SOME ASPECTS OF THE ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE GAPING GILL - INGLEBOROUGH CAVE SYSTEM Part 2 The system Brief history of exploration ............................................................................. 31 Surveys of the Gaping Gill and Ingleborough Cave systems ....................... 32 A description of the Gaping Gill System The Rat Hole, Jib Tunnel and Spout Tunnel System ...................................... 34 The Main Shaft ................................................................................................ 36 The Main Chamber .......................................................................................... 36 The East and West Boulder Slopes ................................................................ 37 The Porcellanous Bands ................................................................................. 38 West Fissure and West Pot ............................................................................. 36 North Passage and North Passage Tube ....................................................... 39 East Pot ......................................................................................................... 40 South Fissure .................................................................................................. 40 South Passage Boulder ................................................................................... 40 Old East Passage, Mud Hall, Far East Passage ............................................ 41 Old East Passage ............................................................................................ 41 Mud Hall .......................................................................................................... 43 Far East Passage ............................................................................................ 45 Avalanche Pot ................................................................................................. 46 Brothers’ Junction ............................................................................................ 46 Whitsun Series ................................................................................................ 46 West Chamber ................................................................................................ 49 Pool Traverse .................................................................................................. 50 Pool Chamber ................................................................................................. 50 South Passage I .............................................................................................. 50 Booth-Parsons Crawl ...................................................................................... 51 South Passage II ............................................................................................. 52 T-Junction to Sand Cavern .............................................................................. 53 Sand Cavern ................................................................................................... 53 Stalagmite Chamber ........................................................................................ 54 Stream Chamber ............................................................................................. 55 Stream Passage .............................................................................................. 55 South East Passage ........................................................................................ 56 South East Pot ................................................................................................ 57 Hensler’s Stream Passage System ................................................................. 57 New Hensler’s Crawl ....................................................................................... 58 Old Hensler’s Crawl ......................................................................................... 59 Old East Tributary ........................................................................................... 60 Mud Hensler’s Crawl ....................................................................................... 60 Disappointment Pot Inlet ................................................................................. 61 30 BRIEF HISTORY OF EXPLORATION The first recorded mention of Gaping Gill demonstrated relation-ships between occurs in John Huttons pioneering account of structure and scenery both above and below cave exploration, "Tour to the Caves in the ground, that the Geological Museum Environs of Ingleborough" (Shaw, 1971), Workshop was commissioned to prepare a which first appeared in 1761. It in clear from special, geological relief model at Hutton's account that the connection Ingleborough. This model can still be seen in between Gaping Gill and Clapham Beck the Geological Museum, Exhibition Road, Head was understood locally over two South Kensington, London. (Ref. Strahan, hundred years ago, but direct proof of the 1910) connection had to wait for a further one One further result of the interest hundred and forty years. After Hutton, cave aroused among geologists by the exploration exploration In Britain was largely directed of Ingleborough Cave is that it was, and still toward a the archeological excavation of is, the only cave in the country whose cave deposits over the next few decades. underground passages are shown in outline The exploration, in their own right, of on the full range of the maps of the area, Ingleborough's caves and potholes was published by the Ordnance Survey. (See nevertheless growing, stimulated by Sheet 98 “Wensleydale & Wharfedale” successive editions of Hutton's "Tour to the 1:50.000 First Series 1976. and "The Three Caves...” and by the growing appreciation or Peaks" 1:25,000 Outdoor Leisure Map 1973.) mountain scenery among educated tourists. Also involved with early exploration Exploration of the caves of the of Ingleborough Cave were two local men, Gaping Gill area commenced in earnest in William Metcalfe of Weathercote House, September 1837 with the landowner, James Chapel-le-Dale and John Birkbeck of Anley Farrer of Ingleborough Hall, who employed House, Settle. Having thus acquired a taste his estate workers to break down a series of for cave exploration with Farrer’s team, these stalagmite dams just inside the entrance of two men made pioneer explorations of many Ingleborough Cave, which was then known of the open caves and potholes around as Clapham Cave. This allowed a series of Ingleborough during the following thirty-five deep pools to drain which reached to within a years. Unfortunately, no first-known account few inches of the roof or the passages, and exists today of their work, but it is believed which hitherto had effectively prevented that John Birkbeck attempted at least one, if access to the extensive cave system beyond, not two descents of the Main shaft of Gaping (Farrer, 1849, Philips, 1853, Hill, 1913). Gill in 1842, by being lowered on the end of a During the latter part or 1837 and rope. He reached a ledge 55m down (now the first half of 1838, Farrer's team named after him), and thus was the first man discovered much of Ingleborough Cave as to look down into the vastness of the Main we know it today. In the course of a series of Chamber below. (Mitchell, 1949 and Lord & explorations of astonishing perseverance Mitchell. 1952.) and extraordinary fortitude, considering the The exploration of Gaping Gill explorers' equipment, experience and the commenced in earnest on August 1, 1895 date, they reached Giants Hall and Lake when Edouard Martel, the French pioneer of Avernus (see Ingleborough Cave Plan by the science of speleology, in the course of a Philips. Fig. xx). James Farrer quickly turned lightning tour of the caves of the British Isles, the venture into a commercial proposition used rope ladders and a rope to descend the and Ingleborough Cave remains today one of Main Shaft. After a descent lasting twenty- the finest show caves in the country. A three minutes he spent an hour and a half number or pioneer geologists, including exploring the Main Chamber, making Philips, Sedgwick, Marr and McKenny measurements and sketches, which he later Hughes assisted with the exploration and used to illustrate his account of the survey. This resulted in special chapter by exploration (ref Martel, 1897 and Figs. xxx; R.H. Tiddeman on the caves of copy of plates of Martel's book). Unknown to Ingleborough, being included in the Survey Martel, a group of Yorkshiremen under the Memoir of the Ingleborough area (ref. leadership of Edward Calvert (and who were Dakyns et al, 1890). The officers of the to become founder members of the Yorkshire Geological survey were so impressed with Ramblers Club) had been planning to repeat the clear way that the Ingleborough area Birkbeck’s descent since September 1894. 31 Despite having been forestalled by Martel, extensions have been discovered, both in however, Calvert's group continue their plans Gaping Gill (including several alternative and one month after Martel's visit two entrances), and in Ingleborough Cave. members reached Birkbeck’s Ledge. On 9 These discoveries are summarised in Table May 1896, using a windlass and a system of xx and Figs. xxx. Both cave systems have pulleys, Calvert himself was lowered down been surveyed several times to a reasonable the Lateral Shaft, which is parallel to the degree or accuracy and according to the Main Shaft, and which bad been discovered latest figures obtainable.