Once again we have no material for the B.B. from members, as
suggested in the Christmas B.B., the answer to this state of affairs was going
to be a four page B.B. but, as this is the first time this has happened, we
thought perhaps a gentle hint in the shape of a reprint of the article
appearing in B.B. No 126 (August 1958) might be in order.
Contents
Cuthberts, notice.
The tackle on Stalagmite Pitch is shortly to be removed for
renovation. Leaders wishing to do this
pitch must take tackle with them while renovation is in progress.
Annual subs.
These are due on the 31st January. Bob Bagshaw will be delighted to receive
same.
Club News – A Monthly Review of Club Activities
February Committee Meeting.
Despite the continuing bad conditions, the meeting was well
attended. The following new members were
admitted to the club – Lionel James; Mike Turner; Albert Charwood; Kevin Abbey;
Donald Weston and Valerie Jones.
Other subjects dealt with included a mention of skiing
having been taken up by the climbing section (books on the subject are
available in the club library!) the first caving meet, Cuthberts new entrance,
the Charterhouse Caving Committee and Belfry arrangements.
Caving.
The first caving meet for 1963 (Lamb Leer) went off very
successfully with twenty seven people attending the meet. The trip was a week later than planned due to
the cave entrance being blocked with snow. During the trip, an attempt was made to reach a high level fissure in
the chamber. It was not reached, but a
feasible route to it (involving artificial techniques) has been planned by Noel
McSharry. There will probably be one or
more trips in the near future to make a concerted effort to reach this fissure.
The second meet will be on the evening of Thursday, 20th
March to
watchman on the corporation site, and we may be able to have the run of the
place without the usual weegee guide.
Belfry.
The three week’s removal of the cutlery and crockery which
was announced in earlier B.B.’s is now complete and, the experiment being over,
it has now been restored. It has been
agreed to buy a new set of plates to assist in tidiness. A new stove set of parts will be purchased
later in the year and another £50 budget for continuing the renovations and
redecoration of the Belfry in the coming year has been approved, a temporary
levy to cover this may be added to the Belfry charge, if this should be
necessary.
Trips from the Caving Log
A Cuthberts trip on November 3rd found the ‘dogs’ on stal
pitch too far apart and the leader – Pat Irwin – asks whether a closer spacing
could be employed. A trip in the same
cave led by Roy Bennett ran on the 17th of November took a small passage from Cascade
to Everest chambers not marked on the survey.
A working trip to Sugar Bowl Chamber was run by Mikes
Wheadon and Palmer on the 25th November. They report ‘Each ton of sand moved out, moves back in rapidly from
another direction so only two halves of rope were recovered, less about six
feet.’
A further trip by the same leader on the first of December
reports ‘Short trip into the extension behind Long Chamber. Entered new bedding plane, also found new
passage following the big fault.’
Roger Stenner, on a G.B. trip on the 2nd of December,
reports that ‘formations in the Ladder Dig extension are badly damaged but
still worth seeing’
John Cornwell, Noel and Norman Brooks had a working trip in
the new Cuthberts Extension on the 8th of December. The nature of the work was presumably
exploratory.
An unusual trip on the 16th December was run to the caves at
Draycott by Roy Bennett and the Franklyn brothers who report. ‘Two caves in rocky escarpment overlooking
Drayoott. One four feet long, the other
found to be about ten feet long and not worth digging. Several natural depressions noted on Draycott
and Cheddar head road.’
A trip of an even more unusual nature was undertaken by the
terrible trio consisting of G. Tilley, Esq., J. Ransom Esq., and R. Jarman (Gent.) who were invited to Digby
School, Sherborne to investigate a long underground passage, and report as
follows:-
The entrance was discovered by the caretaker a few weeks
ago. After getting fully kitted out, we
entered the passage, which seemed to be a drainaway between two stone
walls. We were met by a loosely cemented
brick wall, and after removing a brick, we thought we could see a continuation
on the other side, so we asked if we could remove part of the wall to enable us
to continue. Permission was given, so we
started to hack the wall down. A hole
big enough for a head was made, then putting a large head through, a
prehistoric dustbin was found situated in an adjoining cellar. The passage measured nearly thirty feet long,
and is continued on the other side of the cellar. This will be followed when the caretaker has
removed five tons of coke. Very
interesting, but people should build passages slightly larger!”
End of Caving Log for
1962
How To Write An Article For The B.B.
It is a fact most wonderful and strange to contemplate that
our club consists of some hundred and twenty members, most of whom can read and
write. It can further be shown (as
have put it) that it requires two articles of average length to complete the
usual eight page B.B.
We are now in the happy position of being able to draw a
conclusion. If every member wrote an
article every four and a half years, this would be sufficient to fill the B.B.
ad inf.
The next move in this erudite argument is one of extreme
subtlety. Each member must be persuaded
to write an article. At this point, a
snag arises. One can imagine the reader
– aghast at this suggestion – pointing out that it is inhuman to expect each
member to produce one article every four and a half years. “No man,” one can imagine him
saying “could work at such a feverish rate and still retain his
sanity.” This is, of course,
agreed. Fortunately, a solution is at
hand. Owing to the average stay in club
per member being of the same order as the frequency, with which he should write
an article, each member need only write one article during his entire stay in
club. It is generally conceded that this
effort, though still severe, is intellectually possible.
