Taking advantage of a recent overhaul of the typewriter on which the B.B. is typed, we have had some cryptic characters added to the keyboard so that it is now possible, amongst other things, to type phrases like 'speleological manoeuvres' and similar gems of the English language. It also opens up a whole new field for original spelling mistakes, a subject for which the B.B. is noted.
Once again, we have twelve pages. At one time, there was a queue to join before stuff could be considered for publication. This has now vanished, and so the odd article would not come amiss.
Owing to the fantastic success of the Easter trip to this foreign land, and in spite of the damage done to vehicles, the trip is to be repeated at Whitsun. Anyone who is interested should get in touch with any of the Belfry Regulars.
DONT FORGET THE BARBECUE IS ON JUNE 16
(Extracted from a letter to B.M. Ellis from D.C. Ford )
When I wrote up the geology of St. Cuthbert's Swallet for
Caving Report No. 7, Id not finished work on it and so have a certain amount
of revision of the ideas you've published. The controlling fault -
The controlling bedding planes in Catgut (above T-Junction) are not within the twenty foot plane of the Rabbit Warren as I wrote, but lie ten and thirty feet below (two different bedding planes). The extension then runs through higher beds to get on to the main line, so to speak, at the Sewer bedding plane. This performance is not typical of Mendip phreatic behaviour and is almost non-union activity.
The main water supply during stages 1 and 2 of my sequence of development came; it emerges, from the Rocky Boulder area. This should go much more than it has done, back up to the surface. However, I wont guarantee that it is not (a) solidly choked, (b) collapsed anyway.
At present I am working on the south eastern parts of the cave and wondering about possible ways on, barring the sump. It doesn't look very good because every bit of passage plays a part in feeding into the Lake-Gour rift. Nothing seems to bypass it higher up and the best bets are in the rift itself. One never sees the floor of the rift. This is buried to a depth that could run into many tens of feet locally and the way on could be down it somewhere. So get digging!
by M.J. Baker.
Recently it has been demonstrated that stalagmites and stalactites give off a green glow after being subjected to the light from flashbulbs.
This was first noticed when photographing formations, and a flashgun had been placed behind a stalagmite pillar and fired. For a second or two, the pillar gave off a green glow. This 'afterglow' has since been photographed successfully, although first attempts produced a pink glow due to incorrect exposure.
Since then, observations have been made on other specimens using ultra violet light. Stalagmite consists of Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) usually in the form of calcite, or more rarely, aragonite.
The first fact that we note, was that, although calcite in the form of stalagmite from Balchs Hole and Pen Park Hole gave a strong glow, a perfect calcite crystal (Iceland Spar) gave a negative result. Also calcite crystals in Carboniferous limestone that had not come from a cave did not produce any, afterglow. This suggests that the afterglow was not due to the calcite, but to some other element that had been carried in solution by percolating water from the surface and precipitated at the same time.
This was supported when it was found that fur coating the inside of a kettle or hot water pipe also produced an afterglow. Most pure salts are not phosphorescent but salts of Calcium, Strontium, Barium and Zinc gave positive results and it seems that it must be due to the traces of heavy metals such as Manganese, Lead or Copper or Silver.
Note. Phosphorescence
of Calcium Nitrate was recorded as far back as 1674 by
Substances examined
|
Observations
|
Calcite crystals in carb. limestone
|
None.
|
Iceland Spar (CaCO3)
|
None.
|
Carb. Limestone not from cave.
|
None
|
Aragonite ( CaCO3)
|
None.
|
Gypsum from
|
None.
|
Alabaster - Minehead (CaSO4)
|
None.
|
Celestine (SrSO4)
|
Very Faint.
|
|
Faint.
|
Calcite -
|
Faint.
|
Stalagmite Balchs Hole
|
Very Strong.
|
Stalactite - Cuthberts
|
Very Strong.
|
Fur from Hot water pipe -
|
Very Strong.
|
Fur from Hot water pipe -
|
Very Strong.
|
Editors Note; I personally find Mike's article very interesting as I had noticed this phenomena shortly after flashbulbs came onto the market, but thought it only worked if you had extremely clean stal. This was what led me to try a flashbulb against the bank at the top of the second pitch in Balch's Hole (when it was still clean!) and later to expend a few unwanted white flashbulbs showing this to other photographers on the stal pillar in erratic Passage. I believe that John Eatough subjected some stal to U.V. radiation and got negative results, thus suggesting that the afterglow was due to phosphorescence rather than fluorescence. I was wondering how Mike's observations were made with U.V. light. If he obtained afterglow only or if he obtained a visible glow while the U.V. source was illuminating the specimen. Possibly both phenomena play a part here. Perhaps we shall hear further in a later B.B.
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Have you paid your sub yet? You may not get the B.B. in future if you havent!
by K.S. Gardner.
In any subject such as this, one must first accept or tabulate certain points which are, in the considered opinion of science, regarded as facts. The facts in this case are that on the walls of the great caverns of south western Europe can be seen frescoes of engraved and painted scenes of animal life which are accepted as being of Aurignacian and Magdalenian origin; that is, of cultural phases during the Wurm glaciation. It is agreed that the purpose of this art was of a magico-religious rather than of a decorative nature, and was based on the theory that, if one possessed the reproduction of a certain creature, one also possessed the power of life and death over it in the chase. This idea has survived among more primitive tribes today, and indeed was very popular among the practisers of black magic in the European communities of several centuries ago.
In company with the static murals, we sometimes find large models of animals in clay, sometimes models which had borne real heads and possibly been draped in skins to simulate the real creature at some ritual performance. With the later, Magdalenian culture, we get many fine examples of "mobile art", carvings or engravings on bone, ivory or stone.
A fairly common reproduction which has a great significance with regard to the purpose of this art is that of a human figure masked and draped in skins and interpreted as le sorcereur or the officiating witch doctor.
As already stated, these great prehistoric academies are
centred in S.W. France and
How then does
The local British flint cultures, whilst they are different from the Aurignacian, Gravettian and Magdalenian of Central France, would appear to be paronymous with them and there is nothing to suggest why, if an apparently conservative, people retained the backbone of their material cultures, they should forsake the religious cultures which one might expect to be the last thing to change.
Ossiferous objects such as harpoons, tallies and batons-de-commandment from Cheddar or Burrington in the Mendip show very strong links with the Magdalenian and are again suggestive of at least contact with the art conscious southern civilization. Articles from Cresswell Crags near the Derbyshire-Nottinghamshire border go even, further and show definite signs of magico-religious activities. This latter site is typical of the British local adaptation of the southern flint cultures and the name Cresswellian has been applied to similar flint assemblages throughout the country. Several fragments of bone have been discovered there bearing engravings of reindeer, horse, bison and rhino (?) but the most significant is the rib of a reindeer with a masked human figure on it closely resembling the sorcerers of cave paintings. These bones admittedly are not typical of British cave sites, having come from the lower level of the cave, but they do strongly suggest the presence of believers in the hunting rites.
Supposing that art existed once here if of course no proof
that it exists now. Deterioration takes
place through the centuries due to the action of air currents; flaking of stone
etc and even
Where then would it be likely to be? Supposing the Cresswellians were believers or the Aurignacian few practised it here? To judge by continental sites - deep underground far from the entrance or in some almost inaccessible chamber! It is unlikely to be in a cave used as an occupation site but rather in a nearby unoccupied one. At Cheddar, one might be tempted to suggest Great Cone's Hole as the temple for the Gough's hunter inhabitants.
It has been suggested that, as the estimated population of this tundra country was then about two hundred, there could not have been the organised religion of the French forests. True, one should not expect the dozens of sites which the French and Spanish have - perhaps only one in Derbyshire and one on Mendip but if today a dozen Christians went to the North Pole, would they leave their belief in God behind them? A small population is not the reason for the absence of art.
It has been stated that in the barren tundra of this peninsular, wild game would be scarce and life too much of a struggle to bother with art. If it was considered essential in the well stocked regions of S.W. France to cast spells in order to catch the elusive and required beast, how much more important must it have been here to employ magic to ensure victory over the same creature even more elusive and even more essentially required! It is always in man's darkest hour that he turns most to his religion.
Whilst a great deal of the French art is of a hunting nature, there is a certain amount apparently devoted to the preservation of life - pictures of pregnant cows etc - and it might well be that the French had some control over herds and thought they ensured productivity by this method. It may be safe to assume that this type of art would not be practised here as the presumably less pleasant conditions towards the close of the last Ice Age enforced a more nomadic hunting life upon the occupants.
Well then, will art ever be found in the
Perhaps the Cave Preservation Society would like to take a scrubbing brush along there one day.
by "Kangy"
One of the troubles with Yr Elen in the Carneddau in
Routes worked out for a traverse of the Welsh Three
Thousands are concerned with the least loss of height and it is found best to
retrace the route back to Carnedd Llewellyn once Yr Slen summit has been
attained. This is all very well if a
straight thrash around the
As often happens, the closer we came to Dafydd, the clearer became the topography. The Black Ladders remained black and un-ladderish, but the unpromising slag heap that formed the North East face sorted itself out and a possible route appeared as a ridge running directly up to the summit of Dafydd. The doubtful things about it were that it started above a steep rock face, and where it joined the final slopes of the summit it became steep and narrow. A way around the rock face was up a steep scree slope on its felt flank. This was not as bad as it looked, as it was large scree and twenty minutes or so of scrambling was all that was necessary to get us on to the satisfyingly sharp crest of the ridge. Easy going and even a pinnacle led to the steeper rocks. These proved to be no more than a scramble. The particular pleasure we got from the route is that there is nothing artificial about it end the ridge finishes on the summit. A proper route.
