally written, I have had occasion to manufacture a further two hundred feet of ladder to this pattern. Ever since the first ladders were produced I have not been very keen on the soldered end loops despite the satisfactory results with tensile tests, and with the new ladders, tabureting was used for those loops. This consists of cold pressing an alloy collar around the wire rope, the pressure being so great that the collar alloys with the wire. Messrs Tratman and Lowther on the centre, Bristol, will do the required tabureting with very little delay and charge 2/6 a loop for up to six, and 2/- a loop if a lager number are done at the same time. This makes a much neater and more reliable job, especially as the wire rope manufacturers state that the rope should not be heated at all - not even for soft soldering.

B.M. Ellis _______________________________________________________________________________________

ARCHAEOLOGY Officially, this club has an Archaeologist, but in practice no archaeological work has been carried out since the execration of the Roman settlement behind the Belfry. Most of the workers then were from the Bristol Folk House. The reason for this would seem to be twofold. Firstly, archaeological excavation is naturally destructive and a good deal of experience is required before a group of people can, so to speak, "pay their way". Secondly, while a number of members are interested, it is very debatable whether such interest is keen enough to merit starting work on any organized project.

However, if sufficient members are genuinely interested in carrying out field work (not necessarily excavation) they would be most welcome. Although Mendip has been closely investigated, there still remain a number of problems on which a trained group of field observers could carry out important work.

In order to provide the necessary training, I am prepared to supply aerial photographs and maps and form a small group to work over known field monuments at week ends and possibly with informal indoor sessions during the week. Eventually such a group should be capable of working independently on unsolved problems.

Should anyone be interested in joining such a group, could they please contact the undersigned.

F.S. Gardner. _______________________________________________________________________________________ INVITATION. The Clevedon Archaeological Society are holding their Annual Dinner at the Highcliff Hotel, Clevedon on Sat. Oct. 25. A lecture on the Sutton Hoo treasure ship will precede the dinner. All members of the B.E.C. are cordially invited. Price of dinner 12/6. Lecture 2/-.

No. 128

Page 5 THE BRISTOL EXPLORATION CLUB

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING TO BE HELD AT REDCLIFFE COMMUNITY CENTRE AT 2.15PM ON SAT. 4TH OCTOBER 1958 AGENDA 1. ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN 2. COLLECTION OF BALLOT PAPERS 3. COLLECTION OF MEMBER’S RESOLUTIONS 4. ELECTION OF TELLERS FOR BALLOT 5. ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF LAST ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 6. HON. SECRETARY’S REPORT 7. HON. TREASURER’S REPORT 8. CAVING REPORT 9. CLIMBING REPORT 10. TACKLE REPORT 11. BELFRY REPORT 12. LIBRARY REPORT 13. BELFRY BULLETIN 14. MEMBER’S RESOLUTIONS 15. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

The meeting will be followed by the ANNUAL DINNER to be held at the Cave Man Restaurant, Cheddar.

A coach has been arranged to start from Redcliffe after the A.G.M.

The Financial Statement for the eight months Jan – Aug 1958 follows on Page 6 overleaf.

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No. 128 Financial Statement For Eight Months to the Thirty First August 1958 Annual Subscriptions Belfry: Annual Dinner: Redcliffe Hall:

£ 70-15-3 Receipts Less Expend Receipts Less Cost Levy Less Hire

£64-16- 2 £47- 6- 9 £42-12- 0 £40-19- 6 £ 12- 5-6 £ 7- 0-0

Stencils, paper Postages

£ £

8- 14-0 7- 10-2

Expenditure Less Levy

£ £

7- 0-0 0- 16-6

Sundries: Belfry Bulletin: Public Liability Insurance Tackle Postages, Stationary etc.

Library Loans Repaid: British Mountaineering Council Sub Sundries Surplus

£ 17- 9- 5 £

1-12- 6

£ 5- 5- 6 £ 1-11- 8 £ 96-14- 4 £ 16 - 4 -2 £ 8-10- 0 £ 6- 3-10 £ 2- 17-10 £ 2- 5- 1 £ 2- 0- 0 £ 1- 0- 0 £ 4- 3- 0 £ 53-10- 5 £ 96- 14- 4

Total Club monies @ 1st January, 1958 Add Surplus as above

£104- 7-10 £ 53-10- 5 £157-18- 3

Post Office Savings Bank Account 31.8.58 Cash in hand 31.8.58 TOTAL CLUB MONIES AT 31ST AUGUST 1958

£154-11-10 £ 3- 6- 5 £157-18- 3

____________________________________________________________________________________ The Belfry Bulletin. Editor: S.J. Collins, 1 Kensington Place, Clifton, Bristol 8 Secretary: R.J. Bagshaw, 56 Ponsford Road, Knowle, Bristol 4