07 April 2004

Suki, Duncan, Mick, Biff and Tony Tucker in minibus down to Carcass.  We dug for nine hours and removed two and a half tons from the cave today.

28 April 2004

Jon Munday, Mick, Duncan and Biff in the minibus, just past Stonehenge a lorry smashed Biff’s wing mirror and window.  We had a hectic time while Biff turned his van around and chassed the lorry but luckily the he got away! As before ripping up the floor in Fools rush In. Biff has now decided to manufacture a monorail! Lots of bluebells and orchids in flower, by the entrance today, they particularly seem to enjoy growing in the old spoil. We had done by seven o’clock, maybe two tons today.

05 May 2004

Jon, Biff, Mick and Richard Elsbury in the bus today.  Doug was waiting for us, again working on the floor in FRI.  Everything out in one operation, Doug working on the new drystone wall.  We have started to strip out the scaffolding on the mini shaft to Wise Crack.  Two and a half tons today.

16 July 2004

A three day dig-in.  Doug, Biff, Kevin Welch, Michelle Gigg, Karen and Mark Pearson and Mick.  Kevin and Michelle have gone in Shute Shelve Cavern and completed a survey from there, across the surface and into Carcass.  Saturday night we had a party at Doug’s.  We have removed all the intermediate scaffolding and cleared most of the floor. For the first time, Fools Rush In and Wise Crack are virtually one chamber. Three tons out this weekend.

08 October 2004

Another three day dig-in.  Kevin, Doug, Biff, Mick, Alan, Amy, installing 16 metres of home-made monorail. If only it had been a couple of metres longer. We have removed the top section and taken it home for modification. We have started excavating in the Forbidden hole.

23 October 2004

A weekend again, for Biff, Mick, Kevin, Mark, Bill and Doug.  Weather appalling, re-connect the top bit of the monorail.  It is now 18 metres long and horizontal at the surface.   Remove the temporary scaffolding we used to set up the railway.  Enlarging our passage, so the drums can run freely under the rail.  Finish at six; three tons out this weekend and monorail completed.

20 November 2004

Another weekend’s exploration for Biff, Kevin, Michelle, Mick, Chris (B.E.C.) Giles and Doug. A solid, phreatic wall is being unearthed, a couple of metres off the huge choke.  Two diggers at the sharp end, in the floor of the October Chamber, two guiding on the intermediate platform, two haulers on the surface, allowing one to rest. This works very well.  A huge amount of spoil was removed, from the new dig face, all the way to the surface in one operation. We have dropped several metres, Boy we are efficient!  Mick made and fitted new gates to the compound.

18 December 2004

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