Belfry Bulletin Number 202

B

No 202 ? ? ?

196?

B

As you will appreciate from the heading, page one of this B.B. has had to be scrapped. It originally did things like wishing you all a Merry Christmas, but perhaps in view of the ill fortune that has dogged the production of this very belated Christmas Number, it might be safer to wish you a Happy Easter (or in, the case of members who get the B.B. by post, Whitsun).

Not to bore you unduly, but what has happened is a temporary breakdown in the printing department of the B.B. also, as a result of changes here, it will not be possible to implement the plans for producing the B.B. by the Offset Litho process – at least not in the near future. So it is a case of ‘as you were’ and perhaps that’ll finally teach me not to natter on about the future any more!

You will however, find some forms about the M.R.O. and the continental trip in this B.B. and also you are being asked for your comments on the subject of next year’s dinner. Please try to answer all these if you possible can as various arrangements depend on us knowing what you want and what you are prepared to do.

In spite of the delay, the editor would like to wish all club members and cavers everywhere a very Happy and Prosperous New Year and good caving in 1965.

“Alfie” _______________________________________________________________________________________

The Sequence of Development of St. Cuthberts [Part 2] Re-examination and Vadose Erosion.

The great plug was finally broken, possibly by the simple pressure of the water that it impounded, possibly by the fall in the water table at the Wookey end of the system causing the choke to be sapped from downstream. The first re-excavating streams came down the Arête route and from the north east corner of Upper Traverse Chamber. Both cleared much of the fill in the central chambers and the western part of the Warren before re-opening the gravity favoured channels down Everest Passage and The Fingers and so clearing Main Stream Passage. A comparatively small stream removed the top six feet or so of fill in the Lake – Cerberus Hall section of the rift, flowing into the Main Stream through the Dining Room. Southeast of the Dining Room Junction the rift remained choked. The streams cleared it again at end below their final points of entry – Beehive Chamber. The gours for which the rift is named are thus stalagmite deposits on to a wall of fill left standing immediately upstream of the Beehive Junction.

In the highest parts of the cave, there was little fill to clear. The streams instead expended their energy on the erosion of the cave. At the south end of the Wire Rift a great stream pothole was drilled by the water on its way to Pillar and Boulder Chambers. The drilling struck an extensive low-angle thrust which guides most of the Pulpit route from the second pitch to Lower Traverse Chamber. Water was diverted down it, tearing the bottom out of the pothole and opening a primitive route across Lower Traverse Chamber and out into Main Stream Passage at the lower Everest Passage Junction. This route (proto Pulpit) thus passed under Upper traverse Chamber without connecting with it during the early stages of formation. The ruptured pothole is Upper Mud Hall, now further modified by a hefty rock fall.

Page 2 Stream flow in the cave then ceased and another stalagmite phase began. The principal remains are a great false floor – up to 24 inches thick - which has to be ducked under when passing into the Dining Room

It was built onto a gravel floor sloping from Cerberus Hall down to the Main Stream Passage. Only the lower part of it is left now and it is s good site to look at stream eroded stalagmite. There are even some anastomoses.

When the streams started up again, they entered the cave via new routes. During the stalagmite phase, the earlier surface sinks must have been infilled. The Arête – Wire Rift route was abandoned and a small stream found its way down through the big aven at the bottom of the descent from Pillar Chamber to Kanchenjunga Boulder level. It went on through Boulder Chamber to Main Stream passage, continuing the work of clearing fill.

A larger stream followed a great vertical fault down onto the northwest side of September Series. When it hit the shales, it burst a new route to the west, into Upper Traverse Chamber. The fault guided pitch, apparently the biggest vadose feature in the cave, is High Chamber. Another stream from Lake Chamber cleared another six feet or so of fill in Cerberus Hall, undermining the Dining Room stalagmite floor and leaving it hanging in the air. The combined streams cut shallow trenches in the rock floor immediately up and downstream of plantation Junction. Half of the upstream trench remains as a muddy ledge followed along the bottom of the Sewer.

