MBRIA AMENI' TRUST N E W S L E T T E R NO.
:l-STIIEA~I. U-DITCII. C-~IATTOCK. D-PIECES OF TURF. E-SEVEK-PROXGEDFORK. F-IRON SIIOVEL. G-TROLGII. 14 --ASOTHER TROUGH BELOW IT. 1-SMALL\%.noDES TROWEL. MINING HISTORY SOCIETY CONTENTS
Page
Style of A. G. M. l
N.A.M.H.0 Conference 2-4
N.A.M.H.O. News 5-9
Museum Booklist Albyn Austin l0
Soliloquy by Anton Proctor Thomas 11-19
Nenthead '91 by Don Borthwick 20
Meets 21-25
Sociefy Rews .
The Society would like to welcome ADAM GOURLAY - New Member GEOFF CRAM - Rejoined
Thanks to Margaref Flaming for photocopying this newsletter
N.A.M.H.0. 91 CllNFERENCE - :rd to -5th May 199 -6laenau Ffestinioq
FROVISIONAL LECTUKE AND SEMINAR FFil,.GRArIME
Full titles and details will be given with the r-cqistration parkaqe.
SGTURDAY 4th MAY 1991 At W. I. Hall, Blaenau Ffestiniog
9:3i1 to 9:45 Introduction - L Manley, Manager of Llechw-dd Tramways.
9:45 to 1U:30 Slate at Ffestiniag - I. Wynne Jones
11:):3(1 to l l:(](:)Mining Companies (Gwynedd)- J. Wilkinson
COFFEE
11:15 to 13':C)O Snailbeach I. Brown
12:i)1> to 12: 15 Underground in Snailbeach -- ;jl.\t'opshire Caving and 1l.i ni ng ClLI~
(ll:3U to 12: 15 - Seminar at Llechwedd on "Old Mine Sites, what should we do with them?" - George Hall) * 12: 15 to 1:i~O Tal arqoch - 3. Thorburn
LUNCH (Shropshire Caving and Mining Club will show their video "Underground at Snailbeach" at Llechwedd- about 20 minutes)
2: 15 to 3:00 Gold Mining in Merioneth - G. Hall
3:00 to 3:45 Bronze Age Mining on the Great Orme - A. Lewis
TEA
4:vO to 5:00 Discussion: Future structure and act ivi t ies of N4MHO - F\. Pearce
SUNDFIY 5th MAY 1991 at W.I. Hall, Blaenau Ffestir-iiog
9100 to 9:JO Threl keld - C. Lane.
9330 to 10:00 Early Mining in Eastern Asia. - L. Willies 14:):CJ(:, to 10:45 Parys Mountain - C. Leys
COFFEE*
11:00 to 11,:45 Lead Mining and Smelting in Clwyd - C. Williams. (11:30 to 12: 15 - Seminar at Llechwedd on "Certificate in Mine E:.:ploration" - C. Lane) 11:45 to 12t30 Gold insthe Hills - H. CaL lender
12:3iJ to 1:OU Surrey Firestone and Hearthstone - F'. Burgess LUNCH (Shropshire Caving and Mining Club will show their video "Underground at Snai l beach" at Llechwedd- about "rO rni nutes)
2: 15 to 3: Or1 Levant -. F\. Thamas
::()Q to 3: 45 Berehaven Copper, Eire - ti. Williams
TEA
4:1;)r;l to 4:45 40 Years of Mining - D. Bick
4:45 to S:00 Closing Remarks
(5:15 to 6:UD NAMHO Committee Meeting at Llechwedd)
THE SATURDAY NIGHT FUNCTION AT LLECHWEDD
The Saturday Niqht Function will commence wlth a ride down the Llechwedd Incline into the slate caverns. Underground, delegates will walk along a route which will take them t13 t:he principal slate cavern. F'rior to returning to the surface, del~?qateswill have time to have soup and bread to the accompaniment o2 music provided by a local Folk Group. On returning to the.sur+ace, delegates will I-eturn ta the Plas at Llechwedd for a buffet meal, and further entertainment from the Falk Group. A bar will be available at the Plas. The f~tnctionwill finish about 11:00 pm.
Delegates who book for the Saturday night function should wear warm clothing.
Specific ridinq times far the. incline will be given with Function tickets, For reasons of efficiency, and to ensure that everyone gets underground, delegates will be asked to adhere to the ridinq times. Tickets will be issued on reqistration. -7 ZF -4e --x?\?L %-,C ---Q[L ~d++e5i, \>GNbIo S=h3~~cE SATURDAY 4th MA/ L991
TRIP 7 - Llechwedd Slate Ouarrles. LEADER - Llecnwead Slate Mines.
Landrover trips aroccnd the working Liechwedd Quarries can be orqanised in the late aCternoon bv arrangement with the Llechwedd Staff. To be finalised.
TRIP 4 - Gald Fsanninq.
It is posslble that with the expertise available that it may be useful to arrange a demonstration of gold pannlnq techn3,ques. If you think that you may like to participate please ci?clr 4 an the booking form. -L SUNDAY 5th MQY 1991
TRIF 1 - Clagau Gold Mine LEADER - G. Hall
Underground Trip with kind permission of the Owner. Probably alsa same time to visit some of the interesting surface remains in this locality.
[RIP 2 - Erlttanla Copper Mlne, Snowdon. LEADER - Erlc Gray-Thomas
mainly a surface trlp taklng up most of the day. Park at the Pen-y-Fass car park. Gaod walk to mine vla the Mlners Track with spectacular scenery. Scramble aver tlps and explore the remains of the two m1 lls, collect specimens. Wet level to vislt. Short ladder climb for underqround party. Packed Lunch ana equipment needed for c~ridergroundparty. Return to cars via the PYG Track.
TRIP 3 - Great Orme Copper Mine. (A) LEADER - Great Orme Exploration Society
Combined Surface and Underground Trip contrasting lath and 19th Century workings with Bronze age workings. This entails some scrambling but no specialist equipment needed other than halmet and lamp. ,' Duration: F'rabably 2 to 2.5 hours. flax imum NO. TWELVE.
,TRIP 4 - Llechwedd Slate Quarries. LEADER - Llechwedd Slats Mines.
Landrover trips around the working Llechwedd Quarries can be organised in the late afternoon by arrangement with the Llechwedd Staff. To be finalised.
MONDAY 6th MAY 1991
DIP 1 - Mines in the Gwydyr F~restLEADERS - J. Bennett b R. Vernon- - (Near Hettws Y Coed)
Surface field trip around the numerous lead mines in the Gwydyr Forest. Starting at Llanrwst Mine and following a circular route via Hafna, High Hafna, Pandora, Cyffty, and Gorlan. If time pc.rmltS visits will be made to examine mines where hand dressing techniques took place. The surface remains are extensive ranging from tiered mills to simple crushihq houses. Reference will be made to the conservation work being carried out.
Duratian - All Day. Maximum No. SIXTY. NAMHO NEWS
INST ITlJTE OF MINING HISTORY t. fiRCHAEOLOGY
R meeting was held at Ironbridge on 24-25th November l990 to dis~zuss the setting up of an organisation provisionally known as the Institute of Mining Studies. On the Saturday, short reports on current research were given by David Dixon? Paul Sowan and Lyn W i l1 i es. Th i S was f01 l owed by seminars on :
Mining History as a Service to the Community - Gdr ian Pear~ze. Working br i t h Conscl1 tants - Ivor Brolr~l-I. Preserving Regional Terminology - Peter Burgess. Glynn Pi t S - Mar i lyn Palmer l!+.Pe t er Neavesson . Hushing - David Cranstone.
