Wednesday, 30 October 2024

Wednesday 30th October 2024

Chris George, Sam Hill, Stuart Jellis, Geoff Marchant, Milo Marchant, Adrian Miles and Simon Wedgewood. SH got to the dig for just after 6. Made a start clearing bang debris, filled 6 bags and shifted larger rocks back to the connection. Then joined by AM and more bags were filled and shifted. Kept clearing until 8 with 5 others turning up to help clear. Decent water worn tube in the right hand floor but more enlargement will be needed around area of previous bang. Two body  lengths down it looks like the floor levels out and cuts in right. Good cool draught. Finished by showing the others the rest of the cave. 2.5 hrs for me. Sam.

Before clearing. Photo SH.

After clearing. Photo SH.

Sunday, 27 October 2024

Sunday 27th October 2024

Mike Kushy, Tim Rose and Sam Hill.

MK and TR to start with. Took in the materials and two drills. Left bang wire in situ and MK freed it from below the awkward climb, TR then coiled it up and left it in Boulder Chamber above. With the coast clear we took all the tools down cave. TR went to the sharp end and started sending rocks up and a couple of bags. With stacking looking dodgy MK then went through the connection and TR handed the rocks and bags through to him. SH then arrived. MK stayed where he was, TR sat at the top of the rope pull and SH went to the dig face. Many bags and rocks cleared. Over an hour of clearing and SH said it was about ready for drilling/banging. MK went to the front and cleared a few more bags and several rocks. In the mean time SH and TR cleared rocks further back in the Boulder Rift chamber. All hands on deck to pass drills and materials to the dig face. Couldn't drill any more than 600mm deep without hitting mud. 5 holes drilled, only 4 of these got used. 3 holes with 600mm of 40gm and 1 with about 400mm. TR headed out with drills and unwound the cable down the awkward climb. Charge went off fine. The draught at the dig face got stronger the more that was cleared. The Boulder Rift connection now draughts the opposite direction to when we first found it. Deep trench beyond a calcite ledge at the sharp end. 1-2 inch crack in the ceiling full of calcite heading off to the right. It's looking really wide at the end now, just need some working height. 4 1/2 hours for me. MK

Current dig face after clearing. Photo MK.

Skeleton in Boulder Rift. Photo SH.

Skeleton in Boulder Rift. Photo SH.

Saturday, 26 October 2024

Saturday 26th October 2024

Mike Kushy, solo. Setting up charge in John's holes. 2 holes at full length of 1m bit. Another hole about 300mm deep. 600mm drill bit left at dig site now. Need to sort something to store drill bits in. Fired charge from base of entrance shaft, could smell fumes within seconds. 1 1/2 hours. MK.

Friday, 25 October 2024

Friday 25th October 2024

John Cooper. Three holes drilled in left hand wall. Problem with nearer left one. 1½ hours. John.

Wednesday, 23 October 2024

Wednesday 23rd October 2024

Sam Hill and Mike Wise met at 6pm, took the drill in and used P&F to reduce those 2 large rocks. Trevor Hughes,  Adrian Miles and Jake Baynes arrived. 5 being the perfect number, we cleared all the bang debris and other material that became accessible.  Rocks stashed higher in the passage were also cleared out and the access hole expanded slightly. Everything was carried through towards the Boulder Rift. Some very large rocks came out of the dig face. Ahead now is the remaining part of the blockage, just out of practical reach of the long crowbar. Either side of it, though, open spaces are visible. Sam went into Tooth Dig again to confirm we could see his light. Sitting in the dig, he seemed very close just above us and to the left on his approach. The more material we took out, the more obvious was the draught.

Kushy, suggest the next bang trip puts a couple of long holes in the obvious floor bulge on the left and maybe a shorter one above in the wall somewhere.  Also, please take a few more inches off that keystone rock we trimmed a few weeks ago - it's a pain in the neck when you try and bring rocks out.  One or two further sacks bit the dust. Finally,  you will find a muddy P&F set stashed with the key. It somehow got scooped out of the floor and into my wellie. It has an O ring on it, so it isn't one of those we used tonight. Work time approx 2.5 hours followed by a visit to The Hunters'. Mike.