Belfry Bulletin Number 318

35

Vol XXVIII No.4

B 74 B

April 1974

No. 318

QUODCUMQUE FACIENDUM : NIMIS FACIEMUS -CONTENTS-

BRISTOL EXPLORATION CLUB 35 36 37 38 40 41 44

Editorial All to Pot Caving Trips Round and About Water into Cuthbert’s Reynolds’s Rift Crossword No. 45

The Belfry, Wells Rd, Priddy, Wells, Somerset.

Telephone WELLS 72126 - CLUB COMMITTEE Chairman S.J. Collins Minutes Sec G. Wilton-Jones Members M. Bishop, D.J. Irwin, D. Stuckey, G. Oaten, N. Taylor, A.R. Thomas, B. Wilton,

OFFICERS OF THE CLUB Honorary Secretary Honorary Treasurer Caving Secretary Climbing Secretary Hut Warden Belfry Engineer Tacklemaster B.B. Editor Honorary Librarian Publications Editor B.B. Postal

A.R THOMAS, Allen’s House, Nine Barrows Lane, Priddy, Wells Somerset.

Tel: PRIDDY 269 B. WILTON, 27 Venus Lane, Clutton, Nr. Bristol.

D. STUCKEY, ADDRESS LETTERS TO THE BELFRY G. OATEN, Address to follow N. TAYLOR, Whiddons, Chilcote, Somerset. Tele : WELLS 72338 M. BISHOP, Address to follow. Tele : PRIDDY 370 G. WILTON-JONES, 17 Monkham’s Drive, Watton, Thetford, Norfolk S.J. COLLINS, Lavender Cottage, Bishops Sutton, Nr. Bristol.

Tel : CHEW MAGNA 2915 D.J IRWIN, Townsend Cottage, Townsend, Priddy, Wells Som. Tel : PRIDDY 369 D.J IRWIN As above BRENDA WILTON Address as above

Editorial THE LONG WAY ROUND ?

I wonder if anybody else picked up the item in Dave Irwin’s 'Round and About' column the other month, when he was describing the main rescues last year? In the item for the 22nd July, 1973, the description reads: 'a friend was stuck just beyond the little waterfall inside the entrance at the beginning of the Dry Ways, the chaps went back to the rear of him via the Old Grotto.'

It could, of course, have been a misprint - but if not, what was the matter with Kenny's Dig? I have a shrewd suspicion that there are a number of cavers today who are experts on places like the Damp Link but who couldn't take you to the New Grotto if you paid them. Perhaps there is a need for Descriptive Map of Swildons!

FUTURE USE OF THE BELFRY SITE At the last meeting of the committee, Graham Wilton-Jones outlined his Long Term forecast of use of the Belfry site and list of priorities for future improvements to be made.

As always with this sort of document, it is a little difficult to 'take it in' at first reading, but it is hoped that Graham will have a copy which can be reproduced in the B.B so that club members can be kept abreast of the current thinking.

“Alfie”

36

A light hearted account of some Yorkshire caving.

by Andrew Nicholls.

The editor has kindly given me this chance to quash the rumour that your favourite solicitor is to be found scrounging food in the Belfry or in an alcoholic slumber in the corner and does not, and never has possessed any caving gear.

It's a lie! To prove it, Andy Nicholls and Malcolm Jarrett voyaged to Yorkshire at the end of March for an ambitious weeks' caving having, as members of (dare I say it?) the Council of Northern Caving Clubs, booked several fine pots at ten days' notice with no more trouble than a 3½p stamp.

Most of it never got done, mainly because the car carrying the tackle blew up and failed to arrive at the B.P.C. hut at Horton in Ribblesdale until Monday night. When it did, Andy found that he'd left his boots behind - a ploy he'd used with great success on various French expeditions but now infuriating. So Pippikin, Monday's hole, had to be abandoned.

On Tuesday, they did get down Gravel Pot on Leck Fell, with a Southampton friend. Well, almost down: Andy had an epic on the 84 foot pitch and refused to brake-block back up. It was far wetter than he'd expected. The tails of the ladder had snagged out of reach on the far wall and had to be freed by crazy pendulum swings, and the rig was about five feet short. Unable to see the floor through the downpour, or to climb back up, he calculated quickly before leaping off into the void and causing consternation in a life lining Jarrett. The little lad's efforts to get back up a ladder which began at nose level were comical. No one else wanted to go down, so the descent was aborted, though they did detour to see the fine blue-grey formations of Glasford's Chamber and extensions.

