Stu Gardiner & Mark Denning
Not the best start to the day, Mark had somehow managed to loose his STEN light, probably from when we were digging on the previous Saturday, he had his helmet attached onto his back pack and it must have come loose and fallen into the grass, we looked everywhere and could not find it.
Anyway, generator rigged up we headed underground, however just as we approached Talus Mark realised he had forgotten the dust masks and had to go all the way back to the van.
At the dig face the drill was plugged in and to my surprise it lasted 2 seconds and stopped, after sometime Mark appeared and by luck he noticed that the generator was on 240v instead of 110v, he switched it over and all was fine.
We set about widening the approach to the current dig face and although the rock was very tough, a combination of many many holes, chisels and plugs and feathers saw the hole wide enough to start removing the loose mud beyond. All bags were filled along with the skips until we had totally filled the digging area to the point where we could just about exit.
The dig face is now workable although a large (loose) boulder will need to be removed somehow to allow the mud beyond to be dug. The choked passage is looking good with signs of a good flow of water, the mud is loose and the small rocks come out with ease.
Future sessions will again see lot's of hauling and a massive increase in spoil being deposited in Talus.
NOTE: We will require another Hilti 8mm SDS as we managed to destroy the end of it.
Total time underground: 7 hours
Saturday, 18 June 2011
Whitepit - 15/06/11
Estelle Sandford, Stu Gardiner, Mike Moxon & Henry Dawson
All the filled bags and skips were taken up to Talus and deposited before work carried on at the dig face, around 4 bags of mud were extracted from the hole along with a large slab of rock which made the area bigger quite quickly.
The approach to the dig is quite snug so the generator and drill will be needed for the weekend.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
All the filled bags and skips were taken up to Talus and deposited before work carried on at the dig face, around 4 bags of mud were extracted from the hole along with a large slab of rock which made the area bigger quite quickly.
The approach to the dig is quite snug so the generator and drill will be needed for the weekend.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Whitepit - 11th June 2011
Stu Gardiner, Mark Denning & Estelle Sandford
With the newly installed 110v cable to the dig face we transported the small generator to the surface depression and connected the cable before starting the generator.
Once at the dig face we connected the Bosch Hammer Drill and to our relief the drill worked meaning the very old cable was still in a working condition. We started out by drilling lot's of 10mm holes in the rocks that needed removing, once this was done we bored them out to 16mm to allow the insertion of the plugs and feathers.
Quick progress was made and lot's of rock and rubble was removed. With the increased drill power the dust being generated was considerably more than that of previous battery powered sessions so we had with us some luxury dust mask (thanks Mark).
During an over ambitious rock splitting moment the plugs and feathers became wedged, we had with us an SDS chisel bit so this was used in an attempt to break the surrounding rock, and to our surprise this worked extremely well and the remainder of the session was spent using the chisel bit to remove a huge amount of rock and stal making the foot sized hole now body sized.
All bags were filled and even the skip so the dig face is currently packed with spoil needing to be removed during the next session.
It is thought that another generator / drill session is needed before hopefully the digging will be mainly mud and small rocks meaning lot's of skip hauling and digging as usual.
Total time underground: 7 hours
With the newly installed 110v cable to the dig face we transported the small generator to the surface depression and connected the cable before starting the generator.
Once at the dig face we connected the Bosch Hammer Drill and to our relief the drill worked meaning the very old cable was still in a working condition. We started out by drilling lot's of 10mm holes in the rocks that needed removing, once this was done we bored them out to 16mm to allow the insertion of the plugs and feathers.
Quick progress was made and lot's of rock and rubble was removed. With the increased drill power the dust being generated was considerably more than that of previous battery powered sessions so we had with us some luxury dust mask (thanks Mark).
During an over ambitious rock splitting moment the plugs and feathers became wedged, we had with us an SDS chisel bit so this was used in an attempt to break the surrounding rock, and to our surprise this worked extremely well and the remainder of the session was spent using the chisel bit to remove a huge amount of rock and stal making the foot sized hole now body sized.
All bags were filled and even the skip so the dig face is currently packed with spoil needing to be removed during the next session.
It is thought that another generator / drill session is needed before hopefully the digging will be mainly mud and small rocks meaning lot's of skip hauling and digging as usual.
Total time underground: 7 hours
Whitepit - 08th June 2011
Mark Denning, Stu Gardiner, Mike Moxon & Henry Dawson
The borrowed St Cuthberts 110v cable (100m) was installed from the entrance down through the cave to the current dig face where around 5m was coiled up for future progression. The cable was cable tied down the ladder as not to cause an obstruction and tucked away off the main route through the cave.
Once the cable was installed some more hard digging was carried on with little progress being made, Mark had his battery drill so a few plugs and feathers were used and some small sections were removed.
The hole remains small and the removal of any spoil from within requires a very awkward inverted manoeuvre.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
The borrowed St Cuthberts 110v cable (100m) was installed from the entrance down through the cave to the current dig face where around 5m was coiled up for future progression. The cable was cable tied down the ladder as not to cause an obstruction and tucked away off the main route through the cave.
Once the cable was installed some more hard digging was carried on with little progress being made, Mark had his battery drill so a few plugs and feathers were used and some small sections were removed.
The hole remains small and the removal of any spoil from within requires a very awkward inverted manoeuvre.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
Monday, 6 June 2011
Tony Audsley's online Log book - Home Close
Below is Tony Audsley's online log book, an interesting read, covering recent activities over at Wigmore fam and the Home Close dig.
Tony Audsley's Digging Log
Tony Audsley's Digging Log
Whitepit - 05/06/11
Estelle Sandford, Mark Denning & Stu Gardiner
We were all woken to Mark making up some 16mm plugs and feathers at the Belfry at what seemed like the middle of the night, however it was around 9am, but we all had hangovers and a hacksaw grinding through steel is not the best of sounds.
The plan was again to attack the floor in an aid to enlarge the hole further to gain access to the loose mud and hopefully easy digging beyond. Although some of the floor was removed the drill batteries were just not lasting long enough with the 16mm holes needed for the plugs and feathers.
The crow bar was pushed as far down as possible into the loose mud and it was estimated at nearly 1m deep and with plenty more to go.
After a lengthy discussion it was decided that we are to install a 110v cable so that mains powered hammer drills can be used in an attempt to drill more holes, deeper and for longer so finally break the floor up.
