Red Rose Cave and Pothole Club - Newsletter No 2 (1958)
RED ROSE POTHOLE CLUB
Newsletter No.
2.
Me e t s.
A Successful meet was held down Rift Pot, with a large turnout, due no doubt to
the presence of our guest Mr. G. Band. The Club was so efficient in its desire
to impress the honoured gentleman that the trip became horribly monotonous,
everything went like clockwork, ladders were hung very precisely and everyone
concerned moved about at the double like well trained guardsmen.. ......
The only thing that saved the day was when Richard
Reynolds saved the club the trouble of electing a new President, by preventing
a piece or rock falling on the aforementioned person's delicate bonce!! Not to
mention Esky of course who was also in the line of fire - as per usual.......
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Mr Band was
also shown the other side of the sport by Reynolds, Barker, Penhale & Co.,
who took him through Henslers..., The descent was made down Dis.. along
Henslers and out of Gaping Gill on the Bradford Winch. Mr. Band has not been
seen since...
Juniper Gulf.
Another large meet with no less than eight Members
reaching the sump. We actually had one in it... An attempt was made to climb
the large inlet at the bottom, but was postponed for scaling ladders, and the
club intend to return and scale same at some future date. We had as guest on
this trip a Mr. G.Cornes who is not so eminent as Mr. G. Band but much more
voluble.
A joint meet was arranged with the Bradford Simpsons
Swinsto but was on and off so many times due to inclement weather that it was
cancelled. In desperation the Bradford tried Sirnpsons on their own and in
desperation they returned to the ‘Shoes'.
-2-
Another joint meet was arranged with the Bradford for Gaping Gill and
after numerous cancellations the shaft was laddered, the belay being Ray
Barker’s landrover. A joyous meet, everyone had fun apart from the poor lads
who made the descent. No one climbed up for there were about fifteen stalwarts
on the lifeline. A Bradford Member descended in 5 minutes and returned in 51/2.
Not to be outdone the Red Rose selected Chris, threw him down to hole
and then savagely hauled him out again. Time 5 minutes down, 5 minutes
back. We haven’t seen him since...
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Fortunately bad weather prevented us from doing Washfold - (or
vice-versa) so several digs wore started, but with our usual luck soon petered
out.
Sept: 8th. UPPER TRIDENT.
Armed with two 6 ft. scaling ladders which are made from Bed sides, a
large party set off down Easegill with the definite object in view of scaling
Trident, via an inlet up the dry left hand series, Before the object was
reached however, another high level passage was seen off the stream passage.
This was scaled by the simple procedure of pulling the ladders up after
climbing up them until at the top a bridge was formed with a ladder and access
gained to a passage which led Tom Sykes and Jim Eyre to the top of Trident
waterfall. A nearby pitch was laddered and the rest of the party come up.
A large showerbath water inlet was scaled but the water was found to be
issuing from an inaccessible bedding plane.
Being up the right hand side of Trident we were surprised to find no
connection with the loft hand waterfall which is some 20 ft. lower and round a
smooth overhanging corner. After a great deal of thought ( which is most
unusual in the club) a bridge was made by bolting the two scaling ladders
together and after hanging on 25 ft. electron on the end the whole
contraption was carefully maneuvered into position and was found to fit like a
glove. J. Eyre then climbed over the bridge and down the electron and access
was gained to quite an interesting system of passages. This was found to connect
with the dry aven in the loft hand fork of Trident our original objective.
15th Sept:
Two parties made the descent. Ron Bliss, Esky and Co., surveying while
the others carried on with the exploration. A bedding plane was found to lead
into a large broken chamber, which contains an area of approximately 70ft.
Numerous passages lead off but soon become too tight. Returning back into the
main passage a fine cluster of helictites wore seen, some of those exceeding 8
inches in length.
-3-
Whilst admiring these a large beading plane was observed which gave
entry to an elliptical chamber, this was climbed and led off at the top into a
large stream passage above which lay three large boulder chambers. The last one
is still unexplored..., and will remain so, no doubt.
Returning to the lower level a hole in the floor was found to lead to
another level underneath this brought the party into another large aven in
between the two sets of passages.
21st Sept:,
We decided to ladder the dry pitch in the left hand series but the
weather had been very bad and when Upper Trident was reached the whole place
was found to be a mass of water inlets just like a gigantic cullender, however
after a soaking the pitch was laddered and the meet abandoned.
28th Sept:
The scaling ladders were lowered from the bridge into white line series
and surveying and exploration continued. Whilst scaling one of the lower avens
another bedding plane was seen. This led into a 40 ft. aven and was named
Guillotene Avon owing to the nasty shaped piece of rock which poised over one's
neck as one crawled in. This was found to be very loose and could be moved with
one finger. Another aven was found and scaled for 30 ft. by using the bridging
technique but we were stopped by shortage of ladders.
Oct. 12th:
More ladders were made out of Bed-steads and transported up to Easegill.
A small hole was found below low Dub a 12 ft. drop leads into a small chamber
after digging a crawl leads to a tight rift of 15 ft. into another small
chamber with a crawl leading off. This is directly over Butterfield Passage.
Down below in Upper Trident the four scaling ladders were joined together in
Bedstead Chamber. On one side we scaled, access was gained into a passage one
end blocked by boulders and the other after digging led into the high level
Boulder Chambers.
27th. Oct:.
