CCPC Newsletter No > March 1991 ——— CCPC ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 1991 This was held at 8:30, Monday 7th January 1991 at the Bleeding Wolf, It consisted of all the usual stuff (yawn), nothing earth shattering. Each committee member present gave the usual account of his behaviour and excuses for the previous year. In a nutshell, the only points which need to be mentioned are :- Club Fees will be raised by £2.00. Fees due by end of March, £2.00 reduction for payment before this date. The committee will stay the same with the addition of one new post; Mark Lovatt will become Assistant Training Officer. Other nevs is that following last years success, the ‘do’ (ie Annual (Christmas?) party) will be held at the Rifleman, Kidsgrove on April 13th, price £6.50 per head. Vegitarian meals cxan be booked (in advance please) and a 10 ozs steak is £8.00, John Smith will again run the photographic competition (which he usually wins). Judging will be at the 'do". Tacklemasters give a report of the state and ammount of use of their stock. Ralphs store is by far the most used. Perhaps in fareness to Ralph, members should consider using the other stores from time to time, equipment permitting. (a full report of what is available at each store will be published soon). Ade pointed out that the bottom pitches of the Gouffre Berger ie below camp 1 will be rigged with 9mm rope and it may pay off to get used to using this with your descender before the trip because of the dirfferent handling characteristics (for example, Stops don't stop). Lionel produced a 1991 meets list (reproduced inside) URGENTLY NEEDED _ Owing to changing work circumstances, CCPC will shortly require an assistant/replacement Newletter Editor. Applicants must be able to read and write. Contact Ralph LATHKILL DALE CAVE EXTENTIONS Ben et al have been doing a lot of digging in Lathkill Dale (legally) and as reported in DESCENT etc have opened up hundreds of feet of passage. Most of these are now (temporarily) inaccessible due to the river Lathkill taking its Winter route through them (and so unsafe when not submerged that even Ben is nervous about them!) Ricklow mine is still accessible, but Ben warns against going down there at present. He is blasting up to three times a week and tell-tale wisps of white fumes can be seen emerging from the (protected) enterance. If you cannot resist the urge to go down, check with Ben first to make sure that you will not be asphyxiated/blown to pieces on Buxton (0298) 70202. WEIR EXPERTS! USEFUL TIPS FOR CAVERS No 6 (Darren) When rigging the entance pitch to Nettle, it is recommended not to use Granny Knots, not because of safety but because it's no fun sitting in a snowdrift for 45 minutes whilst Tony re-rigs. Dave Kennidy, who was recently seen picking up a prize on ‘You Have Been Framed' for demonstrating how to pull a belay out of a wall to send him and his boss cascading down a weir overflow is a member of the Derbyshire Caving Club. TI think it prudent not to reveal who gave him his first rigging lesson! OME M RR MRE ROOM RRR mm GRID TO BE FITTED, HELP NEEDED Following the success of the 'blue grid‘ on the 210’ shaft at Knotlow, DCRO and the Assosiation of Farmers (AF) have approached CCPC about the feasibility of installing similar protective grills on other potentially dangerous shafts. It has been mutually agreed between DCRO, CCPC and AF that a pilot project be arranged to protect the shaft on Eldon Hill, grid reference 117808. Volenteers are needed to help withmeasuring, transporting gear etc and a meet has been arranged for 10:30 am on Easter Monday at the hole in question. Please do your best to attend as this is quite a big task and the more people who turn up, the merrier. es CAVING SUPPLIES RAPPEL RACKS I£ you bought a five bar CS Rappel Rack between 16th October and 14th of December 1990, check that thefourth and fifth bars are fitted the right way round. A rogue batch was produced, six of which are unnacounted for. If you have one, Phil Brown will replace it free of charge. (I should bloody well think so!). PETZL HELMETS If you own a Petzl Helmet which may have been manufactured since 1988 and it has 11mm smooth rivets on the outside of the dome, please do the following check - Pull on the tape coming out of each rivet at right angles to the dome until the dome distorts. In the event of any failure, return them to the supplier. Shock Absorbing KnotsW ‘The suggestion made in the NCA Equipment Report that shock absorbing knots should! be used on single bolt rebelays (Descent 94) led to