Editorial

Firstly, an apology for the lateness of this B.B.  This is due entirely to slackness and
mismanagement on the part of the Editor.

We mentioned, in January that during the course of this
year, we would be experimenting with various changes in the B.B.  The reason we mention this again is that we
are now in a state where we can put forward a definite suggestion to all
members on this subject.  Some of you
will have seen the new shape we are thinking of making the B.B. into.  Those that haven’t may like to know that it
is half foolscap (8″ x 6½”) and that we are going to have a “fancy”
cover to go with it – starting next year. All the members who have seen the specimen so far are in favour of it,
but please, if anyone has any objections, write in and let us know.  The new shape has a lot of advantages, one of
which is that we shall be able to print it on paper like this issue of the
B.B.  Compare this number with previous
month’s B.B’s and you will notice that – like some of the detergents – we have
extra whiteness (as well as extra opacity).

We don’t intend to bore readers by mentioning this subject
again, unless we receive any complaints. We realise that those members who have a nice thick file of B.B.’s will
find the new shape spoils their arrangements, but hope that they will put up
with a change which we are certain will result in a B.B. next year which will
compare favourably with the journals of most other caving clubs.

 “Alfie”

Dr Eric Houghton

The above tribute was sent to us by Johnny Attwood.  Eric was well known to B.E.C. climbers, and
frequented the “Waggon” on most club nights.  A fund to assist his dependants is being
organised by his fellow doctors, and a set of forms was sent to us for
inclusion in the B.B.  We decided,
however, not to include them, as most members would prefer to send any gifts to
the club, who could then make our contribution. Should any member wish to send separately, the address is: –  Lloyds Bank,

Regent Street,
Clifton,
and cheques made payable to the “Houghton memorial Trust.”  Other donations may be sent to the club
secretary, the Editor, or any member of the B.B. Board.

Annual Subscriptions.

The Hon. Treasurer wishes to remind members who have not yet
paid their 1959 subs, that these SHOULD HAVE BEEN PAID BY NOW.  Full members 12/6; Junior and associate
members 7/6.  Why not become a life
member?  Five guineas is a bit of a drain
but you might live to be a hundred!  In
that case you will, on the average, receive 900 copies of the B.B. during the
rest of your life.  By that time, the
annual sub will be about a fiver anyway! Besides, think of the shock to our Hon. Treas.!

The British Caver.

Volume: 30 of this publication will be out by about
September, price 7/9 Post Paid.  To book
a copy, write to:- G. Platten, “Rotherfield”,

Fernhill Lane, New Milton, Hants.

Assorted Clangers.

The S.M.C.C. Coach party to
Yorkshire,
which was given in the B.B. as being held at Easter, is in fact being held at
WHITSUN.  Sorry for this, but it gives
you more time to arrange to go.

Roger and Daphne’s address was given as Clevedon.  The rest of the address is all right, but it
should be PORTISHEAD.

G.B. Dates.

March 21/22, B.E.C.; Easter, Wessex; April 4/5, Westminster;
April 18/19, Axbridge; April 25/26, B.E.C.; May 9/10, Wessex; May 16/18,
S.W.C.C.; May 30/31, Westminster; June 6/7, Axbridge: June 13/14, B.E.C.; July
4/5, Wessex; July 11/12, Westminster; July 18/19, Axbridge; July 25/26, B.B.C.

More Gen about the trip to
Yorkshire at
WHITSUN.

The coach will leave Friday evening.  It may be possible to return on Monday
evening, if a majority agree.  Picking up
points will probably be Wells and

Bristol.  There will be a winch down G.G. arranged by
the Bradford Pothole Club which anyone can use for a small fee.  Ken Dawe’s address is:-

7 Widcombe Crescent,
Bath,

Somerset.  He can also be contacted at Beechbarrow (The
Shepton Hut) when on Mendip.

Caving Log

Letter To the Editor, B.B.

A few years ago, the question of the club’s badge was
raised, and then it was generally agreed that the pattern used for the sign on
the Belfry door was the correct size and shape for the bat.  This is the same as the pattern of bat used
for the small lead badges that are still to be seen occasionally.

Daphne Stenner then used this pattern, and carved a master
pattern to scale, into a block of wax to enable two sizes of bats to be cast in
plastic mixed by Tony Rich.  A number of
such badges were made and distributed, but proved to be very fragile.  Tony countered this by embedding one in a
disc of clear P.V.A., the prototype being given to Sid Hobbs.  Owing to Tony going to

Canada, no more
were made.

