ditzy
  • ditzy
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14 years ago
received this from my club on 1/2/11

Message received about Devonshire from a local cave/mine leader - the movement mentioned around the entrance was noted by another instructor some time ago but never resolved:

'I noted apparent movement of the stacked deads and mud that make up the entrance ramp, just inside the door. I had visited the site the week before and had not observed this movement then. The whole lot seems to have dropped about 2 inches and there is a gap under the door now, through which daylight is visible. There has been a gap in this area for a few years but was only about 10mm. This alerted me to the possibility of more movement throughout the mine.

We proceeded on our trip and I noted the following:


A medium sized boulder has fallen onto the remains of the barrel in dustbin chamber. This was not present the week before. It was part of a stack of deads behind the barrel in a rift.
Below the "mud hall" where the clay moddles are to be found, but before the miners pillar, there is a pasage to the right (facing downhill) that leaves the main pasage and re-joins it after about 20m. There is a stone arch that you pass under/past that shows large cracks and recent collapse, enough to weaken the arch, part of which is now lose. The cracks were large , ran for some 2 meters and were clean and sharp. Whilst I observed this I was joined by another instructor and we witnessed small (50p) sized pices of rock 'pinging' from this face. In my experience this suggests potential collapse due to pressure on the rock.
In the passage from dust bin chamber heading down, there were several rocks the size of shoe box lids that had detached from the passage walls. This was not evident during the trip the week before.
There is evidence of digging in some of the floors and stacked deads from dustbin down to mud hall. Mineral collectors / geology students??
Some of the cracks in the roof of the mud hall had completely closed up during the week between the 2 trips. I had been monitoring these cracks over the last year by way of mud plugs I had inserted into them, now gone.'
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AR
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14 years ago
Aaargh, as if the Odin situation wasn't enough, now Devonshire's playing up. Not many people realise this, but hiding under the entrance rubble slope is a choked winze which you can get to the underside of, but if it's now moving that's not good. Thanks for posting this Ditzy, I've alerted Dave Webb to it.
Follow the horses, Johnny my laddie, follow the horses canny lad-oh!
owd git
14 years ago
Adam,If it needs monitoring i can do it any day on the way out to work and strolling t' pub later!Dave has my e-mail and No. just shout, Ric'.
ttxela
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14 years ago
"AR" wrote:

Aaargh, as if the Odin situation wasn't enough, now Devonshire's playing up. Not many people realise this, but hiding under the entrance rubble slope is a choked winze which you can get to the underside of, but if it's now moving that's not good. Thanks for posting this Ditzy, I've alerted Dave Webb to it.



I'm sure I have a photo of that choked winze somewhere, I'll see if I can find it.
AR
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14 years ago
"owd git" wrote:

Adam,If it needs monitoring i can do it any day on the way out to work and strolling t' pub later!Dave has my e-mail and No. just shout, Ric'.



Thanks Ric, if you could keep checking the place I'd be very grateful, if I can get out to the Knotlow working day I'll speak to the PICA guys and hopefully Dave Webb will be there too.
Follow the horses, Johnny my laddie, follow the horses canny lad-oh!
AR
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14 years ago
Quick update - I'm told the entrance isn't on the move, the problem appears to be simply rubble migrating downslope as people come in and out and there are no signs of movement on the underside. The cracked area near the miner's pillar has been taped off as a precaution and will be kept under watch.

So, Devonshire is still OK for access, just stay the right side of the safety tape please!
Follow the horses, Johnny my laddie, follow the horses canny lad-oh!
ttxela
  • ttxela
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14 years ago
Good news, 🙂

can't find my picture of the underneath :confused:
owd git
14 years ago
I'm still gonna stroll to t' pub on a fairly frequent basis. 😉
AR
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14 years ago
Thanks Ric - Dave and the PICA guys are on the case with it but having someone do regular checks will be most appreciated so if there is sudden change we can get it looked at urgently.
Follow the horses, Johnny my laddie, follow the horses canny lad-oh!
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