Total time undergound: 2 hours
The next phase ..........................
We were all woken to Mark making up some 16mm plugs and feathers at the Belfry at what seemed like the middle of the night, however it was around 9am, but we all had hangovers and a hacksaw grinding through steel is not the best of sounds.
The plan was again to attack the floor in an aid to enlarge the hole further to gain access to the loose mud and hopefully easy digging beyond. Although some of the floor was removed the drill batteries were just not lasting long enough with the 16mm holes needed for the plugs and feathers.
The crow bar was pushed as far down as possible into the loose mud and it was estimated at nearly 1m deep and with plenty more to go.
After a lengthy discussion it was decided that we are to install a 110v cable so that mains powered hammer drills can be used in an attempt to drill more holes, deeper and for longer so finally break the floor up.
Total time undergound: 2 hours
The next phase ..........................
Whitepit - 01/06/11
Estelle Sandford, Stu Gardiner, Mark Denning, Mike Moxon & Henry Dawson
Time was spent removing the spoil from the dig area, around 10 skips / bags of mainly rock and some mud was taken up to Talus.
The remainder of the session was spent trying to enlarge the small hole that has appeared in the floor, however it is surrounded bu jammed boulders, this along with the the constricted nature of the dig face make for some very hard work. The mud in the hole is very loose and a crow bar revealed that there is lots of broken stal in amongst it.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
Time was spent removing the spoil from the dig area, around 10 skips / bags of mainly rock and some mud was taken up to Talus.
The remainder of the session was spent trying to enlarge the small hole that has appeared in the floor, however it is surrounded bu jammed boulders, this along with the the constricted nature of the dig face make for some very hard work. The mud in the hole is very loose and a crow bar revealed that there is lots of broken stal in amongst it.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
Monday, 30 May 2011
Whitepit 30 may 2011
Mark Denning and Estelle digging today
The idea today was to try and lower the floor enough to see down the water worn archway that disappears into the distance.The main problem we are still encountering is the tight space in which you can not swing a cat and that all the walls are still very solid rock and stall,however we persisted and slowly made the hole big enough to swing the hammer.
After a good couple of hours of bashing away at the floor with plugs and feathers and hammers and chisels the hole leading of is more accessible and i did manage to get a good look down the hole which is small and does look like it could be the void at the top of the roof.
The floor is still a solid lump but is now beginning to break up a couple good sessions should see us with enough room to start digging the water worn hole.
Lots of spoil ready to be brought out about 9 bags
3.5 hours digging
The idea today was to try and lower the floor enough to see down the water worn archway that disappears into the distance.The main problem we are still encountering is the tight space in which you can not swing a cat and that all the walls are still very solid rock and stall,however we persisted and slowly made the hole big enough to swing the hammer.
After a good couple of hours of bashing away at the floor with plugs and feathers and hammers and chisels the hole leading of is more accessible and i did manage to get a good look down the hole which is small and does look like it could be the void at the top of the roof.
The floor is still a solid lump but is now beginning to break up a couple good sessions should see us with enough room to start digging the water worn hole.
Lots of spoil ready to be brought out about 9 bags
3.5 hours digging
Sunday, 29 May 2011
Whitepit - 28/05/11
Mark Denning & Stu Gardiner
Capping and plug feathers in an attempt to widen the dig face so effective digging could carry on. Capping was very bad with stal veins being encountered in most boulders resulting in jammed rods and unexploded caps, plug and feathers were slightly more effective, however with most boulders not having free sides few were broken up enough to make a difference.
After a 'man' talk about what to do next, we decided to concentrate on digging straight down to try and gain more depth thus going past the stal and rock 'mess' which has been a thorn in our sides for many weeks.
After around 20minutes Mark dislodged a small boulder which revealed a void below and a water worn arch leading off in the general direction of the current passage. This is what we have been after and we now have a direction to dig in. The best part being that beyond the hole is loose mud suggesting that the stal 'mess' may have been held back at this point making future digging much more productive................. Time will tell.
Total time underground: 5 hours.
Capping and plug feathers in an attempt to widen the dig face so effective digging could carry on. Capping was very bad with stal veins being encountered in most boulders resulting in jammed rods and unexploded caps, plug and feathers were slightly more effective, however with most boulders not having free sides few were broken up enough to make a difference.
After a 'man' talk about what to do next, we decided to concentrate on digging straight down to try and gain more depth thus going past the stal and rock 'mess' which has been a thorn in our sides for many weeks.
After around 20minutes Mark dislodged a small boulder which revealed a void below and a water worn arch leading off in the general direction of the current passage. This is what we have been after and we now have a direction to dig in. The best part being that beyond the hole is loose mud suggesting that the stal 'mess' may have been held back at this point making future digging much more productive................. Time will tell.
Total time underground: 5 hours.
Whitepit - 24/05/11
Stu Gardiner, Henry Dawson & Mark Denning
Time spent attempting to find the direction of the ongoing passage, with mostly chipping away at stal and rock, there would seem to be large boulders wedged against the ceiling and maybe the way on is again down through the floor.
A few rubble sacks were filled and stacked up for when we have more man power.
The air seemed off to start with but over the period of the session it seemed to freshen up with no obvious signs of increased levels of CO2.
Total time underground: 3 hours.
Time spent attempting to find the direction of the ongoing passage, with mostly chipping away at stal and rock, there would seem to be large boulders wedged against the ceiling and maybe the way on is again down through the floor.
A few rubble sacks were filled and stacked up for when we have more man power.
The air seemed off to start with but over the period of the session it seemed to freshen up with no obvious signs of increased levels of CO2.
Total time underground: 3 hours.
Monday, 23 May 2011
Whitepit 21st may 2011
Sorry for the lack of posts updating after the bang but unfortunately my computer packed up on me but no matter I'm back. So a quick up date from the past couple of weeks. Myself and Henry D went back down a few days after the bang and yes it was fairly successful. The wall and floor had both taken heavy damage and created about 19 loads of spoil of which we hauled back up to the dump.
Then on the following Wednesday evening myself and Jo went down for a couple of hours and removed alot of the big boulder in the floor. Now it looks like the roof has has turned south and digging straight down is the way on.
Lastly for this blog I went down on Saturday to try and widen the hole at the end.I spent a good couple of hours trying to get one little rock out turns out it was like a bloody ice Burg but i got the bugger out. The next digging session should be interesting when everyone else turns up and tries to figure out how the hell we're gonna get this rock up and out of the dig.