The return to the car was via Short Drop Cave, half a mile of gradually less impressive vadose streamway. Harsh words were said about dragging all the Gavel tackle through the crawls and Andy's habit of vanishing up grotty inlets 'to study the spelaeomorphological influences'.

Wednesday was the highlight. Malcolm and Andy, with Nigel Anderton (Southampton) and Julian Griffiths (Cambridge) disposed of Pasture Gill Pot in Langstrothdale - only 340 feet deep but a fine Grade V pot. A thirty foot entrance pitch and second pitch of thirty feet, breaks into the streamway which leads at once to the third pitch - a spray-covered fifty. The water runs on to the fourth pitch, which is a hundred and thirty five feet and, as Julian was on carbide, Andy was thrown over the edge on a rope to see if it was wet.

“What if it's absolutely torrential?”

“You’ll have to climb straight back up!"

“What if I can't?”

“We’ll leave you there and go to the pub."

(Wails and curses from eighty feet down) But it was a magnificent pitch - just away from the wall and dry all the way. The others abseiled down.

The Near Rift followed squeezing and grovelling through boulders with a thrutch in the middle which halted Nigel.

Down to three heroes, the party pushed on through Tadpole Passage which is two hundred and fifty feet of vile, wet crawl with a duck in the middle; and reached the fifth pitch - a wet twenty. The sixth pitch is bypassed on the right to a climb down into the Far Rift, easy traversing through loose boulders to more flat out crawling over cobbles to another duck. "Hey! It’s not a duck. It's a damned squeeze underwater!"

37 "Blob deggle mayflibe apig dobar?"

"Slop?"

"I said, 'What do you reckon to this grade V caving so far?"

"Luggit!"

"What?"

"Rubbish!"

The cave's final passage is 300 feet of sharply scalloped crawl to a wet forty foot pitch, which would have been walking but for the clusters of straws on the roof. Near the end was a fascinating display of tree roots not the piffling tendrils of Wookey Nine, but monstrous black pythons sprouting through roof and walls, writhing along the passage and (Get out, you beast - get OUT!) straight up your wetsuit trousers.

Below the last pitch, the cave ended suddenly in a boulder chamber and sump. That was it. The three set out, waking Nigel on the way, and reaching the surface after six and a half hours of sporting caving.

Thursday was a relaxed day. Malcolm and Andy, with Nigel and a Cambridge ex-Wessex friend of Andy's relaxed in: The Sportsman. (Dent) The Fowlands Inn (Bentham) The Talbot. (Settle) The Craven Heifer (Stainforth) The Crown. (Horton) and The Helwith Bridge (Helwith Bridge.)

The day's objective, a visit to Whernside Manor to bait Ben Lyon, had to be abandoned when it was found that the Great Man was out. Instead, we spent a couple of hours down Ibbeth Peril I, an interesting system with surely the coldest water in the Dales.

And that was the end of the weeks I caving except for Andy who, as a final fling, journeyed to South Wales and led three Cambridge friends down O.F.D. Eight hours was spent on a trip from Top Entrance over the traverses to Smith's Armoury, down Pendulum Passage, then down the whole length of that magnificent streamway to emerge from O.F.D. I. The deepest trip in Britain and, though not particularly arduous, undoubtedly one of the best. The Crevasse has a new bolt for the 80 foot abseil and the 25, 15 and 40 foot pitches in Pendulum Passage can all be free-climbed, though the last is tricky. _______________________________________________________________________________________

Caving Meets MAY 24th - 27th - SPRING BANK HOLIDAY. Yorkshire - staying at Brackenbottom - the B.P.C. H.Q. Saturday May 25th PIPPIKIN & LANCASTER/EASEGILL Sunday, May 26th JUNIPER and NOTTS. Saturday June 22nd. Cil Yr Ychen and Llygad Llwchwr. One Day Meet - Details later July 13th and 14th, Forest of Dean - Staying at the Gloucester Hut. WESTBURY BROOK or WIGPOOL August 23-26th

Yorkshire. Details later but it is hoped to include BIRK'S FELL and SLEETS GILL.

