Belfry Bulletin Number 390

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BELFRY BULLETIN Volume 34 No. 10 Number 390 October 1980 MONTHLY JOURNAL OF THE BRISTOL EXPLORATION CLUB The Bristol Exploration Club, The Belfry, Wells Road, Priddy, Nr. Wells, Som. Telephone: Wells 72126.

Editor: G. Wilton-Jones, , Buckinghamshire.

Telephone: Aylesbury (0296) xxxxx.

CONTENTS: October Grotto. West Kingsdale System Triple Troubles in Double Troubles Caving Secretary’s Report Lionel’s Hole, survey Letter from Lesotholand Speleo-teaser

S. Lindsay N. Brown M. Grass

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A.R. Jarratt C. Smart

Club Officers for the year 1980/81 as elected at the Annual General Meeting: Hon. Secretary Hon. Treasurer Hut Warden Hut Engineer Tacklemaster Caving Secretary B.B. Editor Committee Members

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Tim Large Sue Tucker Dany Bradshaw Nigel Taylor John Dukes Martin Grass Graham Wilton-Jones Sue Dukes Stu Lindsay *

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Telephone

Wells Radstock

Wells Luton Aylesbury Wells

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With this, my first B.B., I have already managed to build up a small, relatively local editorial team who have assisted greatly in production. I am still hoping to find more people able and willing to help with the initial copying of stencils. Three people so far have offered photo-copying facilities, usually at their place of work. Are there any more offers, please. Let me know when you see me (I'll probably be nagging for articles at the time!) or drop me a line (with an article, of course).

It's a long time since we had decent photographs reproduced in a Belfry Bulletin. If anyone has access to an electrostatic stencil cutter and can therefore copy photos onto Gestetner stencils please tell me a.s.a.p. Alternatively if you can reproduce slides or prints onto offset litho plates and can do the necessary printing, we need you. At present we need about 220 copies of each B.B. If you have to make a charge, let me know how much - it could still be worth it.

We will shortly run out of B.B. covers. At current rates of production we need 5000 for two years. Look at yours this month. Can you make 5000? For nothing, or very little? Offers please.

Bassett.

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Lat year we read of Stu Lindsey dangling over the drop into G.G. in Yorkshire Now he relates his visit to Kingsdale Master Cave.

VISIT TO OCTOBER GROTTO The day after the G.G. achievement saw me as the guests of Messrs Younitz, Hudson and Kinghorn in the Kingsdsle Master Cave. These three intrepid Y.S.S. bods had spent the fast few weeks bolting an aven near Philosophers Crawl, initially with the aid of a maypole, and one more bolt should do it‌. it did. The honour of being first in was to be denied to Steve Y; constricted access and the low hang of the ladder required the efforts of the midget of the party. Access was gained to about 20ft of passage and the look of disappointment was paramount on the faces of the digging team. But, they had found a superb, heavily decorated chamber - Helictite Grotto.

The obvious way on was blocked by a series of large, very solid stal flows, stalactites and stalagmites. The floor was also of stal. Turning around to descend, one cannot help but notice the straws in the solid roof opposite, they are in excess of 4ft (more probably 5ft.). All possible ways on were investigated, except for the stal blockage. There were none.

The name October Grotto was given by S.Y. The maypole and other gear has been removed although a bolt has been left at the 30ft level. A small, intermittent draught is present possibly caused through the volume of traffic relative to the volume of traffic - its one place that could challenge Swildon's for most people per minute, per passage! The bottom of the aven is liquid mud, the top clean rock so it is probable the mud has been deposited by the stream 8ft lower. The fluting of the wall provides reasonably conclusive evidence that the passage was once quite an active inlet. *

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MONTHLY NOTES Recently an ex-member of the club, Denis Read, turned up at the Hunter's (he left in 1952!!).

After donating some old copies of the B.B. his and Wessex Journal to the club library he invited any member round to house to help him get rid of 91.75 gallons of home-made wine that is cluttering up his living room. Any takers!!

Denis's address is: 37, Broomground, Winsley, Bradford-on-Avon. tel. Bradford-an-Avon 6315.

On 26th Oct. Dave Morris, Rob Palmer and Martyn Farr dived the terminal sump of Agen Allwedd. Visibility was poor and much loose line had to be removed from the sump (4) before progress could be made. Eventually 300 feet of new line was laid in the sump and a line reel left in.

