April 1961 Vol XV No.4
Number 158
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April 1961 – No 158
_______________________________________________________________________________________ Recently, we have received quite a few letters, mainly from club members who are not able to got up to Mendip as often as they would wish, who say that they find the B.B. an excellent way of keeping in touch and are satisfied with the present layout and contents. Others, on the other hand, may wonder why the bit which they wrote for the magazine has not yet come out, particularly as the editor is always moaning that he has not got enough material. The answer to this latter question is that we try to keep a variety in the B.B. The serial on Cave Photography started last month has unfortunately had to be postponed, as the author is on holiday. This sort of thing happens quite often in a magazine as small in size and as frequent in appearance, as the B.B. Other editors will no doubt sympathise. Talking of other editors, we were most pleased to receive a copy this month of the WESSEX JOURNAL for which we should like to thank the Wessex Cave Club and the editor. We hope that, from time to time, we shall be able to reprint caving news from this source in the B.B., and make available any of our own new caving articles to the Wessex Journal. This will further increase the interest, we hope, of those members who wish to keep up with new caving developments on Mendip. Finally, thanks to the two members who have already contributed supplies of duplicating paper, and an appeal for more. The B.B. takes about a ream a month and the circulation is now just over 190 copies a month. One last afterthought. Some time ago, we had some PHOTOGRAPHS in the B.B. Admittedly, rather badly printed but this can now be remedied. How about an illustration to YOUR next article? Enclose a print the size you think it should be in the B.B. as contrasty as possible (all soot and white wash) and with not too much black in it and we’ll do the rest! "Alfie" _______________________________________________________________________________________
NOTICES Whitsun Coach Trip to Gaping Ghyll. It is still not too late to book for this if you do it NOW. Contact Brian Prewer, c/o Greenfields Farm, Upper Coxley, Wells, Somerset. A good time is assured on this trip! Thursday Climbing Meets. These have started again. Meet the Climbing Section, at about 6 p.m. on Thursdays by the tennis courts in the gorge. Club Ties. Owing to the firm involved sending the wrong colour; these are still not available for distribution. We have asked them to be as quick as they can in putting their mistake right and hope to be able to announce their arrival shortly. Personal. Congratulations to John and Audrey Attwood on the birth of their son, Simon John. He was born on April 8th at the Bristol Maternity Hospital and weighed 9lbs 10oz.
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Number 158
April1961
CAVING LOG for 1961 5th March. St. Cuthbert's. Bryan Ellis took two Wessex members down the cave on a tourist trip. Took the opportunity to remove some of the flood debris and mould covered rubbish from the Dining Room, more important, we took the drum containing the Primus and what spare food there was back from Pillar Chamber to the Dining Room. 11th March. St. Cuthbert’s. Leader Richard Roberts. Party Bruce, Mike G, Mike C, Ron. September Series to Trafalgar and Strand via Main Chamber. Back via Cascade and Everest Chamber. This was originally a bug-hunting trip, but owing to the shortage of bugs, this aspect of the trip was cancelled. The water was very low. What is someone who collects bugs called? 11th March. Swildons. Rowena and Gillian - a lass from Australia. 'Gee, it's great' - down Wet Way to top of Forty. Pretty Way home. 12th March. St. Cuthbert’s. Leader Richard Roberts. Party Frank, Bruce, Mike C., Mike G. September Series to Strand. Looked at odd passages but found nothing new. We then went down to the stream which we could hear from Paperweight Chamber. To the right - downstream - there is a series of interconnecting chambers ending in a vertical drainpipe heeding a rope. The stream can be heard again from here. To the left - upstream - is a very complex Boulder Ruckle which needs further exploration. 12th March. Goatchurch and Avelines. Leader Prew. Party Pat, Frank, Colin Smith and Prew's mate. A trip to test a dreaded electrismal/magnetismal prototype surveying gadget fairly successful. It worked through about 500' of reel. 18th March. G.B. Leader Alfie. Party Richard, Pat, Tom Neil. A mainly photographic trip to bottom of cave via Loop and Ox-bow, followed by trip up White Passage to the end. Alfie and Tom noted the Devenish Effect - due to caves shrinking. The party rested at frequent intervals and the leader explained that this was for the benefit of the younger members of the party. 