That's it all up to date.
Then on the following Wednesday evening myself and Jo went down for a couple of hours and removed alot of the big boulder in the floor. Now it looks like the roof has has turned south and digging straight down is the way on.
Lastly for this blog I went down on Saturday to try and widen the hole at the end.I spent a good couple of hours trying to get one little rock out turns out it was like a bloody ice Burg but i got the bugger out. The next digging session should be interesting when everyone else turns up and tries to figure out how the hell we're gonna get this rock up and out of the dig.
That's it all up to date.
Thursday, 19 May 2011
White Pit 18-5-11
Estelle Sandford, Mark Denning, Henry Dawson, Bill Combley and Tony (don't know surname!)
Clearing built up spoil bags/skips and digging the end. It has gone back to calcited in rock/mud and does seem to break up with lots of hammer and chisel action. Roof seems to have joined wall and we seem to basically be going straight down at the moment. Air is pretty rubbish at the end and you are panting well the whole time in the dig - we all rotated in for a go at the lack of oxygen though!
2.5hrs
Clearing built up spoil bags/skips and digging the end. It has gone back to calcited in rock/mud and does seem to break up with lots of hammer and chisel action. Roof seems to have joined wall and we seem to basically be going straight down at the moment. Air is pretty rubbish at the end and you are panting well the whole time in the dig - we all rotated in for a go at the lack of oxygen though!
2.5hrs
Sunday, 8 May 2011
04th May 2011 - Whitepit
Estelle Sandford, Mike Moxon, Mark Denning & Stu Gardiner
Stu and Mark finally rebolted the entrance ladder with 4x M10 stainless steel bolts to replace the rusty M6 'temporary' fixings, all that needs to be done now is to fix the bottom of the ladder to the ground and to support the mid section against the concrete pipe or railway track support.
Mike and Estelle went to the end to dig / clear remaining spoil from the previous banging trip. Stu and Mark joined them later after fixing the ladder although the air was very bad with the bang fumes still lingering in the air.
Time underground: 2.5 hours
Stu and Mark finally rebolted the entrance ladder with 4x M10 stainless steel bolts to replace the rusty M6 'temporary' fixings, all that needs to be done now is to fix the bottom of the ladder to the ground and to support the mid section against the concrete pipe or railway track support.
Mike and Estelle went to the end to dig / clear remaining spoil from the previous banging trip. Stu and Mark joined them later after fixing the ladder although the air was very bad with the bang fumes still lingering in the air.
Time underground: 2.5 hours
Friday, 22 April 2011
Whitepit 20th april
Mark Denning, Henry Bennett and Henry Dawson
After many hours of tirelessly banging hammers, chisels and plugs and feathers and getting nowhere very quickly, we finally blew the shit out of it thanks to lots of organising on Henry D's side and a bang licence with Henry B. We went down armed with my drill and two not so good battery's and the club drill with 1 battery. As ever best laid plans and all that, the club drill was flat so we only managed to get 4 holes drilled with my battery. Henry B set about rigging our 4 holes with 100 gram which I was told is quite poky. Myself and Henry D then set off up to Tallis taking the bang wire with us. A few minutes later Henry B joined us looking a little puzzled as to why I had unrolled his entire coil of bang wire and was so far away we probably wouldn't even hear the bang. Better safe than sorry I say. After a little messing around with a torch battery for an exploder, success. A bloody good thump woof sound and we legged it so hopefully on the next visit that bloody stal will be blown to bits.
After many hours of tirelessly banging hammers, chisels and plugs and feathers and getting nowhere very quickly, we finally blew the shit out of it thanks to lots of organising on Henry D's side and a bang licence with Henry B. We went down armed with my drill and two not so good battery's and the club drill with 1 battery. As ever best laid plans and all that, the club drill was flat so we only managed to get 4 holes drilled with my battery. Henry B set about rigging our 4 holes with 100 gram which I was told is quite poky. Myself and Henry D then set off up to Tallis taking the bang wire with us. A few minutes later Henry B joined us looking a little puzzled as to why I had unrolled his entire coil of bang wire and was so far away we probably wouldn't even hear the bang. Better safe than sorry I say. After a little messing around with a torch battery for an exploder, success. A bloody good thump woof sound and we legged it so hopefully on the next visit that bloody stal will be blown to bits.
Saturday, 9 April 2011
whitepit 9th april
Went down today for 5 hours took nice new lump hammer after breaking the handle on the last one it must of had cave worm .In future must remember to charge both batteries for drill its very annoying to drag it all the way in and its bloody flat anyway digging i dug a 2 ft hole straight down in the floor and only found mud and smaller boulders so i think with another session and a charged drill we might push through this damn stall.
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
whitepit 6th april 2011
Mark Denning and Vern Freeman digging tonight Still in the stall and Boulder blockage but can see a change in the spoil ahead so hopefully we are coming to the end of the hard digging,This evening myself and vern managed to take some of the floor out with a little of the left hand wall which has left a lot more loose so should make good progress with a couple more trips. 2 or 3 bags of spoil pulled out.
Monday, 21 March 2011
White Pit 16/3/11
Estelle Sandford, Mark Denning + Henry Dawson about half hour later.
Chipping away at rock and stal blockage in floor with either hammer and chisel/bar or drilling/P&F, not enough people to clear spoil tonight unfortunately as there is quite a bit in the dig now. Digging area quite dusty at the moment and we need some more dust masks.
2hrs 15mins
Chipping away at rock and stal blockage in floor with either hammer and chisel/bar or drilling/P&F, not enough people to clear spoil tonight unfortunately as there is quite a bit in the dig now. Digging area quite dusty at the moment and we need some more dust masks.
2hrs 15mins
Friday, 11 March 2011
pushing the end
Got no work on today so used my spare time in very useful ways had a good go at the end of the dig by removing the boulder that looked like Swiss cheese and very carefully removed Stu's unexploded mine field well it fell out the roof and i moved it to one side if the truth must be known.