At this stage, the reader has, one hopes, been fired with
enthusiasm to take up this fearsome challenge, only to have his aspirations
dashed once more to the ground by the next obstacle. “What” he asks, quite reasonably,
“can I write the article about?”
Agreed, this is something of a facer. The equipment needed at this stage by the
intending author is known as an IDEA. An
idea is not easily come by. In this
respect it resembles a clue, and people have been known to go for years without
either.
But don’t despair! You too can have an idea, and remember, you have four and a half years
to have it in! A widely held believe
asserts that the average bloke is capable, under very favourable circumstances,
of producing an idea every two years and these have been cases of individuals,
by sheer concentrated
effort, reducing even this fast time. However, this applies to what we call in the
trade a spontaneous idea. That is to
say, an idea which occurs without the benefit, or even in spite of, our AMAZING
SYSTEM. With this system, an idea is
guaranteed to occur. To obtain the full
benefit from this system (send no money; you have only to peruse the following,
and pick out the group most suitable to your circumstances: –
GROUP A
You fall into this group if you
are a keen, active fit and energetic young caver/climber at the peak of your
enthusiasm and vigour – as distinct, of course, from a senile old dodderer (see
groups “B” and C”.)
GROUP B
You fall into this, group if you
are a mature, experienced caver/climber at the peak, or at any rate approaching
it, of your judgement and wisdom – as distinct, of course, from a brash young
upstart (see group A or an old has been – see group “C”)
GROUP C
You fall into this group if the
increasing responsibilities of your successful career have meant that you have
either had to move far away or can no longer spare the time. Now read on.
If you are in Group A in your activities, you MUST have
been on a trip in which something interesting or unusual or amusing happened – just one at least! Listen to the lines shot at the Belfry,
Hunters Etc. YOU probably shot one last
weekend, why not write it down!
In group “B”, all the remarks of group A still
apply, on the principle that, if anything, lines get bigger with time. In addition, you know that things are not
what they were (they never are). The
poor blokes, who go caving/climbing/drinking/&c now, never knew what it was
really like etc, etc, etc. Tell them.
If in group “C”, when you do come to Mendip,
what’s it like? Has it changed? Any new caves? Come to that; are there any caves your
way? Etc, ad nauseam.
Now let us rashly assume that you have something to write,
about. The next question is what form
you are going to write it in. The table,
of weights and measures below might be of use here.
TABLE OF WEIGHTS
& MEASURES
2 entries in log = 1
letter
2 letters = 1 poem
2 poems = 1 article
2 articles = 1 screed
Poetry requires fewer words per line than prose and also
makes you appear cleverer than you really are. This is obviously worth looking into. A letter, on the other hand, is easily written and can always be padded
out by praising the editor, thus ensuring publication. Only the advanced writer should attempt a screed.
Older readers may remember at this stage, the imaginary
efforts of Bert Bodge, our shining example of the system in action. Alas, time has shown that Bert has let us
down and so we now consider the career of one B. Wynden-Water. Young Basil (he was born on the Shetlands)
joined the club in 1965 and, on his second weekend at the Belfry (the first was
spent emptying the detailer) he was persuaded to go on a beginners trip down
Swildons, on which trip a ladder rung slipped as he was climbing back up the
twenty. The next day, owing to a
misunderstanding caused by the amount and specific gravity of the beer drunk on
the Saturday night, he found himself taking part on a trip to
After this energetic weekend, young Wynden-Water remained
for many years a keen and active club member, regularly attending the Hunters
on ”barrel” nights and taking his full share in the running of the club
at Annual General Meetings, even after a change of employment forced him to
move to Kerrimuir in April 1966, where he is now employed by a firm of ball
manufacturers.
Naturally, this keen all-rounder has never neglected to
write for the B.B. Anxious as he is,
even now, to take part in all club
activities, he has made the most of his one weekend underground, as the
following list of his published work shows:-
(Extract from the classified index of authors, issued with
B.B. No 250, Christmas 1968)
WYNDEN-WATER, B.
B.B. 185 (July ’63) My first
Caving Trip – A novices impression of Swildons Hole (Article).
B.B. 187 (Sept ’63) “A visit to
Stoke Lane Slocker” (Article).
B.B. 191 (Jan ’64) Letter replying to
geologist pointing out that Swildons is different to Stoke.
B.B. 195 (Mar ’64) Letter replying to
hydrologist pointing out ‘ that Stoke is different to Swildons.
B.B. 202 (Xmas 64) Poem. “When you’re climbing up a ladder”
B.B. 204 (Feb 65) Letter replying to
author of article on tackle about the slipping of ladder rungs.
B.B. 210 (Aug ’65) Poem. “Going
through the sump in Stoke”
B.B. 234 (Aug ’67) “Mendip
revisited” (Article)
B.B. 236 (Oct ’67) Recollections of some caves of central and
Eastern Mendip. (Article).
It is, as you will no doubt agree, surprising to see what a
lot can be written about practically nothing. This article has been written on the same principle.
*****************************************
The Belfry Bulletin. Secretary. R.J. Bagshaw, 699,
Editor, S.J. Collins, 33,
8.
Postal Dept. R.S. King,22 Parkfield Rank, Pucklechurch, Nr .Bristol.