Shortly before his departure, Tony showed me perfect casts
of both sizes, both carefully cleaned up with the intention of using them to
make casts for better masters than would be possible by carving into wax.  The badges were to be made in two stages,
first casting the bat and then embedding the bat in plastic.

I am sure Sid would agree with me that a better Motor
Vehicle or rucksack badge would be hard to find, and if means of making more
can be found, either commercially or by the help of members, the original wax
master and the cleaned up casts are available.

In the meantime, a small grumble.  It’s a pity that the proper club bat cannot
to used on the B.B.

Roger Stenner.

Editor’s
Note.     I’m afraid you’re stuck with the
present bat on the B.B. until 1960!  All
this year’s covers are printed.

Tankard Hole

by Roger Stenner

In January 1958, a brief report on Tankard Hole was printed
in the B.B.  Since then, there have been
several new developments, and because of them I am writing this second interim
report, bearing the fact in mind that a full account will appear in a future
B.E.C, Saving Report.

The stability of the entrance is rather in question.  When members of the B.E.C. were given the ‘go
ahead’ by Wessex diggers in June 1956, the entrance was blocked by a roof fall
and a good digging session was needed to get small cavers in, followed by a
bigger digging session to get bigger sized caver into the cave.  At this stage, the shoring beyond the shaft
was rather comic in a horrifying fashion, and, despite the care that was
obviously needed, by September 1956, a would-be exploration party again had to
start digging before the cave could be entered. Most of the shoring had fallen, and debris was still coming down
spasmodically, the debris being a mixture of mud, gravel and assorted boulders
causing the party to run the gauntlet in an unpleasant fashion.  In the spring of 1957, the entrance was still
open, but in August 1957, when Pete Miller first did a Tankard trip, the
entrance again needed digging out, but when dug, had remained substantially the
same as before.

Between August 1957 and August 1958, a really big change
took place, and an hour and a half had to be spent removing boulders.  Daylight was visible beyond the shaft.  The following day we found that the way on
from the first chamber no longer existed, and no trace could be seen of the
rope which led from this chamber to the eighteen foot pitch.  As I had a wife to support, Pete Miller was
persuaded to pioneer a new route and soon a familiar spot was reached, and
there was the old rope, leading up into a jumble of boulders.  In the last trip, a large boulder was seen to
have shifted in the entrance, and this part of the cave is now in a really
unstable condition.  The only solution is
a new shaft, dug in a different position instead of the obvious place at the
lowest part of the depression, the new shaft should be nearer the side.  In the meantime, the top of the present shaft
will be repaired and relocked.  Keys to
the lock are in the possession of B. Prewer (B.E.C. and

Wessex.) Mr. A.
Fincham (B.,E.C. and

Wessex)
and myself (Holding Mr A. Rich’s key.) Tankard is not to be recommended for pleasure trips, except to people
with a very strange idea of pleasure.

Except for the passage leading to the dig, where progress is
most likely, the cave has been surveyed for the Caving Report using a
clinometer, prismatic compass and steel tape. The depth to the rift leading to the bottom of the lowest chamber is
148′. Passage length is 455′, 190′ of which is made up of side passages.  The survey took five trips, and totalled 21½
hours, progress being impeded by the number of short legs that were
needed.  In the main passage of 265′,
there were 50 legs in the survey. Triangulations were made to test the accuracy of the instruments under
these conditions.

The nature of the cave is basically a spiralling boulder
ruckle, the side passages tending to be vertically above one another five in
one place and four in another.  Because
of this, a satisfactory way of presenting the results is hard to find.  The C.R.G. method would be guaranteed to get
even Tony Rich completely muddled.  To
add to the difficulty, larger chambers are difficult to show because of the
lack of symmetry.  Some photographs have
been taken, but they only seem to make the understanding of the shape of the
cave worse.  If anyone knows of a survey
of a boulder ruckle 148′ deep, I would be grateful if I could see a copy.

*****************************************

We hope that Roger and Pete will not mind the Mick being
taken in the article which follows.  The
survaye of Tankard must have been a tricky job. – Editor.

It Went That-A-Way

The exploration and surveying of a hole like Tankard
presents some interesting and unusual problems. A typical trip starts, for instance, by sending a man out in advance of
the rest of the party to find the entrance. A method often adopted consists of going to where the entrance was on
the last trip, and starting a systematic search from there.  It is hoped eventually to be able to publish
a book of tables showing the probable position of the entrance on any
particular day, taking into account the phases of the moon and high tide at
Weston-super-Mare.