Another stalagmite phase followed. Remains are again seen at the Dining Room, where a thin floor is preserved on the north side descending the 24 inch one. When the stream recommenced, they brought in a unique fill of sand and silt which had evidently accumulated above ground during the stalagmite phase. For a while, many parts of the cave were clogged with this, until the surface supply ran out and the streams began to move their dumpings further downstream into the unknown cave. Sand from High Chamber Stream can be seen on the Upper Traverse, banked against the remaining course fill in the Tunnel and all over the Fingers. There it buried stalagmite and built up at least fifteen feet deep, spilling into the Warren. A lot of sand remains north of the Kanchenjunga Boulder, indicating that the stream from the aven there brought its share.

In Cerberus Hall, there was a rock fall onto the stalagmite and then six to eight feet of sand was laid. It is the flat floor material in the centre of the hall. At the northwest end it can be seen burying big stalagmite bosses of an earlier phase. There are remains of the sand in crevices all the way down Main Stream Passage and great bank of it at Plantation Junction.

At the close of the sand phase, High Chamber lost the principal stream. It has only been a trickle since, which cut a prominent trench to the mouth of Maypole Series. It was this series which captured the water.

This created the most northerly passages, then joining the pre-existing rift. This was entrenched, creating some of the finest stream potholes on Mendip. One, which follows vertically plunging shales, is a must for the collector of spectacular geology.

On entering Upper traverse Chamber, the Maypole Stream used a sequence of routes. First, it cleared sand down the old course through Cascade Chamber and The Fingers. Once this was out of the way a route was opened through the solid rock floor down to the proto-Pulpit Channel, which had been inactive since the first phase of re-excavation. The new route was Sentry Passage. Before this had grown very big, it was abandoned for the more direct course that the trickles from the Maypole Series now follow. This course culminates in a thirty foot vertical drop to the proto-Pulpit cave. The greatest pothole in St. Cuthbert’s was drilled at the base of it. This is Lower Traverse Chamber. From the pothole, the water first exited on the west side, the modern crawl through the boulders to the lower parts of the cave. The trench it cut here left Sentry Passage hanging eight feet up the wall and caused the boulder fall. Later, the lower route cut through the south wall of the pothole was developed. The stream follows this to a choke today.

Then the Maypole Series was robbed of its water in turn. It was diverted, immediately below ground, into the Arête Route. Fill was cleared in the Wire Rift and the series of little capture channels between Upper Mud Hall and Waterfall Pitch (the last and biggest of the captures) were opened.

Page 3 Rockfall in the Arête Pitch diverted the water into some big joints in the northwest. These opened up into Pulpit Pitch, the last great vadose trench was cut down to the Lower Traverse pothole. This, of course, was out of action because the water from Maypole was gone.

In this phase of erosion also, a stream re-entered September Series and the Extension. This area had been inactive since it was choked in the Main Fill Period. The new stream opened Catgut which had not existed before, and then cleared Extension Passage down through Helictite Passage. It switched its course and began clearing the modern Plantation Stream Route. Fill in Continuation Chamber could be flushed into Extension Passage via the Sausage Machine. Further downstream, clearance was more difficult and most of the coarse material in the choke remains, though the finer stuff has been filtered out. Flood waters in the clogged passage built up quite a head of pressure, which caused water to burst from the Tin Mine and erode a channel, through fill, into the top of the Sewer. This is why it is necessary to climb to enter Helictie Passage and use a chain to scale stalagmite 10 feet to the north (entrance to Upper Extension Passage). One is climbing the walls of the flood channel, since mantled with stalagmite.

Since the Sand Phase, there has been no big stream flowing from Curtain Chamber into Cerberus Hall.

At Lake and Mud Hall Chambers, local drips have washed the fill down into the soak ways in the floor. The soaking water may emerge somewhere in the Sewers but I think it more probable that it goes straight down the Great Rift to seep under the Gours. The Lake level thus fluctuates because the heavy wet weather drips have to filter out, on a shallow gradient, through more than 250 feet of stream gravels.

The mainstream (Pulpit) was reduced in size at the close of this last major erosion phase. It cut slot trenches through its potholes and then could only deposit its load of pebbles and gravels. The deposit built up to 4 – 5 feet above the modern floor at Lower Traverse Chamber, where many residuals of it can be seen.