19th March. St. Cuthbert’s. Leader Richard. Party, Pat and Mike Calvert. High Speed trip to stream passage below Paperweight Chamber. Explored narrow fissure at end of chambers downstream. This led to the stream passage again and after about 150’ ended in a sump. There were several side passages which ended in chokes. We then returned to the first appearance of the stream and had a 'thrutch' around in the Boulder Ruckle. We finally ended up in the middle of Catgut Series on the main route to September Series. We were led out by Pat. The stream passage described above had no visible traces of previous discovery. 19th March. St. Cuthbert’s. Mike Baker and Roger Stenner thrutched around the Boulder Chamber. Found a new passage with mud formations - stalactites and two mud stalagmites. Went into Long Chamber. 19th March. St. Cuthbert’s. Party Norman Petty; P.G. Davies; B. Baukin; S.G. Banks; D. Home; B. Redfern; J. Williams; Pam and Paul Reinsch. Tourist trip to Sump via Cascade Passage, Curtain Chamber and Rabbit Warren. 26th March. Cuckoo Cleeves and Dallimores. Garth and Ron. This was a wild discovery trip for the party. A determined attempt was made to enter Cuckoo Cleeves, but when faced with the prospect of removing approximately five tons of clag, the beautiful indolence overcame us. Entrance to Dallimores was accomplished by earoling down a rope into the mud bath. A few reasonable chunks of stal were encountered down there, just on the far side of the main chamber (of which Jim Giles now has a photo). On down the Slippery Shute, the way was apparently blocked. Slightly above and to the right is a muddy; wet; body tearing; non-British; non-cricket, temper loosening squeeze and Garth got well and truly stuck and being Garth, cursed like hell. We emerged from the cave wet and steaming. 23rd March. St. Cuthbert’s. John Attwood, John Eatough and "Kangy". High into the Wire Rift, then into that horror beloved of Bennett - Rocky Boulders. Dug speculatively at the duck, then out. Very dry, very nostalgic, very pleasant.
April 1961
Number 158
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31st March. Swildons. Party Nigel and Pete Bagcock. First trip for Pete. Down the Long Dry and then to the bottom end of Barnes Loop. Pete, the idiot, dropped a ladder down the waterfall. Back out the Wet Way. 31st March. August. Party Garth and Keith. Quick trip to the bottom to provide lights for three Reading nits who had been waiting for approximately seven hours for us. Late entry. 10th Feb. Weegee trip to Wookey Hole; Gough's and Cox's. In each, got the usual patter. Interested to hear about the Rev, Somebody or other who wanted to acquire some of the formations from Wookey so he put straw down on the floor and brought them down by musket fire. I bet that caused a right clatter round the chamber! Whilst in Cox's cave, the guide demonstrated how he could play with a rusty nail on stal curtains! Party G.E., J.E. and and Johnny Eatough. _______________________________________________________________________________________
L E T T E R to the editor Dear Sir, I was interested to see a cute little "Warning – Great Wetness” notice above the entrance to St. Cuthbert’s Swallet. I wonder why this is necessary? As far as I know, St. Cuthbert’s is explored and visited under an approved leader system. To be approved by the Committee each leader must have demonstrated that he is a competent caver, is familiar with the Cuthbert’s system, knows the rules applied to caving, with particular emphasis on Cuthbert’s, and will at all times treat the formations with care and respect. With the leaders carefully vetted by our beloved committee, what more is needed? Surely unsightly, easily damaged notices are superfluous and a prize example of the Belt and Braces technique. There are dangers in St. Cuthbert’s more lethal than an inconvenient stream down the Entrance Pitch. A flooded Cuthbert’s merely means a longish wait in a relatively dry and well ventilated chamber from which communication can fairly easily be established with the surface. Correctly dressed and equipped cavers will suffer only discomfort. If we must have notices, please can they be more pertinent to St. Cuthbert’s. Can they point out, for example: ~ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
The woodwork in the shaft. The state of the boulders above Arête Pitch. That the metal ladders are intended for the passage of one person at a time. The risk involved in incorrectly using the wire in the Wire Rift. It is good practice to pass Quarry Corner one at a time. That several of the major series are not good insurance risks. That there are recognised ways and places for refuelling carbide lamp
We are quite familiar with St. Cuthbert’s but familiarity, though it may breed contempt, does not reduce the dangers of the cave or the tragedy of spoilt formations. I have the horror to be, sir, Kangy.