We saw from the 2.5" O.S. map later that the ridge is called Crib Lem and that the rock face is Llech Ddu. They lie approximately S.S.W. from Yr Hen. The lowest point reached in Cwm Llafar is about 2,000 ft, so the loss in height is not great and a small price to pay for a good walk.
Map References:
Sheet 107 (1953)
Yr Elen 673652
Carnedd Dafydd 663631
by R.D.Stenner.
Errors in measuring vertical angles may not make much difference on a plan, but they will make a big difference to a section and to the altitude of a station, I think that the care in measurement of vertical angles needs much more emphasis and would like to elaborate.
A cave survey should be a representation of the cave in three dimensions, and the vertical dimension should be measured with the same degree of accuracy as the two horizontal dimensions. To measure vertical angles with a clinometer to the same degree of accuracy as is possible with a hand held oil-filled prismatic compass, the clinometer should be tripod mounted. The prismatic compass does not have to be tripod mounted to be read to * or - 0.5°, but clinometers do.
Turning now to Alfie's article, the ideal survey should try to show a caver exactly what the cave is like. Surveys of caves should be parallel with surface maps. The basis is an outline, with cave height, floor gradients and changes of altitude and on this foundation should be shown the nature of the floor, exact position and nature of formations, water (still or running) dumps of food, carbide and spent carbide (if any) position of rawlbolts and fixed wires (with date of installation and details of maintenance) actual route taken where not obvious, parts of cave taped off, details of entrance and access, and perhaps a lot more things which I can't bring to mind.
On this basic foundation, specialist surveys can be overprinted - a parallel with specialist surface maps. Geological and Biological overprints come to mind here.
The basic survey, as detailed as I would hope, would be as interesting to explore as the cave itself (and much less effort!) but there is a real use which Alfie overlooked - that is photography.
Photography in large chambers and in particular the photography of large, remote formations is often hazardous because of the impossibility of measuring the distance between the flashgun and the subject. The usual rangefinders are useless, so the only answers are a bit of surveying or to make a guess. A good survey should give the information needed.
Time is now getting on! Over half a year has gone by since the last Annual Dinner and the time left for taking that prize winning picture is getting shorter all the time. We hope to be publishing a complete set of rules for both competitions in the next B.B.
*****************************************
Club members are welcome at the Archaeological site at Cheddar contact Sett for details or just turn up.
by Jim Giles.
Some
In this report, several club members have pooled their resources to produce a report dealing with caves which, due to their apparent insignificance, have not been rewarded with the close attention and glamour of the larger Mendip systems. Information pertaining to several semi-successful digs is also included in the report both for record purposes and in the hope that it will be of some assistance to future 'cave hunters'.
Shepton Mallet Caving Club Journal - Series 3 Number 2. Edited by F.J. Davies. Price 1/3.
Once again the Shepton have produced a journal devoted to reports of original work in the caving world.
In this edition, K.R. Dawe gives a full account of the diving operation in Swildons Hole which is well backed up by a description by J.M. Boone of his air breathing diving set 'Nyphargus' which was used to great effect at the same time.
Other articles in this journal
give more details of the Trouble Series of Swildons and the Carricknacoppan caves
of
Subterranean Climbers. Twelve Years in the world's deepest chasm. - Pierre Chevalier. Faber & Faber. Price 16/-.
A superb and unforgettable book telling of Pierre Chevaliers twelve year battle with nature in linking the Trou de Glaz and the Guiers Morts grotto. No description could possibly do this book justice.
*****************************************
The Belfry Bulletin. Secretary. R.J. Bagshaw, 699,
Bristol Editor, S.J. Collins, 33,
Every now and then, we get a little worried about the
contents of the B.B. Sometimes it is
because nobody seems to be writing any articles of a serious nature: at other
times it may be because there has been no climbing or archaeological news for
some time, and so on.
The B.B. should, ideally, have something in it to interest
every club member. Obviously, this
cannot occur in every issue as there is not enough space for a diversity of
articles, even if the Editor had a supply of them to use - which he certainly
hasn't!
However, if such a supply of articles was possessed by the
editor, some attempt would be made to avoid a preponderance of any one type,
unless a definite preference was expressed by a sufficient number of readers.
All of which is leading up to the fact that a lot more
articles of a scientific nature type are on the way. This, we think, will please most
members. Others, whose tastes do not run
in his direction, are invited to rectify the situation by sending in other
types of article. If this occurs, we may
even reach a stage of being able to select the best of what is submitted for
publication.
Alfie
*****************************************
If you haven't paid your sub this year, and have been sent
this B.B., it is only because your name has not yet been removed from the
list. DON' T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!!!!
By Jim Giles,
Shepton Mallet Caving
Club Journal Series 1 Number 3
In this third journal of the
present series, the Rhodamine B water tracing technique devised by members of
the Bradford Pothole Club is discussed by B.M. Ellis. He explains the intricacies of using this
revolutionary spelaeo - aid and describes at length the results of experiments
in St, Cuthbert's Swallet and Swildons Hole. The author makes an interesting comparison between this and other water
tracing methods and concludes with an outline of further applications on
Mendip.
As most members will be aware, the field north of the Belfry
is the site of a Roman settlement, presumably connected with lead mining. Excavations were carried out there some years
ago under the direction of Ted Mason and work is now in progress on the
preparation of a report which will be published as a B.E.C. paper. Much pottery has been recovered from this field
since the excavation from ploughed soil and from the drainage trenches which
from time to time are cut across the lower slopes. If any member gets a chance to check the
field again, and finds any pottery or other small find, I would be interested
to see it.
Keith S. Gardner -
Archaeological Secretary
by M. Luckwill
A recent article in the B.B. No. 170, noted the fact that
the stal in Balch's Hole was phosphorescent. This article is intended to provide a simple explanation of the physics
of the phenomenon in order that the reader will be familiar with the terms used
in future articles which will doubtless appear.
For those who have never seen phosphorescence, a short
description of what happens will not be out of place. A flash bulb is fired
close to the stal and when the light from the bulb has died down, the stal can
be seen to glow a bright apple green for a few seconds. Several people are investigating substances
which show this phenomenon, using ultra violet light as a means of
illumination. The process of light
emission during and after illumination is known as Luminescence.
For practical considerations, Luminescence is divided into
fluorescence and phosphorescence. Figure
1 shows the amount of light emitted in relation to time......
Figure 1.
The portion AB represents light emitted during the
illumination and together with any light emitted for 10 seconds after
illumination is called fluorescence. The
portion BC is the light emitted after illumination and is called
phosphorescence.
Phosphorescence may last only for a period of 10-7 seconds,
or for several hours. We are mostly
interested in periods of from 1 to 5 seconds.
There are three aspects of luminescence: -
(1) Absorption of energy of primary bombarding
photons - due to the incident light.
(2) Transfer and storage of this energy.
(3) Conversion of this stored energy into light.
A crystal consists of a regular array of ions. (You can imagine a large box filled with
billiard balls which have been packed in a regular and tidy fashion). In the case of calcite; these balls represent
calcium and carbonate ions.
Naturally occurring crystals are rarely pure, however, and
an impurity will cause a local disturbance in the array (you can imagine this
time a larger ball such as a tennis ball in the middle of your box of billiard
balls). Such an ion is called an interstitial
ion and plays an important part in luminescence.
Now let us look a little further into the structure of these
ions. For our purposes, the ion can be
considered to be a nucleus surrounded by a number of mobile electrons. If an electron gains some energy, it will
tend to move away from the nucleus and become less stable. In general, if an electron gets the chance,
it likes to lose energy and become more stable. The electrons, however, cannot be at any distance they like from the
nucleus, but must go round it at one of a number of fixed radii which thus
divide the electrons into a number of shells representing different energy
levels. We shall consider two of these
outer shells or bands which are
.
(1) The Valency band, which is the highest normally
filled band, and...
(2) The conduction band, which is the lowest
normally empty band.
The difference in energy between these two bands is called
the gap energy and is written Eg. Now,
if a photon with energy hv, being greater than Eg is incident upon the valency
band, it can transfer its energy to an electron, which can then jump into the
conduction band, leaving behind a hole in the valency band, as in figure 2.
Figure 2.
Remembering that an electron likes to be stable, we should
not be surprised to find that the hole rises to the top of the valency band, as
it is displaced by electrons above it - rather like an air bubble rising to the
top of your beer (not if you drink draught: -Ed). The electron-hole pair is called an
Exciton. The exciton cannot conduct
energy, but it can transfer energy because it is mobile. This excitation is therefore different from
the excited state of an impurity ion which is fixed.
Figure, 3 shows the life of an exciton as it wanders about
the crystal
.
Figure 3.
Now and again the electron will fall into a trap. This is an interstitial ion which, you will
remember, has produced a local disturbance in the energy levels present. Then, by chance, the electron will gain
enough energy to jump back into the conduction band and continue its
wandering. Eventually, it will be
trapped in the excited state of an interstitial ion, which acts as an
activator, or luminescent centre.
Recombination now takes place. The electron is first trapped and then the
hole is trapped (an electron from the impurity fills up the hole) and the
interstitial ion regains its ground state. In the process, a photon is emitted.