further comments in issue (95). Now, Al Warild adds this additional discussion, based on the relevant section of his SRT book, Vertical. | NGER some Hmoo mt Oo wHaZ rma mom rome wae ° ® wm om Mam wBdOK mene Cea) osn | | oma | ROMPO Gyouen om> praor aurea A fall factor is ai thelength of rope ‘matically. itis determined by dividing distance fallen by length of rope. D/L. A ‘weight hanging on the end of a rope cannot fall: there is a fall factor of zero. The other extreme comes from a fall from above a belay to the samme distance below its a fall factor of 2, Fall factor one is obtained by a weight dropped from the same level as the belay: fall distance and rope length are the same. The standard testis todrop a weight of 80kg for a distance of Im under FFI conditions. Further information on ‘drop tests can be found in Descenc (96), pp34-S, AFTER several years of allowing shock absorbing knots to lie quietly in the pages of Teciniques de ia Spéléologie Alpine. | see thar some cavers are trying 10 resurrect their use, Like the current advocates of shock absorbing knots. [toothought it wasa great idea. Lcould carry 7mm instead of mm rope. and by tying a simple ‘extra knot here and there it could be safer. shockwise at least. than my 8mm rope. Fortunately. 1 and as pan of my research for Vertical I did a series of drop tests. Shock absorbing knots did not fare at all well, ‘The principle involvediisthat by tying a suitable knot in a length of static rope it is given some dynamic properties. However. hey do not work reliably enoweh to be safe. as can be seen from the results in the table. ‘The abnormal loading of any knot is exceptionally hard ‘on the rope and almost invariably reduces the number (of fall factor one (FF) 8Okg falls it will survive Shock absorbing knots have some chance of working in a new rope. which normally fails within wo FFI 80kg falls vie. 7mm or some &mm ropes). Their per: formance. however. isso variable as tomake them more dangerous than no shock absorbing knot. The only possible advantage such aknot may give isthat the extra ‘end effect’ created by another kriot tightening ampen the shock of the first fall and reduce the chances of one’s ascender biting though the rope sheath. The problem is thatthe shock absorbing knot may not lipas should and the rope may break on its first fall instead Put simply. shock absorbing knots are worse than useless - they're dangerous! So. if shock absorbing knots are not the answer, what is? Try making use of the following advice: 1, Never use very static rope. Keep stretch greater than 2 per cent 2. Do not rig rebelays close together. or the possible fall factor may approach FF. Aim to rig with @ maxi- mum FF of 0:3 3. Keeptheslack inarebelay toan absolute minimum allow just enough 10 undo a descender. 44. Use a Y or shared anchors so that if one fails the result is ¢ minor pendulum rather than a fal. Results of Drop Tests on Shock-Absorbing Knots Rope* Age Shock Falls (mm) (years) Absorbing FFI. 80kz. Knot im 9 new none 40 9 new Overhand loop 4 9 new Alpine Butterfly 3 9 45 none cr 9 45 Overhandioop 2 9 35° DoubleBowiine 1 8 new none 1 8 new Overhand loop 2 7 0 none 1 7 1 Overhand loop = NOTES * Ropes used were a follows Bluewater 8: Bluewater accessory cond accessor cord “The igure in the “Falls column represents the number of Fall Factor | drop tat were susianed. In anly one est {ie Simm» out of thineen dida shock absorbing knot give {clear improvement The Tmm rope results até expecially ingens. 7: Beal — DESCENT (98) FEB/MAR 1991 23 DEJAVUE There were these keen, young, aspiring cavers (yacs!) insistent in their tone, "It's OK, you'll be alright, you're not too old for the trip." I then snapped out of a beery dream at the ‘Bleeding Wolf’ to realise that these yacs were talking to Ralph. I immediately felt better. And so it came to pass, a trip back in time to the Pyrenees, PSM, Gavarnie and Casteret's Ice Cave. To this last item I have now been press ganged into telling a tale or two. I first went to Gavarnie in 1974 with SWCC and the usual camp followers and a little known lad called Martyn Farr. We spent two weeks at the Berger and then headed for the Reseaux Felix Trombe. WE were six in number and packed into a short wheelbase Landrover owned by Peter Francis (SWCC), It was late in the aftenoon and only a short distance from our destination when Peter Francis blew a fuse. You see, he had brought an ice axe and crampons in order to go to Castertons Ice Cave which was nowhere near the Felix Trombe. His transport tus did an about turn and headed for Gavarnie