From plans we have seen, there are a number of flats underneath
Smallcleugh namely under Elliott's String and Wheel Flats extending all the way
to the Ballroom.
For our first port of call we headed for Wheel Flats
and entered the side passage that parallels the flats, the first sump we came
to was blind, maybe choked, the second one was the one that led to the sublevel
some 15m below. We rigged it up and enjoyed a pleasant abseil down a well
preserved wooden clad ore shoot. Emerging at the bottom the sublevel greeted
us. Its condition was very good apart from one section where the roof had
collapsed and deads had fallen in - we passed this VERY CAREFULLY, a certain
game called Kerplunk came to mind. In the passage there where many artifacts,
including a large amount of well persevered timbers and parts of ventilation
trunking. The passage also had 2 ventilation doors - judging by the air flow
here they must have been needed. Shortly past the collapse we emerged into a
large high rise which was lined with the most amazing stone arched roof, levels
could be seen above us - at this point we realized that we were in the flats
below Smallcleugh and that they were massive. The passage that parallels Wheel
Flats on the Smallcleugh horizon was blocked further on, but the ores shoots
and levels in the rise must connect to it past the blockages - a case of
getting up there some how.
Past the rise we entered unlined passage
which was a mixture of shale orch and rock, round a little bend a badly
decomposed ore truck came into view and past this a shaft going up and down
with an air pipe down it, bells rang - was this the shaft just past George
Hetherington's heading to the east end of the First Sun Vein? We needed to find
an anchor here so Charlie and Karli went back to get some rails which where
stacked in the sublevel - at the same time shouting up to Mark to go to the top
of the shaft that we thought it was. I was left alone to take photographs in
peace for once. Shortly they returned and we started rigging, the drop was
under 10m Karli abseiled down and landed on a choke which seems to have
collected on a platform. We heard Marks voice calling from above -
confirmation! We returned back up to Smallcleugh Level and had
lunch.
Next on the agenda was to see the flat under Elliott's String, at
George Hetherington's. I headed for the Hydraulic Shaft whilst Charlie took
Karli and Mark for a quick look see of the First and Second Sun Veins that we
had seen the day before. I rigged the shaft up and waited for the rest of the
group. The actual depth here is around the 8m mark. I abseiled down with Karli
and we where both amazed at the size of the flat and its fantastic colours
staining the walls. The flat extended all the way back to the main passage
heading for the Ballroom, it had a few chambers and a drift some 30m heading
northwest at the far end. We took the obligatory photographs and climbed back
out. As we where preparing to climb back up we noticed a number of spits in the
rock. Another trip was forming in our minds - doing a through trip here via
Rampgill Hangingshaw Branch... |