The nature of the impurity affects the time for which the
exciton remains trapped and also the colour of the emitted light, which is
always of a greater wavelength than the incident light. It is known that Strontiamite, SrCO3;
Magnesite; MgCO3; Dolomite CaMg(CO3) and some forms of calcite luminesce under ultra violet light. Further work may discover the impurities
which produce this phenomenon and hence throw some light on the formation of
these crystals.
13.1.62. Swildons. Mike Luckwill + 3 from
14.1.62. Eastwater. Mike Luckwill, G.Dell, J. Cornwell + 3 from
14.1.62. Eastwater. Mike Palmer, Mike Weadon. Followed
'clothes line' all the way. Fings
definitely ain't wot they used t'be!
15.1.62. Eastwater. M. Luckwill, J. Giles. Trip to
retrieve camera.
3.2.62. Eastwater. Dell and J. Cornwill.
3.2.63. Swildons. Mike Boone, Ron Wyncoll.
3.2.62. Cuthberts. P.M. Giles + 11
3.2.62. Cuthberts. Mo Marriott, John Eatough and John Attwood. 11 Derbyshire types. Tourist trip.
4.2.62. Cuthberts Mikes Wheadon and Palmer, Albert and. 4
4.2.62. Balchs
Hole. B. Prewer, P.M. Giles, M. Baker, G. Pointing, D. Berry, M. Boone, G.
Selby and several M.N.R.C., and Cerberus types. Photographic.
10.2.62. Cuthberts. Bryan Ellis and Chris
Falshaw + 9 from
11.2.62. Balchs
Hole. Mike Baker, Alfie Collins and Jill. Photography in Maypole and Pool
Passages. Mem. Collins must take
alternative means of illumination.
11.2.62. Cuthberts Survey trip in Cerberus Series, closed traverse almost completed. Damaged tripod stopped further surveying. Keith
Franklyn, J. Eatough, N. Petty and
11.2.62. Cuthberts. John Attwood and Eatough started to take the latter's maypole down, but
two lengths were, too long. Photographic
trip instead. Taped the drip pockets in
Curtain Chamber.
17.2.62. Cuthberts P.M. Giles, Mike Holland, L. Holland and 5
18.2.62. Lamb
Leer. J.M. Calvert, J.Ransome, G. Tilley, G. Owen, R. Roberts, A. Leysham, C.
Peters, H. Rowley.
18.2.62. Balchs
Hole. B. Prewer, P.M. Giles, G. Pointing, D.
24.2.62. Heale
Slocker. Coffee and occasional digging, very nearly in: M. Baker, M. Luckwill, P.M. Giles.
25.2.62. Cuthberts P.M. Giles, M. Luckwill, R. Pyke, P. Badcock. 24' of maypole transported to Upper Traverse
Chamber and left at top of the pitch for use in Hanging Chamber. This was followed up by a quick trip into
September Series where a small hole at the lower end of the bedding plane which runs down the side of September
Chamber was entered and found to join up via a large and rather well decorated fifth with the main chamber again at
floor level.
25.2.62. G.B. Photographic trip to Gorge and Helictite Chamber by J. Attwood, J.
Eatough, H. Phillpot, J. Cornwill. Noted
with DISGUST the considerable deterioration in Helictite Chamber.
25.2.62. Heale
Slocker. M. Baker, M. Luckwill, P.M. Giles, P. Scott, J. Hill. We are in! About thirty feet of passage ending in a choke, the floor of which is
composed of large boulders and mud infill. Passage appears to be going steadily down the dip.
3.3.62. Cuthberts Bryan Ellis took a party of M.C.G. on a "Grand Traverse" down
Pulpit Pitch and Main Stream to duck, out via Cerberus Series and Wire Rift.
3.3.62. Swildons. Mike Luckwill, Bob Pyke. Surveying
extension past Keith's Chamber.
4.3.62. Cuthberts Mike Baker, Bruce and 4 Redland Tourist trip which included
4.3.62. Cuthberts N. Petty, B. Wilson, J. Williams, M. Rogers, S. Godwin, B. Hargill, B.
Parrell. Both Tourist trips.
4.3.62. Cuthberts M. Luckwill, Pat Irwin, plus 4 '
4.3.62. Goatchurch
& Sidcot G. Tilley, J. Ransome. Quick trip
to get rid of the Camera Pox.
4.3.62. Cuthberts R. Roberts, R. Croft, C. Peters, H. Rowley. Finished the survey of September Series.
7.3.62. Eastwater. M. Baker, R. Roberts plus six. While on the above trip, I noticed a
peculiar formation. It was about half an
inch high and formed by spent carbide. Condensation had caused a water drip to form on the carbide which had
produced a "stalagmite". The
formation was very delicate and the walls were almost transparent. M. Baker.
17.3.62. Cuthberts J. Hill, Peter Scott and 8 U.B.S.S. Tourist.
18.3.62. Balchs Hole Garth, Gordon and Roger.
18.3.62. Cuthberts P.M. Giles, M. Holland, M. Luckwill, J. Cornwell, J. Ransom, J. Williams,
M. Calvert. Thirty six feet of maypole
was assembled below the Maypole Pitch with a view to re-entering Hanging
Chamber to recover the 20' of maypole therein, a lifeline was then run from the
top of the Maypole pitch to a large boulder in Upper Traverse Chamber. The maypole was erected, but after three
changes of position the attempt was abandoned and the may be disconnected and
left at the bottom of Maypole Pitch. In
order to retrieve the maypole in Hanging Chamber, the original method of
maypoling seems to be the only solution, unless a less flexible method of
joining maypole sections is devised which may just permit the direct route.
19.3.62. Nine Barrows Jim Giles and Mike Boone took a brief look at this dig and found that a
partial collapse had occurred but that the shoring was still intact.
42.3.62. Swildons. R. Stenner plus 2 boys to sump I.
1. Competitors may submit any number of songs, the
words of which must be the original work of the competitor.
2. Any songs submitted must, in the opinion of the
organizer, be suitable for performing at the club dinner and must be connected
with club activities.
3. Competitors should indicate how they wish their
songs to be presented. If they do not
wish to sing themselves, a suitable "choir" will be laid on, and
various members of club who can perform on musical instruments will be
available to act as accompanists if desired by the competitor.
4. There will be two closing dates. The earlier, for those who wish their songs
to be sung and/or accompanied for them, will be SATURDAY, AUGUST 25TH to allow
time for rehearsals. For those who wish
to perform entirely by themselves, the closing date will be SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER
22ND to allow for elimination if this should become necessary.
5. If more than about half a dozen songs are
received, it may be necessary to weed out some of the songs, so that people
will not become, bored at the dinner by a long session. In that case, the organizer will arrange for
an impartial judge to pick out the best songs. If this occurs, competitors who may have written their own tunes must
arrange an audition with the judge between the last closing date and the
dinner.
6. Judging of the final selection of songs will be
by popular acclaim at the dinner.
7. A suitable trophy will be awarded to the winner
and runner-up. All competitors whose
songs were presented at the dinner will receive a consolation prize - probably
in the form of a drink.
The rules for the PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION will be printed
in next months B.B. the dinner is on Saturday, October 6th.
A large crowd of about thirty assorted members assembled on
the Thursday evening after motoring down under incredible difficulties (cars
travelling in the opposite direction on their correct side, etc.) The venue was Trevalgan farm near St, Ives
where a choice was to be had between camping and staying in the excellent barn
provided.
Good Friday dawned cold and clear and the entire expedition
repaired to Porthmorna Cove on the
After this effort, Marriott, Bennett and Tuck ventured up
Black Slab Climb on Bosigran face. The
slab, which is a conspicuous feature of the face, looks F.N.I. from a distance,
but on closer inspection is found to be liberally sprinkled with holds. According to the guide book, its colour
(black) is due to a coating of 'schorl', a piece of information which appeared
to produce no intelligent response from the climbing party. It was decided by a two to one vote that Mr.
Marriott should lead the slab, which he did after surmounting an awkward
pinnacle.
On Saturday morning, the intrepid explorers 'did' St. Ives
and returned to Bosigran in the afternoon. This time, attention was directed to the Bosigran Ridges on the West
side of the cove. These run down at a
steep angle to the sea and were used for commando training during the war. When the climbers arrived at the seaward end,
ready to do great things, a major setback was encountered. The climb - carefully selected from the guide
book - could not be found. After some
argument agreement was reached as to where the climb ought to have
started. Unfortunately, the rock at this
point was in the form of a smooth vertical wall up which no climb of a
reasonable standard could be found. After several unsuccessful attempts, the climbers retreated muttering
darkly that 'it must have fallen into the sea' etc. Messrs Dunn, Turner and Malcolm departed up
the ridge from a higher start while Marriott, Tuck and Bennett followed after
roping a severe which proved much harder than it looked. By this time the weather had become warm and
sunny and the climbers slowly meandered up the ridge, talking photographs and
making private variations to the pitches. Further on, things became more serious and the final climb caused some
misgivings. This was in the form of an
almost horizontal knife edge, which is climbed to the detriment of certain
parts of the climber's anatomy. The end
of the ridge was so thin that it looked likely to cut the hands, and the whole
thing was quite unlike anything that anybody present had previously climbed.
The next day was spent on the West Coast, starting with
climbs on Chain Ladder. This is reckoned
to be the finest of the Cornish sea cliffs, and the four climbers were quite
anxious to visit it. It is best
approached from the north, where a steep scramble leads to a deep inlet,
bridged by a large boulder. This looks
insecure and was crossed rapidly. As it
was the first visit, two fairly easy chimneys were selected. Initial pitches proved quite straightforward
but some confusion with route finding occurred higher up due to not reading the
guide book properly. Several sea birds
nests with eggs were found and Steve Tuck was nearly attacked by a bird which
we think from its size must have been one of the last surviving Cornish
ostriches.