Exploration was terminated here. The trip lasted 17 hours and was the first attempt on the sump since the tragic death of Roger Solari during June 1974.

A small expedition, mainly of S.W.C.C. members, left the U.K. last month for Ecuador.

Originally a much larger party should have gone in August but the main sponsors, British Caledonian Airways, withdrew and the trip had to be drastically reorganised.

Pages 8 and 9 of this issue show the long awaited survey of the Lionel's Hole extensions. The end sump has recently been dived again, this time by Chris Milne (WCC) but again without success. However two promising digging sites were noted near to the sump and it is hoped that these can be probed soon. Lionel's is nowhere near finished yet.

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4 The writer of this poem wishes to remain anon., but wonders if the characters portrayed recognise themselves!

TRIPLE. TROUBLES IN THE DOUBLE TROUBLES We lay in 'The Hunters' where we were in training, and then we got worried because it stopped raining.

Now trampling on cubs and people in jeans, we cleared out 'The Twenty' with blasts of baked beans.

Dave pulled and I pushed Frank let out a wheeze, and said 'Deary me' this is a tight squeeze.

We looked at each other and let out a curse, we would have to go caving now what could be worse!

Up through the 'Temple' and through the 'Mud Sump', with Frank in the middle the 'Incredible Lump'.

He just couldn't get through in his rubber suit, even with help from a size 14 boot.

All three staggered out feeling quite sick, when some silly bugger felt like a 'round trip'.

We pressed on with haste and passed 'Shatter Pot', falling into 'Blue Pencil' a right shitty lot.

So I pulled him back out and he had an idea, he said he would undress I said 'That seems queer'.

Frank was all keen his mind must have blown, for no word of a lie he must weigh 18 stone.

T'was at the first trouble we got in a muddle, it sumped off completely when Dave pissed in a puddle.

He pulled off his jacket and I said stop there, 'cause under his trousers I know he was bare.

Dave gave us a grin and said he felt queer, we all knew what that meant as he brings up the rear.

He thought it quite funny but soon lost his grin, when 'we bailed with his helmet and left his head in.

Some things are alright and all this seemed fun, but for one thousand quid I won't look up his bum.

Now I lit my pipe and thought I would show 'em, I'm the best of the lot 'cause I'm writing this poem.

So we pressed ever forwards on sore hands and knees, and Frank's moment of truth came at 'Birthday Squeeze'.

Dave said we need 'bang' So I put in the boot, and low and behold out did Frank shoot.

So off to the green and with lifeline and belay, we got up the staircase without too much delay.

It took Dave ten minutes and many a groan, Frank looked at his guts and let out a moan.

Now just at that moment Dave was pulling him too, a and he ended up somewhere near 'Swildons Two'.

On over the fields it seemed like five miles, and with Dave's half a pint limit he soaked all the stiles.

He took off his helmet and left off his light, and shoved his head in 'till it fast stuck tight.

So next tine you're round there please give Frank a ring, if you happen to find a few layers of skin.

Now into the blockhouse and sit in the stream, this just can't be true it must be a bad dream.

His bum seemed the problem as his belly moved down, it filled up his trousers and they began to come down.

P.S. Now why do we do this is it just for a lark, or do we like groping round holes in the dark Couldn't we just turn the lights out!!

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6 MORE MONTHLY NOTES Wig is now confirmed as an OFD I leader once more. His phone no. is: Priddy 369.

Last month (October) the aven in Cooper's collapsed up to daylight. Full details will appear in next month's B.B. Pete and Alison (WCC) have, as usual, been active all over Mendip. In Eastwater the rift at the bottom of Primrose Pot is now 50 feet long, draughting but very narrow.

At the end of October a dye test was conducted between Sludge Pit and Swildons. If the results are positive I'll publish more details soon. In Longwood Pete and Alison are slowly but steadily pushing along the narrow, aqueous end of Reynolds’s Rift towards the sound of roaring streamway.

Still in Longwood, Speleo RHal have found over 200 feet of passage extending off the top of Waterfall Chamber. It heads north and ends not far from the surface, near the present entrance. Radio location has shown inaccuracies in the original survey of up to 60 feet.

