CARCASS CAVE - PART SEVEN OCTOBER 2003 TO DECEMBER 2004

Mick Norton

12 October 2003

Mick Norton, Tim Francis and Linda Milne, firstly we looked at yesterdays brand new “October Chamber” but then carried on the dig in the lowest part of the cave, “Bicurrious”. Linda has not been cave digging for twelve years, I wonder if she’s been since?

15 October 2003

Alan Gray, Doug Harris and Mick, again at the bottom of “Bicurrious”. We fix some scaffolding from which to hang a pulley; this fault rift is now five metres deep.We did make some forward progress but Alan went at lunch time, so Doug and Mick start digging down at the entrance to the “October Chamber”.  We excavate down one and a half metres.  Spoil was dumped, temporarily up in “Wise Crack”.

04 November 2003

Mick solo digging, first I measured a place on the surface to be above the aven, in “Fools Rush In” and start a surface dig.  This should only need to be two or three metres deep to connect.  Our problem with continuing digging any of the lower sites, is getting rid of the spoil, if we don’t find a way to get it out, then this small cave will become choked up.Then into Fools Rush In (FRI) and to the collapsed part of the lower bit of the aven, clearing it and making a very short round trip.  This aven has not yet been surveyed.

05 November 2003

In the evening Doug and Mick dug in the aven above FRI.  It looks like there is more cave, heading towards Axbridge but very close to the surface.

06 November 2003

Mick solo digging on the surface, using a pick and big bar, I got nearly down a metre.This limestone is breaking up into white powder.  Then had a ago in the aven below.

09 November 2003

Tim, Mick, new man Jeff, (a scaffolder) and Martin Peck, first looked up the aven above FRI.  Then we dug at the entrance to the October Chamber, hauled up fifty drums and deposit in the M.C.G.’s abandoned Ochre dig in FRI.

30 November 2003

Martin Peck, Bill Chadwick and Mick had a look at the Axbridge Rising, (no known feeders); it was flowing well today, but was dry when we last checked on Remembrance Sunday.  Firstly Bill takes some digital images, then we moved the huge bolder that Bill had excavated last Easter, Martin pushes it with his feet, over the two metre drop, while Bill and I hide in “Bicurrious”, we dug a hole in the floor to bury it.  Then we dug in the floor at the lowest point, in the October Chamber and opened up a leg-sized hole.  A strong, cool draught exhaled for twenty minutes, then after equalising, ceased to flow.  We must have opened up a hole through to a sealed or virtually sealed chamber.  Stones were tossed down the hole and sounded like they gently rolled for seven metres or so. 

2