On the Sunday? the formal meeting was held chaired by Adrian Fearce? who out l i ned the devel opmen ts s i nce the i n i t i a1 meet i ng and the current response from NAMHO. Lyn Willies detailed the recommendat i ons of the Working Party and a general d i scuss i 01-1 followed on the aims and objectives of the proposed Institi~te. It was agreed that there was a need for an organisation to promote and set standards for mining history, si te interpretat ion and restorat ion. It should cover a broad spread of interests and expertise and serve to bridge the gap between the professional and ski l led amateur.
It as formally agreed to set up a separate or-yanisat ion C:~OI~I;-I
as the Institute of Mining Histary ?d. Qrch?.eo?ogy (IMHQj an.j to seek to interface this I!! i th NAM%O dui. ir-19 the lat ?er's ~~i-isiderationof Its futut-e strul:t[-!~-e and role. It ws.5 further agreed to adopt a tb~o tier ?reof ?he IMHG. t?!i?t~ m~rnbership oper~ to all inter-ect~d i t-jd i vi duals Fell 011.1=tat 1;s granted to those jemnnstratir-19 a i~~ii-~i(ril~.mstar~dar.? of compete^\.:^ in various aspects. A11 those attendir~g the meetil-13 {,!ere deemed to hold member status only, the matter of Fel!o:r! status would be left until I election proc~dflre r.tJas dete;-llii~te.3.Temporal-y officers were slected as follows :
Chairman : Roger Burt Secre ta.rylTreasurer : Lyn W i l1 i es Committee : David Bib-L: hlan Buckley hvid Cranstone Les Riley.
Anyone interested il-I joining the IHHA shouid contact the Secretary, Lyn willies :
'Hilderston'? Dale Rd. Mat?o~kBath: Derbyshirg T . 0623-584322 GREAT OEME BRONZE AGE WORI Work: has commenced on clearing the site aroul-id Viv~ansShaft orl the Great Orme to construct a visitor's centre for Spring 1931. About 3070(30 cubic metres of ipoil has been removed and this has revealed a large opencast featur-e w i t h severs1 new m i t-,e erct rartces. Atlout 15000 bones 1...be\*e recovered i nrl ud i ng a hc~man jaw s~~hi~zhhas been sent to Cardiff Dental School for forensic examinat ion. Many of the bones S~O~JJsigns of wear a? one or both ends and seem to have been used as chisels or gouges. Copper minerals have impregnated the bone surfaces impart ing a greer, colour, wh i 1st mangaliese has tcli-ned them black:. Of current interest is the research on the 240 year old body cf "Lindow Man" found in a Cheshire marsh. This as also found to have traces of copper carbonate and iron oxide in the superficial skin layer and I t suggests that these were used as cosmetics. This may suggest yet another use for the copper ore mined on the Great Orme. In addition,' about 500 stone tools were found varying from 0.25Kg to 29Kq. It is not known if the latter war Suspended from a framework: or whether it -belonged to a strong individual. Q11 are beach-derived cobbles of hard igneous rocks, mainly hammer stones with occasional mortar and anvil stones. (GOES) CRITERIA FOR PRESERVATION The original 2 reports have been split into 47 viz. Coal ) Fireclay Nigel Chapman Iron ' Miscellaneous Adr ian Fearce. The Coal report is finished and the Miscellaneous report has reached final draft stage. The latter is being circulated to nominated persons for comment and should be finished by February. One thing that has emerged is that the reports are a useful overvieo~of mining in the UK. Thus. as well as being useful in determining the necessary cr i ter I a for schedul ing applications. they nay also be of use for reference purposes. It is intended that a copy of the final reports will be distributed to each NAMHD organisation for internal use. A I A COMPUTER SURVEY The AIQ is assisting in the development of a national database of industrial archaeology sites in Great Britain. For this, they IJ}~ l1 be heavily dependant upon local soc i et i es and i nJ i v i duals who may a1 ready have developed local or special i sed databases on personal computers. They wish to compile a register of so~zieties and individuals with access to PCs (whether or not they already have a database), together with details of hardware, software and information fields where appropriate. fi questionnaire can be obtained from Dr Miles Oglethorpe, RCAHMS. 54,Melville St. Edinburgh EH3 7HF. WHEN IS A MINE NOT R MINE7 Ttle i~seof correct lo~zal terminaloqy wa5 dis~:--ussec! at the recent IMHU S i I.. Fe t er Ellrgess has s~lbmi t t ed ?he f 01 1 oc! i ng d isc~izsi on paper ar~d ~!!ould tie grateful i f member organ isat ions reproduced i t t o the i r merntlers for 4 I sc{.:.ss on/,:orrtmeri?. Most rzaderg I,.IQI~?B~prot~a.bly have I-IG 13 i f f iculty in erp1aining b~ha?a iT11 r~e i S since they spend a sign i f i cant amollnt of ?hei r t ime exploring and researching then. Most of the t ime. you would p\.obatly be right in calling the holes you explore "mines" but when they were being dug they were prot~atlly never called this. X t VJOIJ.?the a sad \-leg1ec t of our respons i b i l i t i es as mining historians to forget the terminology of our predecessors. If we seek: an "offi~rial" definition of a mine, IrJe must look to the 1872 Metall i ferous Mines Regula? ians Act, !>,herein we find that a mine is any subterranean art i f ica.1 excavation erploi ted for minerals of one sort or another. Glthough grossly over- simpl i f ied, this is largely how we use the word at the end of the 20th century. The uords "mine", "quarry", "pit". etc. are much older, however P than the art i f ical naining imposed on us by the 1'3th century legislators. It is important to recognise the ' true' meaning of the words we use, so we can better appreciate historical documents relating to mining sites and also restore part of our mining heritage - the terminology of times past. How car1 WE! tell what a site shol~ld be called? Without documentary evidence or memories of ret irej miners, a few simple guide1 ines should help. The biggest mistake is to assume that a mine must be undergrol~nd. The huge openwork: at farys Mountain is called a mine! Conversely. the act ive underground l imestone workinas in Derbvshire mav NOT tle mines - the clue is the mineral sought. Underground workings for non-ferrous metal ores nay be safely termed as "mines". Underground workings for building stone and slate are not so simple since they were always referred to as "quarries"! R quarry is simply an excavat ion, surface or underground. from which squared stone was removed. The wart: ings for Bath stone? Welsh slate, ragst one, firestone and flagstone are all underground quarries and not mines. Old warlr:ings for coal. f ireclay and bulk l imestone were usually termed "pi ts" or "col1 i er i es" and not mines. Howeverp rnater ials such as chalk and sand do not seem to have been called any of these. the word "Denehole" (a chalk bellpi t) was coined by Victorians AFTER such workings were being dug - what was the original name? the case of iron is a law unto itself. In the Weald, it was the iron ore itself that was known as "mine" and the extraction sites were called "minepits". In Dartmoor it was worked by "mines" and in Somerset and Wales by "pits". the subjel:t. as you can see, is a complex one. There ar-e problems which defy a standa-rdised terminology? viz. - Using "mine" as an overall term means that old references to "quarries" may be overlooked as surface workings, - Using the old terms for purist reasons may not a11,~aysbe correct since 20th century workings were prottat~ly called mines by the men uho made them. - Kining historians who move to other areas, or stud.i them1 at a distance, may use terms wi th which they are famil iar but these may tae of local relevarice on1 y and not appropriate elsewhere. - F\ si t E tha? ua.s worP:ed for several centur i es may have b~gvr~ l ife toinq salled a "p:t" h)' miners and endet: up as a "rnir~e". It is up to the indi44idllal mining historian to decide 161hat term i no1 ogy to use t111t . what ever names are adopt e J i t ! s importaiit to remember that the *~ocabulat-yijf mirleral ext~.actio;-, has beer1 evcllv ing for many centur i es. TO iqrlore 1~t1s.t 013.1- predecessors use;! as the i r- normal day-to-day l a\-~guage11; i l l on1.i serve to confuse those that follow 1, hen they put oilr research effarts into the context of martBj centuries of Bi-i t ish mining. The ideal ~.uouldbe to use the term that was in at the time of work:ing. X have made no attempt to discuss the terminology of mirle features? methods, taals, etc. There is corrsi derable scope for- studying d i f ferent words and dracr~ing up local/nat i onal glossai-ios. If you are ~fudying 'mines' for which the terminology is I~!ell-F:no~j!r~~ make art effort to prese~vethe vorabulary because nobody else wi l1 . QIA FIELD VISITS The AIA is introdu~zing a new venture by arranging field visits to sites of industrial archaeological interest. The first one will be held between May 28th - June 2nd 1991 in the Bristol area and members of NAMHO organisat ions are ent i tled to at tend. Of the week's programme7 items of interest are Wed - col l i ery S i t es around Mi dsomer Nor t on and RadstocE: . Thu - Underground Quarry Museum. Corsham. Fr i - Redcl i f fe Caves (for the glass industry) . Sat - lead mining sites in the Mendips. Sun - mining sites in Golden Valley. The cost of the full week: is f9-00 or t3.00 for a single day. Details from D.Rlderton, 48,Q~ay St. Halesuorth, Suffolk: IF19 8EY (1. 0986-872343) . AR171JND THE REG X OFIS Corrrwal 1 Carnon Consol i dated have sutbrni t ted proposals to turn the Wheal Jane Mine near Truro into a f3-5 million leisure? tout-ist and business ccmpler.. They claim .that this is the only way tha.t the1 r other mine at South Crafty Iran be kept open arid i t a1los.1~ for Wheal Jane to be reworked at a future date if the price of tir~rises suffilziently. Included in the pi-aposals are mining trails and a trip 200ft undercjr-ound. (CBE5) The mini rag engineers. Wardell Armstrong. have been cammi ssi oned thy the government to investigate ways of I-eclaiming the ir~hite I-hi ns. clay cads t e t i ps i 1-1 Cornwal l and Devoi-1. Pose i t~i l i t i es be i ng considered are amen i ty and agricultural use. (NMRS) Devon Exeter M:~s~u~sArchaeoloq i cal Field Ur~i? has :,)O\-I arl F\IA Fi eldl~~~rk:AbJard for recording work: at the Gawton Mine and firsen i r_ Mori:.=. (AI&) then t Leicestershire Industrial History Society has also won an RI6 Award for recording work: at Glyn Pits. Pontypool. This was carried out rJi th the aid of a Lloyds Bank Award for Independanf' Archaeology. (F\IFI t > Marine Col1 iery at Ebbcr~ Vale is to ts obliterated under a restoration scheme but it haz been surveyed by RCAHMW. (AXa) The site of the Guaelod-y-Carth iron mine is threatened by quarrying but a pub1 ic enquiry is to be held following claims of its archaeological importance. (FlfA) Ken t 1- ~efitUndergroun~j fiesearazh Group have recent1y gained access to an ~~r-~dergl-o~indql~.~rry for ragstofie at Mai dstone. This is an impor tant f ind since thzre is only one other known accessible S i te i ,-I t he Ut<. Surveyt ng is in hand and i t has been necessary to fit a vandal-proof gate since it is sited in a public park. There is a l iL:l ihood that acl:ess can be gained to further ,,torE:ings in both this ssjstem and adjacent sites. (KURG Norfolk Wardell Armst rong are about to report after a f120.000 underground invest igat ion itit0 the ~rhalk: mines of Norwi ,:h. Sevsral tr i a1 ad i ts have been dr i veli and a rtilmtaer of unt:nowr~ chalk: orb: i ngs d iscove~*ed. {NMqS .>.-.uri-ey lJrlit 2 Ca.ve fiesearch P- Explorat on has recently chai-~ged its r~s.me 'c Wea!;jer-L I'_:a;,e TV: Pii I-te Sac i e ty arid i t itstendi to seek- 11hari tatti status. (AS MADE FOR TEE RIO TINTO MINES IN SPAIN). Air Cylinders 24 in. diameter, and Steam 20 in.; Stroke, 5 ft. H, & Co. have a large number of Compressor Patterns on hand of various sizes, and, as they are constantly making Compressors, can deliver at short notice, and guarantee quality. 2 BOOKS AND BOOKLETS INFORMATION SHEETS - 10p EACH MUSEUM REPRINTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF WHITEHAVEN HARBOUR by Harry Fancy, Curalor (1982). AVlSlT TO WILKINSON'S POl7ERY. WHITEHAVEN 1851 SOp(A4 I9 prpcs) 11%I 0% Publlshed by the Frlends of Whltehaven Museum Plan thadng ha names 01 Ih. pirt ndthlr dabs d conscuclion a reprl81lin a new lormal ot one 01 a Iascinal~ngselles ul a,lc.et rnlolled "316 Jutto and I" whichappaardInIha WhllaharenHerald and rlrldlr doc~obrsa lout ot Wh~lehnrnPollety WtllTEHAVEN -AN OUTUNI HISTORY by Hamy fancy (l)??) 25(A5 X l~81.1). THC WHITEIIAVEN SEWERAGE SYSTEM by Roger nshar (1985). following oulbreahs and Uu praasses unlad oul Ihera. Also Included ara press cullinps, maps and pollety Aconbnsadwt~ldIhe~ldWlahmnlraVHudlrrt Umnrhkhsawas 01 conbgbudsaases. the wodtbn ol pua water supplias and lmprwed sanllallon were mJIhS. as a pod gemdhuockdon at a wry mcocubla ph usanllal lolha tcunThlala~aldadawIlhIhad~laspccl of local h[slorywhichIs pnerally Igmad HOOOSONS REMINISCENCES. SUPERSTITIONS AND CUSTOMS OF WIIITL IIAL El4 SICKWESS L POVERTY i~19th CENTURY WMITEHAVU by Hamy Fancy (1906) L3 (1053) 5OP(A4 a 0 ~aaas).Wr(ll*n by'Puly Jw Hodnson. a Iasclnal~n~charvletof 11-r A4 IH) p8g.a G(gln* bbrd on a npk* d VH M Rapon d UN WNtahMn ASSAULT AND BATTERIES by Harry Fancy (198s). An oullina 01 Whilehaven's last cinhm. ihla c&ol~le irorinl in a nnformal is one 01 hla publicali~nsand Irlls Inow bicoenw. lml; ha omddh -a olWrty latlkaliins h ha lllhand 19th nnlvlu vadan lasiids m#celebniad In the town. and describes Ihr lom's lac~lllieart lhal dale. along 4th olhu ucour~laand also a Iu of Hodwon's ponnr MR CHRISTIAN INWEST CUMBERUND by Camllla Hampshlra (1986). famous tor hlS Part h the Mutb On the '8ounIf. JhChrlsUm rat a CumMan ol Man. dnscanl HDDCSONSCUIDCTO PORTHAMILTON ANDFLESWICKBEACH (undated. c l850 60) 35p (A4 5 pages). A new lormal nprlnt of a small boohlal produced by 'PuIY Joe MAN AN0 INOUSTRY IN COPEUNO by John J. Madn(1905) (A4 X B pages). This THE ROBERTS SMOKE HOOD rdl1.d by Ham Fancy (1906). Conlemporrry r au(y bslcmly. II Is a tow pllde ol coast Jusl south ol Whllehaven, o~lpinallyinlended