with five unhappy and silent passangers. Still, it pays to be flexible. We dossed inLOurdes about midnight and looked around the town the next day. I have to say it is the pits - exploitation is an understatement. However it is on the way to the mountains. The road climbed steadily and the mountains rose in splendour before us. WQe took the ski road from Gavarnie up the ‘Vallee des Especieres' to the end of the road at Port du Gavarnie. It was late afternoon thus we went back down the road a short way and camped near the Col de Tentes, with youthful expectations for the next day. THe night was quite cold and dawn rose in the form of a misty drizzle. Visibility was about ten feet and our hopes sank to a man, all except one Martyn Farr. “We'll find it - come on, get up " ete was thrown at us. We set off, along the path from the Port du Gavarnie under the hanging Glaciers on the Taillon towards the refuge below the Breche de Roland. Picking our way along the edge of a large snowfield we found a well worn trail leading to the Refuge. Pausing only to draw breath, we pressed on, crunching up a long snowfield leading to the Breche itself, We could see all of two yards. The Breche appeared suddenly out of the mist giving only a breif impression of its size. This vas silly. We stopped to assess the position. All thought it hopeless except guess who, yes, you're right, Martyn Farr. He bravely set out into unknown Spain while the rest of us sat down in what little shelter we could find. We would give him 30 minutes before returning to civilisation and beer. I passed the time huddled behind a large boulder wearing every piece of survival kit I had to hand, watching the ice crystals growing on the boulders. After 15 minutes Martyn appeared cursing the weather and describing the terain beyond as appalling. "I was lost between boulders the size of houses" he was heard to mutter, We said little and hurried back down to Gavarnie for food and beer. A transformation, the next day dawned bright and clear with visibility of 40 miles or more. We repeated the walk but with spectacular mountains to appreciate and to detract the attention from gasping lungs and thumping hearts, The view into Spain from the Breche was worth the trip alone and showed the folly of Martyn the previous day. We quickly picked our way across the terrain to the ice caveand climbed a small unstable scree up to the entrance. An icey blast met us, very welcome this time after the hot sun. And so to caving. Six people, one set of crampons, one ice axe and..... "Who's got the ladder?" "Where is the ladder?" "You have it" "No I don't” "I thought..." I have cleaned up the text somewhat, but you get the idea. Anyway, ic was fun, Sliding across the entrance leke and gazing long at the huge columns of ice 30, 40° high and 10, 20' in diameter cascading from the cave roof. Martyn had to spoil it by asking for volenteers to photograph it with him. Oh yes and lying full length between an ice floor and the roof gazing dolefully down an ice pitch into the darkness (beckons!!) This is the background to my love afair with Gavarnie. So it was natural for me to suggest we go when we had a planning meet for the Summer holiday, sorry expedition. No one objected, and so it came to pass. 1987 and one overloaded minibus full of hot sweaty, drunken cavers rolled into an unrecognisable Gavarnie. It was swarming with bloody tourists! "This place vas empty last time I was ‘ere" was uttered by my lips. I felt the bus groan. It is always a mistake to reminisce. No hillside camp this time, pure luxury in a campsite in the valley bottom. A shower, some hot food and a few more “biers" soon revived the spirits. Plans were made for the next day (this is a cryptic comment - ie none). This is not entirely true, I did have a conversation with Tipple. "What do we need?" "Not much, couple of ice sdrews plus rope." "We havn't got any rope, it's all packed." "Groan - what, none handy?" "No" "OK, we use mine. 120' 9mm." "No need, I've found some!" “Are you sure?" "Yeah." And the night was still young. What delights were to tempt us. A new band had joined the camp. The nearest translation I can give for the name is ‘The Rent Boys', They were a bit lacking on musical tallent but made up for it with stage presence which saved the day. They were well received by the locals who applauded with gusto. I will not name the people in question as yet, beer will buy my silence. Dawn came bright and clear. With food eaten and bags packed we headed up the Port de Gavarnie and parked the bus. Most people where