Miscellany

The Prehistoric Elephant Tooth from St. Cuthbert's Swallet

By Tony Jarratt

On July 4th 1954 the late Jack Waddon and friends discovered a handsome prehistoric herbivore tooth lying amongst Old Red Sandstone pebbles at the top of Rocky Boulder Passage (known to them as Extension, Mud Hall). It was thought to be from Elephas primigenius and a "derived fossil" transported to the site from a washed-out gravel deposit. Recently, thanks to Tim Large, Sett, Margaret Chapman and particularly Mrs. Dorothy Waddon it has been re-examined by Drs. Roger Jacobi and Andy Currant of the Natural History Dept, British Museum. They have identified it as a fragment of the unerrupted part of an upper molar of the straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus. Mrs. Waddon has very generously donated it to the growing collection of important Mendip cave finds at Wells Museum.

Bennett R.H., Coase D.A., Falshaw C., & Waddon J.  1956 A preliminary report on St. Cuthbert's Swallet.  BEC Cav Rep (2) 23pp

Irwin D.J. et al.  1991  St. Cuthbert's Swallet.  BEC 82pp p69

Hatley Rock Holes

By Nick Richards and Nick Harding

After an initial dig and survey back in 2000/1 the Two Nicks returned to this site on the north side of Worlebury Hill beneath the golf course. Excavation began then abandoned for the Loxton Site but a revisit late 2005 produced some interesting developments. They continued to empty a tunnel 10 metres long – an old mine working with a good number of shot holes at various intervals along the passage until earlier this year they broke upwards, via a squeeze into a chamber with what looked like further delights ahead. They are returning, with Mad Phil to attempt a banging session to see if anything of merit does indeed exist ahead. Hatley Rock Holes consists of three tunnels – one above the other and one to the side running into the hill on a bearing of 227 degrees. The nature of the geology there, i.e. a fault line and a basalt bed up against the limestone should produce some interesting results! Interestingly enough, a Sexton Blake story from the 60’s entitled Such Men Are Dangerous, describes subterranean systems beneath Worlebury Hill. Should the Two Nicks wild imaginings prove correct then parts of the Hatley Rocks system will be named after the tale. A fuller report will appear in the next edition of this esteemed organ. (STOP PRESS: Banging in the tunnel proved inconclusive at this stage).

New Providence Mine

By Nick Richards and Nick Harding

The Two Nicks have also made a discovery in Long Ashton a few hundred yards south east of Providence Mine. The cave called New Providence Mine has an overall length of 30ms. After consultation with Chris Richards at Weston Museum he was happy to confirm that there is no record of it in any documentation.   The entrance is not a great distance from Providence Lane in Long Ashton and is almost at the boundary where the woods end and the gardens of the adjoining houses begin. The narrow entrance, partially blocked leads into a small chamber with a low roof. There is a small stack of deads on the right through which a chamber can be seen. Heading east, crawling under a lower section of ceiling the chamber heads down at a very gentle angle. There are stal formations on the walls and floor, including a red stained flowstone floor and numerous micro-gours, stal-ed up sticks and serrated ceiling ribbons. There is even an old pit prop beneath a large block of perilous looking ceiling. This chamber dog legs to the south and after several metres comes to a squeeze. Through this the now 3metre high rift chamber, ‘The Red Rift’ heads down to a pool choked by small red stained boulders – (a sump perhaps?) There is a bedding chamber on the right that leads back up to the stack of deads in entrance chamber and beneath that a tighter bedding chamber. Everything is stained bright red except for higher parts of the cave, which keep their natural limestone grey.

There will be a fuller report in the next BB.

Can anyone get scaffold clips?

By Henry Bennett

 The Belfry shoring store looks pretty well stocked with scaffold tubes and clips but it is not a true reflection. The large blue plastic drums next to the tackle shed contain an assortment of “speciality” clips, which are, no doubt, great for fixing planks to towers but not much use for shoring. There are two types of clips that are useful. Rightangle clips and swivels.

• Swivel Clips are useful for cross bracing and in areas where you just can’t get the shoring to be square.
• Right Angles are great for locking together rigid boxes without cross bracing.

We’ve actually got quite a few right angle clamps but they are all pretty stuffed. All the serviceable ones have been used and most of what is left is just a pile of rust. If anyone has “access” to either large or small numbers then please could you leave them round the Belfry. Don’t wait for someone else…act now…before Mr. Nigel’s scaff on the extension gets it!

<< Prev - Next >>

< Prev		Next >