The
Editor: Ted Humphreys
Editorial
More of a ramble really, as I write anything that comes to
mind that I think might be of interest to the membership.
This Belfry Bulletin is late and small because of lack of
material. Members keep asking me when
the next one is coming out but very few actually contribute anything. Please, please send me your articles. They don't have to be about great new
discoveries or even about caving just about the adventures, travels,
explorations and so on, of the members. Articles about well known caves would be appreciated as well, maybe
pointing out features not mentioned in the guide books.
For example: -
G.B. is a well known cave, or is it. At the end of Bat Passage, or at least where
the sumped old dig is, the obvious onward continuation is in the roof about 7
ft. up. This can be followed to the end,
passing two ways down into tight rifts which end in chokes, or do they? However, at the 7 ft. climb, looking the
other way it can be seen that the continuation passage doesn't go back down Bat
Passage but goes into the right wall (looking down-cave). A hole at the top of the muddy bank can be
entered and leads to a parallel phreatic rift at least 20 ft. high. It is not obvious from the bottom whether
this peters out at the top or whether it slopes over. Does it lead to an unknown passage? I haven't yet chimneyed up it and don't know
of anyone who has. Perhaps you know
better!
There are similar instances in most caves, as well as more
in G.B. If you know of any, write about
them, please:
The day after I wrote the above, Jim Smart's article arrived
from the
On the digging front, Bowery Corner is progressing
slowly. Daren Cilau quickly and Welsh's
Green not at all. I hope to have surveys
of all three for the next BB. B.E.C.
members, and others, have been busy producing them.
The news from Bowery Corner is that the sump mentioned in
the last BB has been passed, over the top, and so has the second one. The end now is tight and very wet but, for
the first time, the sound of falling water can be heard from ahead. The end is
also well past the point that dowsing indicated that the passage should turn
right and is continuing in a straight line. Perhaps it turns back on itself at a lower level.
New Members
There are quite a few new members. Those listed below are the ones that have
been given membership numbers, that is, have paid their subs. I've included Jim Rands and Gwyn Timson again
as they hadn't been given numbers in December.
1109 Jim Rands,
1110 Gwyn Timson, Rumney,
1111 Graham Johnson, Wells,
1112 Catherine Wood,
1113 Arthur
1114 Peter Bolt, Cardiff
1115 Robin Mark Taviner, Whitchurch,
1116 Stuart Lain, Yeovil,
1117 Peter Christopher Alan Hellier, Chew Stoke,
Some Caves and Characters in the
Eastern U.S.A.
Following the reconnaissance trip by Trebor, Mac and Stumpy
(BB 445) the main expedition - J'Rat and Jane arrived in the U.S. of A. on 8th
September, after eventually negotiating the dreaded immigration and the large
photo of Ronnie welcoming all AIDS - free tourists to the
The first show cave visited was just out of town, at the
start of the boring
An early start the next day saw us at the famous LURAY
CAVERNS near the town of that name. This
is one of the world's great stalactite caves consisting of large phreatic
chambers packed with immense formations some of which divide the chambers into
smaller rooms. Their colour, variety and
profusion are incredible and there are some fine examples of the rare
"shields". Not content with
their visual attractions the management allowed a Mr. Leland W. Sprinkle to
attach rubber trip hammers to a selection of stalactites operated from an organ
console. The strains of
"Shenandoah" echoing around the largest chamber, interspersed with
the tinkle of dripping water is particularly atmospheric. The Great Stalacpipe Organ, an awesome bit of
vandalism, should not be missed. (I have
a tape recording for those without the air fare). Other gimmicks here are the underground war
memorial, a huge notice board painted with camera lighting settings for the
snap-happy and, on our trip, a short and fat cave guide with some entertaining
chatter and a
As we were camping at the nearby ENDLESS CAVERNS it was only
fair that we went in them. Another
extensive solution system with superb pendants and formations - particularly
the "shields". A young and
knowledgeable lad guided us and spouted the customary American show cave jokes
("If that rock falls on you don't worry about insurance - you'd be fully
covered" etc) and showing his one-upmanship over other guides by walking
backwards all the way out of the cave. To add to the fun of our visit there were plenty of active bats to upset
the lady tourists and a few narrow sections to wedge the obese ones (about 90%
). There is supposedly over 6 miles of
passage in this system. In the 1920's
the Explorers Club of New York worked here and exploration is being continued
by the owner and his son, both cavers. A
further treat is the gift shop where rubber rocks, bat hats and lurid T-shirts
may be purchased (and was). Incidentally
the camp slate here is excellent.