htmd~~toryworbwUlru, hadewbpmml d MWh UN amImm uOnl lhm to th desulplhs 01 a drkaInvanlad by a bcdmlmr hlchallms Iha warer lo enter a room Ih Ior Iomspaoplr Iahln# a day oul l0 rlsil suhcuioslllas as Iha 'CasIIa' and 'Museum', bul rlsa d mWng nd11s lalm d.cllw. II kWaHnlstbm Hd umd uuM bblas d fillad wllh smoha. an 08dy form d braalhing awamlua la mirua rascua rork also hdudas a pamd accounl d tha coastline. Paul Jones and hls poem "Port HA10 PR.WHlTEHAVW byHrmFancy(lPO2.rrdsad 1987).Oulline ol lhr hislovol Hamilton-. ha last deep pi1 h the Cunbrlan corlliel4 *hWI cbsad In 1986. WITEHAVEN AND THE TOIACCO TRADE by Nancy tgietham (1B7B) SOP (A5 a BI.CENTENARY OF WHITEHAVEN MISSION (1906/1989)110p (A5 I 20 pages) Tls~r I6pagar).h174%W~ws&~aUN'hL4UnotUNucad~hVH NAUTICAL SAYINGS by Hamy Fancy (1902). Common sayings whose naulical oripins booUel was originally producad for Iha bi.cenlenary ol Ihe Catholic Missioh bul 1111s hlnrdan h Ihr tobacco mu- and M boohkl WlmUN Cab and UN naaons la wa ollan lorgotlan lacslmilia reprinl was produced la tha Cenlenary 01 the Quay Slrtel Chapel. II pver Ihr Wh8ahwm's prdnanca adLlln d.dln* Canblm Wulralhs and m ddsbtch mr& hislory 01 catholica mdIha miolon in Whileh~enwilh a list 01 pliesls since 1706. c.1760. NAUTICAL SUPERSTITIONS by Harry Fancy (IP02). Sailors wale. and many tlill arm. *.I) tuperslltlous: lhll Ia8nel WlllnS tomd (hrlr kliala. 1932 SALE CATALOOUE OF TOWER BREWERY. WHITEHAVEN 5Op (A5 X 12 P~K~I) Ra~rlntIn raduad lormal. Olvas dalails 01 27 loll. whlch conllsl 01 WaaI Curnbtlan ulrbloc THE SALT TRADI OF WEST CUMBRIA by John J Martln (l905) A4 I lpages). Tha WHtTCHAVIN POTTERY bytIar~?anoy(l901),fawpaoplaoulslda Iha ataa raallsr lhal hohas and asaoclatad proparllas. prod~rlhdsalllromsaaralat was a mlnoi bul I~lu~lhCaIry h Lawar Wllh the ald Whllahaven one. poiiassad sevaral poIIaIIas, ona 01 whlch was talrly anlallslrr. amploylng 01 Iluslralbns from Wllllam Olanrlu's lraallsr m7hMdMahlng Common Salt-. John 1% wrho~r Martin oulllms the drvebpmml dthr ut lrom mdirvd lhur 36 192s SALE CATALOGUE OF OAUELL'S LICENSED PREMISES 5Op (A5 I3 l pages) Raprlnl In nducd IOrmaL IncludaS dascdplbns d 77 bls, most ol whlch ware public SHIPBUILDERS Of WHITEHAVEN by Harry Fancy (IP82). conclaa chach.llsl of A houlal ol Whllahavan md Iha ~uiroundlngrraa. Dttrlls lncludr barralala and lair "TO THE KINOS DICEIT" by Ronald t. Olbbon, adltrd by Hayhnq(lB8l)L2.00 shlpbulldms, lhelr prrloda adwkr ol nasals bull1 ~lkr prk~ lA5 a 48 oaars. I(lustr8l*d dlh fdd madThe wthor. 0 Curtoma adficlta Olllcm for 40 rams.~w& unhualr aurllRad to nlla lda 3hhd Smndlnr bn the Wrf. fvtw PIONEERS OF COAL MlNlNO AT WHITEHAVEN by nary Fancy (1982). Allhouph ha &lbentrtc;~&dis Ltidon documm~aq end Ns T&&a mwtm dipos~tai CurnMan cdflald Is ralallvelr smell. WNlahavm made a ramarhabla conlribullon 10 AN ACCOUNT OF THE COAL MINES NEAR WIIITEIIAVEN (1801) Cl :D (A4 % 11: papas). This is acomplele reprint In a new lormal IPenlrom Dr. Dlton's b6oRraphy ol V.nl h the CmMaRead Wncr al CIdislr TNa h dlhoul qursUon hr moat authentic recwnl Bramrl.. whkhcarlaincd lhisaccounlol minin~in!he area. Conlalns numerous loble%01 WHITEHAVEN AND RUM BUlTER by lmlty Redmond (1982). Rum Bullar and Brandy WHITLHAVEN'S LINKS WITH AMERICA k Ham fan- IOm (A4 a 8 macasL Butlar m Cadllbnal CumMan dlthes: Mrs. lmlly Rtdmond IgWS lhal thls dallclous cmocHmprobabiy orlgl~lrsIn w around WIIm)Uanwh~~himporlad Iarra auanlilles ol THE EVEOF THE OOLOEN WEDDING by John Crahatn (1910) 3Op (A4 8 G I ..e%, m Inlrodutlkn h ama d UN eomecU~ns&h kdcita ~hhnin'ipeal ~kr. A complala last raprlnl in a rr.osed lama1 01 a gtapr~carcounl 01 a 1aml.r ahr~Ir J L, It hcludng hJJmc. Owr~WarWglm Cdr nd the tm.aUmtk u#r 1910 Welllnglon Pot D~saster.o~lplnally pllnled as a pansphlrl lhollly aller Ihr 1l~laI~rr THE CUY TOBACCO PIPE INDUSTRY IN WEST CUMBRIA by Wllllam Flatchar WHITIHAVEN rnns ON~~UNDR#DYCAR~(iaacl~8r)~~drnr+(1~8r) (IP02), Whlt@luv@tI was ona ol the lrrdlng ports I# Ihe lob~coIrada and savaral @p# REPRINTS OF CONTEMPORAnY PRESS ACCOUNTS OF MININO OlSASTLnS L1 lA9 a It naaasl A hitlow J h( b.- kom UN alW c& r r mm* ol mmdacturs sal up hiha In the ngkn. Walllnglon PI1 1910 137 mmhallad (A4 I I2 patrs) SOP lmpidng lh@iadlafj codllkr;~d I)* lom h the desl~illha m rrkmJy pod al Haig I%l 1921 39 ' (A4 I l1pates) 50~ od d WhllakMn 6W 1790. Richmond. Conlains illmlralkns adr Idd COMMERCIAL FISHIN0 FROM WHITEHAVEN by Rosemary Galer (1983). Although HnI" Pi1 1927 A 28 17 ' ' IA4 I 29 pa~esl 1 00 nahlngww an Imwdant occupatimlrmn the awllul bm#S ln th~s8Ie8. I~III~is hnown olots Hnlp Pit 1931 27 ' " (AI m 28 pnpesl 100 TRACINO YOUR FAMILY HISTORY by Jew ?mUlnoa.lrpon (IN() 5Op (A4 a ndy hlsloq. Miac Gakr WlllWt Ih@WUII C&# d the ~nduslry. 8 Lowca PII 1946 I5 ' IA4 I 5 paces) 50,8 pagas). ths is a wry sIrNng od Wtl (a npn IntmrrM h w~~low.It M weld Wlllinm p11 1947 104 ' " (A4 1 S pal*%) 50~ cdalna mmdsd oblalnlna hfomulbn admUns my rddrrssu ud boob UNas BUSES IN THE WHITEHAVEN AREA brHamy PosUathwalla (1983). A de~otad-bus lhil could ba d usr mlhuslasl'. HrwPotlltlhwa~la Inas the dmlomnlot Ihls wlal means 01 11ansmrl In Thesa ara copies OI cullongs Ialen llom ne*spapefs al Ihr Iune ar.0 ollrrl I *.I de . :: ma var pholopraphs and Lagtams ol Ihe mme, plus 11~1%01 Ihose hslled THETONNAOEOFSHIPSby 11-1 M~an[1907)~4aOpagas).Themlhodol "WE ST. BEES MAN" by John Todd(l9Oq. JohnTodd who was closaly Involved wilh Iha JOHNPAULJONES'ATTACKON WHITEHAVEN Reprlnl(1976)lrom Lloyd~Evenlr,p calCulalln8 the ImNga d rhlps hn lsd-1 Ilm~lncludn wpkr ol ran aruvallon, w~Ilwame slgnlrwrnce 01 INSrmurClbla wchological find. Tha shrouds lrom Whllchmn buill shim. Tr~aMwran nplalnr UN billenm bmmnr)(b nd ?d Post (1770) slngla shaal (A3) 2Op. ha bodr,- datlnr - tram rrOund 1300 AD. am dsdand. . In Whl1bhav.n. - Museum... JOHN PAUL JONES - THE RAID ON WHlTEllAVEN S1np.l. Slnesl (A3). Coiryarii~.~ CHILDRENOFTHEPITS by RayOnln~lBOB)(A5a(I pagrr).lYsbooha~plaInshor placa to the abova. Raprlnlad (1987) Irom 'Tha Cumba#landMagazlna. Apt11 1778" 20, CAPTAIN JOSEPH HUODART. by nlll (19041 2s p. (~4a 4 paga~). Huddadl. coal minlng utd to k udrdout md UN hvdnmml ol chWm II ombha many utm was born rlAllonby h 1740 W 1741. was D dUoutsbndlng local parsonallly. Aflar JOHN PAUL JONES. PIRATE (A4 1 S pages). Reprinl 1987 of llie 19th cri>l~ir, Hluslrallonr IrUw ol ocdd~and MrrnNIhd mrp -g the 01 loul r looUa smnlyean @S mastn of a noalhe had detlgnhl adbull1 hlmsall. ha Imasll~aladIh pamphlaL40 p nslalanca d nlar lo Itn hulls ol modal ships. beram. an a1perl on Iha daslgn 01 dahs. Invmlad Imprwamanls In thmanufactun d ropna, bncame a larding hydrographer and HOMAQETOTHE HERDWICKbyBlllRar(lng(lBOO)5Op(A4a 14 pagrs).BlllRa~ln~, was alulad a fellow Ol tha Rqal Sakq. Ha dlad and wra burlad in London In 1816. SHIPBUILDING CHECKLISTS a Cumbrlanhill lumar. Is on ol !ha kadhgaptrtson Cmbrll's utqwbnfd d sh!p and arolalns W alrlns.nalur adlannklol Ihe Hm6rlcL SHIPBUILDING CHECKLISTS OF WIIITEHAVEN. WORKINGTON AND MAllt PDII~ Th-8 IMawluma* *a Ihamoslcompr*hanaka Il*l*ollocall~ but11 ships and arm ,E ~!UZEI) 1 _ ratull olarlenslra Rsaarch by mBnY*ohars Tha sources include laalnewspapers rarlou% fi"fr_,LA H&E\] shlpplng lists an4 Llqbs Raglslers. Oelrlls 01 lonnaga and dales gwen whetr posslbla. SHIPBUILDINQ AT MARYPORT (1989) 91.50 (AS K 27 patas) SHIPOUILDINO AT WHITEHAVEN (1904) Ll.20 (A4 a S6 patas) SHIPOUILDINO AT WORKINGTON (L HARRINCTON) (198s) L1.20 (A4 a 40 pages) C426 74s mlcb6757s - Prlcsa do not lncluda postape. Do not send money wlth order. Invoice wlll be enclosed on delivery. to Include postage c~sls.Cheques payable please to: The Frlends of Whltehaven Museum'. 