We now have 2 skips and 3 bags of spoil to bring out of the dig and after the successful trip on Wednesday where we all had enough to keep the whole team busy for most of the evening the process of using bags when we don't have enough people available to haul on the day worked very well with almost no complaints
Mark Denning 3hrs spent chipping away
We now have 2 skips and 3 bags of spoil to bring out of the dig and after the successful trip on Wednesday where we all had enough to keep the whole team busy for most of the evening the process of using bags when we don't have enough people available to haul on the day worked very well with almost no complaints
Mark Denning 3hrs spent chipping away
Thursday, 10 March 2011
White Pit 9th March
Estelle Sandford, Mike Moxon, Mark Denning, Bill Combley, Steve Chitty
Cleared the dig of spoil left from previous digging and cleared the spoil left in the dig and then chipped away at the rocks and mud making the end larger and more accessible to attack the rocks in front of us.
2hrs underground.
Cleared the dig of spoil left from previous digging and cleared the spoil left in the dig and then chipped away at the rocks and mud making the end larger and more accessible to attack the rocks in front of us.
2hrs underground.
Thursday, 24 February 2011
White Pit - 23rd February 2011
Stu Gardiner & Mark Denning
With only the 2 of us and a dig face that was already choked with spoil sacks and rubble that needed removing to Talus we set about trying to dig directly down through the boulders. Caps were used (3 at a time) and the results were good, the large problem boulder was broken up and the right hand wall was taken back using feathers allowing more movement at the dig face.
Investigations with the crow bar indicates that the roof is still dropping on the same 45 degree angle, this means that we still need to drop the floor level by a considerable amount so that we retain a sizable dig face.
The rubble sacks are very useful allowing the digger to extract spoil and rubble in confined surrounding without the cumbersome skips getting in the way.
NOTE: The dig must be cleared of sacks and rubble before any other digging trips are considered as there is little room. Also there are LIVE caps jammed in some of the rocks (Stu to advise).
Total time underground: 3.5 hours
With only the 2 of us and a dig face that was already choked with spoil sacks and rubble that needed removing to Talus we set about trying to dig directly down through the boulders. Caps were used (3 at a time) and the results were good, the large problem boulder was broken up and the right hand wall was taken back using feathers allowing more movement at the dig face.
Investigations with the crow bar indicates that the roof is still dropping on the same 45 degree angle, this means that we still need to drop the floor level by a considerable amount so that we retain a sizable dig face.
The rubble sacks are very useful allowing the digger to extract spoil and rubble in confined surrounding without the cumbersome skips getting in the way.
NOTE: The dig must be cleared of sacks and rubble before any other digging trips are considered as there is little room. Also there are LIVE caps jammed in some of the rocks (Stu to advise).
Total time underground: 3.5 hours
Sunday, 20 February 2011
White Pit - 20th February 2011
Stu Gardiner, Mark Denning & Jo Hardy
Good progress with the floor lowered a few inches and some of the walls taken back a little.
Hessian sacks were used to move the spoil from the dig face as there were only 3 of us.
Total time underground: 3.5 hours
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Good progress with the floor lowered a few inches and some of the walls taken back a little.
Hessian sacks were used to move the spoil from the dig face as there were only 3 of us.
Total time underground: 3.5 hours
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, 19 February 2011
White Pit - 16th February 2011
Stu Gardiner, Mark Denning, Estelle Sandford, Jo Hardy & Mike Moxon
With a few skips needing emptying from the previous session emptied, we set about trying to dig past the large stal blockage, the theory being that once we are past this then the passage will widen and that we may regain the left hand wall, although it seems unlikely the wall will be found, however we still have obvious roof formations that are keeping us on track.
The dig face is currently quite low due to the nature of the floor, the stal blockage has invaded much of the floor. The large slab like boulder on the right was broken up enough to expose the soil below, this should allow the floor to be lowered.
Around 10 skips of mainly rubble was removed to Talus.
Note: Mike Moxon investigated the unstable slope near the entrance - verdict: shoring is required.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
With a few skips needing emptying from the previous session emptied, we set about trying to dig past the large stal blockage, the theory being that once we are past this then the passage will widen and that we may regain the left hand wall, although it seems unlikely the wall will be found, however we still have obvious roof formations that are keeping us on track.
The dig face is currently quite low due to the nature of the floor, the stal blockage has invaded much of the floor. The large slab like boulder on the right was broken up enough to expose the soil below, this should allow the floor to be lowered.
Around 10 skips of mainly rubble was removed to Talus.
Note: Mike Moxon investigated the unstable slope near the entrance - verdict: shoring is required.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Friday, 11 February 2011
White Pit - 9th February 2011
Stu Gardiner, Estelle Sandford, Mark Denning, Mike Moxon & Pete Hellier
With the passage trending slightly to the right we set about removing boulders from the floor in an aim to enlarge the working area, plugs and feathers were used effectively and the floor was lowered.
The flow stone bank on the left of the passage is thought to be the result of the small inlet passage found in the roof recently, this has caused us to trend right, however once past this hopefully we shall be back on track.
The passage is still dipping at 45 degrees with obvious water worn roof pendants guiding us on. Around 10 skips were removed, mainly broken boulders and loose gravel / mud.
Total time underground: 3 hours
With the passage trending slightly to the right we set about removing boulders from the floor in an aim to enlarge the working area, plugs and feathers were used effectively and the floor was lowered.
The flow stone bank on the left of the passage is thought to be the result of the small inlet passage found in the roof recently, this has caused us to trend right, however once past this hopefully we shall be back on track.
The passage is still dipping at 45 degrees with obvious water worn roof pendants guiding us on. Around 10 skips were removed, mainly broken boulders and loose gravel / mud.