FURTHER DETAILS OF THESE TRIPS FROM ANDY NICHOLS OR DAVE IRWIN. NOTICES WILL APPEAR ON THE BELFRY NOTICE BOARD. If anyone knows of any other trips planned by club members in the future, which other members can join, please let Dave Irwin, Andy Nichols or the editor have details.

38

A Monthly Miscellany By 'Wig'

52. County Clare, Eire. Cavers visiting the Clare caving area are reminded that the M.R.O. maintain a basic rescue and first aid gear at Ballynalacken Castle, Lisdoonvarna. The nearest rescue services for Clare are called out from Dublin about 150 miles away!

53. Cave Rescue Conference. This is being held in the Mendip area on 21/22 September 1974. The General Organiser, Jim Hanwell, will be issuing details later.

54. St. Cuthbert's Swallet. Celebrates its 21st Birthday this year in September. A commemoration trip will be made descending the cave by the route taken by the original explorers. Personnel on the original trips included Ray Bennett; 'Sett'; Chris Falshaw; 'Mo' Marriott; Viv Brown and John Pain. Alas, the two principal movers, Don Coase and Jack Whaddon, are no longer with us. At this time it would not be a bad idea to take a long and objective assessment of the impact of the Leader System operating for the cave. Is the condition of the cave today such that the club can claim to have at least delayed the deterioration of the cave by means of this system? Are the leaders really aware of the damage that, nevertheless, has been done in the cave? Are they as aware of their responsibilities as were leader in the past? Perhaps somebody would like to comment.

55. Cambrian Caving Council Handbook 1973. This edited by Noel Christopher, is available at 20p a copy. The contents include cave rescue, in Wales; Cambrian Cave Registry Access to the caves in Wales and the Marches; Caving clubs in the Cambrian Council; Constitution of the Council; rules for O.F.D., Danyr-Ogof and Tunnel (Cathedral) Cave. Copies available from Noel Christopher, 22, Deva Close, Poynton, Stockport, Cheshire SK12 1HH. A copy is in the Club Library.

56. Shepton Mallet C.C. Journal. Series 5 No 6 Autumn 1973 is just out and follows the same style as the last few - Lava Caves. Chris Woods contributes a couple of interesting articles on the Cueva Del Viento (suggested as being the longest known lava tube) which S.M.C.C. members surveyed last year in Teneriffe.

Milch contributes another of his lava tube bibliographies and T. Hayman includes a short article and sketch survey of Eisen Hill Mines, Weddon Cross Somerset. (NGR 909371). A copy is in the club library.

57. Access Keys. Longwood./August; Rhino Rift and G. B. are now kept at the Belfry in the Library.

Keys for the library are held by Dave Irwin and Nigel Taylor. The issue of Longwood and R.R. keys are to the normal Charterhouse rules. G.B. key to members only.

58. St. Cuthbert’s - Entrance Rift. During this last winter the Entrance Rift has been particularly wet, and on two occasions cavers have not been able to return back up it. It has been decided that the best way to prevent this type of occurrence when the river is in full spate is only to let people down if they have been down the cave on a previous occasion. It is essential that people going down know the problems of climbing back up the rift. Incidentally the main reason for the high water is because plantation stream has been diverted into the depression by a neighbour because - wait for it - the noise of the water entering Plantation Swallet disturbed his peace!

59. Pinetree Pot. As the key is unobtainable during mid-week it has been agreed by M.C.G. that the club will hold a key at the Belfry. Arrangements for its collection are the same as for the Charterhouse keys (see 57.)

60. Goatchurch Cavern. John Knops is gallantly digging away below the Water Chamber and has reached the small Goatchurch stream again. He is digging at the right hand junction at the bottom of Hellish Tight (the alternative way down to the Drainpipe). A choked pothole has been excavated to a depth of about fifteen feet and a gravel and pebble choked streamway reached. John is continuing the dig along this stream

39 which is below the level of the Terminal Rift at the end of the Drainpipe. By this means he has deepened Goatchurch by a few feet. The stream seems to be running along a line similar to that of the Drainpipe. A sketch map taken from the M.C.G. survey marks the spot. Anyone with any energy to spare should phone John and join him. His telephone number is BATH 27576.