Our next cave was further south near Keezletown. MASSANUTTEN CAVERNS was recommended by Trebor
(Thanks mate:) mainly because of the great character who owns it. Mr. Brad Cobb is an old time caver badly
crippled by a stroke and arthritis but who manfully guides tourists round the ¼
mile of paths on two sticks. It is not a
large cave but is extremely well decorated with thousands of straws, cone
shaped and bulbous stalactites. Mr. Cobb
would stop every few seconds to point out items of interest ("Weird, weird,
weird") and to continually damn cave vandals ("Buzzards"). After fulfilling his main ambition of owning
his own cave Mr. Cobb has two more ambitions left - to live long enough to see
the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the cave in 1892 and to visit the
Mulu caves! I hope he succeeds in
both. ( See letter following this
article).
We now temporarily left
While Jane then sunbathed and drank cold beer (a mandatory
American pastime ) I explored the adjacent NORTH ENTRANCE and after giving the
complicated Saltpetre Maze a cursory examination continued down the obviously
flood prone main passage until stopped by a wide, 15 foot deep pothole with a
slippery traverse ledge which I couldn't attempt on my own and without a
rope. This is a very attractively water
worn swallet system and connects with Snedegar's Cave via the Saltpetre Maze.
On our way back to the hut the huge, impressive entrance of
Later that day
Having bid a sad farewell to this great spot we continued on
our way via LOST WORLD CAVERNS - a superbly lit and fantastically decorated
show cave near Lewisburg. First entered
down a 120 ft. pothole in 1942 this large breakdown chamber boasts magnificent
pillars and tall stalagmites - all lit by 30 ft. high double lamp
standards. The tour is usually
self-guided.
Next on the list was
Farewell W.
When in this area it is an obligatory caver's duty to
indulge in a spot of morbidity and visit
Our next
Returning to Virginia a couple of days later we camped at
NATURAL TUNNEL - an 850 ft. long, 100 ft. high and 100 - 175 ft. wide cave
passage used as a short cut by the Stock Creek and, more recently, the Southern
Railway. It is quite an experience to be
halfway through a cave when a hundred truck freight train comes through -
especially when the driver waves a friendly greeting. For more information on this cave see the
recent article by Tony Waltham in Cave Science Vol 15 No 1.
Nearby, across the border in
The last show cave of the holiday was DIXIE CAVERNS in
The next week was dedicated to deep sea fishing, snorkelling
and vast alcohol consumption off the Florida coast and of little interest to
B.E.C. members though we did find America's only drive in pub - "a six
pack and two pints to go buddy". Clutching our beers we drove off into the night.
Save up your bucks - the States and the Yanks are a real
treat.
Have a nice day y'all Tony Jarratt
*****************************************
EDITORS NOTE The letter below was on nicely headed notepaper
but I've typed it because Mr. Cobb's writing is not always perfectly legible,
probably due to his arthritis. It was
addressed to Dave and I've not altered anything.
MASSANUTTEN CAVERNS
Keezletown, Virglnia 22832
Oct. 6. 1988
Dear Dave Turner,
A few weeks ago, I received a second visitation, this year,
from the membership of B.E.C.
They were generous enough to bestow a copy of the BELFRY
BULLETIN for my somewhat sketchy library of things Speleological (Volume 42
No.3 Number 445 July 1988 ).
I was highly flattered to read your kind words about an
earlier visit by other members of B.E,C., in April. It made me feel as though my efforts to do a
good job of guiding was actually appreciated by people who know caves.
It is an uphill fight and every good word is treasured. The cavalier treatment of all of our
environment is pervasive in countries through the world. This is rather short-sighted, don't you
agree?
Sincerely,
Bradford ( Brad ) Cobb N.S.S. 2513
Caving Under The
Thames
by Jingles
At the foot of
It was, however, used as an air raid shelter during both
wars and there is still evidence of this down there (Posters dating to
1941). As one wends ones way through the
labyrinthine network of corridors, one eventually comes to what can only be a
disused railway tunnel. 50 metres into this there is a concrete bulkhead - this
is so placed because at this point you are directly under the banks of the
Call John Williams to arrange a visit
Windsor
Great
Cave Trelawny -
Jamaica
From the Caving Log, with some editorial licence
27 .11.88
Bob Bidmead (just in case anyone thinks I don't cave any
more). Having been in
The cave is a major resurgence, with the lower entrance
carrying a stream during the wet season, and drying for the rest of the year,
when the water rises through the river bed about 300 yards from the cliff
face. The human entrance is about 60 ft.