Cavers, however, are the most active cause of erosion of all kinds at the moment. There is plenty of evidence all over Mendip to indicate that falls most frequently occur in much-travelled boulder chokes, even if there is no deliberate displacement of material. Gravel and clay deposits have taken a heavy beating. As they may be of significance to the kind of historical reconstruction given above, it is well to avoid trampling over those that have escaped the boot so far. Please don’t dump carbide anywhere near buried stalagmite deposits. In the future it may be possible to get dates on these, but they will look pretty queer if the calcium ratios have been affected by seeping calcium carbide.

Derek Ford Los Angeles May 1964 THE SEQUENCE OF DEVELOPMENT IN ST. CUTHBERT’S SWALLET. Phreatic Period

Main Fill Period.

Re-excavation Period.

Phase 1. Phreatic Erosion. – Bore Passages.

2. Phreatic Erosion. – Expansion – Disintegration of Bore Passages.

Cave Drained of Phreatic Water Phase 3a. Stream Deposition. Coarse deposits, followed by finer sediments.

3b. Stalagmite Deposition.

4a. Stream Deposition. - As in 3a.

4b. Stalagmite Deposition.

5a. Stream Deposition. - As in 3a.

5b. Stalagmite Deposition.

6. Stream Deposition. - As in 3a.

7. Stream Deposition. - As in 3a 8a. Vadose Erosion. Mud Hall’s Pothole 8b. Stalagmite Deposition.

9a. Vadose Erosion. - High Chamber.

9b. Stalagmite Deposition.

10. Stream Deposition. - Sand Phase.

11a. Vadose Erosion. - Maypole & Pulpit.

11b. Stream Deposition.

11c. Recent Stalagmite.

Page 4 12. Vadose Erosion. - Recommencing. (modern phase).

Cuthbert’s

in

1964

For the last few years, the Christmas B.B. has included an article on St. Cuthbert’s giving outlines of new discoveries found during the year.

On one of the main trips to the Coral area this year, several interesting chambers were found giving, I hope, a new interest to the would be explorer and those who are under the impression that S. Cuthbert’s is an explored cave with no further discoveries of interest to come!

Following the discovery of Chandelier Passage and Upper Long Chamber (This should not be confused with Long Chamber Extension which is the chamber reached by traversing the bedding plane of Long Chamber and which was also known as Upper long Chamber. Due to the duplicating of chamber names, Upper Long Chamber is now the chamber noted by John Cornwell – although it was probably discovered in December 1963 when Nick Hart and Phil Davies maypole the hole in the wall opposite Kanchenjunga) by John Cornwell in March, a rough survey was commenced with a view to obtaining a clear picture of what existed in this comparatively little known area of the cave, and to attempt to catalogue all the known chambers and passages.

On one of these trips, accompanied by Bill Smart, Dave Smith and Olive Tomlinson, a visit was paid to a passage off the ruckle mentioned by Mike Luckwill on the 1963 Christmas B.B. This rift passage, some fifty feet, was explored both in the roof and the floor for any extensions. I found a small hole at the bottom end of the rift that led to a tight rift leading to a small boulder chamber which was the terminal point of a visit by Roy Bennett some years ago. Several holes were noted under the only solid wall which showed to be another narrow rift with a chamber below. Several feeble attempts were made to remove a key, medium sized, boulder but we couldn’t get sufficient leverage to get it out. The only way left to us was to remove the pile of boulders at the side – at first carefully, but gradually increasing in speed until they all avalanched to the floor of the chamber with an almighty crash! In doing this, they blocked the keystone, but revealed a choked rift. By digging through the fill, we broke into a lower chamber. This chamber tapered to a stal. choke and, as I was looking at it, Bill Smart noticed a small hole in the floor near the limestone climb. We threw stones in to the hole and by the way they fell sounded extremely promising. Just able to squeeze my head and shoulders through, I saw what appeared to be a very large pot with huge slabs balanced against the sides. Extracting myself, we started moving a slab of rock giving sufficient room to squeeze through. I landed on a ledge in the chamber some twenty feet above the floor level and saw at once that it was not a pot, neither was it circular! The chamber was about forty feet long and some twenty to twenty feet wide and about forty feet high. The right hand wall was absolutely smooth for the full height of the chamber, giving the impression of height far more than it really was. The climb down was accomplished by the party gave us a chance to look at the chamber. It appeared we were in the upper reaches of the Lake/Gour fault. This time we were looking at the fault in its original unwaterworn state, although some mineralization has taken place on the vertical wall. It was noted some time later that it was rather strange to see the bedding on the left ‘wall’ broken into large boulders and the complete absence of any bedding on the fault wall. The ‘white limestone’ we had climbed down was an eight foot wide band of breccia. On a later trip, when we lit the chamber with magnesium string showed horizontal slickensliding, which has given a clue to the type of fault we are trying to cross.

