Editorial

Here it is – a little late as we suggested it might be, but
we won in the end.  This is the new
cover, size and type.  Any resemblance to
the old B.B. is purely accidental.

It might interest newer readers to note that the B.B. in its
original form was foolscap size – the size of this one when folded out
flat.  It changed after fifteen issues to
quarto size, and now has reduced its size once again.  If it goes on getting smaller, there will
come a time when you’ll need a microscope to read it!

Seriously, we hope members approve of the new disguise and
are all promptly inspired to write sheaves of articles to fill its pages.  One snag about this layout is that the B.B.
can only come out in multiples of four pages, so that if there is not enough
for an eight page magazine, we will have to cut right down to four.

In the past, there have not always been enough copies of the
B.B. for everyone to get a copy.  In that
case, the postal department have been giving priority to club members, which is
only fair, and some of the clubs to whom we send copies of the B.B., have thus
had to go without.  We hope that, mow we
have made these improvements to the B.B., it will be possible to guarantee a
copy each month for everyone, including all the clubs to whom we apologise for
the poor service they have had in the past.

It only remains for us to let you get on with reading this,
and to wish all club members, and all cavers and climbers a very happy and
prosperous new year.

“Alfie”

January Committee Meeting

At the January meeting of the committee, L.R. Mortimer and
Miss Pat Irwin were elected members of the club.  Good progress on the new hut was reported.  The climbing secretary reported that the last
organised club trip proved to be badly supported.  Another trip will be organised in
February.  Permission was given for Cave
Science to reprint any information on St. Cuthbert’s.

Notices

A show entitled “Caving with a camera” will be given by
Dennis Kemp at Redcliffe Hall on Thursday, 8th February at 8pm.

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The next guest days for G.B. have been provisionally sent
out by U.B.S.S.  The days for the B.E.C.
are January 30/31 and March 12/13.

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“Prew” is willing to take his car up to the Annual dinner of
the Bradford Pothole Club, which is being held at the Devonshire Hotel,
Skipton, on Saturday, 6th February at 6.30 for 7pm.  Anyone interested in attending this dinner
and going up in “Prew’s” car should contact him at once.  From what we know of the B.P.C., it should be
well worth going up to Skipton for!

Before & After

by R.J. Bagshaw

Before I visited G.B. recently, I had not been there for
about ten years, and it was forcibly pointed out to me by the Hon. Editor that
both old and new members might be interested in the changes I noticed during
that time.

The first, and most welcome change was transport.  Back in the good old days when caving was
caving, the trip to G.B. was made either on push bikes; or by bus to
Burrington, followed by a gentle walk over the top.  Now, in this spoon fed age of Goon Suits
etc., we arrived by car.  Even the field
gates were now replaced by cattle grids to ease the journey.

On arriving at the barn, it was found to be nearly full of
hay – a luxury unheard of in my courting days.

We walked over to the cave, and were greeted by the sight of
a concrete blockhouse with its devilish cunning burglar proof door (?).  The entrance squeeze seemed more difficult
than it used to be in my day, and I was inclined to put it down to the exertions
necessary to unlock the trapdoor, or possible the weight of the
blockhouse.  A further possibility to
this theory put forward by Professor Devenish that the growth of the caves is
not limited to stalactites, but is shared by the rock.  I cannot see any other explanation than one
of these three.

The grottoes gave the impression that the vandalism over the
past ten years was less than the years which went before.  On the other hand, the best formations tend
to get vandalised first and this may merely mean that there has been less left
for vandals to damage since I was there last. The Letter Box afforded more evidence that rocks grow larger and
therefore all squeezes grow smaller a la Dev. This was borne out by the fact that only one member of the party came
through fast enough to need persuading not to continue down the drop.

The Devil’s Elbow was nearly unrecognisable.  It was bone dry!  Although the passage was smaller, the absence
of water was a great improvement, but I missed the ladder at the end.

I should like to meet the persons who have obviously spent
so much time sharpening the rock edges between the Devil’s Elbow and the
Gorge.  On second thoughts, perhaps my
hands are softer than they used to be.

Just in time, I remembered to keep high enough in the
squeeze into the Gorge to avoid the Devenish effect.  The Gorge is still a very impressive sight,
but the

White Way
has lost all its former beauty.  The
terminal passage has been expanded, and many other side passages opened.  No doubt by much toil and effort on part of
the U.B.S.S.

On the way up the Gorge, a noticeable increase in the size
of the boulders was observed.  The slope
also seemed more steep, perhaps indicating that the rate of growth of cave
rocks increases with the altitude above sea level.

The return to the surface was rapid.  Comparatively, at any rate, but there was a
considerable delay before the locks could be securely fastened.  On returning to the barn, a dead cow was
observed which certainly was not there ten years ago.

There are no prizes for guessing the word deleted form the
title of this article by my better half!

Belfry Binder…….a comment on last month’s article.

George Lucy was heard to remark in the Hunters on Christmas
Eve, that the article on the Belfry Binder was very fair, but that for fifteen
seconds, one should surely read fifteen minutes.  He also said that a good Binder should be
such that no individual ingredient could be identified in the final mixture as
served.  We asked the author – Sett – for
his comments.  Sett said that some stews
were indeed as George described, but nevertheless, he had given the correct and
traditional recipe.  If the Binder, after
having been cooked, is left to simmer while people come out of cavies and got
changed, it will change to the appearance and consistency which George
describes.

Solution to the Christmas Crossword.

Sorry that the solution is all long and thin – it just
happened that way

Letter To the Editor of the B.B.

