dudley bug
Member
In researching caves in the South Wales area, I stumbled upon a report of a valiant rescue attempt of three dogs carried out over almost two weeks at a cave in Jackdaw Quarry. The efforts taken by local cavers to reach the dogs are totally amazing, and I have taken the liberty of extracting the text of the report from the Cwmbran CC Journal to share here.
A question arises from this -
Was the cave the dogs were lost in, one of the two recorded caves in the quarry namely Jackdaw Quarry Pot or Jackdaw Quarry Cave, or was this another cave within the quarry?
Cwmbran CC Journal No.19 1991/2
DOG RESCUE - by Graham Stark
6th April
Local shopkeeper told dog owner to call me to see if I could find his dogs that were lost in a hole in Jackdaw Quarry Varteg, three dogs Sam, Tina & Speed.
3:45 p.m. I arrived at quarry and saw hole that the dogs went in then I spent 2 hours abseiling around quarry buttress trying to find another way in, nothing was found decided to start digging them out the following day.
7th April
Myself & G. Cooper started 9:30 am moving boulders and rubble from hole. The dogs were barking strongly, we were following dog footprints and white hairs that were stuck to tunnels. The tunnels were about 7 inches diameter. We had to enlarge them to 2 feet diameter worked until 8 pm. Dogs still barking.
8th April
Returned to the quarry when the RSPCA were just arriving I explained what had to be done and they agreed, so Cooper and I and two RSPCA men started work. The RSPCA men where Ralph Evans and Nigel Douguid. Started 10 am worked till 7:30 pm. Dogs still barking.
9th April
Shaun Doughton joined us. The team had dug into the hill for 15 ft. its sides were very loose so was in need of heavy timber supports. Pulled everyone out TOO DANGEROUS. Try again tomorrow. Worked 10 ? 4 pm. Dogs still barking.
10th April
Cooper ain?t playing no more. Arrived 9 am. I started timbering up loose rock, I scrounged the timber from local drift mine. 11:30 am I thought it was safe to let the others in to work. I got trapped by a boulder for about 3?4 hours it made my foot go black - never seen anything like it before, broke into 8 inch phreatic tube filled with old bones, rabbit I think. Stopped work 8pm. Dogs still barking.
11th April
The Press and TV came yesterday but today there's about 14 of them I'm worried some one will get hurt or fall down the quarry, more rocks and muck coming out today. Roof safe. Worked 8:30 ? 8 pm. Dogs still strong.
12th April
Arrived 8:30am. Dogs still barking. We have taken about 50 ton of rubble out so far but today it?s wet and very slippery inside the cave and the wet has brought down some of the roof, took three hours to clean it up. Dug into a chimney going up with lots of scratch marks in the clay. Got to the top about 5 o'clock and there's no way in. We have to try another way, there's a crack on the left about 10 ft back, so we started digging again. 8:45 pm pissed off so we went home.
13th April
Arrived 8 am dogs still barking. The crack we started to follow yesterday goes up into roof. Working in 12 inch and 18 inch, water running up my legs and out my neck, still digging. Went home 7:30 pm Cold and Wet.
14th April
Only two dogs can be heard. Roof fell in again pulled everyone out, got more timber, RSPCA want to try digging a shaft from the top, I'll try anything. Started shaft 3 pm went home 8:30 pm.
15th April
A few more extra helpers arrived today, pushing the shaft making good time. Can still only hear two dogs, went home 7:30 pm.
16th April
8:30 am. Still only two dogs barking. About 11 am shaft broke through into the top of where we have been working, I went inside and collapsed the timbers that had been put in couple of days ago and now we have two ways out. Can hear dogs coming from down a small rift, started digging rift, went home 8:00 pm.
17th April
8:00 am. Only one dog barking. Digging rift going good. Barking getting louder. 4:45 pm the rift has narrowed to two inches wide, barking coming from rift, no way the dogs went down there. All of us are pissed off so I lay back and looked at the roof, and there was white hair sticking too it pulled away muck and there was a muddy tube with lots of footprints, so we started digging out the tube. Went home 7:30 pm.
18th April
8.00am. Still only one dog barking. Still digging tube I broke into a rift 18 inches wide 6 ft. high, now I know some of the dogs are dead, the smell clings to the back of your throat, dog footprints going off to left. Widened left rift to 8?. I started to squeeze through, came to a hole in the floor the smell was coming out of the hole, so I had to widen it to 8? x 14?, I managed to pull a few boulders out but some were too big. Tried to throw food down hole on the right hoping some will get to the dog. Went home 9:00 pm.
19th April
7-30am. Only one dog barking. Managed to squeeze into hole in floor, in a chamber 2 ft. x 3 ft. looked down through small hole, I can see the dogs, two dead, one alive, I have to widen hole so that I can pull him out with a grasper (a pole with a hoop on the end) I reached down through the hole but the pole was three feet too short so I had to dig down for about 31?2 feet but the only way I could use the grasper was by balancing on my head with my feet in the air, after about 11?2 hours on an off I got the little Bastard - was I glad or what!!
I then carried him out to the joy of everyone there. It was great to see the owners face when I gave him at least one of his dogs. Then I went down the pub and got pissed.
Throughout the rescue the teamwork of cavers and RSPCA was without fault, I would like to thank all the cavers that put in whatever help they could, as well as the RSPCA for their help for without the combined effort of everyone then none of this would have been possible.