The following day, accompanied by the same party except Dave Smith, who had an argument with the Mineries Pool the evening before, plus Mike Palmer, Mike Luckwill and Tony Meadon, scoured Marble Hall for any further passages. A series of such passages were found below the chamber reached by climbing down a rift; but were all choked with coarse infill. The interesting point was that the bedding appeared to be all but vertical (the normal angle for the cave is 38 -400) but this is presumably due to the disturbance caused by the fault. Before leaving we discussed a suitable name for the chamber and arrived finally at Marble Hall for two reasons: - Large white calcite banding was a feature in the fault wall resembling marble and the high narrow rectangular section of the chamber looked very much like an impressive hall.

Page 5 During a photographic trip with Barry Lane and Tommy Thomas (Aug 9th) I had a further look at the stal. choke in the chamber above Marble Hall, and saw that it was comprised of small boulders with a thin coating of flowstone. Stones were dropped through the small openings and indicated a space below. The following Saturday armed with hammer and accompanied by Phil Kingston and Mike Luckwill, we smashed the choke and entered a very small but well water worn chamber, the only way one being a very tight tube leading almost vertically downwards. At first sight it looked almost impossible, but I managed to slide through to the top of another rift chamber about fifteen feet deep. This led to another squeeze in the floor and a shaft (climbable) some three to four feet in diameter and once choked with a coarse infill. Parts are quite well stalled over. This dropped away for nearly thirty feet, ending in a choke. A tight squeeze led to a side chamber that only Phil could get through. On the floor, a tight phreatic tube was noticed with several fist size holes leading downward from it. Small stones were dropped down and indicated a space below once again. On a later trip with Roy Bennett, Roy noticed a small chamber at the bottom of the fifteen foot rift.

This has not been entered to this date, as it is proposed to photograph the stal. flow before it is soiled when entering a tube on the far side. On the 25th August we (Bill Smart, Alan Williams, Geoff Bull and myself) explored the ruckle again. Much work will have to be done in the future as many promising holes have yet to be probed.

Another interesting area that has been found this year (although great care needs to be exercised) is off Pillar Chamber. We (Alan Thomas and myself) entered a hole in the roof to a small chamber with bat guano on the floor that led to a rather shattered passage after a short climb, entered a chamber about twenty feet five feet high. This was probably the feeder to Rocky Boulder Passage as the floor below shows a well developed pot some six feet in diameter and blocked with boulders. An interesting pitch of about twenty five feet may be made through the eyehole to Rocky Boulder Passage.

Alan climbed a rather dodgy looking lot of boulders to find a large chamber above and to the left of this (looking north). This chamber is formed along the same plane as Upper Long Chamber and bedding planes.

A much more sporting way to connect the two chambers is via a 54’ pitch that is reached from the large chamber via a squeeze (The Thrutch). This leads to a wide rift some 25 to 30 feet high with an unclimbed aven at the end. At the floor of the aven are fine formations with several crystal pools. A thirty foot maypole will be required to climb the aven and avoid the stal. The rift was entered and the left hand wall climbed to a height of about eighteen feet to a point near the stal. floor (Saturday 10th October – Alan Coase, Bill Smart, 2 W.S.G. and myself). Although Alan was tempted to climb a bedding plane, it proved too dicey without ropes.

As we were about to leave the rift, I had a look at a hole at the end of a restricted bedding plane and could see a ledge some ten to twelve feet down. As I was halfway through the hole, a stone crashed away telling us that it was more than ten to twelve feet. The ladders were fetched and belayed to boulders in the floor.

Alan, the only one handy with a Nife, as water supplies were about out, bottomed the pitch to say that the forty feet of ladder that we had got was about ten feet short. Climbing down the rest, he found himself in a bedding plane leading to Long Chamber.