Once into the cave; the survey continues.  An interesting addition to normal practice
here is the use of a stopwatch, as not only the distance and bearing, but also
the time must be noted.  A survey reading
taken at, say, 4.55 p.m. cannot be drawn on the same plan as one taken at 4.56.

The naming of parts of the cave system presented some degree
of difficulty, and a completely new system had to be invented.  Such names as “45 Second Chamber” are
typical.  A part of the cave called “10th
of December Grotto” does not mean that it was discovered then, so much as it
actually existed on that date, rather than on the 9th or the 11th.

Everywhere there is the suggestion of movement.  Places such as Upper and Lower Mud Hall in
Cuthbert’s would be come called Ascending and Descending Mud Hall if they were
in Tankard.  All equipment for the trip
has to be carried around, as putting anything down anywhere means a later trip
to find out where that portion of the cave has moved to.

Will Tankard ever get to Wookey?  We must be careful to define what we mean
here.  If we mean will passages one day
be discovered leading from Tankard to Wookey Hole, the answer is almost
certainly ‘no’, but if we mean the whole issue, entrance and all, finish up one
day in the Wookey area, the answer is that we wouldn’t be the least surprised.

Where did Tankard come from? Places as far apart as Bodmin Moor and

Newcastle-on-Tyne have been suggested.  Again, your guess is as good as mine.  The only fact we can be sure about is that at
present, we have it with us on Mendip – at least we did last weekend and it is
presumably up to us to make the most of it (whatever that may mean in this
case) before it outdistances us.

Germanium at Lyme Regis

by Jack Waddon.

It may be of interest to those of our members who are concerned
with electronics (and there are quite a few of them!) to learn of the
occurrence of Germanium in the West Country.

Germanium is a comparatively rare element, which has become
increasingly important as the principal constituent of most types of transistor
– the crystal device which is being used more and more instead of the radio
valve.

In the lower lias of
Dorset,
isolated fragments of lignite are frequently found embedded in the limestones
and shales of marine origin.  A walk
along the beach between Lyme Regis and Charmouth is invariably repaid by the
discovery of many of these easily recognised fossil wood specimens.  They vary from a few inches to several feet
in length.  On a recent visit, I found a
good specimen of a soft coniferous wood, in which the grain and various knots
could clearly be seen, in boulders of a soft whitish limesttone strewn along
the beach.

According to an interesting report which has recently been
published (*) various samples of lignite were collected from Lyme Regis, burnt,
and a spectrographic analysis made of the ashes.  Of the samples taken, the ash was found to
contain a mean concentration of 1.48% germanium, representing a mean
concentration in the lignite of 0.18% germanium.

Although this occurrence of germanium is of no economic
importance (germanium salts being produced as a by-product of certain mines in
the Belgian Congo) there is no doubt that, had it been known some years ago, it
would have aroused some considerable interest, as at that time, the principal
sources of germanium was soot in chimneys of factories where the coal from
certain seams were burnt.,  Indeed, it
was just over ten years ago that I remember R.A. Setterington getting
spectrographic analyses made of various samples of dross etc. from the Mendip
Mineries in the hope that some germanium might be present, but although all
sorts of other interesting elements appeared to be present, there existed not
the faintest trace of germanium.

 (*) A. Hallam and
K.W. Payne.  “Nature”, Vol. 131, No 4G14,
pp 1008-9. (April 5, 1958.)

Sonnet

This automation lark is here to
stay.
Not very long ago, two bods would write
Each bloke’s address by hand, till, late at night,
T’was done; and all by post were sent away.
Now each B.B., with most astounding speed,
Is passed through our Addressograph machine
Which neatly prints on every magazine    Its
destination – plain for all to read.
But not content with this, we lately found
An automatic stapling device
And every B.B.’s cavers – in a trice –
Will finish up identically bound.
One last machine we’ve needed now for ages
To write some articles to fill our pages.

Useful Adressess

R.J. Bagshaw: Hon. Secretary and Treasurer,

699 Wells Road,
Knowle,

Bristol
4.

R. Bennett: Caving Secretary. 

37
Queens Road, Ashley Down,

Bristol 7.

S.J. Collins: Hut Warden and Editor. 33
Richmond
Terrace,
Clifton,

Bristol 8.

P. Ifold: Climbing Secretary. “Sunnyside”,

Rectory Lane,
Compton
Martin, Somerset.

Marriott (Mo): Lamp Spares. 718,

Muller Road, Eastville,

Bristol 5.

B. Prewer: B.B. Postal

Dept. 14 Egerton Road,
Bath,
Somerset.