Probably one for Graham this, but others may know.

Lake Level, following the back vein east one passes many walled-off chambers.

One of these - Number 13, has the remains of a timbered level leading south through the back-fill. It's collapsed now, and looks a fairly awful prospect to attempt to dig. It has a drainage pipe coming out and if you listen carefully you can hear water dripping onto something metal somewhere deep inside.

Where does this level go? Its always puzzled me.

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I might have just answered my own question.

It's not clear on the 1884 plan but on the 1899 plan you can see the level leads to a single chamber - number 14. For some reason they drove a level from 13 into it, quite unusual. The timbered level must have been to preserve access to number 14 but it's not held.

Would be a mammoth job to try and dig through it, too much effort for one chamber I would say but then it's probably still standing. Don't think it connects up but hard to tell from the plan.

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Is it a resolution problem on the survey - or just not clear what is meant? I can always upload at a higher resolution if it would help ?

Grahami

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Hiya graham!

That particular area is very faint on the 1884 plan, but is much clearer on the 1899 one so I was able to see where it went. It looks like it became a timbered level sometime between the two dates.

One question remains though, did number 14 ascend as high as floor 2? I can't easily make it out.

I don't suppose you know what date floor 1 was driven into the back vein? Always wondered!

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Just for the sake of reporting progress...

Myself and a work colleague thought we'd have a closer look at this collapsed level last night.

I was astounded, and rather pleased, to discover that with lots of slithering and climbing and generally hoping for the best, it was possible to worm our way through the collapse and reappear in the tunnel on the other side! We must have been the first there for 100 years or more.

In the level was a lovely large oak "sink" for want of a better word, collecting water from a fault just above it and an iron pipe fed the water away. A miner had shoved a bit of tin-sheet in it to aid the drip-collection. An interesting feature. Some old tallow candles were still on the walls.

So we followed the level that was nicely decorated on the floor with cave pearls and other calcite formations, for all of 20 feet, until it reached Chamber 14.

And Chamber 14? Totally run-in. Figures! Nothing to be gained in there, no hope at all. Still, nice to see the interesting short bit of level.

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Pictures Miles?

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Didn't take any - no camera. My friend might have taken some as I think she had her camera with her. I'll ask.

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Good work mate, nice to see the place is still giving up some of its hidden secrets :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: That elusive engine still in steam is getting closer and closer :lol::lol:;D

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.....That elusive engine still in steam.....

Driven by *******s serving free beer 😉

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Yes, nice to hear about new discoveries in there. ;D

The cave pearls sound interesting as well. chunks of what look like calcite or something similar are scattered all along the BV lake level. Always wondered about the geology of this.

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.....That elusive engine still in steam.....

Driven by *******s serving free beer ;D

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

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