This then is a brief description of some of the new areas in Cuthbert’s with a very great deal still to be probed. Perhaps 1965 might be the year the B.E.C. cross the fault. Who knows?

Dave Irwin. _______________________________________________________________________________________

M. R. O. As many of you will know, the B.E.C. operates a rescue call-out system as part of its co-operative effort with the Mendip Rescue Organisation. This involves having an up to date list of active members, with their telephone numbers and addresses, so that in the event of a rescue call-out a suitable number of people can be brought to the scene of the rescue as quickly as possible. This is particularly important at time when few cavers are on Mendip as for instance in a mid-week call-out.

Over the last few years, the list has become out of date and a questionnaire has therefore been included in this B.B. From the answers received, a short list of thirty or so people will be drawn up. The term ‘most

Page 6 Mendip caves’ in the questionnaire means the major systems of Mendip; Swildons, Eastwater, Cuthbert’s, G.B., Stoke Lane, etc. The term ‘special Knowledge’ includes features such as the Long Chamber area of Cuthbert’s, Pine Tree Pot, Cow Holes, etc.

C.A. Marriott.

1

2

3

4

5 6

7

8 9

10 11

13

14

12

15 16

17

18 19

20

21

X WORD Across. 1. Mendip Cave (9).

6. Any Other Business (3).

8. Used by learner cavers to find their way out (6).

9. I get into a broken bell (5).

10. A devilish metal (6).

11. Allow to become a lord (7).

13. If rocks do this, it could be dangerous (7).

16. In the Chinese vase, that is broken (6).

18. Bird, wrapped up in a towel? (5).

19. Electrical power supplies (6).

21. Van Gogh cut his off! Would you do the same? (3) 22. Logically when Alice should have had the jam? (9).

22

Down. 1. Consume (3).

2. Stir a stump, or for that matter the B.E.C. and the result is this (5).

3. TWISTED? (7) 4. Edible form of Egyptian writing? (6).

5. Natural caver? (6).

7. See 14 down (9).

8. Rock from underneath the limestone (9) 12. Neil and egg beaten up to give a film garnet (7).

14 & 7. Read by bats? (6 & 9).

15. Buries (6).

17. Sulky transport (5).

20. Plaything (3).

Sett

_______________________________________________________________________________________ Extracts from the …………….

Caving Log ……Edited by Barry lane _______________________________________________________________________________________ On the 4th October, Bob White and Dave Irwin inspected a rift in the large chamber off the “Pillar Extensions” in St. Cuthbert’s and found that an aven near the entrance to the chamber connected with passages above Upper Long Chamber. The aven is a fairly easy climb of thirty feet but care is required near the top due to loose scree. On the following day, Dave was accompanied by Alan Coase and Bill Smart.

The same region was explored and another rift off the same large chamber was climbed but became too tight to follow at the top. A hole in the bottom of the rift was entered, which led to a passage similar to Fracture Rift in size, but unfortunately only about twenty five feet long. Another twenty five foot climb revealed a fine stal. flow, and behind this a six foot passage leads back to the fifty foot pot mentioned frequently in earlier caving logs.

On the 11th October, Tony Meadon, Bob Craig and Barry Lane looked at Lake Chamber and found that the water level was so low that an archway was passable into an adjacent chamber. This chamber has a large aven in the roof which looks very promising.

Cannington Cave was entered on 22nd by Noel McSharry and Sett. Lots of bones were found, ranging from rabbit to cave bear. The trip was thought to be very worth while for the student of caves but not for the ‘tiger’. On the 31st, Tony Meadon and Chris Harvey carried out work on the dig under the gours but found conditions rather muddy as the dig quickly became filled with water due to its position being lower than the

Page 7 stream. On the same day, Geoff Bull and Bill Smart were digging at the bottom of the Railway Tunnel in Hunters Hole.

Alan Thomas and Steve Grime helped Willy Stanton at his dig in Goughs on 7th November. Their report states that they have broken the digging record which now stands at three hundred buckets day. However, on the following weekend only two hundred and fifty buckets were removed in six hours. This was said to be a rather poor effort. On the 21st, an even greater gathering of B.E.C., Wessex and Sidcot School people broke the bucket record in Goughs once again, by removing there hundred and thirty three.

