One interesting bonus of the recent Eldon Hole drop was the discovery of some carved graffiti in the Main Chamber - this was a few metres above the floor on the 'north' wall, roughly above the left-hand anchor for the triangular pull-through hauling cord, and it possibly involved a rigid ladder to carve, as the climb is up very steep and slippery flowstone, to use a hammer and chisel in candlelight. I've been in there many times before and never noticed it, but we did spend a lot more time staring at stuff. The carving is 'JT 1873', which is wonderful, as that confirms it to be the work of John Tym, documented as visiting with Rooke Pennington in that year. There's more information on this and other historical explorations in a great article by Mike Higgins in Derbyshire Caver 140:

https://thedca.org.uk/publications/newsletters/send/3-derbyshire-caver/27-derbyshire-caver-140

There's a close-up shot below, and on the wider shot of the large flowstone cascade going up the wall, the carving is just visible at the bottom-right corner (I hadn't noticed it at this point).

Good find very interesting indeed

It's interesting how the passage of time turns an act of vandalism into an interesting historical adjunct.

Some of the mines in Snowdonia have DB marked in carbide soot, and dates around the '50's and 60's. That is of course David Bick, who wrote a lot of books on the subject.

Maybe the rare mark I have left in a particularly hard to reach slate mine chamber might one day be of interest.

Chris.

ChrisJC said:

It's interesting how the passage of time turns an act of vandalism into an interesting historical adjunct.

Click to expand...

Even more for the Miner's Toast in Speedwell Cavern where there is a mixture of the old and the new.

One undocumented set (except by me) is in Pit Top Passage, above the Bottomless Pit, from the DPC trip in 1921 - names or initials of Puttrell and co, and the ubiquitous Arthur Ollerenshaw. I found a set of brass miners waistcoat buttons up there too - they're on display in the shop cabinet. That's almost certainly the way in to 'Rock Pipe':

https://pwhole.com/photo_galleries/PitTopPassage2/index.htm

AO's initials are also at the very end of Whirlpool Passage too, in the tiny mined stope on the vein - I think also 1921. This would be when he tried to build a wooden dam across Pit Props Passage, giving it the name. Though singularly failing to impound the water!

I'm sure I'll think of more - actually there's a great article in Cave and Karst Science by John Barnatt and Geoff Peppit on cave/mine graffiti, but I have to go out now - it's on their website