*****************************************
Cave preservation in a nutshell from the N.S.S.
magazine..... "Take nothing but photographs - Leave nothing but footprints"
*****************************************
THE CAVE DIVING GROUP REVIEW FOR 1961 IS NOW ON
Containing reports and references to operations in Northern
Pennines; Mendips; Derbyshire; South Wales;
*****************************************
The Belfry Bulletin. Secretary. R.J. Bagshaw. Editor, S.J. Collins.
With this B.B., you will find the usual nomination form for the 1963 committee. The names of any members put on these forms and sent in to Bob Bagshaw, will go forward for voting on at the annual committee election.
As usual, most of the retiring committee have expressed themselves ready to serve, if elected, on next year's committee with the exception of Prew. We don't think he will mind if we say that he is voluntarily standing down this year, in order to leave the field more open in the hope that the vacant place will be filled by one of the clubs younger members.
The suggestion has been made that we deliberately make some places on the committee for younger members, while others feel that the method of election is sufficiently democratic to ensure that any keen member stands a good chance of being elected. We hope that any member who feels that he is prepared to work on the clubs behalf will come forward and let it be generally known that he is prepared to work. We feel sure that he will receive a decent number of voted if he does. Some people, we are told, think that they stand little chance of being elected at a committee election. Let us hope that these people will at least make sure they are nominated.
"Alfie."
by P.F. Bird.
Ever since reading, years ago, E.A. Martel's account of some
of the caves of
The entrance leads to a dry series. The earlier chambers contain only dark stalagmites and -tites, which were blackened by the torches and lamps of visitors before electric lighting was installed. Further on, one comes to many vast chambers, some of which make G.B. and Lamb Leer seem mere trifles. The formations are proportionally huge. They are mostly white, but some are a pleasing pale yellow. There are none of the orange or reddish tints which one finds in many of our Mendip caves.
Eventually, one reaches the 'Merveilleuses' - aptly named the marvellous chamber because of its formations, which include many stalagmites noteworthy for their slenderness. Hence the party retraces its steps for a while and then one continues ones traverse of the hill in a series which leads to the Place d'Armes. This is an immense chamber containing a cafe set out on a concrete terrace. Here, one can get a drink and a chance to rest ones feet after an hours fairly rapid walking. At the bottom of the chamber flows the Lesse, and above hang; great clusters of stalactites.
On again through more great chambers till one reaches a landing stage beside the river. Here one is shepherded into an outsize punt, about twenty two feet long and wide enough for five people to sit abreast. Then in a leisurely way one travels down the river to emerge from the hill at the rising. Here one meets with a touch of touristic vulgarity for, as the boat reaches the exit, some idiot fires a cannon across the opening. This is supposed to cause remarkable echoes, but it doesn't! It just makes a B.B. Bang. Outside the exit, there is a speleological museum. It contains models and plans of the cave system, bats and other biological specimens and the usual formations, some of which have been sectioned. It also shows a few good archeologically specimens from excavations in the cave, including a very rare Bronze Age knife which is socketed, not hafted as one might expect. I was lucky in being shown round the museum by the man who recently arranged it, having found him in the local cavers H.Q. nearby. The rest of the day I spent in delightful scenery and perfect weather, but it was rather an anticlimax after the magnificent subterranean landscapes of the Grottes de Han.
Footnote: The reference for Martle's account is Martel E.A, Van d'e Broeck, E. and Rakir, E. 1910. "Les Cavernes et les Rivieres Souterraines de la Belgique"
A general statement of the current state of affairs of
caving in
*****************************************
A general meeting of the Mendip Cave Registry will be held
in
8th April. St.
Cuthbert's. Leader, Pat with Ray, Chris, John & Phil
from M.A.M. Rapid trip to Dining Room
via Rat Run. Out upstream and joined
Jim Giles's party as below.
St. Cuthbert's. Maypole Series. P.M. Giles,
Mike Calvert + 2. King's Viewpoint
reached and pitons found. Observed the
object of our labours (the maypole in Hanging Chamber) lying on the lip of
Hanging Chamber.
13th April. Swildons. Upper Series. P.M. Giles, R.J. Williams, G.
Bell.
15th April. Swildons. White way and return. Small party of tourists - Mikes Palmer and
Wheadon, John and Cynthia. Rather wet.
18th April. St.
Cuthbert's. P.M. Giles, K.J. Williams. Tourist trip to Dining Room.
18th April. Eastwater. R. Roberts, R. Boakes, B.Lynn, M. Williams,
J. Cogswell, S. Smith, A. Sawyer, A.
Sweetman, P. Telford. Lengthy trip round
Upper Series. Party hampered by bulk and
small passage size.
19th April. Swildons. Party as before. Pleasant trip down to sump I. Fair amount of water about. Trouble with ladders and removing thereof, a
further descent to the 20 was necessitated
19th April. Swildons. A. Fincham, D. Smith, R.J.L. Young, B.
Siddall. Tourist trip to Sump II.
22nd April. Stoke Lane. A. Fincham, R.L. J. Young, B. Sidall. Tourist trip to Stoke II.
23rd April. St.
Cuthbert's. Same party. To sump via Stal Pitch.
22nd April.
25th April. Swildons. Mike Baker + 4. Upper series oxbow getting tighter.
23rd April. St.
Cuthbert's. Surveying in Wet and waterfall Pitches. They are well named! R. Stenner, J. Hutton, R. Howell, B.
Conlin. A thoroughly miserable-session!
26th April. Lamb Leer. Party led by M. Calvert with umpteen bods
28th April. St.
Cuthbert's. 7 Royal Fusiliers led by R. Stenner. To sump via Rabbit Warren & Railway
Tunnel and out via Cerberus Series.
29th April. Swildons. Novices trip with
2nd May. Swildons. 4 Lockleaze boys and 2 girls. Leader R. Stenner. Taking diving weights down to the sump. Water just right.
Easter Saturday.
Easter Sunday. Simpson's Pot - Kingsdale. P.M.Giles, C. Hawkes, K. Kanks. De-laddering trip. Slit Pot inspected but not descended.
3rd May. Nine Barrows Swallet. P.M.
Giles. New shaft started.
3rd May. St.
Cuthbert's. Leader R. Stenner + 3 Lockleaze boys.
4th May. Nine
Barrows Swallet. P.M. Giles. Digging.
5th May. Bone
Hole and one other small cave. Jon and Gordon down to try and take photos of
some cave peal pearls. Could not make
squeeze at end.
6th May. St.
Cuthbert's. R.Bennett, M. Baker, J. Eatough, K. Franklyn,
P. Franklyn, K. Grimes. Old Route via
Mud Hall, Rocky Boulders into Coral Series. Pitch discovered on first of April by Mike Baker was descended. This is a fine twenty foot pitch with nothing
leading off at the bottom, though digging is possible. It is proposed to call this CORAL POT. Upper southern end of Coral Chamber
entered. This was not known to leader but
had obviously been entered before. Steeply descending rift discovered partly choked by boulders which could
probably be shifted by hammer and chisel work. This part of the cave is rather loose and care is required. Returned to Boulder Chamber where all except
R. Bennett and J. Eatough went out. These returned to Long Chamber where a major, well decorated chamber was
entered. This appeared not to have been
entered before except in one place where what appeared to be a cairn was
noticed. Two theories were considered -
one that the 'cairn' was natural - which appeared unlikely. The other was that somebody had previously
entered the chamber from another part of the cave, but did not explore it. Any further information would be gratefully
received. Two explorers (?) returned
after a seven hour trip.
12th May. Swildons II. Trip led by Derek Stenner and Roger Stenner
with several
12th May. G.B. J. Cornwell +
2.
13th May. G.B. J. Cornwell,
G. Tilley, M. Luckwell A. Sandall, Jon "rotten" Ransom.
13th May. St.
Cuthbert's. Maypole Series. P.M. Giles, M. Holland,
D. Willis. Hanging Chamber re-entered
using three maypole sections from the ledges above the first Maypole
Pitch. All Maypole, including that which
was in Hanging Chamber, now in Bridge Chamber.
13th May. Cuthberts. Pat, Ray and Chris to September Series. Five hour trip to see formations. After the Boulder Ruckle, continued through
Paperweight Chamber to sump and then into the main September Chamber.
13th May. Cuthberts. P.M. Giles, R. Williams, R. Towns. A hundred feet of galvanized wire taken to
Hanging Chamber to be used with a pulley. All maypoles moved from Bridge Chamber to Upper Traverse Chamber and
left at the top of the pitch with the maypole retrieved from Hanging Chamber in
a separate pile. (N.B. there are still 2 sections of maypole;
the base plate and the remainder of the split joiners in Cerberus Hall).
19th May. Batch's Hole. Leaders G. Pointing and D. Berry with Roger
Stenner and party from Lockleaze.
20th May. Cuthberts. Mike Luckwill, Bruce. Experimental photographic survey from Dining Room
through Cerberus. Large amount of water
in Main Stream, but bridge is uncovered in
20th May. Swildons. Garth, John Cornwell + 8 round Upper
Series. Garth started his photographic
career and has got prize winning pictures for the competition.