Tim Large reports that a well decorated chamber has been found at the very end of Goatchurch. Someone has dug under the 'impassable' rift beyond the Drainpipe and up through loose boulders to reach the chamber.

Thanks to Descent for the last two items of news. It is good to see at least one of our national caving publications carrying up-to-date news.

In East Kingsdale, N.C.C. have done it again. At the end of a previously known cave they have discovered a series of pitches, up to 90 feet deep for the largest. The system is tight and strenuous. That is a quote from Lugger and Geoff Yeadon who also say that at the bottom is an uninviting but promising sump.

"It'll be a long time before anyone dives that," one of them said. More on East, and West, Kingsdale next month.

On the international scene, news has almost been flooding in during recent months of exceptionally deep caves, over 1000m in fact. In May a connection between two of the Sistema Huautla caves in Mexico gave a depth of 1220 metres.

For some time now there have been rumours that Snieznaja Pieszcziera, at the eastern end of the Black Sea, was 1200m deep. Confirmation comes through Descent once again that the 9 km system is 1280m deep.

Jean Pernette reports on a system 1195m deep in the lapiaz beyond Anialarra, in the P.S.M. area. The underground river is enormous and must be the St. Georges that resurges as the Cascade in the Kakoueta gorge. The cave has over 500m further depth potential. The Cascade led to the original explorations of the area and the discovery of the P.S.M. The new, parallel system should be even bigger than the P.S.M. Thus may end over 30 years of systematic prospecting.

One rumour - of a 500m deep shaft system ending only tens of metres from the highest part of Lamprechshofen, 1024m.

Annual Lake District Meet 1981 Saturday February 21st to March 1st inclusive Contact martin grass or Graham W-J for details and/or transport/accommodation

7 Caving Secretary’s Report, 1980 Although no major finds have been made by the B.E.C. on Mendip, 1980 has been an active year for the Club. Let's hope it continues throughout the decade. During the year access was negotiated once again to the far reaches of Gough's Cave, and through the goodwill of the manager the Club has started two promising digs as well as diving a newly found sump. Other caves in the Gorge which were previously 'out of bounds' have been visited and a dig started in Cooper's Hole in an attempt to link this with Gough’s. In fact the management are so keen for this to happen that they reported that the connection had been made to H.T.V.! Both sites are being dug regularly every Wednesday afternoon, by a small group of B.E.C. businessmen.

Other dig sites being actively pursued by Club members are Manor Farm and a new site in Dan yr Ogof.

As far as organised Club meets are concerned, these have been limited to caves where access is difficult, thus ensuring a good turnout of members Otter Hole, White Scar Cave and Dan yr Ogof have all seen at least one visit this year. Club members again attended the Gaping Ghyll Whitsun winch meet and large group of B.E.C. and other clubs descended on Crickhowell for the Easter holiday.

The main Club expedition this year was back to Austria to continue the exploration of Barengassewindschacht. Last year's limit was passed and exploration eventually ended at a pitch, thought to lead to a depth of about 400 metres. A return this winter is planned to pass this obstacle.

Nearer home, in Cuthbert's, the Arête ladder has been removed to be strengthened and repaired but will be replaced in the near future. (space for Editorial snigger) Overall it has been a good, active year, with even a trip into Mossdale while it was raining!!

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Letter to the Editor.

Dear Graham, A note for the B.B. if of any interest.

"Whilst on holiday at Erze-sur-mer, near Nice in the South of France, I visited the Club MarteI, 15, Av. Jean Medecin, Nice, 06000. They meet every Thursday at 8.30 p.m. to discuss caving and the trips to be arranged for the following Sunday in the Alpes Maritime.

The president of the club is M. Greach, who speaks some English.

There are many caves in the region up to 5 km long, some with sumps for divers, and even with streams at temperatures up to 21°C though some are down to 2oC. Anyone interested in joining them for a trip should call in to a Thursday meeting.

Obviously I gave them details of the B.E.C. Yours sincerely, Jeremy Henley. *

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Many thanks to Tuska for donating his B.E.C. Dinner raffle prize, a copy of Martyn Farr's excellent book, 'The Darkness Beckons', to the Club library.

