John Cooper, Rob Harper, Mark Helmore and Mike Kousiounis. Mike banged a boulder ahead about 10.30am and the fumes cleared within the hour. Mark and Mike were breaking up boulders and when I arrived about 1.30pm Mark and Rob departed. Mike went back in and I supplied him with two mixes of cement and building rocks until calling it a day about 15.45. 2 hours surface work for me. John.
Mike’s report.
Mike arrived at the dig around 10 after picking up a det and 1m of 20g from Graham.
Solo trip down
and drill 2 holes into the ongoing Boulder, all went well and set of charge
about 10.40. Went to put gate back on but the fumes beat me to it, flying out
in about 3 seconds, so 12m in 3 seconds is the maths for the draught speed at
that time, slightly overcast.
Waited in the
car and Mark/Rob showed up at 11. Went back into the cave about 11.15 and no
problems with fumes at all. The bang did as hoped and the Boulder in the
ceiling stayed in place, although still sat on a shattered pillar to the left
(unsure if this is propping it, but it can stay there and get cemented in with
enough space still moving forward).
Cleared some
spoil and cut the angle iron out, Rob went to grab a hacksaw from Bean as my
blade didn’t last long. Mark joined me at the bottom whilst Rob was away and
started to attack the right hand wall. Lots of damage done, Rob was very
patient at surface waiting for buckets to be filled, that right hand wall is
very stubborn with no particular grain.
John arrived
and Rob/Mark left.
I managed to
fish some of the spoil ahead back and stacked the bigger rocks up to support
the scaffold bar above the ‘abyss hole’, also managed to pull some more of the
right hand wall out.
Cement was put
in to stabilise the left hand wall, high up on the right and started on the
dodgy stack further ahead to the left. Once set this will allow more of the
right hand wall to come out and a safe exit if anything moves when pulling the
rest of the stuff from ahead back/stabilising the dodgy stack.