61. Cuadernos de Espeleologia No 7. One of the important overseas exchanges has just arrived for the club library and contains a wealth of information for anyone wishing to get references for Spanish caving.

Perhaps the most interesting article for the sporting caver is the description and historical notes on the Gouffre de Garma Ciega, having a depth of 868m (2,860 ft). The cave, at Dijon on the cote d’Or, was located on a prospecting trip in 1965 and descended to a depth of 250m (825 ft). In 1967 this was increased to 340m (1,120 ft) and 360m (1,180 ft) in 1968. In 1969 another prospecting trip located another entrance at a higher level and during the next two years increased the depth to its present amount. The whole publication of over 200 pages is typeset and finely printed and with many surveys and photographs makes a valuable addition to the club library and deserves the attention of all active cavers. We have also received No 5-6 of the same publication which also warrants special attention.

62. USE OF BANG ON MENDIP AND ELSEWHERE. I’ve heard from a reliable source that the use of bang is only to be used by the licence holders. There have been occasions where bang has been handed on from a licence holder to another caver. The police have made it quite clear that should they get hold of any definite news that bang has been handed on in this way they will take a serious view and prosecute the individual. The long term effect WILL (not MAY) be the WITHDRAWAL OF MENDIP EXPLOSIVES LICENCES. 63. Manor Farm Swallet. The ladder on the entrance pitch will be removed by the time you read this - so take a 50' ladder and the necessary lifeline!

64. Another goes under! On April 5th, Tony Tucker lost his bachelor freedom by getting hooked to Sue Gazzard. Best of wishes, Sue and Tony. While on the social line, Phil and Yolande Kingston now have a baby son - wonder when they'll be applying for B.E.C. membership? Older members will remember Foulmouth (Pete) Miller. Well, he's now on his travels again and has obtained a post in South Africa. John and 'Mo' Riley were back in England again on holiday from Australia during the Christmas period. Rumour has it that they may be coming back to settle here in the autumn. Living at Priddy as I do enables one to see many B.E.C. members who call in for a flying visit now and then. Recently, one older member called in for a general chat about the club - that was Phil Townsend, who incidentally coughed up two years subs! What about you lot who haven't yet paid Barry Wilton your sub for this year? It's £2.50, and remember - by the club rules, your May B.B. is not sent to you if you haven't paid up by the end of April. I recall the editor putting it in rhyme some years ago (he would!) and I think it goes: Annual subs should all be in Ere the month of May begin.

Any bloke who falls to pay Doesn't get B.B. for May. Another member who called in recently was Garth Dell who is now a happily married family man.

65. It takes all kinds! What goes down must come up. This is what is happening to Dave Turner these days - except that he is keeping up with the club motto by not coming back up a cave but by taking up ballooning with Tom Sage. Older members will, no doubt, remember Tom in his old W.S.G. days when he used to some down to Mendip with Frank Darbon (now in Canada), Cedric Green and Bill Smart. Martin Hutchings, also of the W.S.G., is now living in the Bristol Area and so, perhaps, we shall be seeing more of him.

66. U.S.A. Marathon. During the summer months, several well-known Mendip cavers are spending about three months caving in the states. Martin Webster, Ray Mansfield, Martin Mills and Bob Mayhew are all off to a grand tour of the caving areas and, as far as I can gather, the route is South from New York to Kentucky, then to Texas and on down to New Mexico. North again to Los Angeles and finally back to New York and home. No doubt we shall be hearing of some of their escapades in the B.B. later this year.

67. Swildons - Car Parking. Would members please park cars when going down Swildons on the UPPER GREEN (Near the church). Also inform other cavers of this request from the villagers.

40

WATER INTO CUTHBERT’S

The Editor 'casts his mind back through the ages' to give a bit of background to the problem of flooding Cuthbert’s.

The paragraph in this month's 'Round and About' on the water in the Entrance Rift in Cuthbert’s (No 58) has prompted me to write these notes on the history and thinking behind the control of water entering the cave. I have not given the exact dates, although I could have looked them up, because they are not relevant to the argument or conclusion.