20th May. Alfie's Hole. Alfie, Jon Ransom, Gordon Tilley, Jim
Hill. Shaft capped.
20th May. August/Longwood. Roy Bennett, three schoolboys, Bob
Bagshaw. New connection between Longwood
and August Hole used. Bagshaw defeated
by the Longwood bedding plane.
Christmas Dinner at the Star Hotel, Wells. If interested contact C. Rees,
a personal interview by our own reporter, Anthony T. Sludge-Gutte.
"Caving is the new sport which is becoming increasingly popular with the top people. Why are these young men and women prepared to risk serious injury or even death in order to explore these vast underground labyrinths? What do they get out of it? To try to answer these important questions, I interviewed Mr. Jim Crud, the well known expert caver, or 'speleologist' from the Kerebos Cave Club, Mendip, Gloucestershire.
Q: Mr. Crud, why are you prepared to risk serious injury or even death in order to explore these vast underground labyrinths?
A: I dunno really - I suppose it's because I like it.
Q: What do you get out of it?
A: I dunno really - I suppose it's because it's so nice when I leave off.
Q: How did you come to start caving?
A: Well, I was walking across this field, see; not looking where I was going, and there I was.
Q: What happened exactly?
A: I spent six months in hospital.
Q: But in spite of this, you still carried on with this new sport?
A: Yes,
Q: Mr. Crud, Caves are, of course, underground and are therefore usually dark. "How dark are they in fact?
A: Very dark.
Q: As we have already said, caving is a dangerous pastime. Now have there been any occasions when you have felt really up against it?
A: Well, on several occasions I've" had trouble with the water.
Q: You mean the water in the cave rising and cutting you off?
A: Well, not exactly, see. I suffer from water on the knee. It's a family complaint.
Q: I see. Can this be dangerous underground?
A: Oh, yes. I remember one occasion - during the final assault on Belch's Hole - when it seized up altogether.
Q: What did you do?
A: Well, fortunately I had a pint bottle of rum with me - it's an old country remedy - and with the aid of this, I managed to stagger out of the cave uninjured. It was a close thing, though.
Q: How old are these caves you visit?
A: Recent researches have put them roughly at 186,276,357 years old.
Q: That is quite an age. How would you put it into terms understandable to the average reader?
A: It was a long time ago.
Q: If we may now press on to another scientific point, Mr. Crud, what causes these caves to be formed so deep within the earth's crust?
A: Its the rock.
Q: This plays a vital part in the process, then?
A: Of course. You must have the rock to hold the cave together.
Q: On this point of high-minded scientific inquiry, the interview ended. I hope it has done as much for you as it did for me to open one's eyes to the beauty and mystery that exists so many miles under our feet.
*****************************************
The Belfry Bulletin. Secretary. R.J. Bagshaw, 699,
Editor, S.J. Collins, 33
Postal Dept.
The annual season for form filling is now upon us! In this issue of the B.B., you will find the
entry form for the 1962 photographic competition. Next month will come the usual nomination
form for the 1963 committee and in September's B.B. will be the voting form.
All of which goes to show that the A.G.M. and dinner is not
as far away as you might think. Most
people reckoned that last years dinner was a good one. We all hope to make this year's an even
better one. It's at the
Although it is hoped that the general standard of the
entries for tie photographic competition will be even higher than last years,
don't be kept from entering because you think that your slide or print is not
good enough. It may be that your entry
has that something which catches the eye of the judges; but even if it hasn't,
you may like to have the chance to have it compared with the best the club can
do. Have a bash!
The song competition does not appeal to as large a section
of the club as the photographic competition. This year, we are going, to rehearse it beforehand and also arrange it
so that you dont have to be afflicted with it if you don't want to. For those who like this sort of thing, we
hope that somewhere - in some sordid garret maybe - the winning song is even
now being written.
Finally, DON'T
FORGET THE CLOSING DATES!!!
1st April. St. Cuthbert's. Mikes Palmer & Wheadon, and Albert to Cerberus Series & thence to Pyrolusite.
1st
April. St. Cuthbert's. J. Eatough,
M.Baker, R. Bennett, K.
Coombe Down Freestone Quarries. 2nd April (1 am). M.R.O. Rescue. M. Baker, M. Palmer, P. Buck, M. Wheadon, H. Kenney, J. Hanwall. A two hour search for missing schoolboys. An interesting trip (if possible at 1 am) in a maze of mine workings that are in a rather dangerous condition. First time the B.E.C. has gone caving with a bitch (police dog). We never did see the boys!
7th
April. Goatchurch. Ray Chris, Phil and John from the
7th April. Swildons. Four from M.A.M. as above and Pat. The M.A.M. party cherishing the hope that they could keep their feet dry. This was shattered at an early stage by one member getting his wet by water that entered down his neck. The 40 was found to be laddered and the whole patty descended. The first man down was misguided enough to swing under the waterfall. The 20 was then encountered and passed and a considerable length of passages traversed before a return was decided upon. A very damp but contented party emerged from the hole only to find that it was raining. Loud complaints.
Heale Slocker 8th April. M. Baker & Alfie. Digging continued at Alfie Speed (what does this mean?)
by M. Luckwill.
In the last article (1) we looked at the mechanism of
photo-luminescence. Two other forms of
luminescence might with convenience be noted here. They are Thermoluminescence - light emission
caused by heat and Triboluminescence - light emission caused by crushing,
rubbing or scratching.
Table 1 shows the occurrence of luminescence noted by
several authors (2,3,4) and + indicates that some forms of the mineral
luminesce. In the Mendip area, we are
mostly concerned with Calcite, Limestone, Arragonite and their various forms.
We remember that luminescence is caused by an impurity. Very little of this impurity is necessary
however, and if too much is present, the energy is dissipated as heat rather
than, light. The amount of impurity we
are concerned with will defy spectrographic analysis and requires neutron
diffraction techniques for tracing and identification. I believe that stal from Balch's Hole has
been analysed spectrographically and found to be free from trace elements
within these limits of accuracy.
Difficulties occur, therefore, when we wish to discover the
nature of the impurity. Most research
has been stimulated by the recent advances in semiconductors and consequently,
although quite a lot is known about transition elements in host crystals - such
as germanium - little work has been done using limestone as a host
crystal. However, of interest to us, is
a method of dating limestone by thermoluminescence.
The method is not reliable because of a variety of variable
factors, but briefly, the theory is as follows:-
Activation centres are caused by cosmic radiation. The
number of activation centres is related to the amount of radiation received,
which in turn is related to the age of the limestone. When limestone is heated, luminescence occurs
and the light intensity is related to the number of luminescent centres
(5). Hence the age of the limestone can
be found. It has been found that
magnesium and strontium act as activators and that iron acts as an inhibitor.
From Mike Baker's article we might draw the conclusion that
CaCO3 which has been dissolved and re-deposited luminesces more than the
original carbonate deposit. This could
be due to trace elements being held in solution due to their small concentration,
thus deducing their concentration in the stal and enabling luminescence to
occur.
These trace elements play an important part in the crystal
formation, and a knowledge of their identity will give further insight into the
formation of cave deposits. This
knowledge might well be gained by further analysis of luminescent materials.
Table I.
Mineral
& Composition
|
Flour-
|
Phospho-
|
Thermo-
|
Tribo-
|
References.
1. Luminescence.
B.B. 1962, 172.
2. DANA's Manual
of Mineralogy - 17th Edition.
3. Wade & Mattox. "Elements of Crystallography and
Mineralogy."
4. Harper. "Geoscienoe" Series.
5. Edward J. Zeller Thermoluminescence of Carbonate Sediments
Nuclear Geology.
6. M.J. Baker. Afterglow. B.B. 1962, 171.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Calcite
|
CaCO3
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
| |
Limestone
|
CaCO3
|
|
|
+
|
+
| |
Magnesite
|
MgCO3
|
+
|
+
|
|
+
| |
Smithsonite
|
ZnCO3
|
|
|
|
| |
Siderite
|
FeCO3
|
|
|
|
| |
Strontiamite
|
SrCO3
|
+
|
|
+
|
| |
Arragonite
|
CACO3
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
| |
Dolomite
|
CA(Mg)(CO3)2
|
+
|
+
|
|
+
| |
Barytes
|
BaSO4
|
+
|
+
|
+
|
| |
Celestine
|
SrSO4
|
+
|
|
|
| |
Anglesite
|
BaSO4
|
+
|
|
|
| |
Gypsum
|
CaSO42H2O
|
+
|
|
|
| |
Fluorite
|
|
|
|
+
|
+
| |
Sphalerite
|
|
|
|
|
+
| |
Lepidolite
|
|
|
|
+
|
+
| |
Pectolite
|
|
|
|
|
+
| |
Amblygonite
|
|
|
|
|
+
| |
Feldspar
|
|
|
|
+
|
+
| |
Apatite
|
|
|
|
+
|
| |
Scapolite
|
|
|
|
+
|
|
There will be SIX classes this year. Prizes will be awarded to the winner and
runner-up in every class EXCEPT class 6.
CLASS 1 CAVING 2"
x 2" Colour Slide
CLASS 2 CLIMBING 2" x 2" Colour Slide
CLASS 3 CAVING/CLIMBING "Two and a quarter square"
Colour slides.
CLASS 4 CAVING Black & White print.
CLASS 5 CLIMBING Black & White print.
CLASS 6 Best Special Slide or print.
Rules
1. All entries must have been taken by the
competitor.
2. All competitors must be PAID UP members of the
B.E.C.
