The Mine Shafts Project. Hydrology.

[The Old Ruminator]

Quadpod jib extended. Its currently up for loan if required.

 

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Buried deep. Our first view of the main shaft. Spot on with our reckoning.

 

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Cap underside revealed.

 

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The first proper view.

 

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Brian Johnson arrives on the top beam.

 

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The photographer gets down on a proper ladder.

 

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The photographer under the cap.

 

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Two years of digging, engineering, making friends with the locals, working together as a group and of course those thousands of photographs from you know who lie ahead.

 

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BJ preparing timber in his " plantation ". We have been lucky with materials. Something always popped up to solve a problem.

 

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At 20m a dry level is seen part filled with deads.

 

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Work starts at shaft two nearly half a mile away.

 

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Peter Glanvill videos the dry level but stops at a very deep hole.

 

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Peter sees the level continue beyond the hole.

 

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Three old men at shaft two. We have been caving together for sixty years. Pete Rose left sadly is now ill and has had to stop. Me and Dr. G. carry on in our doddery way. Maybe this is my last big project.

 

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Meet Mike Wise who got this project going and negotiated the licence. Sometimes we forget the work done behind the scenes. We never anticipated how we would constuct the shaft entrances as we never expected them to be buried so deep. Thanks to contacts in the caving world we obtained used 900mm and 600mm twin tube pipes. In total at new over £2,000 worth. Ideal for entrances.

 

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To be continued.

 

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Oh well back again. Funny how things work out. I never meant to do this . Just a few photos on the hydrology. I dont know who is doing who the favour. The Forum for letting me splodge this all over the place or me for letting you see the ramblings. Mike worked hard on the licence with the landowner. It cost £1,000 to get it tied up with their solicitors. They even paid half. We met the agent prior and walked around with him promising to dig holes all over the place. He never said much and in two years we have not seen him since. There were lots of conditions but none seemed to go beyond the licence term . BCA Insurance, site anonimity. All parties named etc. Well the licence went for a year then they said would you like another two years? Of course we said yes but what happens after that expires none of us knows. In the meantime we have got on well with the tenants in the area. They look after our interests and keep an eye on our workings, charge our batteries, have us in for tea and biscuits. One lady has come caving with us and may do more. Two locals have also joined the team and have skills which help us. When it all ends I guess we will be rather sad.

 

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We had not reckoned on 900mm pipes when we built the shoring so it got to be a bit of bother getting them in the main shaft.

 

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Shaft Two was not so bad. It helps to have somebody who knows what he is doing.

 

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Shaft Two finished in the rain.