From the time when the lead works finally closed in the first few years of this century until some time in the 1920's, the whole of the bottom of the depression consisted of a pool. This pool disappeared in a spectacular fashion one night, when a hole about six feet across was found to have opened up. According to Bert Russell, it took several cartloads of stone to fill this hole in again.

After this episode, a rather more shallow pool usually occupied most of the depression floor. This was the case when we first came to the site in the 1940's. This shallow pool was filled from two main sources - A high level stream coming from Mineries Pool which brought most of the water in, and a source of general seepage from the same source which came down from Mineries via the area of 'tumps' which lies between the pool and the bottom of the depression.

The dig of 1947 - handicapped by being 'unofficial' which meant that no shoring could be used and which failed to enter the cave by means of the present (new) entrance by about two feet - was undertaken in very dry conditions and thus the water situation presented no problems. Indeed, one of the reasons why the original entrance site was chosen as the place to dig was because it was relatively high up and away from the water of the depression pool. During the whole digging phase, no problem was experienced through water but once the head of the Entrance Pitch was reached water was met with coming from the direction of the origin dig (the present entrance).

In the first flush of enthusiasm, this water was ignored and everybody constructed drip shields for their carbide lamps to enable them to stay alight during the descent of the very wet entrance rift. It was at this stage that Les Browne, Don and myself took a good look at the water situation to see what could be done to lessen the amount flowing down the rift, Don decided to concentrate on the depression pool and repaired the old bank with help and fitted a sluice, so that water could be kept out of the cave for a short while - long enough for cavers to get down under dry conditions. The problem of getting back was solved by fitting a telephone which ran from the Dining Room in Cuthbert’s to the Belfry - with a later extension to the Shepton Hut - so that returning cavers could ask for the plug to be put into the sluice.

Meanwhile, Les Browne pointed out that a much greater improvement would be to stop the main stream from entering the depression at all. An old trench existed which went underneath the aqueduct which carried Priddy's drinking water supply from Fair Lady Well and which went into the plantation swallet. This trench had partially collapsed and the bottom was far above the level of the stream - but Les set to work lowering the bottom of the trench until it became low enough to act as a diversion for the stream. The trench became known as Browne's Cutting - and we constructed a thick dam from the rubble we got out of Browne's Cutting to block the stream from entering the depression. We soon had this Upper Dam complete, and water running merrily into Plantation - leaving at the bottom of the depression a vast area of mud heaving with thousands of freshwater shrimps; three smooth newts, one great crested newt and a peculiar looking insect. We rescued the newts and left the rest to their fate.

In spite of somebody (who has since owned up!) who used to breach the Upper Dam regularly (and we used to mend it with equal regularity!) the scheme worked very well. There was now much less water to cope with, and the sluice now held the water out of the cave for a couple of hours under normal conditions.

Unfortunately, conditions one day in 1960 were far from normal. Two inches of rain fell in the Belfry area in four hours and, although the Upper Dam held fast and kept the main stream out of the depression, the seepage from the other source raised the level at the lower dam quicker than fire pumps could lower it by pumping it back uphill into Plantation. In the end, it was only by raising the level of the whole dam by a

41 vital few inches that we got the party out of the cave. Brian Prewer visited the scene the next day reported that the lower dam was completely submerged and that the pool was back to its pre-1920's size and depth. It was nearly a fortnight before the water level got back to normal.

With this 'near miss' in mind, we decided on the present scheme, which was designed to make sure that never again would cavers have to risk a long stay in the cave due to a sudden and violent storm. We realised that we could not keep the water from getting into the depression under storm conditions, so we argued that we must get it out more quick instead. So we dug the present entrance and incorporated a pipe straight from the sluice into the cave, so that it would always be possible to lower the water level behind the lower dam quicker than a storm could fill it.