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10 The BEC Get Everywhere - Transvaal, South Africa a letter from J - Rat. Having a couple of weeks to spare the writer grabbed rucksack, aquaflash and borrowed diamond miner’s helmet and with thumb in the air tramped into the uninteresting prairies of the Orange Free State en route to the Rand goldfields and the Pope. For newer members this particular Pope is not the one that Macanus tells jokes about, but an exiled Belfryite - Colin Priddle. In true tradition the pair downed copious quantities of ale, retold the usual stories and then started thinking about caves.

A visit to the show cave of Sterkfontein, an hour’s drive from Johannesburg whetted their appetites.

Despite being situated in an almost desert like scrubland area of low hills - with no sign of karstic features the cave was found to be an impressive phreatic network. Several hundred feet of sculptured and well decorated passages were visited. The rock formation here is Dolomite and bare rock walls resemble elephant skin - dark grey and beautifully eroded. Unfortunately many of the formations were vandalised, partly due to mining and quarrying operations and partly to an irate ex-leaseholder with a load of dynamite. In the depths of this extensive cave lay a gloomy, placid lake which obviously stirred hidden desires in the Pope. He was talked out of leaping in and removed from the cave to vent his passions on photographing the multi-coloured genitals of some local monkeys. A notable point of interest on this cave is that it is one of South Africa's most important archaeological sites - having yielded many remains of extinct fauna and several examples of early "ape-men".

A couple of days later the writer left the Pope to his gold analysing and caught an overnight train to Nelspruit in the E. Transvaal. From here the monotonous landscape of the Veldt began to develop into picturesque hill country. Some 20km from the town is the excellent show cave of Sudwala, again a phreatic system in Dolomite with both dead and growing formations. The "railway tunnel" entrance passages were once used by Sobhuz to hide from invading Zulus. Fierce battles took place here and in the valley below the Swazis only surviving with help from a BDoer commando camp. Rider haggard also visited the cave, using it as a prop for his books "She" and "King Solomon’s Mines". During the Boer War it was used as a Boer ammunition store for their "Long Tom" 94 pounder cannon. The cave has over 4km of explored passage - much of the original exploration, survey and research having been undertaken by Derbyshire caver Harold Jackson and now in the hands of C.R.O.S.A. (Cave Research Organisation of South Africa - more of whom later).

Having done the tourist trip, admired the pretties and affixed "Bertie Stickers", the writer enquired about trips beyond the show cave and was told to try the following weekend. He then headed off for the next cave, 100km north, spending the night at one of S.A.'s only decent pubs in the old mining village of Pilgrim’s Rest.

Two days later Echo Cave was reached. A tatty museum in Bushman's Rock Shelter was looked at on the road to the cave - notable mainly for the impressive digging derrick which resembled a Medieval Catapult.

This was duly photographed in order that Dark Satanic can weld one up for us. On arrival at Echo Cave itself the writer was taken through the show cave by a Basuto Small Boy called "Boy", a sort of 10 year old black Dave Yeandle. The tourist route is not over impressive. Loads of dry broken stal litter and conspicuous electric cables with bare light bulbs were the main impression. At one point Boy beat frantically on a stale with a rubber mallet to show off the echo from which the cave gets its name. Beyond the lights several dark passages lurked - prompting the writer to ask about trips beyond. He was instantly sent back into the cave with Boy (clutching a Tilley lamp) for a swift through trip via the Western Series to exit from a shaft further round the hill. Huge, gloomy phreatic tunnels and a 300ft long by 100ft high chamber proved more spectacular than the tourist route.

Deciding to camp at the cave and explore further the following day, your scribe later met Steve Sehoombe - Afrikaner ex-pro boxer and new cave owner. Steve had a survey of the system but having little knowledge of caves he wanted the place explored to confirm the existence of a supposed passage leading to another exit 16km away. In payment for this, free luxury - accommodation and meals were offered!! Never being one to look a gift horse in the mouth (and despite having to go UNDERGROUND) the writer accepted this generous offer and promptly got rigid with Steve and his mates to celebrate - swapping English jokes for Afrikaner tales of one "Van de Murver" (a S.A. version of "Murphy").

11 The following day, Friday, a phone call to the Pope elicited a quick response. He immediately took the afternoon off and drove the 360km to the cave. During the next couple of days the B.E.C. Africa Section explored practically every passage, including several not on the survey, for a total extent of less than 2km.

