Red Rose Cave and Pothole Club - Newsletter Vol 6 No 4 - Aug/Sept 1969
Monday 1st. September 1969.
SKITTLE ALLEY DIG
Party:- J. Newton. I. Carruthers, B. Calvert,
P. Llewellyn, S. Potter, C. Bargh, F. Hardy.
Due to our disappointing previous day we decided to change direction of
our attack and dig in Lancaster Hole figuring upon Skittle Alley as being
a promising spot. On seeing the near static upstream sump we
decided to bale it. After about two hours we could see through into a
passage and after a further baling (of mud this time) Pete
and Roger wallowed through two feet of mud into a chamber about
ten feet in diameter and five feet high. After a slit
squeeze it opened up into a big stream passage about 25 feet high and 8 - 12 foot wide. This
continued for 300 feet and then closed to a crack. However it holds
two scaling possibilities and a prospect of a further good dig. The
difficulty coming back is that one refills the mud sump. Roger slid through
preceded by a tidal wave of mud which meant that baling had to start again,
Everybody braved the mud and then we fought our way out
weighed down by the same mud and also the fact
that two successive days caving had drained our lamps:- We hope to
have more details available in later club publication.
J. Newton.
STOP PRESS.
The now passage from the Skittle Alley sump has been pushed. Approximately
one thousnd feet has been explored thus far
heading in a northerly direction. It is generally a large passage and was
dry when explored (in drought conditions) Many Inlets remain to be
explored and the main passage terminates in a wide bedding plane which may
yet yield. The end of the initial exploration was passed with a twenty five
foot scale followed immediately by a twenty five foot descent (i.e. passing over
a vertical boulder choke). The formations are delicate and magnificent and of
course virginal. This looks like the most promising Red Rose find for some
years.
Editor,