1 OR THE ART OF INTERLOCUTORY SELF INTERCOURSE There I was filing negatives awax in their album, bybut bored, viewing the occasional neg against the light ..... 'That would make an interesting photo piece for a newsletter article,' thinks I. "Narrr," says my alter ego, It To do that you'd have to pick up a pen and write about it, composing articles and all that yuck besides-, who then would believe that you're too busy digging and that to write about whats been happening. " My conscience again. .. . But therers so much to write about, what about bgan,? what about Magpie ?, the Sisis?, the day level dig?, you know there S been a lot happening since pur last contribution, tell them about it, do it .. . . t l' &It, But ....I1 And as my apathy waned mder the scrutiny of my enthusiastic CO - ego, as the ennui slipped from my shoulders as if from the relief of some horrendous burden, so then did the spirit arise within and suddenly the prospect of " all that bleeding roughing out, struggling for words, cutting and arranging photos, getting them bromided, typing.. .Arrgh.. . I hate typing .. . .l1 ( 'carefull Anton or you'll invoke that apathetic apology again p) seemed somehow not so bad. I know, I'll think about it when i've finished stowing these negs." Well,. .. only if you promise. Sure.. . Okay.. . well perhaps.. ." Later on .. . Not bad shots these, must be the ones we took last christmas when we were in Wales .l1 Yes, here's me of Manod ... look at those underground structures ...... fascinating. Oh look, there's one of that coffin we found there.' W bah I remember feeling the chill of superstition when we found that sitting there in the darkness.... brrrrgh...It Well, how about an article using some of these shots, perhaps make it a Ut of a photo spectacular, not too much writing just a bit of blurb about what we did and ...... I .,...... and here I am, pen in hand,amazed at how that snivelling creep has got my enthusiasm going hy his devious connivings. In fact so eager am I now that the old pen is twitching and bucking like a possesed thing, its methe dowser who understands not the force which driveth his rod yet resigns himself to its agency, knowing not whither it may lead nor what will spring forth...... WHAT WE DONE DURING THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS BY ANTON AGED 13% That's Christmas 89 - 90 by the way. Looking at those negatives now I wonder why the heck I had'nt written a little article at the time about the stuff we looked at .... apathy I suppose ... but here it is now, hope it's of interest. We'd gone down to Sheila's parents at Dolgellau for Christmas and after a couple of days of gorging and greetings I began to wonder if I hadn't lost the use of my legs ... you know how it is ... and partly to test this out and partly to avoid yet another film with a seasonal flavour we opted for a few days of physical activity. (contd .....) (;Jhat we done .. . contd. : MAP OF BLAENAU FFESTINIOG AND ENVIRONS Manods a funny old place, you drive up this drizzly valley passing the occasional spoil tip on either flank then all of a sudden you're up above the cloud base and down to 10 feet visibility, you park within 50 feet of the quarry yet still need a compass to find it sort of thing. On a clear day the valley is dominated by the enormous slate tip which landmarks the place, the starkness of its aspect being but a veneer over the older duller material beneath. photo - 'delcome to Yanod, on my left Ladies and Gentlemen you will see the Crown Jewels whilst to my right hangs The Laughing Cavalier." Alsation by courtesy of Securicor. Photo loc 1. (contd .. . . ) A lgvel to the rear of the "anod Juarry shops lets into the lmer workings scd from this an ~~ndergroundincllne on your right leads to a vent %rill housing and an access door to the storage 'blocks1. It is alleged that this is -4here the national treasures were stored in tines of national strife ( i4d 2 ? ) and certainly considerable im~ortancemust have been attached to their contents for each of the blocks is equi~pedwith its own independant heating and ventilation plant, and electrical service switch- gear is in abundance. The lower storage block is served by rails from the main level and secured by massive wooden doors. photo - The storage blocks are arrar-ged over two levels within the closeheads. Photo loc 1. photo - View over a portion of the lower block . Photo loc 1. Percy PP says : A pitprop in time saves mine. Yining remains are fairly abundant elsewhere within Nanod with bogies, shearlegs, railed inclines etc to be seen about the place. Later on the same day we spent some hours fruitlessly looking for the underground engine which I thought I'd read about somewhere to the East of Manod !&arry. In this direction the little quarry of Blaen-y-Cm is to be found with its superb example of a masonry built incline (see photo). photo - Elaen-y-Cwm incline. Photo loc 2. The quarries of Rhiw Bach, Blaen-y-Cwrn and Maen Offeren were linked by a narrow gauge railway (or was it a horse tramway ?) and a following day was spent traversing this route. It makes a fascinating walk with remains to be seen on either hand. Anyone in the area with a non mining spouse should get themselves dropped off at Manod and traverse this route whilst your other half drives round to pick you up after you have descended through Maen Offeren quarries to Blaenau Ffestiniog (see map). (contd .... ) .. I Sammy Stemple says - A pitprop is just a stemple with its brains sucked out *- g ifL photo - View over Blaen- y-Cwm quarry buildings with quarry loc 4 in distance. This photo loc 3, photo - View into quarry, Photo loc 4. The railway goes right around the back of ~anodMawr to the top of an external incline which descends several hundred feet to the top Maen Offeren quarry site. Here there are extensive slate sheds (working I presume) and the continuing tramway system which by traverses and inclines once carried slates all the way down to the Ffestiniog railway in the town below. (contd..,, ) Fron this incline top and viewing slightly to your left across the site there stands an island of rock behind which is a smallish quarry. It is here that:hiscovered the head of an obviously working incline which descends into the depths of the mountain. Cur trespass becane apparent upon this find, though Me took a few photos before exiting the system of levels which brought us here. (see