3. No professional photographers may take part.
4. No entry must have been previously entered in
any competition.
5. No more than TWO entries may be submitted in any
one class.
6. No competitor may win more than one FIRST prize.
7. A picture entered in one class may not be
entered as a print or slide in another.
8. Monochrome prints must be POSTCARD size or
larger.
9. The judges may not compete.
10. No responsibility for loss or damage is to be
borne by the organiser or by the B.E.C.
11. In any interpretation of these rules, the
decision of the organiser is final.
12. THE CLOSING DATE FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHIC
COMPETITION IS ON FRIDAY,21ST SEPTEMBER,
1962 AFTER WHICH DATE NO LATE ENTRIES WILL BE ALLOWED TO TAKE PART.
Readers will find an entry form with this B.B. In any case of doubt, please get in touch
with the organiser M.J. Baker,
"Morello",
Competitors who will not be at the dinner should make some
suitable arrangement with the organiser for having their entries returned. If postage is necessary, please include cost
of return.
*****************************************
Apologies for the shortness of this B.B. - the first one of
only two thirds the number pages this year - and also for its lateness. The editor has been afflicted with
"finger trouble" (literally) by getting his hand mixed up with an
empty beer glass - that'll teach him to muck around with EMPTY beer glasses in
future.
*****************************************
DON'T FORGET THE DATE OP THE A.G.M. & DINNER - 6TH
OCTOBER
by Jon Ransom.
On my way through Torquay, I saw a large sign reading '
While waiting, I compared the general layout with the fronts
of Gough's and Cox's.
The cave is located on the side of a hill, which it
penetrates for about half a mile. The
rock consists of the Devonian limestone and sandstone which, with the mineral
deposits from the soil above, give some very striking and colourful effects in
the cave.
Just inside the entrance and down to the left are the
remains of a hyena den, and the abode of prehistoric man. The remains of mammals of that era have been
found in great number and include mammoth teeth and remains of fox, badger,
hyena etc. There are also several
remains of bear, including an excellent skull and leg bone which may be seen
embedded in a false floor, which the guide then takes you underneath.
The main tourist section has been excavated in some places
to a depth of twenty feet and you can see, as you walk through, the line of the
original floor level high above your head.
Several of the formations are very good, and there are also
quite a few straws and helictites which can be seen in odd corners on the tour. These do not occur very frequently
however. Most of the passages and
chambers show good signs of the water which formed them and mud in the numerous
side passages is fairly thick and sticky. These passages shoot off in all directions and, when asked about them,
the guide said that a lot of them were unexplored. He went on to relate how school kids often
went up these passages, to reappear with hundreds of bones. I think that the guides of
Apart from housing prehistoric man (and woman!) many
inscriptions found on the walls of the cave go back as far as the fifteenth
century. One of these inscriptions is a
woman's but many are difficult to decipher as they are covered with a thin
layer of calcite.
Although
*****************************************
The Belfry Bulletin. Secretary. R.J. Bagshaw, 699, Wells Rd,
Knowle, Bristol
Editor, S.J. Collins, 33, Richmond Terrace, Clifton, Bristol 8.
Postal Dept.
The B.B. is 21 years old this month. A caving publication to have reached this age
is surely a great event and there are few Mendip Journals that date from the
immediate post war years.
The B.E.C. formed in 1935 (according to the OFFICIAL
records!) had 80 or so members in 1947 the year in which Harry Stanbury a
founder member launched the B.B.
Quite a span of time and its really brought home when one
thinks that Alan Thomas was taking his School Cert., beer was 1/- a pint, no
wet suits, Sett, Pongo Wallis, Alfie, Harry Stanbury and Don Coase were among
the leading lights, Stoke Lane II discovered some 7 months later, St.
Cuthberts dig open 7 years later, Roy Bennett at school and Phil Kingston born
in November!
Over the years the B.B. has served members well,
particularly those away from Mendip for long periods, by keeping them in
regular contact with the Belfry and Im sure it is the wish of all B.E.C.
members that this will continue long into the future. Whatever may be said of
the B.B. it is gratifying to hear the oft quoted phrase Wheres the next B.B.
WIG
If you look through any twelve months of Belfry Bulletins
you will find that you have a pretty good Club Journal. Comparisons are odious but the B.B. is
something no other club has. Dont
imagine that its unfailing production is an easy task. Ask the average B.E.C. member to write an
article and you will find a variety of excuses that you could use them for a
basis of an article written by yourself.
Alfie has done this
thankless task for eleven year. This is
longer than all the other editors put together. He began before there was electric light or mains water at the Belfry;
before the Stone Belfry was built and at the time that St. Cuthberts was first
being explored. Alfie has edited 120
issues of the B.B; he has printed over 20,000 copies and used half a ton of
paper. If all the pages of all the
B.B.s Alfie has printed were laid end to end they would reach from Brean Down
to Frome, much to the annoyance of the Mendip Preservation Society!
Young cavers are like butterflies: they escape from the
parental crèche, spend a brief span fancy free and then are finished (in the
case of the butterfly dead; in the case of the caver married). How can then a caving club last for more than
a few years? The B.E.C. has stood the
test of time because there are always people like Alfie in it to provide
continuity between one generation and the next.
In wieu of the remarks made in the Christmus B.b. vith
regards to the use of the B.B. typevriter, the Cawing Publications Dept. voul
like it to be knovn hov wery grateful they are for the opportunity of being
able to vrite this Thank you note in type type vriting instead if vriting
type vriting.
Gord. Tilly
It was hoped that 1968 would be a year of small changes to
the B.B. but due to circumstances beyond my control most, if not all, have come
at once. Firstly I had hoped to have
printed the B.B. on the morning of the Committee Meeting so that Phil Townsend
could have them addressed and in the post by the second week of the month. As you can see the B.B. is living up to its
usual stunt by being issued in the following month! Seriously though, I hope to have the issues
to programme by March.
The Editorial Staff were under the impression that there was
ten months supply of covers left but on inspection found only about 1,000
covers left! This meant that we had only
some 3-4 months supply. As I had hoped
to change the format to quarto in January 1969 some quick thinking had to take
place the final result was that the quarto size would be introduced with the
January 1968 issue. With changes comes a
new design of cover. Without drastic
modifications to the current design it could not have been on the larger size
of paper without the appearance of being lost. I apologise at not being able to show the original artwork to many
members but the designs were prepared and delivered to the printers in just
over a week. Professional advice was
taken on the design and the final artwork completed by Robin Richards. Ive no doubt that there will be some strong
views sent to me but if you feel strongly against this type of design please
let me have your ideas for future reference. Thos of you who liked the smaller format and cover design should make a
point in coming to the A.G.M. in October and you will be able to look at it
after reading Bobs swindle sheet which will be printed inside.
Hon. Treas. R. Bagshaw,
Hon. Librarian D. Searle, Dolphin Cottage, Priddy, Nr. Wells,
Hut Warden = G. Tilley, Gable,
Hon. Sec: - A.R. Thomas,
Editor: - D.J. Irwin, 9 Campden Hill Gdns,.
M.H. Fricker,
A.S. Parker,
P.A.E. Stewart,
B. Crewe, 20 Riverside Gdns.,
Midsomer Norton,
K. Gladman, 95 Broad Walk, Kidbrooke,
T.H. Hodgoon read T.H. Hodgson
Capt. & Mrs. Littlewood,
For Full membership list see B.B. No.236, November 1967.
Alan Thomas was elected member of the club. Despite the fact that we thought one was
enough we elected A. Roberts (as opposed to
On the recommendation of the Cuthberts leaders the proposed
Guest Leader System was accepted by the Committee and steps are being taken to
set it in motion as per the instructions of the 1967 A.G.M. Other clubs are being contacted by the Club
Secretary for names of their members who are interested in becoming a
Cuthberts Leader. The latest news on
the New Belfry is that at the time of writing, negotiations for a grant had not
hit any snags but it seems that if we are granted one it is unlikely to
manifest itself in less than nine months thus postponing the building of the
Belfry until Autumn 68 or Spring 1969, nevertheless this remains to be seen.
Phil Townsend
Minutes Sec.
Will all leaders note that in future all spent carbide is to
be brought out of the cave. The carbide
dumps (Dining Room,
*****************************************
The BELFRY BULLETIN is available to non-members from Bryan
Ells, Knockauns, Combwich, Bridgwater,
Phil Coles and Dave
Irwin
Now that the formalities are over
the reader can get on to the first if the articles which will prove useful to
anyone wanting to help dig next season.
1967 has proved a reasonably successful digging year for the
B.E.C. Surface digs took place at
Emborough, Maesbury and, in conjunction with the Wessex Cave Club, at Nine
Barrows and Sandpit. Only Nine Barrows
actually went but as the history of this dig has already been the subject of
an article in the B.B. of No.232 (July, 1967) by Keith Franklin little need be
said. Of the other three, Emborough and
Maesbury have been abandoned for the winter but Sandpit, which was a late
starter, still receives spasmodic visits. None of the underground digs Sanctimonious Passage in Hunters Hole and
the various parts of St. Cuthberts bore fruit. The St. Cuthberts sump is still being dug by
B.E.C. members of the C.R.G.