Trips to Swildons and Eastwater were made this month but were mainly tourist. Cuthbert’s seems to be out of the news for November, with nothing of interest happening there. Where has Dave Irwin been? _______________________________________________________________________________________

Mathematical Puzzles – by Sett The problem asking for the number of patterns appearing has a large number of solutions. Almost all of these depend on the fact that odd and even numbers occur on alternate squares and hence diagonal lines, also that squares and squares with additions and subtractions occur on diagonal lines. No solutions were sent in for this problem. Tiny Meadon again sent in the only correct solution to the problem about pints of beer.

If the last digit of the original number is 4, the last digit of the new number (and the second digit of the original number) must be 6 (4 times 4). Similarly, if the second digit of the new number (and the third last digit of the original number) must be 5 (4 times 6 plus 1) and by repeating this process, we find that: 102,564 times 4 = 410,256.

This mathematical answer could have a decimal point added or could be repeated depending on an intelligent guess of the true number of pints actually sold. If we assume an average of 50 cavers each drinking four pints per weekend, we obtain 10,400 pints per year. Thus the correct solution will be 10,256.4 pints.

A party of cavers decide to do a round trip in Cuthbert’s which will take 20 hours. Nowhere does the route cross and it can be considered as a circular course starting and finishing at the entrance. The route chosen is so tight that they decide to use acetylene lamps in which a single charge will last fours. They also make up spare four hour charges in sealed tins which they include in packs with four hours worth of food.

They can only carry one pack each at a time. When a carbide tin is opened it must be all put into a lamp as a part empty tin will not keep. There is a large stock of spare charges at the entrance. What is the smallest number needed for the trip? This problem is not really as difficult as it might seem, learners are as likely to obtain the correct solution as experts. There is no proof that the minimum number assumed to be the correct solution is in fact the best solution.

“Sett” _______________________________________________________________________________________

CLIMBING MEETS North Wales. 23/24 January.

North Wales. 27/28 January.

North Wales 20/21 March.

Accommodation on all these weekends will be in huts and early booking is thus essential.

Wye Valley. 10/11 April. This trip will involve travelling over on Saturday morning and camping on the Saturday evening.

Page 8 There should be sufficient private transport for all these meets.

Bookings to: - Roy Bennett, 3 Russells Cottages, Backwell Common, Backwell, Somerset.

CAVING MEETS January 24th. Pine Tree Pot. Meet at the Belfry at 11am.

February 21st. Cow Hole. Meet at the Belfry at 11am.

March 14th. Eastwater. Balch memorial trip. Period dress to be worn. Meet at the Belfry at 11am.

April 16/19th. Easter in Yorkshire. Gaping Ghyll. Several members have expressed a wish to ladder the main shaft of gaping Ghyll (365’) and, as the club has not yet paid a visit to this area for some time, Easter this year has been arranged for the visit.

To those who gulp at the thought of laddering G.G., there are numerous other caves and pots in the area to suit all tastes, Alum Pot and Bar Pot being amongst the more popular. It is hoped to visit a northern caving club hut, but if this does not materialise, then it will be camping at the Flying Horseshoe. Will all those interested in the Yorkshire trip at Easter please contact the Caving Secretary, Dave Irwin either at the Belfry or at 9 Camden Hill Gardens, London, W.8. as soon as possible to book accommodation and to let him know if they require transport or if they can help with transport.

The St. Cuthbert’s Leaders meeting will be held at the Belfry at 2.15pm on January 17th 1965. Any interested cavers in addition to the St. Cuthbert’s Leaders will be very welcome.

Digs.

Castle Farm, Nine Barrows Swallet, Hunters Hole and several places in St. Cuthbert’s (Mud Ball Chamber, Mo’s Dig, the Mud Sump behind the Dining Room, and below the choke in Traverse Chamber) are all actually being dug. As you can see, this is quite a big programme so come along and give a hand.

Remember that St. Cuthbert’s, G.B., August-Longwood etc. were all found by digging. All those interested in helping contact Keith Franklin, Kevin Abbey, Roy Bennett or myself (Dave Irwin). We can accommodate you all – wet or fine – indoors or out! _______________________________________________________________________________________

NOTICES As from the first of January, 1965, non members may only stay at the Belfry on THREE occasions annually without applying for membership unless obtaining special permission form the Hut Warden prior to their next visit. This does not apply to bona fide visitors from clubs offering the B.E.C. reciprocal facilities.