photos) photos - Views of incline and incline head, note 4 man incline car. Photo loc 5. Triple railed ! Close by is a snug little air winch house with the little twin cylinder double acting winch engine still inside (see photo) and across the xay is the round bore level (see photo). Presumably the machine cutter that forms this is in the nature of a hole saw - a sort of circular saw - and my theory is that the cylindrical slate cores thus formed are removed to the shops for riving into 1/2 " thick slabs, green baize is then stuck to one side and the product is then sold locally as giant tea coasters...! (contd .. . ) photo - Air winch, note broken right hand cylinder in foreground. Photo loc 7. photo - Round bore level. photo loc 6. (contd .... ) X * * * * h furtner coupie of days szent looking srolind the loder 'hen Cfferen site and the top of Llechwedd wkich Is zearsy to the ;iest. photo - Abandoned bogie train at foot of incline at the lower ?!aen Cf f eren site. Photo loc 8. photo - Narrow gauge powder waggon, still in use this one is. Photo loc 9. Llechgedd is one heck of a site, look at the map and it extends from somewhere between photo locs 8 and 9 Westwards right down to the road - thats about 2/7 of a mile - and the place is worth a day of its own accord (a foot - path bounds the site to the ~orth) (contd .... ) Now, I could probably go on reproducing photos till this N/Letter is full, however 2 stop must be called somewhere for I swear I can hear the Treasurer muttering about Bromide costs and the like. Just before I go though, there's one little feature I'd like to present for your interest ..."coz arve niver sin the like afore Guv ".. . Lmediately to the dest of and in close proximity to the powder xagon (loc 9) lies an open quarry through which an abandoned double line incline descends into the hillside below. To the rear of the drum house is built a little miners drying room which contains a contrivance of such cunning simplicity that mention it I must .... a thermo syphon heater system .... see sketch. The perimeter of the room is equipped with iron racks upon which wet articles of clothing - boots etc would be placed, and below the racks runs the water pipe loop fed by the boiler unit. The hot water in the back boiler rises and feeds the top line whilst the cold water descends and returns via the lower loop line .. . . simple Huh ! There it is then, Blaenau Ffestiniog to my mind ranks as slate Mecca of the British Isles and makes an excellent choice for this years NAMHO conference. PS - All quarries referred to are strictly in fact slate mines, underground extraction predominating in this area. publication has 'fallen through'. The site is 'sort of accessible, some way-marking arrows seem to indicate an NENTHEAD '91' approved path on part of the site, 'keep out' signs steer Earlier in the year while discussing the Nenthead you away from some of the more interesting areas. The weekend, Ian Matheson raised the question of mine that broke the Bristol smelters stranglehold on the accommodation, "are there any plans to stay at Cherry copper trade deserves more recognition. Tree Cottage ?". Well for the benefit of new members a word or two of explanation. Cherry Tree Cottage is the Books galore. first house on the right as you enter Nenthead on the Weardale road (A689) and is run by a lady called Helen Publishers of books with a mining / underground bias S he r l o c k (who also has the village store). have been busy of late, with some interesting items to In the 'good old days', there was a lot of CAT interest tug at the purse strings. Firstly the long awaited new in the ~entheadarea, you then had to book early to ensure edition of Dunham part 1 or Geology of Northern a bed at Helen's. Then there was a period when interest Pennine Orefield Vol 1 Tyne to Stainmore is now on waned, numbers dwindled, & decisions as to whether peo- sale. It is published in soft covers (like V2 Stainmore to ple were going for the full weekend were made later and Craven) with additional illustrations, the eight figure grid later. Our former status as honoured guests soured a bit. references for mines will be very much welcomed. A The decision had to be taken to make everyone responsi- price of £32 puts it very much into a specialist 1 academic ble for there own accommodation (camping local hostelry categorisation, if you are interested in the Northern etc). Pennine Orefield then it is an essential part of the This has generally worked out OK, but with some literature. loss to the social side and the camaraderie of these Another important book on the Northern Pennines is weekends. 'Life & Work of the Northern Lead Miner' by Raismck & The questions are these:- Roberts, originally published jointly by Northern Mines Are you going to Nenthead for the June meet ? & Beamish Museum. The first limited edition has Would you like to stay at Cherry Tree Cottage ? become scare and much sought after, the good news is Helen may not want us back, I know she was disap- that it is now back in print by courtesy of Alan Sutton at pointed the way things fizzled out. I will approach her to a price of £15. Basically it comprises of 200 pho- see if we can stay there again only if enough people tographs supported by interesting and authoritative cap- will commit themselves sufficiently in tions. Geographically the area covered is that of advance. Dunharn's 1 & 2 plus Cumbria, there are some good What is on offer in terms of activities ? The long Greenside pictures. promised Caplecleugh - Rampgill through trip with Peter If you aspire to taking taking photographs under- Fleming seems pretty certain for the Sunday. This is a ground & think that everything is against your success, superb nip, though iong h very wet, see Newsietters 18 then read To Photograph Darkness: The History ul' & 27 for more details. (An easier alternative will Underground & Flash Photography' by Chris Howes. probably also be available). Chris is a superb cave photographer an author of 'Cave For the Saturday I would like to do the Smallcleugh / Photography: A Practical Guide'. (See CDJ's review Proud's sump to Carr's level trip but for the moment newsletter in a previous Newsletter.). Consider large nothing has been decided, has anyone any suggestions ? heavy cameras, slow film, magnesium powder as a light source, one picture and wait a day or more for the smoke to clear! perhaps one should complain less & try harder. JOURNAL NUMBER 4 Published by Alan Sutton at £25, it is printed on good As you will have noted earlier in this Newsletter there quality paper in hard covers. Mainly covering cave have been some changes in committee and other photography (with early chapters on the Paris catacombs 'honorary' CATMHS posts following the AGM. After and some sewers), one chapter looks at photography in establishing and producing 3 very successful journals mines. Chris Jones is taking a well deserved rest from this re- Also from Alan Sutton is 'Weardale in Old sponsibility. Don Borthwick now has the great 'honour' Photographs' collected