A crawl leading off Bedstead was dug out and connected with an aven
which was blocked by boulders. The main inlet was nearly scaled but by standing
on the top rung of the ladder one was face to face with three ominously perched
boulders which were poised right at the entrance to the passage,
Another passage was tried to the right and by working from a ledge this was managed, after a few yards, however,
it became blocked. From this position it was seen that the scaling ladder with
an electron tied to the top might gain us access to the main inlet. After
several hours hand work and with the foot of the scaling ladder out in space
and held on a rope this was accomplished and entry was gained into a passage
which soon became blocked by huge blocks of limestone and boulders. To the
left, and right were two
windows, the right one led into a choked crawl, but the left fell 30ft. into Guillotine Avon. 18 ft.
above our heads and over the drop lay another passage.
10th Nov:
Entry was gained over Guillotine Avon into a passage which led into the
middle of the roof of the Final Chamber some 60 ft. height. This became too
dangerous to continue and the party came down from the Bedstead and carried the
scaling ladder round to the Final Chamber which is the highest. An attempt was
made to scale it but another two ladders at least are needed.
The surveyed length of passages is just over quarter of a mile but it is
one of the most complex vorners of Easegill to be found.
Club Hut.
The top room has been ‘Decorated’ and is now habitable. However it is
not paying its way....So if
members like having a club hut, please use it. Not forgetting of course to pay
Hon. Treas.
Dec. 14th:
The last meet of the year.
Annual Dinner at the Flying Horseshoes, Clapham.
This was a great success and much enjoyed by Members and their
guests....Few people needed to carry a light to see their way home!!!
Secretary’s Report - January, 1958.
During the last year many changes have been heralded in the Red Rose. A
change in the order of the committee occurred and we now boast a Honorary
President. Our treasurer, elected last December, resigned in the middle of the
year, and we were obliged to elect a new officer to that post. Two hut wardens
have been elected, and placed on the committee. Club membership has not
fluctuated greatly during the year and there has boon a noticeable increase in
attendances at the Moorlands in recent weeks.
Our hosts, at the Flying Horseshoes, Mr. and Mrs. Howard, have stood up
surprisingly well to our invasion of their homestead. Sometimes the back yard
of the hotel looks like a car-park, and anybody who can walk from the back door
across the yard without landing in the mud has triumphed indeed. The ‘hut’ as
it is called, has changed magnificently since we moved in. The upstairs room
(the Pink Room) is definitely inhabitable, apart from windows which blow out,
and a much publicised collapsible bed. The downstairs room is definitely
uninhabitable and it takes a course on climbing to get from one to the other.
Club potholing this year started slowly with several disappointing digs,
and gathered momentum with a descent of Gaping Gill on ladders, a joint meet
with the Bradford Pothole Club; the discovery of a complicated system of
passages in Easegill, using some novel scaling ladders well designed by a club
member; and finally with the discovery of some interesting passages in the
lower Easegill. We welcomed a member of the Everest team, George Band, into our
midst, showed him several aspects of potholing and made him wish he had never
seen us. Club meets were a little disarranged, but we victoriously descended
Juniper Gulf and Rift Pot, and had a good romp round Lost Johns. On the other
meets we were either washed out, or down Easegill. Members of the club attended
two rescues at Bar Pot and Dow Cave.
We tried to arrange a stag dinner in June, but this had to be cancelled.
Our Christmas Dinner was however, the last word in dinners, one which the
members, guests and visitors are not likely to forget for a while.
To end on a personal note, I hope that the members of this club will
express their thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Howard for being allowed to roam wild on
the premises. It is not very many years ago since a much smaller Red Rose
searched everywhere between Kirkby Lonsdale and Settle for a headquarters,
never dreaming that such an ideal place would be found.
-6-.
Just remember, therefore, when you are using or misusing the building,
that we are only in such an enviable position because of the kindness of the
landlord, who has turned the hotel into a
‘Potholer’s paradise.’
Balance Sheet for l957.
Income.
Balance from
1956 £. 26. 0. 0.
Hut Fund. £
12. 1.
3.
TOTAL: £ 38. 1.
3.
Subscriptions from 1957 £
15. 18. 10.
Donation rou R.
Hobhouse. 5. 0.
Resale of paraffin. 2. 3.
Sale of badges.
18. 0.
Club Hut:
1st. quarter— £2. 4.
0.
2nd quarter— £2. 6.
6.
3rd quarter— £2. 14.
0
4.th quarter— £4. 2.
6.
TOTAL:— £66. 12.
4.
Expenditure.
Badges,
postage etc. £ 1.
13. 2.
Stationery, postage, cash books. 1.
11. 11.
Subscription to Cave, Research Group. 1.
5. 0.
Newsletter. 2.
0. 0.
Plaster, cement, distemper. 1.
19. 0.
paraffin (10 galls). 1.
4. 2.
Nails, rat trap etc., -.
4. 4.
Transport. 1.
0. 0.
Hut utensils -.
12. 9.
Tilley lamp. 3.
15. 0.
Electrical equipment. 2.
5. 0.
Rope. 1.
13. 11.
Bed irons. -.
18. 0.
Cheque book, ban1 charges. -.
4. 6.
Hut rent. 13. 0.
0.
TOTAL: - £. 33. 6.
9.
Income £ 66. 12. 4. Bank Account £
27. 6.
7.
Expenditure 33.
6. 9. Cash in Hand 5.
19. 0.
£
33. 5.
7 £ 33. 5.
7.
Two Committee members would like to state that somebody is wandering about the fells wearing their
exposure suits. They are somewhat upset about this. Could a swap be arranged?