It is almost certain that a resistivity device will be used
for cave prospecting in 1968. The device
has been highly successful in locating archaeological sites on
An official club dig. It is situated in a large depression and takes stream that is active all
year round. The stream sinks near a rock
outcrop at one end of the depression. In
view of the size of the team (2) it was decided to dig straight down in front
of the rock face instead of pushing it under the overhang as the previous
diggers had. With a team of two it was
impossible to install proper shoring and a large corrugated iron rainwater butt
was used as a substitute. This was fine
until the shaft became deeper than the butt and the earth began running in
underneath. As fast as the earth was
removed more ran in and the dig ground to a halt. To combat the vicious circle that ensued a
smaller butt was inserted at the bottom of the first and all well went until
the bottom of the second butt was reached. (Shades of Hoffnung? Ed). Planks
were wedged between the two butts in an effort to hold back the earth and
progress was contined until the shaft was 17ft. deep. A passage could be seen going off to one side
but a boulder blocked the way. The team
(Phil Coles and Keith Franklin) had been strengthened by the arrival of the
Searles and Alfie. Their combined
efforts failing to remove the boulder so Dave Searle banged it. As a result the shaft partially collapsed but
from then on the diggers began to win back lost territory until by the time the
dig was abandoned in October it was some 11ft. deep a lose of 6ft. on the
July depth. It is hoped to restart
Emborough in the Spring.
The B.E.C.s other cast Mendip dig. Like Emborough, it is situated in a large
weeded depression and takes an active stream. Due to Alan Thomas foreign commitments Maesbury was dug on less than
half a dozen occasions. An interesting feature of this dig is that in November,
1966 the 7ft. deep shaft was completely filled in by the diggers, but the
winter floods had completely re-opened the dig.
Started in September, 1967 by John Cornwell and other B.E.C.
and
Explored in June, 1967 by joint BEC/Wessex party.
a) Terminal Sump: The underwater dig has continued throughout the year since the Sump
digging weekend in February, 1967 (See B.B. N.228). It is being dug mainly by BEC members of the
CDG (Phil Kingston and
b) Dinning Room Dig: The dig, located above Cerberus Hall and the
Dining Room, was started by Mo Marriott and others in 1963 and has been
continued by Dave Irwin and Phil Kingston at infrequent intervals. The current surveying programme and the sump
dig has left it temporarily abandoned although plans are going ahead to get it
dug regularly. The length of the dig is
about 50ft. and is extremely interesting; it has crossed the Gour-Lake fault
and the general direction is parallel with the Sump Passage. According to Derek Ford this should prove to
be an interesting site as it is above the choked levels of the lower section of
the cave time will tell!
Sanctimonious passage was dug in Feb/Mar by Alan Thomas,
Collin Priddle, Keith Franklin and Phil Coles.
Keith found a small hole at the end of the passage through
which a stone could be dropped. Enthusiasm mounted and the passage was banged for several weekends
until the hole was large enough to see into. A rift could be seen leading on for over 20ft but it was unfortunately
4ins. wide. The end of S.P. is not the
only place in Hunters to interest the potential digger however. The choked passages above Rover pot warrant
some attention and a strong draught blows form Dears Ideal. It is hoped to make Hunters the B.E.C.
winter dig.
By Gordon Tilly
The Axbridge Caving
Group and Archaeological Soc. Monthly Newsletter for October, 1967
For people interested in
archaeology this newsletter contains an article on the production of a
television educational programme entitled Ground Level. The programme is being divided into five
parts, each dealing with a different aspect of archaeology, and will be shown
on BBC 2 in January 1968.
MNRC Newsletter No. 47 (Autumn 1967). This edition is devoted to the official
opening of the Mendip Nature Research Station on September 23rd, 1967 and
details of the MNRC Management Committee for 1967
W.S.G. Bulletin Vol. 5 No. 5 Sept/Oct, 1967. This issue of the Bulletin contains two
reports. The first is a report on the
WSG 1967 Irish trip. The second is an
article on the WSG method of ladder construction by C. Green stating detailed
specifications and is accompanied by several illustrations. (ed. Note: - all the above publications can
be seen in the BEC Library at Dolphin Cottage).
To our surprise some members thought that the additional
roll of paper with the Christmas B.B. was a retiring present from the last
Editor. In fact the idea is that if you
want to continue to receive the B.B. you should write your name on each of them
and return them to:
P. Townsend,
154,
Lower Knowle,
The Annual Cuthberts Leaders meeting was held at the
Hunters on 19th November 1967. The
meeting opened at 2.30pm with 13 leaders present.
The first item on the agenda was the subject of extending
the Leader System to other clubs. A
letter received by Adny MacGregor from John Stafford, regarding the
interpretation of the relevant clauses in the Club Insurance Policy and the
Cunane Agreement (1954) was discussed. Based on the letter it was felt that a system could be devised allowing
members of other clubs than the B.E.C. to be Cuthberts leaders. The meeting discussed at length the details
of the scheme that has now been placed before the Club committee for its
approval. Details of the scheme will be
published in either the February or March issue.
Bearing in mind the previous item the Leaders felt that the
present prospective Leaders form was adequate except for one trip which was
split down into two parts. This makes
the total of test trips five instead of the previous four.
Dave Irwin reported that the Maypole Series had been closed
for just over 10 months and that biological work would be commencing
shortly. The position of re-opening the
series would be discussed at the 1968 meeting.
Discussion then followed on the closure of the cave during
the foot-and-mouth epidemic. It was
greed to carry out any requests that Mr. Walt Foxwell felt necessary to make.
Two practice rescues were arranged for the near future: - 1.
Wire Rift Jan. 21st, 1968; 2. Coral Chamber 21st. April. All local leaders are asked to keep this date
clear. Pete Franklin volunteered to be
the victim.
P. Kingston and D. Irwin gave brief details regarding the
Sump Dig and the new Survey respectively.
It was stated by Prew that the telephone line in the
Phil Kingston said that he would install a chain on the Stal
Pitch climb. To assist the MRO a list of
leaders would be sent to Howard Kenny to ensure early call of the local
leaders.
D.Irwin
The funeral of Gilbert Weeks, a fine friend of the B.E.C.
Took place on the 29th December, 1967, at
The latest discovery on Mendip is the subject of the next
article and it will certainly be of interest to members when they read of the
techniques used that gave clue to the possible existence of a cave system. The Editor would like to apologise for the
long delay in publishing this fine account.
By Clive North
The entrance to Contour Cavern is situated in a large
swallet depression, about 200yds. west of Nine Barrows Swallet, Eastwater,
Priddy.
I first came across the site on a Sunday afternoon late in
June while I was with a small group of caving friends. We had an enjoyable trip down Hunters Hole
and were whiling away the restless hours until Hunters opened by searching for
Nine Barrows Swallet which had been opened a few weeks before.
Missing Nine Barrows completely we went to the largest
depression we could see only to find it caveless. A short inspection of the steep end of the
depression revealed a small limestone slab sticking out of the grass. On this, plainly exhibited for all to see,
were some excellent scallops (not the bivalve variety but those produced by
water action). Greatly excited we
scrabbled in the earth with bits of stick hoping to break into a giant cave
system. After half an hour no new cave
had been found so we marched dejectedly away to drown our sorrows at the
Hunters, vowing to return with more sophisticated methods of earth removal
later in the summer.
A couple of weeks later I was on Mendip and I met Mr. John
Cornwell emerging from Nine Barrows swallet, mud spattered and
trouserless. When I told him of our
intended dig he said that he did not want to disillusion us but he expected our
cave at best, to be no more than a feeder for Nine Barrows since some of the
water enters the latter from that direction.
Undeterred, I took some aerial photographs a week later of
the Eastwater area. These revealed a
large area of marshy ground that seemed to funnel in on the depression
proving some sub-surface movement of water at the site. (During a recent wet spell I visited the cave
and found a fair sized stream entering the depression and building up into a
pond in front of the entrance. This was
later found to be pouring down just inside the cave).
However, the second week in August saw four cavers from the
Bridgwater Technical College Exploration Club setting up a large tent (some likened
it to a marquee) in the depression. Here
we stayed for a week. The team consisted
of myself of Totterdown, Weston-S-Mare; Bernard Evered of Old Orchards,
Coathurst near Bridgwater; Colin Rogers of
It happened, luckily for us, that the week we had chosen to
dig was also the one in which John Cornwell was on holiday and he duly arrived
at the dig on the Monday afternoon with Mike Fish Jeanmaire. Johns kind offer of some chemical
persuasion was gratefully accepted and later in the afternoon the hazy
serenity that is sometimes Mendip was shattered by several ounces of best
bang. This loosened the ground
considerably and the system of hang-dig, bang-dig worked very well especially
when there were large boulders to move.
On Tuesday, while probing with a crow-bar we felt airspace
below and we dug frantically until a razor-rock lined rift was opened. This extended for about 15ft, in a
north-south direction, but was only a few inches wide. It did seem however, slightly wider at the
southern end so we backfilled the rift and sank a new shaft.
After digging down a few feet on Wednesday a slight draught
was found to be blowing out between some large boulders. All day Thursday sounds not unlike a busy
quarry rent the Priddy air with numerous bangs, whistles from flying rock, hammering
and colourful language from the moles down the ole. By Thursday night a small, cave passage,
emitting a strong cold draught, had been opened at the bottom of the shaft and
it was at this point where, before a small crowd amid much cheering and merriment,
I lowered myself head first down the shaft, armed with a Nife cell and thrust
my head into the opening. Before my eyes
spread a scene of outstanding beauty, for the floor of the passage was composed
of wet, dung-coloured mud and rocks rising in graceful piles to the roof, from
which hung myriads of glistening brown boulders held together by a soft, brown,
mud like substance.
