Editor's Notes

This Report is based on a rough draft found amongst the effects of the late Don Coase, one of the 'leading lights' of the B.E.C. in its earlier years and who was responsible for the construction of most of the club tackle at that time.  That he did not live to complete this Report is yet another reason, amongst so many, for regretting his untimely death.  However, Norman Petty - with assistance from Alan Sandall - undertook the not easy task of completing another person's manuscript. Caving Report No. 10 is the result.

The date of the original draft is not known but it must have been before the publication of Caving Report No.3, "The Manufacture of Lightweight Caving Ladders", because this did not appear until four months after Coase's death.  It is possible that he had seen the manuscript of Report No. 3 and this seems probable from some of the points made.  In this case the draft must have been written during 1957, this in any case being the most probable date.

As already stated, only a very rough draft was available and this, in places, has had to be altered slightly.  However, the aim throughout has been to keep it in the style and intention that it is thought Don would have desired.  The draft covered Sections 1, 2, 3, 7 & 9, and part of Section 5, and luckily a list of the intended contents.  Norman Petty has written the remaining Sections and some of the drawings were prepared by Alan Sandall.

The points where Caving Reports Nos. 3 and 10 overlap are very few as they cover different methods of caving ladder construction.  In fact it is felt that this Report and the revised edition of No. 3 are complementary end between them give a good insight to the construction of caving tackle.

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