Will members who leave cars in the Belfry car park and intend to be away from the Belfry for some time, please ensure before departing that their car does not prevent other members from leaving. If this cannot be avoided, please leave your car out of gear and with the handbrake off or (preferable) unlocked. If you do not do this, your car may have to be bounced or slid and this will not do your tyres or springs much good!

It has been brought to the notice of the committee that the Tackle instructions are not always being adhered to. Tackle has been found in the changing room from the weekend before, unwashed and left lying about. The committee are prepared to deal severely with any members not respecting club tackle – on which other members lives may depend. All ladders which are used for St. Cuthbert’s, where one party may require to use ladders taken down by an earlier party may be rebooked by the original signatory to the leader of the later party (with his consent). It then becomes the second leader’s responsibility. Should the occasion arise when a party having a late E.T.O. (normally on a Sunday) suspects that there will be nobody possessing a key to the Tackle Store when they return, the leader should make prior arrangements to obtain one, so that the tackle can be properly put away.

Page 9 The committee would like to record their thanks for the donation of £5 to be added to the Ian Dear Memorial Fund sent in by ‘Ex-Young Member’. _______________________________________________________________________________________ The Hut Warden and Belfry Engineer would like to thank Maurice Iles for his gift of a settee for the Belfry Some time ago, a short synopsis of the business conducted at committee meetings was published regularly in the B.B. It has been agreed to start this again, especially in view of the very great amount of business at present being tackled by the committee. A resume of the January meeting follows these notices. _______________________________________________________________________________________

January Committee Meeting Matters being dealt with by the committee and brought up at the January meeting included the drainage scheme for Cuthbert’s, the provision of a shower for the changing room, The Annual Dinner, The Ian Dear Memorial Fund (The Committee of which has now been arranged as follows: R. Bagshaw, Hon. Sec. & Treas., R. Bennett, Climbing Sec., D. Irwin, Caving Sec., R.A. Setterington and M. Luckwill). The provision of photographs of Balch Hole for the club library, the planting of trees on the Belfry Site, the provision of suitable photographs of Jack Waddon and Ian Dear to be hung in the Belfry alongside that of Don Coase, the provision of Flush Toilets at the Belfry, the election of new members (J.V. Manchip and P.E. Rouse being elected) the provision of a new stock of carbide for the Belfry, the care of Belfry blankets and tools, the Changing Room drainage, Tackle, a charging bank for Nife cells and Belfry arrangements. _______________________________________________________________________________________

BOOK REVIEW The Speleological Yearbook and Diary.

The 1965 Speleological Yearbook and Diary has just been published following a barrage of pre-release publicity. Externally, the appearance and standard of finish is similar to that for 1964, except that it is now considerably slimmer and the price has been increase to 14/6 (I wonder if the change in government prompted the change of colour from blue to red?)

What of the content? The index show extensive coverage of subject matter ranging from the Caving Areas to cave fauna, but in general I feel the standard is much below that of the first edition. At a quick glance one sees that the diary section has been condensed, now getting two weeks on to one page. The pages for personal notes and addresses have been omitted this year. Why? Perhaps the answer is purely a financial one, if so, why has so much useless material been included in the reading matter section?

The extraction of the club A.G.M.’s and principal meet dates from the diary section has taken up an additional page and most people will, I feel, want to rewrite them back into the diary section in any case.

Why, oh why must we have THREE useless pages on cave physics? I would assume that most scientifically minded cavers know the area of a rectangle or how to calculate simple bending moments, further, why must we have NINE pages devoted to a caving glossary when many books are on the market (and in club libraries) which include such glossaries in their appendices?

The news items from the caving areas I would have thought are more suitable matters for the ‘Speleologist’ when it appears. I was however, pleased to see three photographs, but why must the frontispiece be the only one not to have details of cave and photographer?