Total time underground: 3 hours
Thursday, 3 February 2011
White Pit - 2nd Febuary 2011
Estelle Sandford, Mark Denning, Jo Hardy and Hels Warren
Stu, you've been replaced! We got ourselves a younger and better looking substitute on our digging team! LOL
Initially clearing up about 7 skips of spoil created by Mark from his previous trips on sunday and monday breaking up quite a lot of a large boulder in the floor. Once the spoil had been cleared and hauled out, Jo and then Hels (on her first ever go at actually digging) had a go at hammering and chiselling at the stal at the end of the dig before Estelle went and drilled and plug and feathered (first removing the 2 Mark had left stuck in the rock from being greedy!) and then breaking most of that rock up, so now back to stal and mud digging mostly (until the next rock!). Dig is veering around to the right, but continuing to go down on around the 45 degree angle.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
Stu, you've been replaced! We got ourselves a younger and better looking substitute on our digging team! LOL
Initially clearing up about 7 skips of spoil created by Mark from his previous trips on sunday and monday breaking up quite a lot of a large boulder in the floor. Once the spoil had been cleared and hauled out, Jo and then Hels (on her first ever go at actually digging) had a go at hammering and chiselling at the stal at the end of the dig before Estelle went and drilled and plug and feathered (first removing the 2 Mark had left stuck in the rock from being greedy!) and then breaking most of that rock up, so now back to stal and mud digging mostly (until the next rock!). Dig is veering around to the right, but continuing to go down on around the 45 degree angle.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Whitepit - 26th January 2011
Estelle Sandford, Mark Denning, Jo Hardy & Mike Moxon
Mike started off in the dig and managed to top up the part full skip and one more of stal and mud before his 35mins were up, then Estelle took over. In the was 3 large rocks with the stal/mud layers above and around it - the middle of the 3 rocks was levered and beaten until it submitted and broke into 3, mostly filling Estelle's 2 skips up! Mark then went in as it looked like time to get the drill into action and plug and feathers. He removed a bit of spoil that had been below the rock Estelle removed and then set to work drilling. 3 more skips removed and 2 plug and feathers left jammed in the rock after Mark bit off a little more than he could chew from the large floor rock...
Total time underground: 2.75 hours
Mike started off in the dig and managed to top up the part full skip and one more of stal and mud before his 35mins were up, then Estelle took over. In the was 3 large rocks with the stal/mud layers above and around it - the middle of the 3 rocks was levered and beaten until it submitted and broke into 3, mostly filling Estelle's 2 skips up! Mark then went in as it looked like time to get the drill into action and plug and feathers. He removed a bit of spoil that had been below the rock Estelle removed and then set to work drilling. 3 more skips removed and 2 plug and feathers left jammed in the rock after Mark bit off a little more than he could chew from the large floor rock...
Total time underground: 2.75 hours
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Whitepit - 19th January 2011
Stu Gardiner, Mark Denning, Estelle Sandford, Bill Combley & Mike Moxon - Henry Dawson Joined later.
The large boulder in the floor was the soul focus of the evenings digging and with 3 drills fully charged and 2 new sets of wedge and feathers we set about breaking it up, to start with little progress was made, but within 30 minutes we were in full swing and the boulder was decreasing in size rapidly. At the end of the evening only a very small section was left, however this is firmly wedged under the left hand wall, however it is not an obstruction so it is to be left in place for the foreseeable future.
With the boulder removed we are now left with mud, small rocks and the usual broken up stal in the floor. All rocks and spoil were taken up to Talus and disposed of.
The dig face has become very wide and there is a slight worry that we may have lost the left hand wall - Time will tell, but we are still heading forwards and down.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours.
The large boulder in the floor was the soul focus of the evenings digging and with 3 drills fully charged and 2 new sets of wedge and feathers we set about breaking it up, to start with little progress was made, but within 30 minutes we were in full swing and the boulder was decreasing in size rapidly. At the end of the evening only a very small section was left, however this is firmly wedged under the left hand wall, however it is not an obstruction so it is to be left in place for the foreseeable future.
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| The offending boulder is no more |
With the boulder removed we are now left with mud, small rocks and the usual broken up stal in the floor. All rocks and spoil were taken up to Talus and disposed of.
The dig face has become very wide and there is a slight worry that we may have lost the left hand wall - Time will tell, but we are still heading forwards and down.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours.
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
Whitepit - 17th January 2011
Stu Gardiner, Estelle Sandford & Mark Denning
The 8 skips worth of spoil and rubble were extracted from the dig and taken up to Talus, this left little to take out other than to continue with breaking up the stal banding.
A very large boulder (see image) has now been exposed in the floor, it was originally thought that the only way to break this up would be using explosives but after some digging around the sides of it, it is not as deep as first though and wedge and feather 'could' work.
The plan for the next session is to spend the entire evening breaking up the large boulder in the floor as it is though that once this is removed the stal banding that is located above will breakdown easier.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
The 8 skips worth of spoil and rubble were extracted from the dig and taken up to Talus, this left little to take out other than to continue with breaking up the stal banding.
A very large boulder (see image) has now been exposed in the floor, it was originally thought that the only way to break this up would be using explosives but after some digging around the sides of it, it is not as deep as first though and wedge and feather 'could' work.
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| The large boulder to be removed |
The plan for the next session is to spend the entire evening breaking up the large boulder in the floor as it is though that once this is removed the stal banding that is located above will breakdown easier.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
Whitepit - 16th January 2011
Mark Denning (Solo trip)
Continued to breakup the calcite and boulders at the dig face and in the floor, around 8 skips worth of spoil and rubble in situ ready for the next session when more people will be available to remove it.
Total time underground: 4 hours
Continued to breakup the calcite and boulders at the dig face and in the floor, around 8 skips worth of spoil and rubble in situ ready for the next session when more people will be available to remove it.
Total time underground: 4 hours
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Whitepit - 15th January 2011 (Ladder Installation)
Stu Gardiner, Estelle Sandford, Mark Denning & Hels Warren
Estelle and Mark removed the fixed ladders from 5 Buddles Mine Shaft and Bowery Corner (Pud Sucks), these were then taken to the Belfry for some slight modifications so they could be joined together.
Stu and Hels met up with Estelle and Mark at the depression where ladder was bolted together and fixed into the entrance pipes, although secure, the nut's and bolts need to be upgraded to M12 with nylon nut's and the bottom and middle of the ladder need to be secured.
Photos: Hels Warren
Estelle and Mark removed the fixed ladders from 5 Buddles Mine Shaft and Bowery Corner (Pud Sucks), these were then taken to the Belfry for some slight modifications so they could be joined together.
Stu and Hels met up with Estelle and Mark at the depression where ladder was bolted together and fixed into the entrance pipes, although secure, the nut's and bolts need to be upgraded to M12 with nylon nut's and the bottom and middle of the ladder need to be secured.
Photos: Hels Warren
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| The two ladders being bolted together |
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| The ladders being lowered into the entrance pipes |
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| The ladders in place, after being bolted to the existing brackets |
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Whitepit - 12th January 2011
Stu Gardiner, Estelle Sandford, Mark Denning & Jo Hardy - (Mike Moxon & Bill Combley Joining in later).
