After our last trip to look at the flat underneath Elliotts String
and the partial decent of the Hydraulic Shaft, it was high time to see the
bottom of this shaft.
It is possible to descend the shaft using the
pipes near by as anchors, but I felt it would be better to put something a bit
more trusted in place, so we ended up installing 2 bolts. After tapping the
rock face for what felt like ages I found 2 suitable spots that allowed a good
easy Y hang, this was also backed up to a pipe just in case. The bolts we used
where a M8 and M10. A bit of rope protection was needed to protect against the
rub point on the rail tracks across the shaft. After rigging up a 20m rope, I
and Ryan abseiled down to the flat some 8m below. Charlie and Karli deviated
the water coming down Elliotts String so that we would have a dry, no, actually
a dryer descent. In the flat below another M8 bolt was installed for a
deviation for the rest of the drop. We did not have a rope long enough with us
to do the whole lot so another 25m rope was joined to the first
one.
Looking down the shaft from the flat, one side was a partially
laddered manway and the other side the ore shoot. The deviation was set up so
that the rope went down the ore shoot side, I abseiled down and found that it
was choked some 12m down and that the recess that looked like a level going of
was none existent, oh well, back up and time to try the manway side which was
considerable deeper. The deviation was adjusted and Ryan had a go abseiling
down first, luckily we had just enough rope to reach the bottom. He confirmed
that the shaft was open, Charlie and Karli went down next whilst I stayed up
top. After some 45mins and much thumb twiddling finally Charlie shouted up
saying that it was amazing. He came back up and I joined the rest at the
bottom. Ryan then prussuked back up.
The level at the bottom which is
the Hanginshaw branch of Rampgill was open both ways, north west and south
east. South east, it headed towards the Longcleugh Vein, but it was flooded and
the water was bloody cold, so that was left for another time. The level here is
driven in shale and it had the most crazy looking strata lines. Climbing under
the debris at the bottom of the shaft the other side of the passage was
explored. At this point Karli stayed at the shaft bottom and proceeded to clear
some of the debris whilst I went to take photographs. After a short while along
the level I came to some fantastically coloured formations, a whole collection
of iron stained calcite flows. These where based under a large hopper and
laddered rise which was all calcified. I did not investigate this in to much
detail as time was pressing, but it looked like there may have been a passage
heading to the right by the ladder and possibly to the left, but this may have
been via the rise. From here I carried on, the passage is driven in shale and
all in all the condition was very good with hardly any serious
collapses.
Finally I came to a junction, to the right there was a shaft
going up and a flooded passage, a few metres past this a passage to the left
could also be seen. There was a stack of pipes on its corner. The left passage
was about 40cm deep in thick orange mud, with a little gully down the middle
carved out by water. Some 10m into the passage I was greeted by a series of
calcified orange terraces. It looked like you could possibly get past them to
the right, but I did not try it. After this I returned to Karli who had cleared
'tons' of rocks and rubbish. We then prussakked back up, time was really
pressing here and Charlie and Ryan set of for the surface and I derigged with
Karli, we eventually got out at 21:30, just half an hour behind the others. It
had been a long day, well over 9 hours spent underground.
At the Miners
pub we studied a plan of the area and tried to tie in the passage and junctions
we had seen. I wish that I had paid more attention to distances as that would
have helped in pin pointing locations on the plan. Provided that the laddered
rise, is a junction or has a junction higher up in it, then this would coincide
with a passage shown on the plan that follows the early part of the Second Sun
Vein. The second junction with the pipes could well be in the area of Charlies
Sump along the First Sun Vein. The passage with all the orange mud and calcite
terraces then would have to be the Drawing Sump and if open would eventually
lead to a link with Caplecleugh. We all agreed that another full day is
required down the Hydraulic Shaft, because the other big thing is that it
should run all the way out to the Rampgill Level mouth via the Hangingshaw
Branch. The third through trip from Smallcleugh to
Rampgill. |