still unsure as to what they wanted to do but my goal was clear and I thought I had one or two followers. We set off in two's and three's and were soon spread all over the mountain. I brought up the rear (or close to it) in style!! I was slightly confused by this time, Paul Shenton said it nvas altitude sickness, the more cruel said it was senility, The whole mountain had changed, where was all the snow? No hanging glaciers on Le Taillon. The snowfield before the refuge was no more. The view from the refuge was even more startling. No handsome snowfield sweeping majestically to the Breche de Roland but bare barren scree staring back at me. I had a sinking feeling. We slogged on up the dusty scree path past the hordes of tourists and regrouped at the Breche. I feasted on Bombay mix while people discussed what to do, Paul and myself decided to go straight to Casteret's ice cave. Everyone else decided to top Le Taillon as the easiest 3,000 m peak in the Pyrenees, I then asked Tipple for the rope. “I don't have the rope." "I thought you brought the rope" “It's down in the bus" "I don't believe this, this is just like I bit back the rest of the words, theyy were not appropriate. I had of course taken out my rope when Tipple said he had found one the previous evening. Paul and I left for the cave, the ice screws and crabs chinking away in the sack as a cruel reminder, Thirty minutes later ve were in the cool entrance, yet again welcome after walking in the noon sun (sounds more like a western), We quickly put on our caving gear and crampons and set forth. Where was all the ice? That sinking feeling I had experienced earlier was now fully realised. The entrance lake ice level was about 5' lowerand the huge ice columns had gone. Pitiful remanants lay broken across the lake. Yet again I looked sadly down the ice pitch. This time I had no need to lay flat out on the ice but merely to lower my head, I had the gear to front point down but not the experience or the nerve. Paul at this point thought it was time to bring some joy into my trip. He had to use his ice axe since he had brought it all the way. He took a mighty swing at a large fallen column and sent ice splinters cascading around and embeded his axe totally, It took 5 minutes to get it out (and the axe). One almighty pull sent him staggering backwards axe in hand. He then took one step forwards, caught his crampons and went sprawling (is this guy unlucky or what?) That was it. Crying with laughter all the tension and disappointment was gone, I could now see the funny side after all this effort. A hot sweaty climb back to the Breche, passing several members of our ragged ‘creve' on the way, telling them of the fantastic sights that awaited them. A rapid descent to the Refuge and the Port de Gavarnie. Bus back to campsite for more food and beer and it was all over yet again. Our small party split up the next daty to head back home. The dawn came misty and grey in true Gavarnie fashion and probably reflected most people's feelings I might go back again! For the wise, I suggest waiting for the next ice age. PS I hear John Gillet night be in the area this Summer, I wonder??? Bomber SORRY IAN 11! The Notlow 210 grill 3 in fact fitted by Ian......please accept our apologies. FIRST AID FOR CAVERS I recently attended a course run by DCRA entitled "First Aid for Cavers". You may find the following notes interesting but 1) They are not a complete guide and 2) Don't sue me if I have missheard something. I would recomend anyone who can to go on this or a similar course. There is also a booklet issued by CRO entitled "First Aid for Cavers" at £1.50. NUMBERS Although CRO do not recomend going caving in ones, twos or threes, they recognise that most cavers do do this (including themselves). It is worth bearing in mind that in the event of a disabilitating accident, even three people would struggle; one being the casualty, another would need to stay with the casualty and the third may have to exit the cave alone, possibly without a lifeline for pitches. If people cave in twos, they should be aware that they may have to accept spending many hours alone waiting to be rescued in the event of an accident. SPARE LIGHTS In a large party of say ten, two lamps failing would cause only 2 minor inconvenience, Ina party of two, this would be a total disaster. The smaller the party, the more important it is to carry spare lights. ATTITUDE & APPROACH I£ you find yourself having to administer first aid to a casualty, bear in mind that his mental well-being is just a important as his physical