Tidying the dig face and removing any available loose spoil was priority so that we had a clean canvas to work with and that we could see where the boulders started etc.
After 5 - 6 skips of loose spoil we set about with the drills in an attempt to again lower the floor to allow for more working space, this was met with reasonable success and a large percentage of the problem 'icebeg' boulder was extracted, however some of it still remains and the general consensus is that we should leave it alone as we can sit (if a little cramped) at the dig face, which should allow us to work on the calcite banding more effectively.
Post dig debrief is that it is strongly felt that an experimental cord placement and detonation is needed to try and get a feel for what this may achieve, we are unsure due to the amount of calcite and loose soil in between and are concerned that these soft materials may just absorb the blast with little results - Time will tell.
Dust masks were used by those drilling and within the immediate vicinity of the dig face due to excess dust, these worked well although they are very uncomfortable and hot.
Total time underground - 3.5 hours
Tidying the dig face and removing any available loose spoil was priority so that we had a clean canvas to work with and that we could see where the boulders started etc.
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| A shot I took using my light showing the air movement at the top of the dig |
After 5 - 6 skips of loose spoil we set about with the drills in an attempt to again lower the floor to allow for more working space, this was met with reasonable success and a large percentage of the problem 'icebeg' boulder was extracted, however some of it still remains and the general consensus is that we should leave it alone as we can sit (if a little cramped) at the dig face, which should allow us to work on the calcite banding more effectively.
Post dig debrief is that it is strongly felt that an experimental cord placement and detonation is needed to try and get a feel for what this may achieve, we are unsure due to the amount of calcite and loose soil in between and are concerned that these soft materials may just absorb the blast with little results - Time will tell.
Dust masks were used by those drilling and within the immediate vicinity of the dig face due to excess dust, these worked well although they are very uncomfortable and hot.
Total time underground - 3.5 hours
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
Whitepit - 10th January 2011
Stu Gardiner, Estelle Sandford, Mark Denning & Jo Hardy
Straight away we set about removing the right hand mud wall which had rather more broken stal mixed in than we first expected, but it came away easily and within a short period of time the dig face was noticeably roomier. After removing the mud wall a boulder was exposed in the floor that was broken down with feathers in around half an hour.
Removing the right hand wall has now also exposed more of the stal wall directly at the front of the dig face, however we have managed to dig down and slightly under which should allow us to break it down and eventually remove it altogether.
The floor is still choked with large boulders although gaps are appearing around them which could help us to wiggle a few of them free.
The air is still very fresh and noticeably cool.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
Straight away we set about removing the right hand mud wall which had rather more broken stal mixed in than we first expected, but it came away easily and within a short period of time the dig face was noticeably roomier. After removing the mud wall a boulder was exposed in the floor that was broken down with feathers in around half an hour.
Removing the right hand wall has now also exposed more of the stal wall directly at the front of the dig face, however we have managed to dig down and slightly under which should allow us to break it down and eventually remove it altogether.
The floor is still choked with large boulders although gaps are appearing around them which could help us to wiggle a few of them free.
The air is still very fresh and noticeably cool.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
Sunday, 9 January 2011
Whitepit - 07th January 2011
Stu Gardiner, Mark Denning & Jo Hardy
With 3 drills in hand the calcite blockage was attacked once again, the stal wall directly at the face of the dig was found only to be around 8" deep (this was discovered when the drill bit went all the way through), however this obsticle still proved to be very tricky and although only a small percentage of this remains it still proves an issue as it forms part of the overall jigsaw of calcited boulders.
The boulder in the floor was drilled and plug and feather used, these proved semi effictive although the boulder is though to be much bigger than first thought and it would seem that the corners are wedged under the left hand wall and other boulders on top. The general conclusion is that we may not be able to lower the floor much more, although a good chunck of the roof was taken down to give a little more head room.
Then plan moving forwards is to excavate more of the right hand side of the passage, this is cuurently blocked with mud and calcite breakdown, this will give is far more leg room and may allow us to attack the calcite blockage from the side, best case scenario it may bypass it, our only concern is that we may loose the solid left left hand wall sending us off track.
Around 10 skips of mainly rock and calcite were removed to Talus with the walled stacking area becoming almost full.
Total time underground: 5.5 hours.
With 3 drills in hand the calcite blockage was attacked once again, the stal wall directly at the face of the dig was found only to be around 8" deep (this was discovered when the drill bit went all the way through), however this obsticle still proved to be very tricky and although only a small percentage of this remains it still proves an issue as it forms part of the overall jigsaw of calcited boulders.
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| The calcite blockage at the curent dig face (in white) |
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| All 3 of us in the dig - A month ago only 1 person could fit |
The boulder in the floor was drilled and plug and feather used, these proved semi effictive although the boulder is though to be much bigger than first thought and it would seem that the corners are wedged under the left hand wall and other boulders on top. The general conclusion is that we may not be able to lower the floor much more, although a good chunck of the roof was taken down to give a little more head room.
Then plan moving forwards is to excavate more of the right hand side of the passage, this is cuurently blocked with mud and calcite breakdown, this will give is far more leg room and may allow us to attack the calcite blockage from the side, best case scenario it may bypass it, our only concern is that we may loose the solid left left hand wall sending us off track.
Around 10 skips of mainly rock and calcite were removed to Talus with the walled stacking area becoming almost full.
Total time underground: 5.5 hours.
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
Whitepit - 05th January 2011
Stu Gardiner & Estelle Sandford
With only the 2 of us due to the others being struck down by flu we set about continuing to break down the calcite boulders, these as expected were still difficult to extract in decent sized segments, however a fairly good piece was removed from the right hand side with some well placed feathers.
The solid calcite 'wall' directly in front of the dig was becoming quite tricky to break down so we set about digging over the top into loose spoil, this exposed the calcite blockage from the top allowing us to feather it from the top down, around 30% of it still remains but another session should see it removed.
There are now 2 clear calcite boulders that block the majority of the passage and pre drilled holes have been placed in these in preparation for the next session.
Part of the roof was also removed in an attempt to create a little more working space as the dig face is becoming cramped, this is due to the floor being extremely compacted and almost impossible to dig.
Note: the 36v Li ion Hilti made light work of drilling the holes and the new shorter 14mm SDS bit made drilling in confined spaces easier.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
With only the 2 of us due to the others being struck down by flu we set about continuing to break down the calcite boulders, these as expected were still difficult to extract in decent sized segments, however a fairly good piece was removed from the right hand side with some well placed feathers.