up the cliff face and represents an older level. The entrance series is much like Peak Cavern,
but with a narrower opening. Having left
the twilight zone the roof became covered with calcite tracery, making it look
like a church roof. The passage wound up
over a collapsed boulder ruckle, with the streamway a long way down, perhaps 120
ft. or so. The temperature was high - in
the 60's and surprisingly there was a large population of insects, the usual
shrimps and hoppers, but also millions of very tiny flies, like fruit flies. These took to wing as soon as a light beam
struck the surface of the rock they were on, and were so small and so numerous
they got in eyes, mouth and nose. Not so
surprising were the colony of Rat Bats, so called by the Jamaicans due to their
small size and appearance. These
obviously had a built in food supply with the flies, and also took wing when
the light hit them. We ended up dodging
an aerial ballet of bats and flies which seemed to fill the chamber - about the
size of the main chamber in G.B.
At the top of the ruckle the roof came down, and a strong draught
indicated the way through. Unfortunately
at this point my two local guides chickened out - no way were they prepared to
carry on through 2' by 3' crawls or duck under the obviously stable boulders. It transpired they normally took rich
American tourists on grockle trips, which was unfortunate. The thought of being 30 miles from the coast
and having a Land Rover with hiccups did not encourage me to continue alone, so
the day was curtailed after 1½ hours. Great cave though, and a return is a must.
Several smaller holes were looked at during the work period,
but obvious commitments to the restoration of electricity to the island
precluded any further detailed trips. If anyone has a free air ticket I have
free accommodation available - offers please!
Bob Bidmead - returned 2.1.89
Daren Cilau
Another week long
camp in December by
A lot of work was done on other sites in the
extensions. Friday 13th boulder choke
was worked on and now looks promising but not for the faint hearted as the
keystone of the massive choke is now cracked in half and right in the firing
line. Gwyn unfortunately sustained a
minor skull fracture when the roof of one of the 'Sand' Digs collapsed on
her. She opted for the relative comforts
of the camp rather than a painful, premature trip out.
Shit Rift was revisited by Snablet and Nick Pollard over the
Christmas period. Jake and Andy took
Fred Davies down on a tourist trip (Fred's first visit to the cave since his
and Boone's breakthrough back in the 60's)
Next camp 10 - 19 Feb (I'm too late again - Ed.)
Gonzo
Hundreds of feet of new passage were discovered on this
camp. Daren is now very close to Aggie
Sump 4, Gothic Passage and to
On The
Oregon Trail
As a change from Butcombe, I nipped off to the Pacific
One aim was to travel down the central spine of Oregon, the
Cascades, to look at lava tubes, fossil beds, Crater Lake and other morsels but
unusually severe snow prevented me from getting even remotely close, let alone
a look-see, I did have however get 'underground' three times.
** In the late 1890's,
** Hailed as the biggest sea cave in the world (some hope -
what about Fingal's) this one in the wilds of the
** An island of the Pacific coast is now the proud owner of
the most secure BEC sticker - under the bunk bed of cell 48B. Alcatraz in
Trebor
Direct Debits For Payment Of Membership Fees
The committee has been instructed by the membership at the
1988 AGM to investigate the possibility of using Direct Debit as a procedure to
collect membership fees. This procedure
is fraught with difficulties and liabilities and really, as a club we are too
small an organisation to make it worthwhile. Some points to consider:
As we are not a corporate account, the committee members
(and the trustees) would be responsible in the case of a claim against the
club, be it from payers or a bank. An
unlimited indemnity must be arranged.
Strict rules must be adhered to. A mandate must be produced, printed and sent
out to the membership. When completed,
the records must be kept on computer and the discs submitted to the bank in the
format required to instruct the debiting of an individuals account. (We would originate the DD. the bank doesn't
get involved, hence the unlimited indemnity).
A fee of approximately £50 p.a. is involved (assuming 200
members) and then there's the cost of the printing of the mandates etc etc.
It is better to use the Standing Order method of extracting
money from people, there are fewer problems. It is proposed to Instigate Standing Orders for membership fees as from
next years AGM. Instructions will appear
in a future Belfry Bulletin along with the Standing Order Mandate in plenty of
time for next years fees!
