That grey/green stuff looks like Toadstone, not very nice stuff where timber is involved, could explain the rapid deterioration.
Wonder what the Radon levels are like in that section?----.

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thanks for posting the pic, Mark.

Shame the Stope with the rails in it is now inaccessible.

would you be able to post here your account of the scary stuff you experienced last night? I'm sure that enquiring minds would want to know...

MARK

essentially we had a quick look at that fall again, still dribbling, little bit of water coming in with it now as well then went straight down the wet shaft.

Not 100% certain from the last time I was down there, but there's a crack in the shaft wall near the bottom stage .

The 2nd decline (aka shattered death zone) is showing a lot more falls dribbling in. Big surprise was the 2nd decline was almost dry at the bottom. Something has opened up there and was clearly thirsty. Assuming that that something is going down to the 30fathom. Looking at the plans its not beyond the realms off possibility that its all gone down to the 60 given the massive hit and run down there prior to the pull out

The highlight(!) of the trip was the sound of the place. It is groaning and rumbling in every direction with the occasional sharp and unmistakable ping of steel getting ready to splinter. walked the 2nd decline a ahort way, could hear water going somewhere, but the sound of the place was just waaaay too much, so carefully made our way back up to the decline…. and heard something substantial come in close to where we'd just been stood a few minutes previously.

Exited up the wet shaft so quickly we didn't get wet!

I've pushed the limits over the years, and had some major arse clenching experiences. This was right up there and topped them all. those that know me know I like to be a bit bold…. but this was utterly terrifying, even by my standards when you know you are half a mile or so inby, a hundred and odd feet underground and everything around you is breathing it's last potentially.

going to let it do its stuff and settle for a few months then have another peek. Potentially it could actually open up something new higher up

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Sounds delightful.

Glad I had a quick look a few months ago, before it becomes a huge crater on the hillside.

Excuse my lack of familiarity with the place, but is BSC stope in question the part with this pipe in ?

[photo]97413[/photo]

and to think it used to be a dry, solo-able stroll...

thanks for the update Mark, the groans of tortured metal sound utterly terrifying!

I guess it could just be haunted :ohmygod:

MARK

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Having survived 2 major roof falls in my exploration career , I would seriously urge a great deal of caution here!
When the grinding and groaning has stopped only then can the new situation be safely figured out.
Any other course of action could be terminal.

Having survived 2 major roof falls in my exploration career , I would seriously urge a great deal of caution here!
When the grinding and groaning has stopped only then can the new situation be safely figured out.
Any other course of action could be terminal.

There's no could be about it. I'd suggest it's a racing certainty

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Chris, the stope they are referring to (to which access now appears to be lost) is down a right hand branch just before you reach the Rake Level decline.
Col.

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Chris, the stope they are referring to (to which access now appears to be lost) is down a right hand branch just before you reach the Rake Level decline.
Col.

Yes, but whats actually there ?

I've only been once, so exact locations are not clear in my mind.

Hi Chris, yes you are spot-on with the pipe location.

The Stope runs parallel to Rake Level and is (was) reached by a right-hand branch from Rake Level (going inbye) which curved round to the right to a T junction. Collapse to L, big open Stope to R.

Entering the Stope, a couple of old heavy rails lie obliquely against the RH wall, and a steel ladder leads up 10ft to a short cross-cut which intersects a parallel stope, narrower and possibly dating to Beaumont era.

The burst pipe is in a small crosscut opposite the ladder in the base of the main stope.

The crosscuts mentioned are possibly relics of old Beaumont levels, and they both terminate in collapses.

hope this is helpful,

MARK

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Two parallel stopes:

🔗43192[linkphoto]43192[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗43191[linkphoto]43191[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗43190[linkphoto]43190[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗43188[linkphoto]43188[/linkphoto][/link]

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BSC Stope:
🔗31866[linkphoto]31866[/linkphoto][/link]

layout is kinda…
🔗100529[linkphoto]100529[/linkphoto][/link]

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Sorry Chris, I get you know! I'm a bit dim sometimes.

🔗100526[linkphoto]100526[/linkphoto][/link]

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Thanks everyone, thats where I thought you were talking about just wasn't 100%.

Thats a real shame because it was a very interesting area.

Is there much up the part labelled as 'William Lonsdale Rise' ?

I think I got to within a few feet of the top where it all appeared to be held on with bell wire, but then my camera tripod slipped down the leg of my oversuit into my welly and I had to make a very interesting descent without bending my knees :lol:

Thanks everyone, thats where I thought you were talking about just wasn't 100%.

Thats a real shame because it was a very interesting area.

Is there much up the part labelled as 'William Lonsdale Rise' ?

potentially quite a lot, that's old stuff up there , so we had hoped that there may be some nice intact old stuff available up there that had been obliterated by BSC. I recce'd it last weekend, with a view to climbing and rigging it, from the cross cut at the top of the ladder there's maybe 25 feet to make to get up there.

either ropes or ladder it in a fred dibha stylee

there's another shaft next to it - Douglas's shaft, which connect with Douglas's Drift as well, and then there are shafts back down further inby to rake level beyond the BSC forehead.

putting all that on hold for the foreseeable though!

Nowt wrong with a bit of bell wire! 😢

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Here is a picture of the collapsed bit before the event. It always did look a bit ropey with plenty of debris on the floor.

🔗100530[linkphoto]100530[/linkphoto][/link]

Col.

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