by June Crosby. Mining, quarry- of taking on the task (protestations of "I would gladly ing and related industries have quite a strong showing accept a committee post but unfortunately I live too far taking 19 out of the 150 pages. Useful if your interests away." does not work with this post.) extend a little outside of Cumbria. It is hoped to publish 'Mine Explorer' - number 4 For those of who's interests are less parochial and early in 1992 so get writing! I have offers of some inter- more statistical, there is an addition to Roger Burt's esting articles from what may be termed the stalwarts of mineral statistics. This new volume covering Shropshire our journal, but contributions are sought from anyone & Montgomeryshire with Cheshire & Staffordshire, is as with something to add to the general fund of published usual published by the University of Exeter Press & costs data. Contributions long or short articles have ranged £7-95. from 1 to 'y' pages in precedng journals. Finally, books in David Bick's five volume series on the Old Metal Mines of Mid Wales first published in 1974-78 gradually went out of print. Steps are being Pary's Mountain. taken to ensure there continued availability, parts 4 & 5 (Montgomeryshire, Aberdovey, Dinas, Mawddwy & Newsletter number 27 p5 noted that a trail leaflet had LLangynog) are available now as a single volume priced been produced Pary's mine site on Anglesey. at £5-50 published by Pound House, Newent, Glos. Unfortunately this does not seem to be the case. After a Parts 1 & 2 are promised as a single volume also a part 6 visit last summer to this very important site, steps were entitled 'A Miscellany'. taken to obtain a copy of the leaflet. It appears that MEETS BONSOR EAST SHAFT, JAN 4TH 1991, Dave Bridge and Ian Matheson. Bonsor East Shaft is much older than the Victorian workings which comprise most of the mining remains at Coniston. It was sunk on the Bonsor Vein to a depth of about 60 fathoms around 1760 by Charles Roe of Macclesfield, the first 180 feet passing through the old Elizabethan workings known as the Low Work. It passes through Deep Level, which it pre dates by some 65 years, and the rising water pipe which can be seen protruding from the floor at the first intersection rises up this shaft. In 1825 when Deep Level was being driven 270 feet below to intersect the then flooded stopes, a new pump and wheel was erected to drain Charles Roe's old workings. Ten years later a cross cut was driven from the head of Bonsor East Shaft to facilitate the removal of rock from the sinking of the Old Engine Shaft. As far as I know Bonsor East has not been descended since I joined CAT in 1983, and it has the reputation of being unstable an3 rather dangerous. Its fascinating history and the fact that it is so little known have long made it a must 011 my list of things to do at Conistoll, but finding solneone else willing to do it has proved difficult. The head of the shaft is located in an underground chamber just below the track whlch goes to the Old Engine Shaft Wheel pit. Outside are the remains of the 19th Century wheel and associated buildings. Inside a plank crosses the stope to the Old Engine Shaft Cross Cut, and close by a pair of substantial timbers covered with rocks also bridge the gap. A search revealed two bolts put in by Mike Mitchell years ago, and which were still in good condition. We backed the111 up with two more, and then spent some time clearing stone and debris from the head of the pitch to ma&e it safe. Now the time had come I was less enthusiastic about the place, but Dave volunteered to go first. He seemed a bit apologetic about eoing first, but there was no need, I was quite happy about it! There 1s no shaft as such, just a cleared way through the stope. The rock is clean and about ten degrees from vertical. About eighty feet down a hanging rebelay was necessary, requiring the placement of another bolt. As soon as this was done I abseiled down to it whilst Dave continued on. Fifty teet lower another bolt was needed for a deviation on the hanging wall. Below this Dave went out of my view, but we could still talk to each other. About this time we heard the voice of Alistair Lings, who was staying at the BMSC cottage, but we couldnt decide whether he was at the top or the bottom, and he didn't hear our replies. Dave decided that yet another bolt was needed, and so, as I was getting cold I decided to prussick back up. As we were not sure how far down we were, we agreed that I should walk down to Deep Level and try to contact Dave from there. On my arrival we found that he was in fact only about twenty feet above Deep Level. Now it was Dave's turn to walk out to day, whilst I prussicked up to strip out all the gear. Prussic-king is much better thau abseiling beca~~seyou have much more time to look at things, and I had no need to hurry. Just above the point where Dave had placed his lasr bolt are some squdrr timbers. ;art s1 the original shaft, still in !)lace, showing srooves where the winding rope had rubbed. These probably cdl-rlau duide wheels 101- the rope. Numerous neat square stemple hitches show where fittings and floors used to be. iron spikes to which ladders were attached rise at intervals to the right, occasionally with bits of ladder attached to them. A third of the way up a large area of the footwall is entirely hand picked, and d neat drainage gully has been chiseled across the face. This must surely be part of the old Elizabethan workings, which reached a depth of iBO feet below the surface. Further up the walls are less regular, and there are shot holes where presumably Charles Roe and CO widened the old stope. To the right, beyond the ladderway, the whole height of the stope has been stacked with deads which once were sealed in with stonework. Much of this has slipped away, exposing the impacted rubble, which looks none too stable. Approaching the head of the shaft from below the timbers which bridge it can be seen mare clearly. They were arranged in two pairs, one pair three feet above the other, althouqh one of the Lower pair is missing. They are in fact the bearing supports for Che winding wheel, and are daubed with sobs of grease and show radiai grooves where the wheel rubbed. Frobably the lower palr gave insufficient ground clearance for the winding rope and the upper pair were put in to raise the wheel and alleviate the problem. Both sets have cut outs oil their upper surfaces where the wheel bearings were mounted. A search in the debris in the shaft head chamber revealed sow bits of iron, one of which looked like part of the wheel rim. A few days later a guide wheel was discovered in Deep Level at the foot of the Bonsor East Shaft, and this has been removed for safekeeping. Well pleased with our exploration we finished the day by going through the LMQT dig in the North Cross Cut and traversing the walkway through the flooded stopes to the foot of the New Engine Shaft, in order to make sure that all was well for the CAT meet the following Sunday. Ian Matheson. NEW ENGINE