Speedwell

R

Ralph

New member
The top 3 courses of The Bung (Speedwell) are loose. Please try and avoid using it for a week or so- repairs are in progress. If you do use it do so with care.
ALSO - if anyone knows who has been chiselling away at the lead scrin close the "The Miners" inscription let's "name & shame" 'em. It looks a real mess and HAS to be a caver!
 
Rob

Rob

Well-known member
Ralph said:
The top 3 courses of The Bung (Speedwell) are loose. Please try and avoid using it for a week or so- repairs are in progress. If you do use it do so with care.
Click to expand...
Do you mean that the top three rungs on the ladder are loose?
 
Brains

Brains

Well-known member
No, the stonework of the dam. The concrete capping is failing, so the wall may collapse. Hope to repair / renew ASAP while the water is low.

(NB The level of Far Sump (Peak end!) is quite low - the duck to the first airbell / chamber is open and the main sump is a good 3 - 4 ft lower at the moment)
 
Cave_Troll

Cave_Troll

Active member
last time i went down there, there was no water flowing over the top. this mean you could take your time rather than racing down the ladder as quick as possible. As you took your time you could appreciate how the joint in the middle of the ladder was flexing.
 
R

Ralph

New member
There is some discussion on replaceing the ladder which was fettled a few years ago by the Crewe branch of The coffin Dodgers. The cost of a stainless one is about the same as a galvanised steel one, almost ?300
(The Coffin Dodgers only charge for materials-assuming they can't scrounge them). I don't approve of fixed ladders but the odd one is essential and this is one of them. How about cavers or active clubs chipping in a bob or two? :eek: or am I being too optimistic :mad:
 
Big Jim

Big Jim

Member
Ralph said:
There is some discussion on replaceing the ladder which was fettled a few years ago by the Crewe branch of The coffin Dodgers. The cost of a stainless one is about the same as a galvanised steel one, almost ?300
(The Coffin Dodgers only charge for materials-assuming they can't scrounge them). I don't approve of fixed ladders but the odd one is essential and this is one of them. How about cavers or active clubs chipping in a bob or two? :eek: or am I being too optimistic :mad:
Click to expand...

Ralph, I thought that cavers did 'chip in' everytime they visited and paid the quid indemnity fee for the Peak Fund. I thought this was set up to help fund fixed aids in the systems. Sorry if I've got this wrong.

Id happily help with the graft.

J
 
Mark

Mark

Well-known member
Call the ladder a long gate and DCA will probably fund it like they did in Water Icicle
 
R

Ralph

New member
The top 3 courses of The Bung are now stabilised but the ladder is best considered "unsafe". The Coffin Dodgers hope to sort this next week, hopefully with a little help from the younger generation this weekend.
 
Cave_Troll

Cave_Troll

Active member
I know its a little last minute, but let me know if you want any help from a "younger generation"
I've not go anything booked so far this weekend
 
ditzy 24//7

ditzy 24//7

Active member
11749768a12522389399l.jpg

Al at the bottom of the bung, the ladder looks wonky

11749768a12522389431l.jpg

Looking up the bung ralph and len at work

11749768a12522389623l.jpg

Al points to the damaged scrin at the ent to cliff cavern passage

11749768a12522389690l.jpg

the miners toast is still ok
"a health to all miners and maintainers of mines"
how old is this writing?

11749768a12522389856l.jpg

top of the bung afterwards
 
Goydenman

Goydenman

Well-known member
Good work. Well done guys. I hate to think what would be the ramifications if the dam failed and water level going down in the showcave.
 
Rob

Rob

Well-known member
Goydenman said:
... I hate to think what would be the ramifications if the dam failed and water level going down in the showcave.
Click to expand...
Out of note, they are actually separate bodies of water, separated by the showcave platform in the Bottomless Pit.
 
Goydenman

Goydenman

Well-known member
Rob said:
Goydenman said:
... I hate to think what would be the ramifications if the dam failed and water level going down in the showcave.
Click to expand...
Out of note, they are actually separate bodies of water, separated by the showcave platform in the Bottomless Pit.
Click to expand...

Yes not thinking but still good job well done.
 
R

Ralph

New member
Not strictly true!
The water level in the entrance canal is kept topped up by water pumped from The Bung.
This source of water is extremely important to the show cave when water levels are low. If water levels are high water can be taken from the far canal under the floor of the staging at The Bottomless Pit but from experience the management normally leave the pump running.

Interestingly The Bung does not dry out when the water level in the Far Canal drops. It would appear to be fed from below (from Pit Ptops Passage?)


 
al

al

Member
In his book, Pitlamp mentions a tight sump which takes part of the stream near Pit Props. I guess this could maybe feed through to the bung.
 
Brains

Brains

Well-known member
graham said:
ditzy said:
"a health to all miners and maintainers of mines"
how old is this writing?
Click to expand...

Only very slightly younger than the miners' original route there, I suspect.
Click to expand...

According to TD Fords recent Castleton Caves the canal was driven in 1771 from a shaft, with the incline in use from 1778. It took 7 years to reach bottomless pit (450m). It is not stated when the Bung was reached. It is clear though that the miners new where the canal was heading, I would surmise that JH was the old route in.

I guess that a date around the late 1700's would be appropriate for this inscription, unless anybody out there knows better!
 
Brains

Brains

Well-known member
Just seen that an additional part of the script is quoted in the book:
"October 20th 1781, JB MN"
But it is not clear that this is the date of the toast. It has been assumed that it represents completion of the canal
 
graham

graham

New member
That'd fit with my best guess, possibly earlier but probably not later than the early 1800s.

The only effective way I know of getting an absolute date depends on U/Th dating of overlying stal deposits and I don't think there are any there?
 
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