Dear Alfie

During a discussion at the works, the Belfry Radio set was
mentioned.  An innocent bystander, during
an interval in the conversation, asked what the Belfry consisted of and, giving
us no time for an answer, remarked in a somewhat lugubrious voice, “Oh, it’s
one of those exclusive country clubs, I suppose.”  We answered him that it is.

Truth surely is stranger than fiction!

                                                            Yours,
too,    R.J. Price.

Climbing.

A weekend in
North Wales is
being organised by Geoff Mossman, who should be contacted for details.  The date is 5/6/7 February and the hut of the
Vagabonds has been booked.

Moving Picture.

We know there are plenty on the wall, but if you want to
help make the beggars really move, contact Bob Price, who is getting up a team
to make a documentary film in 16mm plus sound of the club.

An Evening on the Cut

by Lady Chatterbox

On Thursday, the 26th November, 1959, after club, a large
party of assorted loafers, nits, and hangers on – in short, B.E.C. members,
deposited themselves in a steaming heap outside Auntie Syb’s for coffee (you,
not I!).  By the time Syb arrived with
Mossy and Dick – we had all begun to think that Syb had said, “All come round
for coffee”, and then made tracks in the opposite direction.

Once inside, I was amazed to see that crumpled barbed wire
seemed to be preferred to flowers.  I say
this, as every pot capable of holding weeds etc., was filled with the former
commodity, or oddity if you so prefer. Odd bottles peer from corners in the approved tradition of the club, and
though the decidedly strictly Syb and Landlady, it is lightened by the
modernising influence of Indestructible Alf’s rear bumper bar.  Coffee was served from an ancient and broken
(pointed out by our hostess) jug.  It was
a relic of the war (Crimean?).  The
coffee was enjoyed by all, and Russian hats tried on.  It was found that either the average Russian
is a pin’ead or the average B.E.C. member is a big’ead.  Those present were: –

Mr & Mrs Bennett
Indestructible Alf
Obscene Obbs
Might Mouse Sandall
Luscious
Plum Sandall
Spicule
Gaff
Auntie Syb (Hostess)
Mossy
Dick
My Old Man
And your correspondent.

Things must be looking up! This was the second invitation to visit and slander somebody’s
residence.  As usual, I enjoyed it.  If Syb was to move to

Clifton, I could do a S.H.O.T.B.E.C. on
her.  Time will tell.

Digging News

Visits were paid recently to quite a few of the sites which
are at present being actively dug on Mendip, and we wondered if club members
would be interested in the present state of the art as applied to some of these
holes.  If we have got any of our facts
wrong, profuse apologies will appear in next month’s B.B.

PRIDDY GREEN SWALLET.

This hole, situated on the green between

Maine’s Barn and the old piped water supply,
is being dug by the S.M.C.C.  All are
welcome to lend a hand when they are in residence, however.  A really professional concrete shaft has now
been installed, and work is continuing on opening the rock space beneath.  This consists of shifting the odd flakes
which block the way on.  It is, of
course, hoped that this dig will lead directly into the aven in Swildon’s IV,
but if it doesn’t, it looks fairly likely to lead somewhere and will doubtless
increase the underground knowledge of the area. Incidentally, the word ‘they’ at the beginning of this description
refers to the S.M.C.C., who should be contacted for any further information or
with any offers of assistance.

EMBOROUGH SWALLET.

The initial work on this swallet – a B.E.C. dig – was
described last year in the B.B.  Work was
then stopped during the dry weather, as the diggers felt that a knowledge of
the behaviour of the stream at this stage was pretty essential.  The stream has now been running, and has been
found to sink not where supposed, but in between the original and new entrances
to the cave.  Since a fair amount of work
is likely to be involved, an agreement has been reached with the S.M.C.C. to
proceed with the dig in the spring as a joint B.E.C. – S.M.C.C. dig.  The local farmer has been contacted again and
is quite willing to allow any work to proceed in the swallet as long as the
swallet remains cow-proof.  All who have
seen the stream in spate running into this hole agree that there must be
something underground at Emborough.

NINE BARROWS SWALLET.

We understand, although we have not yet had a chance to go
and see this dig, that the prospects are good. The dig is being conducted by Mike Holland, and when asked about
progress he reported that this was occurring in a downward direction!  An interesting feature of the stream entering
the hole is that it rises only a short distance away, to sink again almost at
once into the hole.  Rumour has it that
recent Mendip catchwords will be suitably immortalised underground in this hole
if a suitable cave is entered.

SPRINGFIELD
SLOKER.

Another S.M.C.C. dig, this sink at the moment has a stream
of remarkably cold water entering it. Should it become necessary, this stream could easily be diverted.  The hole, or as much as could be seen without
getting wet, looks very interesting, although the entrance may prove too tight.

ALFIE’S HOLE.

No work has been done in this shakehole since the last
boulder breaking up session.  The only
chance of further progress appears to involve the removal of a further lot of
rock from the floor of the pitch.  Anyone
interested in flogging a dead horse should get in touch with Alfie.

COOPERS HOLE.

No recent news from the M.C.G. who are digging this hole has
been received.  When last visited, they
were digging through the infill under the roof, and following the course taken
by the water which drains into the hole. Any further news will be reported.

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THE BELFRY BULLETIN. January 1960.  No. 143.

Secretary, R.J. Bagshaw,

699 Wells Road, Knowle,

Bristol 4.

Editor, S.J. Collins, 33
Richmond
Terrace,
Clifton,

Bristol 8.

Postal Dept, B. Prewer,

14 Egerton Road,,
Bath,

Somerset.