SHAFT THROUGH TRIP, JAN 6TH i 991 . Heet Leaders: Ian Matheson, Mike Mitchell, ihris ;ones. Burnley Caving Club: Jack Nadin (also d CAT member), Steve Taylor, Dennis Wood, John Fairhurst, Katherine Clooney, Paul Hartley, John Birch, Peter Hartley, Andrea Hartley. CATHFIS Nembers: Alistair Cameron, Dave Bridge, Mark Simpson, Faul Timewell. Peter Fleming, Sheila Barker, and Angela Wilson arrived Later but did r~ot participate. Pete Blezzard and Ann Danson spent the day at the ifiddlr Level dig. On the face of it a turnout of twenty one individuals is quite respectable, but this is probably the most interesting, sporting and varied through trip in the Coniston Mining field. The combined efforts of CAT and LMQT have achieved access to previously unvisited parts of the mine, and PI-oduied a classic descent and traverse. It was disappointing therefore that CAT members were outnumbered by the Burnley Caving Club, and indeed, apart from the joint meet leaders, only three CAT members completed the through trip. So where were you all? The weather was fine but windy, and a bit cold for those waiting their turn at the surface. Once below ground conditions were very comfortable. The descent of the New Engine shaft involves three pitches, the first of which involves a pendule of twenty feet to a stemple after a sixty foot descent. Mike Mitchell did this first; everyone following had the advantage of a pull from below to make the pendule much easier! In fact this first pitch had to be re-rigged due to the discovery by Mike of some damage to the rope which had been done previousiy but not reported. After this short delay things went very smoothly, and everyone continued down the second pitch. A second small delay occured at the head of the last pitch as the bolts could not be found. One was located, and Mike descended to the bottom whilst Ian put in another bolt to improve the layout. Chris Jones and Paul Timewell were waiting at the bottom, having come in via Deep Level to rig and supervise the deep water traverse. From the foot of the New Engine Shaft Deep Level continues into the mine. A spur, the South Cross Cut, driven through solid rock, goes for about two hundred yards towards Paddy End before tel-ninating in a blank forehead. Who drove this, when and why? Were they hoping to intersect some undiscovered rich vein? Was it intended as an alternative tramming route from the Paddy End and Kernal Crag workings to replace the Great Cross Course which had become too unreliable and expensive to maintain? Whatever its purpose it failed, and the fine and spacious rock tunnel is a monument to the work of those who drove it and the lost forturies of those who financed it. The main drive of Deep Level continues towards the Great Cross Course, passing an old manway down which, twenty feet below, can be seen the surface of the water a thousand feet deep. A little further on there is a waterfall beside which is an ore chute, blocked when discovered, but which was dug open by CAT and LMQT to gain access to the ground beyond. Shortly after this is the Great Cross Course itself, a nasty clayey claustrophobic place, with poor shaley rock, frequent collapses and chest deep water. Few people have ventured along it, and today no one added to their number. Having seen what there was to see the majority of the group were escorted out by Chris via the LHQT walkway and dig, whilst Mike and Ian ascended the ropes to strip out the gear. Everyone was out of the mine by 3.30 pm. On the way out a sheave wheel was recovered from the foot of the 18th Century Bonsor East Shaft, and this was taken to Mandells Office for safe keeping. Present: D. Slundell E blitchell D. Bridge Y. 'litchell P!. Dobie M. Scott C. Jones A. Sibbald P. Flerning P. Timewell P. Mertin T. Tuc'tet A. Gourlay A. Thornas A. Vilson 15 members met at the roadside at Seatoller on a cold morning hoping for an entertaining day out. The sun failed to show itself throughout but the mist cleared occasionally revealing glimpses of the snow covered tops. Mitchell astounded the masses by settin? off on one of his famous 'bee-lines' to the upper levels by walkinq hack down Borrowdale and taking \alf the grouD with him. Poor unsuspecting fools we thou~htas we made our way up to the farm. Of course when we next saw Yike he was sitting, relaxed on the spoilheap outside the entrance to Gilberts Level, smiling wryly as we huffed and puffed up the spoil heap and collapsed in heaps around him. He then set off on another bee- line the moment we sat down. On reaching the Grand Pipe it was decided (by Pete ~leming)to split into two groups, those who felt fit or were unfamiliar with the higher workings, departing higher still with Mitchells cheery reassurance that only two short pitches would bring us down to their horizon again and only 25m of rope would be needed. Paul, Barbara, Pete, Max, Adam, Mark and myself spent an enjoyable hour explorine the small rises and flats off the upper levels before deciding to go down. Unsure of the depth I abseiled on a single length of rope and there was only about 10 ft. of rope left at the bottom which made it impossible to use the rope doubled for a that or the next h itch which looked a similar distance. I should have known Yike's wry smile meant something as we set off with the short rope. Returning to the Grand Pipe we explored Fairey's Stage looking for the bottom of the pitch I had seen from above then returned to daylight before Adam and I descended to Gilberts Level where the rest of the team could be heard in Dixons Pipe some 80 ft above. The rest of the party had descended the Grand Pipe (with a rope they knew would be long enough) to the old Yans Satgewith the hope of securing a large block near the bottom in Dixons Pipe. All the way through they were horrified by the rather 9orrendous rigging which other grouDs usinq the through trip ?ad put in place. Bolts ?ad been wlaced to qaximise the rub points. Obviously this was no good for a group which included Anton so Setter bolts were nlaced using Yr Fosch's a~paratus. Much hilarity ensued when the newly elected membership secretary made slow Drogress drilling a hole when it was noticed that he had the drill rotating backwards! Further down Paul IJitheridqes effort at boltinq towards an as yet unexplored passage was noted. Also at the to^ of the last pitch a boulder was secured and another measured up for a stemple. All went well until as the party abseiled down the last (wet) pitch they noticed the real horror, a poised boulder as big as a sheep (and not as soft) just below the start. This must be the one they came to secure... Later many plans were formulated to deal with it. Andy Sibbald distinguished himself a second time by abseiling back up the rope and walking backwards down the fell before reversing his car back along Borrowdale to Keswick. Election to the committee uas too much for him. Those who attended the meet enjoyed a good day out except for one member who got seperated from his car keys and spent a cold hour or so hut thats another story.. .