The solid calcite 'wall' directly in front of the dig was becoming quite tricky to break down so we set about digging over the top into loose spoil, this exposed the calcite blockage from the top allowing us to feather it from the top down, around 30% of it still remains but another session should see it removed.
There are now 2 clear calcite boulders that block the majority of the passage and pre drilled holes have been placed in these in preparation for the next session.
Part of the roof was also removed in an attempt to create a little more working space as the dig face is becoming cramped, this is due to the floor being extremely compacted and almost impossible to dig.
Note: the 36v Li ion Hilti made light work of drilling the holes and the new shorter 14mm SDS bit made drilling in confined spaces easier.
Total time underground: 2.5 hours
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, 3 January 2011
White Pit few more pics 2-1-11
The spoil wall at the top - Willie Stanton would have been impressed with our retaining wall!
white pit - few pics from 2 Jan 11
Current end of Dig
Mark at bottom of drop before the dig
It gets boring sometimes waiting for skips to haul up...
Whitepit - 03rd January 2011
Mark Denning & Jo Hardy
Continued work on the calcite boulders left from the previous trip, these were reduced but many still remain, around 6 skips worth of sand and rubble were removed from the face.
Total time underground: 3 hours
Continued work on the calcite boulders left from the previous trip, these were reduced but many still remain, around 6 skips worth of sand and rubble were removed from the face.
Total time underground: 3 hours
Sunday, 2 January 2011
Whitepit - 02nd January 2011
Stu Gardiner, Estelle Sandford & Mark Denning
First trip of the new year and progress was very slow due to the current limit being tightly compacted with boulders that have been calcited together creating a solid lump of rock, we set about trying to located cracks or edges to the rocks, but due to the calcite 'glue' this proved difficult if not impossible, we had mixed sucsess with the new shorter (stronger) plugs and feather made by Mark earlier in the day, but many more attempts will be required to make further progress.
The passage remains wide and there is still no sign of a solid floor, air is exceptionally good even after 4 hours with 3 people at the dig face digging hard (using alot of air).
The next trip will again see few skips due to the slow process of breaking rocks up, a total of around 12 skips were taken to Talus on this trip with the 'Great Wall of Whitepit' now hitting the ceiling.
Total time underground: 4.5 hours
First trip of the new year and progress was very slow due to the current limit being tightly compacted with boulders that have been calcited together creating a solid lump of rock, we set about trying to located cracks or edges to the rocks, but due to the calcite 'glue' this proved difficult if not impossible, we had mixed sucsess with the new shorter (stronger) plugs and feather made by Mark earlier in the day, but many more attempts will be required to make further progress.
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| The current dig face, the drill is resting on the calcite boulders. Photo: Estelle Sandford |
The passage remains wide and there is still no sign of a solid floor, air is exceptionally good even after 4 hours with 3 people at the dig face digging hard (using alot of air).
The next trip will again see few skips due to the slow process of breaking rocks up, a total of around 12 skips were taken to Talus on this trip with the 'Great Wall of Whitepit' now hitting the ceiling.
Total time underground: 4.5 hours
Friday, 31 December 2010
Whitepit - 31st December 2010
Stu Gardiner, Estelle Sandford, Mark Denning & Jo Hardy
Plenty of progress forwards and slightly downwards, some large slab like boulders were extracted from the floor, however a large mainly limestone boulder proved too much for the plugs and we failed to make an impression on it. The plug that jammed itself in was hammered over and left for another day.
The current dig face is now a mixture of soft sand with bands of calcite around 1" thick, another large boulder is wedged between the roof and the calcite floor, this was dug around with the aid of a crowbar it moves a little, thoughts are this may need to be broken down before any attempts to try and move it.
The spoil area in Talus 4 is now quite impressive with some fine dry stone walling, this has given us much more dumping space.
Note: new plugs and feathers will be needed for the next trip.
Time underground: 5.5 hours
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Plenty of progress forwards and slightly downwards, some large slab like boulders were extracted from the floor, however a large mainly limestone boulder proved too much for the plugs and we failed to make an impression on it. The plug that jammed itself in was hammered over and left for another day.
The current dig face is now a mixture of soft sand with bands of calcite around 1" thick, another large boulder is wedged between the roof and the calcite floor, this was dug around with the aid of a crowbar it moves a little, thoughts are this may need to be broken down before any attempts to try and move it.
The spoil area in Talus 4 is now quite impressive with some fine dry stone walling, this has given us much more dumping space.
Note: new plugs and feathers will be needed for the next trip.
Time underground: 5.5 hours
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, 30 December 2010
Whitepit - 29th December 2010
Stu Gardiner, Estelle Sandford, Mark Denning & Jo Hardy
The huge slab of calcite floor was the main obstruction preventing any further progress and there was no easy way of breaking this up due to the shear 'softness'. The best technique we found was to drill multible deep 14mm holes through the slab and then using plug and feathers slowly peel sections away, most attempts yeilded a few inches at a time, but every now and again we would get lucky and a significant 'chunck ' would come away. After around 2 hours of attacking the slab Mark finally managed to split it into two sections allowing us to haul the 2 halves out from the dig face.
Now that the obsticle had been removed it was digging as normal, with soft sand and small calcite chunks, however towards the end of the session I managed to unearth a boulder of around 60kg from the floor that ideally needed to be removed as this would provide more leg room at the face, plug and feather were used to reduce the boulder and this proved sucssesful by breaking a good third away, now the boulder could be moved (slightly) and after around 40 minutes of smashing it with a lump hammer in an attempt to reduce the wieght we managed to man handle it to a postion where a sling could could be secured around it and it was haulded from the face to Talus 4.
Note: Upon entering the dig a strong smell of mould was present, on further invesigation these was a thin layer on the wall of the dig face - This is the first time this has appeared.
Time underground: 6 hours
The huge slab of calcite floor was the main obstruction preventing any further progress and there was no easy way of breaking this up due to the shear 'softness'. The best technique we found was to drill multible deep 14mm holes through the slab and then using plug and feathers slowly peel sections away, most attempts yeilded a few inches at a time, but every now and again we would get lucky and a significant 'chunck ' would come away. After around 2 hours of attacking the slab Mark finally managed to split it into two sections allowing us to haul the 2 halves out from the dig face.