With the situation described in 'Round and About' whereby the main stream is now back in the depression, it is doubtful - to say the least of future - whether the scheme could now cope in a storm situation. Even so, the present situation need not be dangerous provided that it remains possible to put the stream rapidly back into Plantation if necessary. The danger is that Browne's Cutting will be allowed to fall into disrepair and the Upper Dam be completely washed away. In the event of another storm like that of July 1960, by the time that Browne's Cutting is re-opened and the Upper Dam restored, the quantity of water in the depression might have become sufficiently large that it would take too long to lower the level. In the 1960 storm, the pump raised an estimated 125,000 gallons into Plantation in about 5 hours just coping with the seepage water. It would be tragic indeed if a serious accident ever occurred in Cuthbert’s which could have been entirely prevented - and one wonders how the club would come out of any enquiry which might be held after such an unhappy event. _______________________________________________________________________________________

REYNOLD’S RIFT

This account of the cave recently opened by the Chelm's Coombe Caving Club has been sent to the B.B. by Their Secretary, J. Aylott

Reynold's Rift is situated in the grounds of the National Tower Testing Station at Chelm's Coombe, Cheddar and the opening up of the cave took just under two years by members of the Chelm's Coombe Caving Club and friends.

It is situated under a collapsed section of the face where, when the quarry was blasted, 1,200 lb charge of powder was laid and instead of blasting out the face, it collapsed inwards and down, creating an unstable boulder pile.

Some History of the Dig. During June 1972, while clearance of the pad area of the National Tower Testing Station was being undertaken, a small hole at the base of the collapsed section of the face was discovered. It was noted by members of the Chelm's Coombe Caving Club, but little else was done. Then in early August 1972, it was investigated by J.C. Aylott who found that the slot - only two inches by four inches had a slight draught but that digging at the site would be impossible due to the unstable condition of the face at this point. On the 7th of August, 1972, digging started by J. Aylott in the floor of the station about three feet away from the original slot. He was later joined by R. Collins. Work was greatly encouraged when, after the removal of about two feet of material, a rift was found. It was about two inches wide and twelve feet deep. A ten foot shaft was sunk through this rift, and on the 21st of September 1972, J. Aylott - on a solo trip - broke through into a small chamber with a boulder and mud floor which still carried a good draught. The squeeze through was exceptionally tight and was later widened in October 1972 to make the removal of spoil easier.

On the 27th September 1972, V. Gray joined the diggers, making up a team of three. Work then carried or through 1972 until August 1973. during which time all the digging had been done without blasting. From June 1973, the diggers were: J. Aylott, V. Gray and R. Barclay and these carried on until October 1973 when P. Carter joined the team.

During August 1973, the assistance of N. Taylor was found to be of great advantage, and he greatly speeded up the dig with his blasting, making regular visits from then onwards.

42 It was during August 1973 that the second small chamber was broken into, after digging through another two inch wide section of rift. The dig had then been in progress one year. The team carried on digging in the floor of this chamber by blasting and then digging out until this chamber was made into another pitch.

Then, on the 6th December 1973, J. Aylott and P. Carter broke through into an open cave passage through a very tight crawl which was enlarged from the other side later on.

On the 10th of December 1973, V. Gray and J. Aylott explored all the new cave passage and started digging in the floor of Mud Alley, where boulders could be heard falling down a pitch. On the 28th February 1974, J. Aylott and V. Gray broke through the tight section in this rift into a fifty foot pitch, which was found to be choked at the bottom. Work carries on.

The Cave Description. Alt: 280' O.D. Approx. Length 300' Depth: 80 - 100' The cave entrance is found at the base of the East Face about fifty feet North of Box's Cave.

It is entered through a steel gate set in concrete under which is the first pitch, with one side made up of half 40 gallon oil drums. This is easily climbed down to a squeeze which drops into a small chamber. From there, one drops down the second pitch (Blasted Pitch) which, again, can be climbed. At the Northern end of this pitch, a passage goes nearly to the surface, but it is impassable. At the bottom, a crawl will be found heading in a Southerly direction. This crawl (The Rack) is six feet long and drops two feet into a larger passage. This is the Main Passage which goes to the north and south.

To the north, the passage soon enlarges to about five feet square with a boulder floor, and then closes into a squeeze (Devil's Doorway) through stal cemented boulders. The passage then drops down six feet to a stream sink. All this area is made up of boulders cemented by stal. There is a large boulder hanging in the roof over the sink which is only held up by two chocks tones - so care should be taken.

The passage then rises, and a crawl follows over boulders in the stream bed. After a few feet, it is necessary to drop down into the stream bed and go through a squeeze at stream level. From here onwards, the passage (The High Way) is twenty feet high and three feet wide with the stream running in the floor to a large boulder choke filling the whole passage. Care should be taken in this section of passage as the floor is of stal and can easily be broken.