well-being if he is to stand the maximum chance of getting out of the cave without deteriorating further. Approach a casualty slowly, ie don't run up, see the injuries, shout "Oh my God!" and throw up. This will not help their state of mind. It is recognised that there is very little that you can do to treat a person underground and the best you can expect to do is to assist them out of the cave or failing that, keep them alive and comfortable. I€ the casualty is in immediate danger eg from drowning under a waterfall or about to be crushed by an imminent landslide, you have no choice but to move them to safer ground. Do this as carefully as possible, trying not to bend the neck or back. The next thing to do is to prioritise injuries ie there is little point in treating a broken finger if the casualty is bleeding to death from a head wound. Treat the most urgent injuries first. A rule of thumb is 1) breathing 2) bleeding 4) fractures 4) others. BREATHING The next thing that needs to be done is to make sure that the casualty is still breathing. If they are consious this won't be difficult, If unconsious, you need to check and inspect their airways. Don't just stick your fingers in their mouth, unconsious people bite! Guard against this by wedging their back teeth with a karabiner or suchlike and remove any broken teeth, false teeth, vomit etc from the air passage. If they have stopped breathing, you are going to have to attempt to resussitate them. It is best to learn this technique before you go caving. (The same applies to cardiac massage; unless you are absolutely sure of what to do you are as likely to kill a healthy person as save a dying one if you make any mistakes!) If you have to resussitate a drowning person after dragging them out of a sump for example, don't waste time getting them to dry land. You can start the resussitation in the water whilst you are bringing them ‘ashore’. BLEEDING The next biggest killer to not breathing is bleeding to death. Check for any external bleeding and stop it. This is done by applying pressure with a rag or anything that is available. If you have nothing else, use your bare hands. Sterility may have to take a back seat in an emergency. Elevating the limb will help to reduce the flow of blood. Tourneques are not recomended by the St Johns ete. because of the danger of strangling the limb which could lead to the need for amputation. FRACTURES The next thing is to diagnose and assess injuries. This will only be a rough guess; doctors spend years training to do this and they are sometimes wrong. Start at the head, feeling for damage, lack of symetry etc. If a head injury is suspected, don't remove the helmet if it has not already come off - it will support any loose bits. Move down to the neck. If the casualty is concious, they will tell you if they have a broken neck. They will probably also hold their head in position with their hands. Don't let them move! Movement could make the difference between a few weeks off caving and a lifetime in a wheelchair. Pack the neck with mud, rocks, anything to support it and get help from the CRO. If the person is not concious, it is practically impossible to detect a broken neck. Assume the worst. Next check the shoulders and upper arms for symmetry. Lack of symmetry may indicate a break or disslocation. Although very painfull, this is unlikely to be life threatening in itself. Dont try to reset the limb. Let the casualty decide upon the most comfortable position for it and support it in this position using whatever is available (ie rocks and mud), If you are lucky this position may be next to the body and it may be possible to strap it into position. If you are very lucky the casualty may even be able to help himself out of the cave. Feel the ribs and back. Injuries to the ribs can vary in intensity from cracked to stoved in. If chest injuries are suspected, sit the casualty upright. This prevents fluid from building up in the lungs. Support any broken ribs with firm Pressure. This may be done by getting the casualty to hold them, by you lying against them or by resting them against the cave wall depending upon where the damage is. If the back appears to be damaged, read as for a broken neck. Pelvic fractures can be quite serious. They are detected by feel and comparison. You are going to have to stick your hand down their pants and feel about. This might be pleasurable or otherwise, depending who the casualty is. Another symptom is the casualty will have a feeling of wanting to ‘go to the toilet'. They will find this physically impossible