At my frantic call, eager hands pulled my feet and hauled me
red-faced and gasping to the surface. After I reported that the passage was about 15ft. long and 1ft. high and
would need clearing we set to work again. Later that night it was possible to get into the passage and throw
stones, some of which would rattle through the cleft and down for some
distance. This was most exciting and we
worked hard to make the roof safe and remove the extremely sticky mud that
blocked the passage. Some large boulders
were also removed from the mud.
It was Friday afternoon by the time we had excavated as far
as the cleft which was about 4 high. I
found that if you pressed your face into the mud and somehow directed a light
through the cleft you could see what appeared to be the roof and far wall
of a chamber about 15ft. across. It is an interesting phenomena when one looks
through a hole of this sort for one seems to loose the 3D effect of the
yes. Our 15ft. chamber when we broke
into it turned out to be only 2ft. across!
Excitement was high that night for we were expecting to
break through and we toiled until 2 oclock on Saturday morning but without any
success for the squeeze resisted all attempt to pass it, mainly because of the
obstinate projections of rock which we had to blast later that day.
Our last charge was set and fired in the afternoon smashing
the projecting rocks completely. By
evening the squeeze was cleared and, life-lined by John, I slipped through the
squeeze into a small chamber containing a foxes jaw the Foxes Den. In the floor was a small pot which had been
filed with the debris we had pushed down. To the left was a squeeze though a rift line with loose rocks and
blackness.
John then joined me and went through the squeeze onto the
top of a pot. He directed a feeble
carbide flame down the pitch and then threw stones down and announced in no
uncertain manner that Its as big as bloody Lamb Leer!
After some clearing work in the squeeze (one can walk
through it now) Tim Reynolds and I jammed a cross-bar across the top of the
rift, fixed a ladder to it (20ft.) and I descended. This pitch is a lovely little free-swing
ending on a boulder pile. To one side is
a curious rock spire (not stal.) about 18 high the Needle. This was later broken in two by some unknown
cavers who got in before the entrance was properly gated.
Contour Cavern is much too complicated for a full
description here but a very simplified description is as follows.
From the pitch lies the Big Rift, estimated as 600ft, long
and as much as 70ft. high in a few places. Three-quarters of the way down the rift is North Grotto which contains
some small but very beautiful stalactite curtains and cascades. At the end of the rift is a very muddy sump
which is being dug. Leading off from the
rift a short way down is a roomy passage which leads to the Upper Series. This is a network of dry tunnels and
tributary rifts. The dry tunnels have hard mud floors which makes crawling,
squeezing and digging a pleasure.
There are a few rift-type ox-bow routes from the Upper
Series to the top of the Big Rift. Behind the 20ft. pitch a squeeze leads to a boulder chamber (small) and
then to a large chamber which has 14 passages leading off. Most of these are short and end in possible
digs while 3 lead into a high extension of the Big Rift.
There are many promising sites for digs in the cave, the
most promising being the sump itself. The present sump dig has had to be abandoned for a while owing to a very
large concentration of Carbon Dioxide gas which was released during digging.
The job of surveying the cave has been kindly undertaken by
Dennis Warburton who estimated the present length of the cave as 2,900ft.
Odd facts The name
Access At present the cave is not open to the general
caving public and the entrance is gated. Keys to the cave are held by John Cornwell and myself. The cave will not be open until research work
of several varieties has been completed. When this is so, a system of restricted access will probably come into
force, the technicalities of which have not yet been arranged. The main purpose of this is to keep out the
type of caver that smashes formations on sight, scrawls on walls, tips carbide,
food and all sorts of rubbish throughout the cave he visits and is more often
than not a member of no caving club at all, and to absolve the discoverers and
owners of the cave of any responsibility in the case of accidents. However, responsible members of caving clubs
and their guests should not have any difficulty in gaining access to the
cave. When the cave is opened, full
details of any arrangements will be sent to all the main clubs and to journals
like the Speleologist and Mendip Caver.
(EDITORS NOTE: The
entrance is reported to be unstable).
Please note that all arranged meets will only take place in
the Foot and Mouth Restrictions have been lifted.
R.A. MacGregor,
The Railway
Station Road
Theale,
E.G. Welch,
Frencahy Lodge Bungalow,
Frenchay,
*February 11th, Sunday. Banwell Bone and
#March 10th, Sunday.
EASTER. South Wales: -
Camping at Penwyllt.
*Meet 11am outside the farm.
#Meet outside Burrington Café
February 17/18th.
March 24th. Sunday.
April 28th. Sunday.
by WIG
The recent Jumble Sale at Redcliffe Rooms raised £17 for the
Hut Fund. Many thanks to all who helped
and arranged the event.
The MCG added 42 metres to the end of LOCATEC SYSTEM in
Hilliers Cave (Mendip) is now blocked about 20ft. from the
entrance.
1964-66 Mendip Bibliography has been compiled by Ray
Mansfield and published in the November 1967 Caver (In B.E.C. Library).
Some 15 members spent Christmas at the Belfry and without
exception all will long remember the occasion. This year instead of going to Wells arrangements wee made by Joyce
Rowlands and Pete Franklin to have Christmas Dinner at the Belfry. For £1 a head a better meal could not have
been wished for. The menu consisted of
Fruits Juice, Roast Turkey and all the trimmings, Christmas Pud, Coffee and
Brandy not forgetting the bottle of wine a piece!
During closing times the Belfry became its old self with
bottle walking and various feats of strength being displayed. One of the many incidents of the weekend was
when the B.E.C. found that George Pointing did not enjoy the sight of cream
he disappeared for quire a few minutes! Later however, he had obviously forgiven the club as both he and Dave
Berry sang, We are the BEC at the Wessex H.Q.! The following day Dave Berry was seen leading
the community singing at the Hunters, aided of course by Mike Baker. Slide shows were in favour including a
mammoth one of 500 slides. A very fine
weekend indeed and our thanks to again Joyce and Pete for the exceptional meal.
It is reported that the U.B.S.S. attempts to re-enter their
new discovery is proving harder than expected. Members will remember that they broke into a fair size passage with a
promising way on down under
by B.M. Ellis
CAVES IN
Quite apart from the contents, this edition is a
considerable improvement on the first, although the price has been increased by
3/-, the format is now the same as that used for Pennine Underground, making
it much more convenient for use as a field book. At the same time a much thinner and batter
quality paper is used and the binding should not fall part after being used a
couple of times like before.
Looking at the contents, fourteen caves have been added to
the
In reviewing a new edition of a book the emphasis is almost
always a comparison. Generally, this
edition is a considerable improvement on the first but could have been better
if the authors did not insist of covering such a large area they cannot be
expected to know the whole area intimately and the North Wales section is still
very disappointing. Major caves (for
that area) such as Plas Heaton are still omitted and recent developments by
clubs such as the Shropshire Mining Club ignored. (This is partly the fault of these clubs for
being so tardy in publishing their results). I do not consider myself to be sufficiently knowledgeable to be critical
of the other sections but I expect that they are better.
THE SMCC HUT LOG
BOOKS. Part 1: 1955-1958. Shepton Mallet Caving Club, Occasional Paper
No.4. Price 3/-.
Following the example set by the Wessex Cave Club a few
years ago, The Shepton have now started publishing extract from their caving
logs. The choice is principally
scientific and historically interesting entries but a few of general interest
are included and a couple of humorous entries also appear. The period covered by this first is April
1955 to May 1958 and new and old cavers alike will find it interesting. You can read about sumping without wets suit,
of work in places like Hansdown Swallet, of getting into Swildons IV, and so
on. Being quotations from the log book
it is written such less formally than meet accounts.
*Not available from Bryan Ellis.
*****************************************
As its the 21st birthday of the B.B. the Editor might be
forgiven for publishing the Caving Log account of the passing of
Sun. 22 June 47. Stoke Lane. This was an historic
trip for the club. The party consisted
of Stanbury, Coase, Balcombe, F. Huchinson and
As Coase was the only Stoke Laner he was highly delighted
at the profanity and acclamations of Disgust emitting from the others.
Squeeze followed squeeze and filth was piled on filth and a
feeling of ???S.L. was very apparent before ever the terminal pool was
reached.
Upon reaching the sump Balcombe was heard to remark and
youve got the cheek to call this a sump. However Coase crawled, with much noise into the horrid pool and with
much cursing disappeared under the projecting pendants of rock into the
pool. Balcombe followed until he could
see Coase and then stopped. Coase
festered around and then shouted, I can feel airspace the other side. Great excitement ensued, Balcombe crawled in
the water and joined Coase. Stanbury
took his place at the entrance to the water.
After lots of nattering, there was a gentle gurgle and a
splash and Coase had gone through leaving 4 very shaken bods behind. In a matter of seconds he had returned to say
that he had regained the main stream that sinks away before the start of
Brownes Passage. Balcombe and Stanbury
followed him through the trap and followed the river for 400ft. until it passed
into a boulder choke. The party then
returned to the two left at the sump and made haste to daylight with the good
news.
H.H.
(Harry Stanbury) Ed.)
*****************************************
LAST BUT NOT LEAST. Elderly gent who happened to drive into the Belfry Car Park
recently: Its nice to see you
flourishing still; I went caving with the B.E.C. when you first got into Stoke
Lane - the leader was Don Coase and there was another chap who had a very good
vocabulary of the swear language.
Roger: Sett?
Elderly gent: Thats
right.
(For the benefit of older members it was Mr. Sam Treasure).