Now that the obsticle had been removed it was digging as normal, with soft sand and small calcite chunks, however towards the end of the session I managed to unearth a boulder of around 60kg from the floor that ideally needed to be removed as this would provide more leg room at the face, plug and feather were used to reduce the boulder and this proved sucssesful by breaking a good third away, now the boulder could be moved (slightly) and after around 40 minutes of smashing it with a lump hammer in an attempt to reduce the wieght we managed to man handle it to a postion where a sling could could be secured around it and it was haulded from the face to Talus 4.
Note: Upon entering the dig a strong smell of mould was present, on further invesigation these was a thin layer on the wall of the dig face - This is the first time this has appeared.
Time underground: 6 hours
Monday, 27 December 2010
White Pit 15th Dec 2010
Estelle Sandford, Mark Denning, Jo Hardy, Mike Moxon & Bill Combley
2.5hrs
Digging still going well and horizontal with RH wall looking interesting. Just clearing more space and making the dig area bigger. 20mins each so we all dug.
Sunday, 12 December 2010
White Pit - 12th December 2010
Stu Gardiner, Estelle Sandford, Mark Denning & Jo Hardy
The large problem boulder in the floor was broken down using feathers, however a large portion of it still remains due to some poorly placed feathers (Stu), it could be broken up further although it's not really causing too much of an obsruction.
The 8" stal floor turned out to be a huge roof pendant that had been deposited, this was removed after a larger boulder holding it down was taken out from further into the dig, once both these had been extracted the floor was much lower allowing the skip to be easily filled with the spade.
The dig has now taken on a distinct right hand turn and digging in the roof gave way to a small air space with some visable flow stone and some small straws etc. The passage is around 1m in width with a roof pendant in the middle, under this pendant is a very large slab that will need to be removed to allow progress. The floor will also need to be dropped considerably to allow for comfortable digging - Air is still very fresh, even after long periods at the dig face.
Estelle and Mark have started to restructure the spoil areas with some impressive walls from the boulders taken out, this will be invaluable once more spoil and rocks start to come out.
As the dig gets deeper it's felt that maybe a bolt will be need in the roof to aid the extraction of skips below.
Total time underground - 4 hours
The large problem boulder in the floor was broken down using feathers, however a large portion of it still remains due to some poorly placed feathers (Stu), it could be broken up further although it's not really causing too much of an obsruction.
The 8" stal floor turned out to be a huge roof pendant that had been deposited, this was removed after a larger boulder holding it down was taken out from further into the dig, once both these had been extracted the floor was much lower allowing the skip to be easily filled with the spade.
The dig has now taken on a distinct right hand turn and digging in the roof gave way to a small air space with some visable flow stone and some small straws etc. The passage is around 1m in width with a roof pendant in the middle, under this pendant is a very large slab that will need to be removed to allow progress. The floor will also need to be dropped considerably to allow for comfortable digging - Air is still very fresh, even after long periods at the dig face.
Estelle and Mark have started to restructure the spoil areas with some impressive walls from the boulders taken out, this will be invaluable once more spoil and rocks start to come out.
As the dig gets deeper it's felt that maybe a bolt will be need in the roof to aid the extraction of skips below.
Total time underground - 4 hours
Saturday, 11 December 2010
White Pit - 10th December 2010
Stu Gardiner, Estelle Sandford, Mark Denning & Mike Moxon
An 8" stal floor has been located in the centre of the dig face, this was broken up as best as possible however much of it still remains. A large boulder where you tend to sit has also been un earthed and will need to be plug and feathered during the next trip.
Around 12 skips were removed, many sand and small pieces of broken stal.
The current dig face seems to be trending to the right and gradually head down. Sediment layers indicate that there has been staring water indicating that we maybe nearing the bottom.
Total time underground 2.5 hours.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
An 8" stal floor has been located in the centre of the dig face, this was broken up as best as possible however much of it still remains. A large boulder where you tend to sit has also been un earthed and will need to be plug and feathered during the next trip.
Around 12 skips were removed, many sand and small pieces of broken stal.
The current dig face seems to be trending to the right and gradually head down. Sediment layers indicate that there has been staring water indicating that we maybe nearing the bottom.
Total time underground 2.5 hours.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, 9 December 2010
White Pit - 08th December 2010
Stu Gardiner, Estelle Sandford, Mike Moxon, Steve Chitty, & Bill Combley
The verticle nature of the dig has now gone horizontal with signs that water once pooled at the current limit which hopefully means we have reached the bottom. The horizontal passage leading off away from Talus is now around 5 - 6ft long with soft sand and broken stal being removed with ease. Around 10 skips were removed from the dig face and the large problem boulder which was catching the skips along the drag route was broken down using plug's and feather's, however this has resulted in a large crater appearing which will need filling so the skips can run freely again.
Air is still very crisp at the dig face, even with prolonged digging head first. (Steve had a nasty slip on the icy scaffold stile coming out, which has resulted in a trip to A&E).
Total time underground 2 hours. with Mark Denning on the surface repairing the lock.
The verticle nature of the dig has now gone horizontal with signs that water once pooled at the current limit which hopefully means we have reached the bottom. The horizontal passage leading off away from Talus is now around 5 - 6ft long with soft sand and broken stal being removed with ease. Around 10 skips were removed from the dig face and the large problem boulder which was catching the skips along the drag route was broken down using plug's and feather's, however this has resulted in a large crater appearing which will need filling so the skips can run freely again.
Air is still very crisp at the dig face, even with prolonged digging head first. (Steve had a nasty slip on the icy scaffold stile coming out, which has resulted in a trip to A&E).
Total time underground 2 hours. with Mark Denning on the surface repairing the lock.
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
White Pit - Priddy
Stu Gardiner and Mark Denning.
Plug's and feathers were used at the dig face to make the working area larger and a large boulder in the floor was unearthered, due to it's size this had to be broken up over a half hour period in order for us to attach a sling to it and remove it. Estimated wieght was around 20kg and this was eventually placed in the spoil dump within Talus.
Time undergound - 2 hours.
Plug's and feathers were used at the dig face to make the working area larger and a large boulder in the floor was unearthered, due to it's size this had to be broken up over a half hour period in order for us to attach a sling to it and remove it. Estimated wieght was around 20kg and this was eventually placed in the spoil dump within Talus.
Time undergound - 2 hours.
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