but never-the-less, the feeling will be there. If a pelvic fracture is suspected, it's a rescue job. Fractures to the thigh are pretty self indicating. One of the side effects of these is that the limb goes into involintary tremour, This may be continuous or intermittent, but must be reduced to stop it causing further damage. The easiest way to do this is to sit on the limb until the attack is over. This may not be very popular with the casualty at the time, but they will thank you for it in the long term. Fractures of the lower leg vary in severity, Once, after telling her that there was nothing wrong with her, I helped a girl to get herself out of a mine which included a 30 ft ladder climb. The next day she was diagnosed as having a broken fibula. Other breaks can be decapacitating. A splint may help if you can find something (eg an old stemple, but not one which is holding the roof up!) but don't try to reset it. The casualty will tell you whether they can walk or not. INTERNAL INJURIES I£ the stomach feels taut, it may indicate abdominal injuries. If this type of injury is suspected, don't let them eat or drink and try to talk them out of ‘going to the toilet' (how many caves have you seen with toilets?). This will hopefully reduce the risk of causing infections in the abdominal cavity. SHOCK There are two types of shock. The first is caused by witnessing nasty accidents and similar. It is actually a recognised medical condition. Blood rushes to the lower bowels causing a sinking feeling and the brain {s thus starved of oxygen and may cause a faint. This is not serious provided you are not balanced on top of a SO ft pitch. If someone faints due to shock, put them in the recovery position. If they just feel faint, sit them upright and place their head between their knees until they recover. Hyperbolemic shock is caused by lack of blood due to bleeding, either internally or externally. The only sure way to prevent this from being fatal is to replace the blood. This obviously has ‘to be done in a hospital so all you can do is to help remove the casualty to the surface as quickly as possible and get them to a hospital. HYPOTHERMIA Hypothermia sneeks up on people. It is caused by cooling of the body core temperature and is often difficult to detect in its early stages. It is very difficult to detect it in yourself. The first symptom is shivering, followed by an erratic pulse rate, Mental confusion indicates that the situation is getting dangerous. This may cause strange behaviour like people complaining of the heat when they are obviously cold. The mext two stages are unconciousness and death. A simple test of someones mental state is to ask them their phone number. If they struggle to reply, then (providing that they are on the phone) this indicates that it's well time to do something. In its very early stages, hyporthermia can be curbed by physical exercize. However, if the casualty gets to the mental confusion stage, this could accelerate death, They need to be gradually warmed up again. The only practical way in a cave (without the little dragon) is to climb into a suvival bag with them and cuddle them. If you have the luxury of a thermometer (and believe it or not, I have seen them in caves), it is possible to monitor any trend in their their body temperature which will indicate their recovery (or otherwis Warming externally too quickly may kill a person so resist the temptation to toast them wich your carbide lamp. Another way to kill someone in this state is to give them alcohol. Food and warm drinks may help though, especially in the early stages. Morale is a major factor with hyporthermia. Victims sometimes make miraculous recoveries upon seeing daylight and happily skip off to the pub. However, bear in mind the conditions outside the cave. The relative warmth of Giants Hole may be an infinitely better place to recover than in that God-forsaken car park in the middle of a Winter's night. Tell the casualty what is happening to them. an understanding of the situation can sometimes help them to help themselves, If the they are too far gone this will not be the case. A cousin of mine who almost froze to death on a Scottish mountain recalls the experience as being like a pleasant dream in which he was just watching the proceedings without being involved. CRUSH INJURIES I£ someone is lying crushed under a rock and you suspect that they have been there for an hour or more, unless they are in some other immediate danger don't move the rock! | This may seem strange advise but toxins build up. in the area