Southward from the Rack, the passage starts as a muddy crawl then turns into a traverse on muddy ledges over a twenty foot pitch. This is Mud Alley. By chimneying down this pitch, a false floor of boulders can be reached after which a hole in the southern end can be passed which leads to 'Clinker Climb' - a fifty foot pitch in two sections which ends at present in a choke where the stream is seen again.

By continuing the traverse, the rift floor is again reached and from here, the passage leads to a chimney The Smokestack. This is forty feet high with a squeeze in the middle. The whole chimney has very good chert bands and fossils and care should be taken when climbing. The squeeze is overhanging and in loose boulders. Digging is continuing under the chimney in a boulder choke which is unstable and should not be entered.

Access and Notes The cave is situated on the National Tower Testing Station, and all access is controlled by them.

Permission can be obtained by writing to the Station Manager. A maximum of four per trip is allowed. All trips are led, and it is requested that only electrics are used. It is essential that the tapes in the cave are not crossed as they are to protect the cave for others.

A trip was made down the cave on the 9th February 1974 under extremely wet conditions, and it was found that Blasted Pitch was taking a large amount of water and that the Rack was impassable. This should be borne in mind, and any trip arranged that meets with conditions such as these should be cancelled.

All diggers would like to thank Mr. Box for all the help and encouragement that he has given them in opening up the cave, and it is hoped that all cavers who visit the cave will help to maintain the good relations that exist at the present time.

43 Listed below are all the people who have helped with the dig, and the number of trips done:Name

No. of trips.

Hours digging.

J. Aylott V. Gray R. Collins N. Taylor R. Barclay P. Carter G. Jones N. Smith F. Reynolds J. Thorpe W. Wilson W. Stanton

119 23 61 9 8 8 4 4 2 2 1 1

180 58 35 22 20 20 10 10 5 5 3 2

The cave is named after the late F.A. Reynolds who died shortly after his last trip down the dig.

44

Why not make a weekend of it?

Come to the Working Weekend (May 10th – 11th – 12th). Free Bed-nights at the belfry * Closed to all except workers and those attending the Don Coase memorial Lecture (Saturday night only)* Come and see the Committee ACTUALLY WORKING!*

COME TO THE DON COASE MEMORIAL LECTURE. Have a jar or three at the Hunters! Meet your friends! Stay and work on Sunday!

AND GO BACK TO WORK ON MONDAY COMPLETELY CLAPPED OUT! _______________________________________________________________________________________ MONTHLY CROSSWORD – Number 45.

Across: 1

2

6

3

7

4

8

10

9

11

14

12

15

17

19

21

20

22

25

23

16

28

27

29

32

13

16

18

24

5

30

33

31

2. Has water twin associations on Mendip. (4) 5. Sounds like 5 down. (2) 6. Bertie, perhaps. (3) 8. Weegie trip? (4) 10. Short-lived Mendip hole. (4) 12. Swildons Grotto not south? (3) 14. ….or N.W. (1,1) 15. Had obligations. (4) 17. First part of 33 across. (4) 19. Feature of G.B. found in Kangaroo, Zebra etc.

(4) 21. Ungated? (4) 23. Correct (1,1) 24. Makes bang work in short. (3) 26. Arête this in Cuthbert’s for example. (2,2) 28. Reports from all quarters? (4) 30. ‘Warm and dry and….’ (3) 32. It’s been this for centuries. (1,1) 33. Cat’s would be useful to caver. (4)

Solution to Last Month’s Crossword

Down

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1. Stoke Lane chamber. (1,1) 2. Decided before caving? (1,1,1) 3. Once caver’s staple diet. (4) 5. Galena, for example. (3) 7. Vane cave feature. (4) 9. Loosen, perhaps. (4) 11. G.B. Passage. (4) 13. Can be five or seven days, has been three. (4) 14. Stole Lane Chamber. (4) 16. One way of spelling ages. (4) 18. Write down N, S, or W. (4) 21. Caves have a daylight this. (4) 22. Hardly S.P. or S.C. (4) 25. All caves have come to this. (3) 27. Associated with buts. (3) 29. and 31. ‘..will… to excess’ (2 and “)

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