SIDEWAYS
In deference to Mr. Giles’ skill and undoubted mastery of the art of this form of photography, the whole of this apology has been printed
That well known exponent of the technique of side lighting n caves, Mr. JIM GILES pointed out to the editor that the socalled cartoon which he drew last month was not a good representation of the effects which Mr. Giles obtains by using this technique and then allowing us some fine examples of some scenery he has photographed by side lighting.
SIDE LIGHTING
We also note a slight inaccuracy in a recent account of the last Cuthbert’s flooding incident. Although the fire pump was very efficient, and a great help, it did not dry out the entrance pitch. The best it could do was to keep pace with the water coming in. Only by increasing the dam capacity by a small amount was the water temporary decreased, enabling the cavers to leave the cave. - Editor.
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Number 158
April1961
SECONDARY LIGHTING A NEAR MISS by Jim Giles. The number of cavers on Mendip is on the increase again as the summer draws close, and perhaps a word of warning about lighting may save some trouble for the M.R.O. It seems that, despite our club rules, some cavers do visit caves with only a single source of light and no worry as to what may happen if that light should go out. I was once among those solo light cavers, and prided myself on my ability to carry on, using someone else's light. A trip in Swildons Hole changed all that! At about 1 pm on April 4th, Roger Stenner led a trip down St. Cuthbert’s while Bob Lawder led a photographic trip around the Upper Series of Swildons. Dave Causer and I decided to go down to Shatter Pot using Bob’s party as sherpas on the 40. Dave had a Nife cell; a carbide lamp and some spare carbide while I had a carbide lamp and two water bottles. As the Nife cell was rather cumbersome, we left it in St. Pauls Series near Blasted Boss to be collected on the way out. We reached Shatter Pot and left the spare carbide at the bottom of the pitch and went through the diggings to Junction Chamber where we measured up a branch passage. At the end of the 250' Rift Passage, there is a small stream passage which at first suggested a way on, but is choked after a few feet. This stream passage is 3’ long leading into a pool where the stream sinks. The pool is about 6’ long, 1’ high and 1’ wide. On this occasion, it was half full of water, making it very muddy. Beyond the pool, the passage widens a little and goes uphill into a small round choked chamber. As I had not ventured into this passage on a previous trip, I decided to go through and have a look around while Dave remained behind. As I emerged on the other side of the pool, I put my lamp on some mud. I swore, but managed to light up again. On my way back through the pool, I put it onto mud again. This time I could not get it going. I asked Dave for some light, but his lamp had also gone out. We both tried to get our lights going again but without success. I wore out my flint and my thumb while Dave decided that his lamp was completely dead. The only thing left to do was to try and light my lamp with Dave's flint, so I wriggled round and by splashing in the pool; we were able to get together. I passed my lamp to him and followed out by touch. Out in the 250’ passage, Dave was able to get my lamp going, but the flame was very weak and the addition of water made little difference. With such light as there was, we were able to climb the 10' overhang (almost impossible on flint alone) and make our way back to the spare carbide, where we recharged and were able to leave the cave. I hope if any single light caver reads this, he will learn by our mistake. Believe me, it is not funny. However, if your light should still go out, don't panic. It’s surprising what you can do when you have to! _______________________________________________________________________________________
ARCHAEOLOGY An archaeological section is being reformed in the B.E.C. and Keith Gardner is the Archaeological Secretary. If you are interested, please contact him, or write to him at 10a Royal Park, Clifton. He will be writing a regular Archaeological feature in the B.B. in future, which will keep members up to date in this field. _______________________________________________________________________________________ G.B. and other caves. The Committee would like to remind all members that most of the Mendip caves are subject to some sort of arrangements before they may be visited. In particular, visits to G.B. MUST be organised via the Caving Secretary, who will arrange for the key. It is not enough to obtain the key from other sources, even if it is one of the B.E.C.’s guest days. _______________________________________________________________________________________ The Belfry Bulletin Editor, S.J. Collins, 33, Richmond Terrace, Clifton, Bristol 8. Secretary. R. J. Bagshaw, 699 Wells Road, Knowle, Bristol 4. Postal Department. C.A. Marriott, 718, Muller Road, Eastville, Bristol.