The fabled 16km passage did not exist but much of interest was found in the system. A high level grotto contained a superb old false floor. A 15 ft wide gap was crossed by a 6 inch diameter tree root which bored off down a side passage, dropped 12 ft vertically and - like a water main or grotesque fossilised snake continued off down another gallery for several hundred feet. The Pope’s fascination for monkeys was again demonstrated when he was photographed hanging from the root where it bridged the false floor. Other finds of note were three ancient beer cans left by previous explorers and some fine quartz "Boxworks" formations.

Two Afrikaner lads and a girl hitch-hiker were also shown round the cave.

One of the systems most impressive sights was unwittingly found by the writer on a solo evening trip - or rather they found him. Several horseshoe bats had been noticed hanging in ceiling pockets or occasionally flying about but just before 6 p.m. a marked increase in activity was observed. Suffering from loneliness, severe hangover and a scalpel-like gash in the leg, the writer was not amused when he was suddenly surrounded by scores of dive bombing bats. With nerves on edge and thoughts of rabies and histoplasmosis and not helped by skeletal remains of 6" centipedes littering the place - he crept bravely across the floor of the huge chamber with the increasing bat population whistling round his ears. Realisation dawned that it was time for the nightly bat flight and the writer and several hundred Berties shot out of the shaft entrance in disarray. Although only a few bats were seen underground, a visit to the entrance the following evening showed that at least 2,500 were in residence. They were coming out at about a hundred a minute and after half an hour we gave up watching them. It is to be hoped that Pope's photos of the flight came out - and also an interesting snap of a Zulu night watchman with Bertie stickers on both his overalls and his knob kerrie!

Having wrapped up our exploration we bid a fond farewell to Steve and family and headed south in Pope's car, pausing to look at the spectacular Blyde River Canyon and some superb sandstone potholes in the river bed en route. On Sunday evening we were back at Sudvala Cave. The tent was erected and some local cavers winkled out. An evening of dedicated alcohol consumption proved most entertaining when the cave owner, Phillip Owen, turned up. Within twenty minutes it was obvious that this as Africa's answer to Trevor Hughes. Standing on a table in the cave restaurant he executed two superb striptease acts and then proceeded to do a "Ginger Baker" act on the crockery - drumming several plates, cups etc. into millions of fragments.

The rest of the evening is just a blurred haze!

Our Feelings and language can thus be appreciated when at 7 a.m. next morning a hairy faced Afrikaner dragged us out of our pits for a trip to Crystal Chamber - beyond the show cave. Pikkie, a C.R.O.S.A. member, sometimes takes parties of up to thirty novices through this muddy, boulder-filled crawl. The fine crystals and helictites made the trip worthwhile though, and rounded off an excellent few days of caving and boozing. Our thanks to Steve, C.R.O.S.A. and the S.A. Brewery Company for making the visit so pleasant.

Anyone interested in further information on the above caves can obtain this from the writer (who is writing this from his pit in a mountain chalet and worrying even more about Histoplasmosis!)

A.R. Jarratt.

LESOTHO Sept. '80

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12 Speleo Teaser by Chris (Blitz) Smart.

The following is a variation of an old puzzle which consists of a basic sixteen facts - your problem is simply to determine who drinks cider and who caves in Rhino. I wish you the best of luck. The answer will be published next month.

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There are five clubs which, due to rebuilding, are now all next to each other in a row.

The Southerner is a member of the B.E.C. The Northerner caves in Swildons.

Badger is drunk by the Wessex.

The Welshman drinks Arkells.

The Wessex is situated immediately to the right of the U.B.S.S. The caver who uses SRT does so in Cuthbert’s.

Ladder is used by the M.C.G. Butcombe is drunk in the middle club hut.

The Irish caver stays in the first club hut.

The speleologist who crawls stays in the hut that is next door to that of the Caver who visits Longwood.

Ladder is used by the club next to the club who cave in Stoke.

The free-diver drinks Royal Oak. The Scottish caver free-climbs.

The Irish spelunker belongs to the club next to the Shepton.

In each club one technique only is used, in just one cave, by one regional caver who only drinks one particular brew.

In next month's B.B. articles on South African caves and cave art, by J-Rat, some thoughts on Wigmore from Trev Hughes, Elm Cave exploration by Colin Houlden, more details about Coopers Hole,compiled by Chris Smart, and MANY OTHERS, I hope!