around crush injuries. If the pressure is suddenly releived these are released into the bloodstream and may kill the casualty. Wait for medical assistance. SUMMARY : There's not much you can do to treat an injured person underground. Make sure that they are not in any imminent danger, breathing, not bleeding to death, not freezing to death and don't move them if you suspect back or neck injuries. If you wane to carry any first aid equipment on routine trips DCRO recomend a triangular bandage as the most useful single item. If you are in any doubt, don't hesitate to call cave rescue. Their attitude is they would much prefere a wasted journey than a fatality caused by hesitation. ++++++00000000----+- MEETS 1991 Lionel has bocked the following for your entertainment! April 13 Xmas do 20° Ireby Fell 21 Marble Steps May 18 *Dale Head Pot 19 *Pen-y-Gent June 1 OFD 1-2 July 1-10 Berger 27° Gingling Por August =-.11 Eldon September 14 Lost Johns 14/15 *GG/Bar Pot/Stream Passage October 5 Otter Hole 12 Juniper Gulf November 24 Peak Cavern * Subject to confirmation The permit for Otter now covers only 4 people + guide. Please see Lionel with any requests foe 1991/92. Some caves now require more than 12 months booking in advance. CCPC ARCHIVES : KNOTLOW (Part 1) In the early days the CCPC this idea should be resurected?). used to keep 2 ‘log! of any interesting finds (maybe This archive is full of absolute gems. Some have become standard trips, some abandoned whilst the vast majority have simply become lost and forgotten. "During July 1974 John Preston and I spent some time investigating the fields around Knotlow entrance. We opened and entered a number of small shafts, none of which were of any great interest, being merely trials into the Knotlow Vein, quickly abandoned by the miners. "But down in the bottom field, near to the capped ‘Fourways’ Shaft is a small fenced off shaft which was nore encouraging. The opening was covered with a couple of logs and some rusty tin but underneath, the collar of the shaft and the ginging were in perfect condition. “We dropped a hundred and twenty feet of ladder down and descended with care not to disturb the ginging. This finished some twelve feet down where the shaft entered solid rock. The shaft here had the appearance of a natural rift. vat -30' it was possible to get off the ladder onto what appeared to be a rubble floor. with a couple of holes through it. It was only when we had descended through the larger hole that we could see that our rubble ‘floor’ was really a wooden platform covered by rubble (possibly the remains of the original ‘bee-hive') and as such non too sound!! The shaft then continued to the bottom without further interuption. on the way down "Features of note were:- 4) a large stack of deads resting on rotten wooden stemples. b) a very inviting bedding plane some 18" high and up to 10' wide. This looked a definite hopeful, but due to our clothing (everyday outdoor) and the thick mud on the floor we did not enter it. How about this one with it's superb survey? ©) A second bedding plane couple of inches high. only a d) Pockets of dog-tooth spar, "The bottom of the shaft simply runs into loose rubble, well sprinkled with animal bones (possibly a cow). “Having compared the position of the shaft with the Eldon survey of Knotlow and having considered the depth (100') we concluded that this shaft, if cleared, would lead into Heifer Rift near Crimbo Swallow. Digging the shaft would be easy if the stacked deads above could be made safe for a fall could not be avoided by anyone in the bottom of the shaft. Colin Knox 9.1.78 "Sounds very promising. Had a chat to Dave Gill who also knew about the shaft. Agrees on the likelyhood of a connection but has done nothing about it. A/C to my calculations based on Eldon survey and Steve's notes (and my own measurements) - “ELDON- to top of Heifer Rift = 253%" Height to top of Heifer Rift = 804' Height to top of Fourways Fourways 923° 11g" Difference being "STEVE- Shaft is 100' deep Difference in height, Fourways to Steve's 1st - 3 = 12" "A/C to me there is only 7! vertically and 2m horizontally. The verticle distance is accurate (using a Dumpy Level). The horizontal distance is less accurate. Dave Gill connect." (and Eldon) reckon it does Ralph Johnson (undated) I£ you are tempted to go for a look, please bear in mind that access to this land is dodgy at present. © ORME, eqs a4 abvss-z 7 adig aya ~ Yay euves “erepalieny VE : mi Pie : aq 7 ry pray coneg ~tpasadxa 1 | soccer sc a Seeeeenne per eee ner ee ee 7 Hs | __ _—_—— “U8L--b A HD