Steve Milner
(Treasurer) 7:12:88
Three Unrecorded Sinks At Priddy
This brief article is purely to place on record the
existence of three well known but - to the best of the writer's knowledge -
previously unrecorded swallets, two of which have been eyed greedily by
factions of the digging fraternity for some years. The third is a less obvious dig site but as
the writer lives almost directly opposite it he has had plenty of opportunity
to notice its propensity for taking water in wet weather. Descriptions conform with those in "
HUNTER'S LODGE INN SINK CM 5494 5012
At 250m. Priddy, SE end of the Hunter's Lodge Inn, adjacent
to the wall at S corner of "function room". Wet weather drainage from the crossroads and
inn car park sinks in a waterworn rift occasionally blocked by rocks and
silt. Once took drainage and effluent
from the inn stables. At present being
cleared by the landlord. Dowsing
indicated a minor streamway heading towards Hunter's hole.
HUNDRED ACRES SINK CM 5419 5012
At 248m. Priddy. On
the S side of
PELTING DROVE SINK CM 5273 5048
At 248m. Priddy. On
the SE side of Pelting Drove opposite cottage "The
NOTE: A fourth sink in
If anyone knows of any similar, unrecorded sinks, digs or
caves please write them up for the B.B.
Tony Jarratt 27/1/89
Speleo Reconnaissance,
Antique
Province ,
Panay
Island ,
Philippines
Prior research of the speleo literature available in the
Some Definitions
Jeepney - Utilitarian pickups, originally converted
Rebel-country - There is a very serious insurgency situation
in the
Bgy = Barangay - The smallest official socio-political unit
with an elected administration, usually a village. A Sitio is a smaller section within the bgy
region - e.g. a nearby hamlet.
Tuba - Palm Wine. It
tastes foul.
Friday Jan 20, 1989.
Early evening arrival at Libertad after a scorching day
aboard Aida 1, a large outrigger pumpboat.
Sat Jan 21.
4 am. jeepney to San Jose de Buenavista. No one here knows when a boat will be leaving
("maybe next month") but we do get some information on the cave at
San Remigio. We decide to visit it
tomorrow.
Sun Jan 22.
Heavy thunder rain; trip postponed.
Mon Jan 23.
Rhona's birthday - i.e. a day to relax. Change to a lodging house with better vibes,
e.g. "Rule 4: Observe silence and cleanliness most of the time". In the evening our Bistro meal is interrupted
by a boozy journalist who writes me up for the local rag. (see paper clipping -
Ed.)
Tues Jan 24.
It's only about 30 km. from
Wed Jan 25.
I'd been told of some interesting caves in the mountains
near Valderama. This is rebel country
but most people thought I'd be "fairly safe", so I set off early and
by noon I was in Valderama and had secured the services of a guide and porter
for the 12 km. walk up the river to Bgy San Augustin. After lunch we set off, me wimpishly clinging
to the hand of my 60 year old guide as we crossed and re-crossed the swiftly
flowing River Cangaran.
San Augustin is extremely impoverished: no work and nothing
for sale. I'd brought my own food and
this was prepared for me alone. I'd eat
before the gaze of the entire population of about 150 people. When I'd finished, my leftovers would be
triumphantly carried away by my host to share with his family, and everyone
else would go home for about thirty minutes to eat. This was the only opportunity I got to be
alone.
Thurs Jan 26.
Although I'd made it clear that I was only paying one guide
about a dozen people set off to
That's as maybe. When
we arrived there was a swarm of bees at the entrance and the visit was
abandoned.
No problem though. Someone knew of another cave higher up the side of the valley:
We headed back to San Augustin waded the river (hold hands)
crossed a few low grade rice fields and began the steep ascent towards sitio
Boho where two caves were reported to be located. My entourage of kids and old men infuriated
me, laughing and talking and shouting at each other while I could hardly catch
my breath or keep up with them.
About one hour from San Augustin in a tumble of deeply
weathered limestone boulders and hidden by trees we found our first cave:
Although the passage was large (say 4½ m. wide and 10½ m high
average) the bats were so numerous that we were successfully forced back by
them: they flew into us, pissed on us, dropped ticks on us and were generally
quite beastly. I pondered
histoplasmosis. We took refuge behind a
rock. Shall we go now?, my companions
asked. No, we'll give it one more try.
Only two men accompanied on my second attempt and we got to
a point where the passage shrank to about two metres square for a few
metres. There was an almost solid tide
of bats flowing through here. My
companions started swiping at them with sticks, making great sport of the whole
adventure. The carnage was sickening: I
called a halt to the attempt. Length 100
metres and still going; depth 12 metres.