These criticisms may seem rather lengthy, but perhaps a yearbook can be produced that can be used as a small pocket sized diary including perhaps C.R.G. survey gradings and symbols, illustrations of shoring cave entrances, descriptions of the common varieties of British bats, details of major British caves with data such as whet to do in the case of flooding etc. In conclusion, one of the selling features of this year’s diary was that it was slimmer, but a smaller format is surely needed – it will not go all into the average anorak pocket.

Dave Irwin _______________________________________________________________________________________

Page 10 Belfry Working Weekend.

The Belfry Engineer and the Hut Warden wish to thank those who, in spite of the approach to Christmas, still found time to turn up and work hard so that the Belfry will not fall to pieces through neglect.

The Editor is pleased to welcome back – even if only for a ‘flying visit’ – the correspondent whose identity remains the best kept secret of the B.E.C….

On the Hill (Nearly) by ‘Stalagmite’ The September B.B. really surprised me, not only did I get it in September but there were two references to past articles by your scribe. I’m sure that it will please you all to know that by my retirement form the Belfry scene is not permanent though I confess I had hoped that a Stalagmite junior might have sprung up into being by now.

This year’s dinner, as you know, saw a change of venue, the Cliff Hotel being declared redundant and the B.E.C. annexing the restaurant of Fairfax House, Bristol – this being only a reasonable stagger from the A.G.M. site. It was more expensive, but this was easily offset but the more pleasant surroundings, though I did miss the sound of Cheddar rising in the background and having nowhere to sub my fag out. The bar did not run out of beer and if thus was due to poor drinking on our part, it was not noticeable.

It pleases me considerably to see the old (careworn) faces each year. People who seem to go into hibernation for a year after the round of dinners is over. Amongst the representatives for the other odd organisations scattered like snowflakes over Mendip, I noticed Frank Darbon, Mike Thomson, Dave Percival and half the M.C.G. Next year, it might be an idea to find someone who is a member of all clubs and invite him only – free suggestion to the Hon. Treas!

The September B.B. did a (probably factual) report on the candidates for the forthcoming election for this year’s committee. Maybe it was less inspiring than mine of the year before, but I realise how easy it is to be merely derogatory. Kevin Abbey was re-elected and at the Dinner presented with an anagram set of the strength of his misspelling of TTENNEB. Dave Irwin was also elected and Alan Thomas, both of whom are new to the Committee. Speaking of Alan, one of the highlights of the dinner this year, was his toast to our absent friends. Unfortunately the radio engineering was not at its best, but we did hear Clare and the New Australian and Tom and Rusty the new ‘dammed colonial’ the sound of their voices contributing greatly as far as I am concerned, in making the 1964 dinner one of the most pleasing for a long time. I say well done the committee for taking the plunge and changing its siting.

There’s no more now, but who knows? Once you are all lulled into a false sense of security again – whammo – he’ll be back!

‘Stalagmite’ _______________________________________________________________________________________ The Editor would like to assure the contributors whose articles have not yet appeared, that this has been mainly due to the breakdown in printing arrangements which have resulted in this B.B. being somewhat smaller than had been planned. Amongst the main articles which will be published as soon as circumstances allow are, “Bats” by R.E. Ball.

“Some thoughts on the Logistics of Cave Surveying” by Mike Luckwill.

“Exposure” by Steve Grime. _______________________________________________________________________________________

Page 11 The editor would like to thank Steve Grime for his very useful gift of stencils for the B.B. If any member is in a position to donate paper (duplicating variety) this will also be very useful.

ANNUAL

DINNER

Each year, the committee have the unenviable task of trying to please as many club members as possible with arrangements for the annual dinner. It has been agreed that, while the last dinner was still fresh in people’s minds, an appeal should be made for as many members as possible to send in (to any committee member) their views on dinners generally, so that attention can be paid to all the points raised long before it becomes necessary to make a firm booking for next year. Below are some suggested questions you might like to answer and send or give to any committee member‌ 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

How many B.E.C. dinners have you attended?

What, in your opinion was the one you enjoyed the most?

Where would you prefer the dinner to be held?

What price do you think is reasonable?

Are you satisfied in general with the food?

The service?

The wine list?

The drinks generally?

Do you like entertainments? If so, what do you prefer? How much of the evening do you think should be spent this way?

10. Have you any other comments not already mentioned.

Please use theses questions as a guide and add anything else you wish.