So my thanks go to all the people who took part, some of which were :-
Gareth Cooper
Shaun Doughton
Dave Lewis
Mat Lewis
Carl Jones
D. Langford
A. Lennard Nigel Duguid )
Ralph Evans
Rohan Barker )
And not forgetting ISCA Caving Club who offered their support.
A question arises from this -
Was the cave the dogs were lost in, one of the two recorded caves in the quarry namely Jackdaw Quarry Pot or Jackdaw Quarry Cave, or was this another cave within the quarry?
Cwmbran CC Journal No.19 1991/2
DOG RESCUE - by Graham Stark
6th April
Local shopkeeper told dog owner to call me to see if I could find his dogs that were lost in a hole in Jackdaw Quarry Varteg, three dogs Sam, Tina & Speed.
3:45 p.m. I arrived at quarry and saw hole that the dogs went in then I spent 2 hours abseiling around quarry buttress trying to find another way in, nothing was found decided to start digging them out the following day.
7th April
Myself & G. Cooper started 9:30 am moving boulders and rubble from hole. The dogs were barking strongly, we were following dog footprints and white hairs that were stuck to tunnels. The tunnels were about 7 inches diameter. We had to enlarge them to 2 feet diameter worked until 8 pm. Dogs still barking.
8th April
Returned to the quarry when the RSPCA were just arriving I explained what had to be done and they agreed, so Cooper and I and two RSPCA men started work. The RSPCA men where Ralph Evans and Nigel Douguid. Started 10 am worked till 7:30 pm. Dogs still barking.
9th April
Shaun Doughton joined us. The team had dug into the hill for 15 ft. its sides were very loose so was in need of heavy timber supports. Pulled everyone out TOO DANGEROUS. Try again tomorrow. Worked 10 ? 4 pm. Dogs still barking.
10th April
Cooper ain?t playing no more. Arrived 9 am. I started timbering up loose rock, I scrounged the timber from local drift mine. 11:30 am I thought it was safe to let the others in to work. I got trapped by a boulder for about 3?4 hours it made my foot go black - never seen anything like it before, broke into 8 inch phreatic tube filled with old bones, rabbit I think. Stopped work 8pm. Dogs still barking.
11th April
The Press and TV came yesterday but today there's about 14 of them I'm worried some one will get hurt or fall down the quarry, more rocks and muck coming out today. Roof safe. Worked 8:30 ? 8 pm. Dogs still strong.
12th April
Arrived 8:30am. Dogs still barking. We have taken about 50 ton of rubble out so far but today it?s wet and very slippery inside the cave and the wet has brought down some of the roof, took three hours to clean it up. Dug into a chimney going up with lots of scratch marks in the clay. Got to the top about 5 o'clock and there's no way in. We have to try another way, there's a crack on the left about 10 ft back, so we started digging again. 8:45 pm pissed off so we went home.
13th April
Arrived 8 am dogs still barking. The crack we started to follow yesterday goes up into roof. Working in 12 inch and 18 inch, water running up my legs and out my neck, still digging. Went home 7:30 pm Cold and Wet.
14th April
Only two dogs can be heard. Roof fell in again pulled everyone out, got more timber, RSPCA want to try digging a shaft from the top, I'll try anything. Started shaft 3 pm went home 8:30 pm.
15th April
A few more extra helpers arrived today, pushing the shaft making good time. Can still only hear two dogs, went home 7:30 pm.
16th April
8:30 am. Still only two dogs barking. About 11 am shaft broke through into the top of where we have been working, I went inside and collapsed the timbers that had been put in couple of days ago and now we have two ways out. Can hear dogs coming from down a small rift, started digging rift, went home 8:00 pm.
17th April
8:00 am. Only one dog barking. Digging rift going good. Barking getting louder. 4:45 pm the rift has narrowed to two inches wide, barking coming from rift, no way the dogs went down there. All of us are pissed off so I lay back and looked at the roof, and there was white hair sticking too it pulled away muck and there was a muddy tube with lots of footprints, so we started digging out the tube. Went home 7:30 pm.
18th April
8.00am. Still only one dog barking. Still digging tube I broke into a rift 18 inches wide 6 ft. high, now I know some of the dogs are dead, the smell clings to the back of your throat, dog footprints going off to left. Widened left rift to 8?. I started to squeeze through, came to a hole in the floor the smell was coming out of the hole, so I had to widen it to 8? x 14?, I managed to pull a few boulders out but some were too big. Tried to throw food down hole on the right hoping some will get to the dog. Went home 9:00 pm.
19th April
7-30am. Only one dog barking. Managed to squeeze into hole in floor, in a chamber 2 ft. x 3 ft. looked down through small hole, I can see the dogs, two dead, one alive, I have to widen hole so that I can pull him out with a grasper (a pole with a hoop on the end) I reached down through the hole but the pole was three feet too short so I had to dig down for about 31?2 feet but the only way I could use the grasper was by balancing on my head with my feet in the air, after about 11?2 hours on an off I got the little Bastard - was I glad or what!!
I then carried him out to the joy of everyone there. It was great to see the owners face when I gave him at least one of his dogs. Then I went down the pub and got pissed.
Throughout the rescue the teamwork of cavers and RSPCA was without fault, I would like to thank all the cavers that put in whatever help they could, as well as the RSPCA for their help for without the combined effort of everyone then none of this would have been possible.
So my thanks go to all the people who took part, some of which were :-
Gareth Cooper
Shaun Doughton
Dave Lewis
Mat Lewis
Carl Jones
D. Langford
A. Lennard Nigel Duguid )
Ralph Evans
Rohan Barker )
And not forgetting ISCA Caving Club who offered their support.