On the surface we all had a good laugh about the bats, drank
tuba, and proceeded to another cave nearby in the same about clump of trees (
BOHO CAVE II ). A short descent led to
45 metres of crawling maze; depth c. 9 metres.
We returned to the river to wash and then home to San
Augustin for lunch ( more eyes, more leftovers). No one knew of any more caves within safe
walking distance (remember the insurgence ) so we clowned and festered away the
rest of the day.
Fri Jan 27.
With my guide and porter I set off back to Valderama at 6
am. I was in
Other Caves of
Information has been received on other caves in Province
Antique, as follows:-
1.
A cave mined for guano located
about 4 km. north of Libertad and 4 km. Inland near a river.
2.
Two caves reported here:
3. CAVE, Bgy BUENAVISTA, BELISON
A cave mined for guano. Deep water "You have to swim the in
cave.
Jim Smart Feb. 1989
This is an extract from The Daily Start in the Philipines.
A member of the Bristol Exploration Club, affiliated with
the British Cave Research Association based in
Britishs speleogist James Smart, 40, has 25 years of'
experience in exploring caves.
Smart, in a DAILY STAR interview, yesterday, Smart said he
is in charge of the foreign section of the B.E.C., which was founded in 1935
and has about 280 active members at present.
Tourism Staff Officer Edwin Gatia is supplying Smart with
information on the, locations of caves in
Smart, who has explored caves all over Europe said that the
In the
Smart said he intends to visit some caves in the south of
Negros, particularly those in Mainit and Konog-Konog in Candoni, Kabankalan,
Hog, Cauayan and Hinoba-an areas, and in Escalante and
His research work on Negos caves will be published in the
"Cave Science Magazine" circulated in
Smart has also visited some of the cave systems found in
Antique. GR Gumban
Another snippet said: -
That Somerset County Council road signs do not disappear they
merely go underground in pot-holes near Priddy.
Letter From The
Philippines
Dear Ted,
If you think the enclosed news clipping is a bit off the
mark, this is the second rag to give me coverage. Furthermore the 7 o'clock
news the other morning went something like
.llong-go, llong-go. llong-go ....
Breestol Explortion Club sa
Lotsa caves here on
See you
James
Club Matters
This is a list of items that the committee have asked me to
put in the BB, dating from the December, January and February meetings. Some may now be irrelevant!
1. Hut Bookings - These must be done through the
Hut Warden (Snablet). Anyone else must
check with Snablet first. We've had
double bookings and aggrieved people!
2. Kindling and firewood are always in short
supply. It would be nice if all members
visiting the Belfry could bring a sackful with them.
3. The general behaviour of BEC members and/or
guests is causing concern. We must
maintain good relations locals as access to some caves might depend on it.
4. It is important for prospective members to turn
up at the meeting during which their application for membership is discussed (7.30 pm. on the first Friday of the
month). If they don't bother, their
application is likely to be turned down.
5. Members are reminded of the availability of
I.D.M.F. funds for expeditions etc. Young members don't seem to apply any longer.
The Bowery Corner Song
(to the tune of Old Man River)
Belfryites dig in de Bowery
Corner. Belfryites dig while de Wexxes
play;
Pulling dese sledges from de dawn to sunset, gittin no beer and gittin no pay:
Don't get squashed and don't dare drown 'cos that'll make de Diggin' Boss
frown:
Shovel out all dat gravel and glass an pull dat rope or he'll kick your arse.
Let me go way from de Bowery Corner, let me go 'way from dat poxy sink.
Show me dat pub called de Hunter's Lodge dat's where I'll drown myself - in
drink!
Bowery Corner, dat Bowery Corner, it must go somewhere. but ain't gone nowhere.
It just keeps going, it keeps on going a-long ---It ain't got chambers, it
ain't got pitches.
It ain't got limestone, it ain't got pretties;
That Bowery Corner, it jes keeps going a-long ----
You an' me, we sweat an' strain. Body
all achin' an' racked wid pain.
"Carry det det! Shift dat
tamp", lie down in de streamway 'til you die of cramp.
Ah gits weary an' sick of shale. Ahm
tired of diggin' an' want my ALE.
But Bowery Corner, it just keeps goin' a-long!
words by Uncle Tom J'Rat. With apologies to Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern, Paul Robeson and
the BEC.
(printed music and cassette of Paul Robeson's version available for anyone desperate enough to want to sing it!)