Gaping Ghyll, Whitsuntide And September, 1927
By Gantryman
To camp at Gaping Ghyll with the YRC is not just an ordinary camping affair – it is an experience which remains in the memory so long as life holds sway. When, therefore, the Committee decided that the meet for Whitsuntide, 1927, should be Gaping Ghyll again, it brought satisfaction to the hearts of more members than would have been the case had the choice fallen on any other place.
There is something peculiarly attractive about a Gaping Ghyll camp, apart altogether from the wonders of the descent and exploration of the vast pot-hole itself. That alone impels men to visit its depths time after time, after all the known passages have been explored and hours have been spent in showing its wonders to visitors and friends. In the YRC, round the camp fire itself has grown up an almost irresistible appeal. The exact why and wherefore is perhaps not difficult to explain – the open moor, the spirit of the evening, the happy gathering of friends, the gentle gurgling of the beck, and the life-giving freshness of existence with nature as ones next door neighbour. No true Rambler can experience such a week-end without feeling somewhat sad when the call of a commercial world summons him back to the city and the office.
Gaping Ghyll had been left alone by the YRC for three years, so, in view of the large number of new members elected in that period, the Committee decided to confine this camp to members only and limited the number of those to 25. This was a wise precaution, as in some past visits the number of guests has nearly equalled the number of members and, had it been permitted on this occasion, there might easily have been about fifty campers, a number too unwieldy for such a camp as ours.
The arrangements were left in the capable hands of a sub-committee; their names are by now familiar as being the brains behind the success of every post-war Gaping Ghyll camp. The Burrows, engineers-in-chief, responsible for selecting the new line of descent and installation of motor power in place of the old fashioned man-handling of the windlass, J. H. B., so often C. in C. of the camp and all pertaining thereto, P. R., greatest of cooks and caterers, with able assistants in the two Booths, Seaman, and others.
Of the camp itself there is little to tell, yet, although now-a-days everything goes like clockwork, there is the same enjoyment and pleasure in taking a part in it as there was in the days when it was a real novelty and virgin exploration or survey work was the first object of the visit.
Advance tents were pitched on the Friday afternoon, and by Saturday night a small colony of sixteen dotted the banks of Fell Beck round the second bend from the Ghyll. The tackle having been largely erected during the preceding week-end, descents were made on the Saturday, but were curtailed by heavy rain which at one time threatened to spoil the chances of any further descents throughout the week-end. However, it was not as bad as that, and during Sunday and Monday every member of the party had the opportunity of going down. On Saturday, Frankland, Fred Booth and Roberts tried the only place where they had any hope of further discoveries, the Boulder Chamber beyond the great Mud Chamber in the East Passage, and were lucky enough to find, deep down, a narrow and difficult route going magnetic S. to a dry pot-hole. Reinforced on Sunday by Whitaker and H. Booth, they got through the tunnel again with three ladders, etc., and descended 80 ft. in three stages only to reach a dead-end, a great disappointment.
On Monday, Davis Burrow, Hilton and Frankland went in by the Flood Entrance and hauling up ladders from a party of six at the head of the Flood Pot, exchanged places with S. H. Whitaker, Burrow Taylor and F. and H. Booth. It may be useful to note that the supporting party needed only thirty-five minutes from the Main Chamber with all the tackle.
When considering the possibilities of getting a party out of Gaping Ghyll by this route in time of flood it must always be remembered that the party to be rescued must have 150 feet of ladder, 150 feet life line and two short life lines with them to take to the 200 foot Pot (or Flood Exit Pot), as it is next to impossible for a rescuing party to take this tackle along the Flood Entrance passage. This apart, there can be little doubt that a trapped party could be got out comparatively quickly, providing that none of them was of more than medium girth. The fat man had better stay at the bottom and wait for the waters to subside! Better to exist for a few days on tallow candles than to die a lingering death firmly wedged in those immovable walls of that last awful forty foot squeeze.
Altogether fifty descents were made, many being of the new men, and it is doubtful whether a single one of these will not be eager to renew acquaintance at the first opportunity.
The nights were spoiled by rain, which seemed to have a set hour (6 p.m.) of starting, so that no campfire sing-song was possible. This was a matter of real regret, for there is no finer feature about the G.G camp than the gathering round the log fire, singing in chorus, with the open spaces as the audience and the echoing of the hills for the encore. It is a feature that must never be allowed to fade so long as Yorkshire Ramblers camp at Gaping Ghyll.
A large amount of new tackle was bought for this meet, including a new wire rope, new lamps, new oilskins, and a new cooking stove (Valor Perfection), which proved its worth, but has yet to prove its staying powers. At the conclusion of the camp much of the heavy tackle was made into a dump for use in September at the meet arranged for members of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
The project of this latter meet was first advanced by Parsons and was discussed and approved by the Committee as early as December 1926. Its object was to afford an opportunity, weather permitting, to a limited number of scientists, members of the British Association, to descend Gaping Ghyll and study the cavern from a geological standpoint. Actually, the writer believes, there was but one bona-fide geologist amongst the thirty-two members of the BA who went down; no doubt, however, the remainder were as keenly appreciative of their visit, though taken with a different interest.
Having most of the heavy tackle on the spot, the sub-committee decided that a day’s work on the preceding Sunday would be sufficient advance preparation. .Accordingly, a small working party gathered at Clapdale on Sunday, August 28th, to accompany a single sledge load up to the Ghyll. The weather on this day was in one of its foulest moods and most of the party were saturated by the time the sledge had been unloaded and the dump opened. With visions of keeping out further moisture by donning one of the three new oilskin coats, put in the dump at Whitsuntide, the writer hastened to assist in the opening out process. One had already been secured by R. R., but of the others not a trace could be found. Evidently our dump had been raided, possibly by some party tramping over Ingleborough in conditions similar to those prevailing on that day. We do not begrudge them the protection that our oilies undoubtedly would afford them, but we do regret that they failed to acknowledge their appreciation by at least returning them to their rightful owners.
In pouring rain and blustering wind the little band set about the task of erecting tackle. Fell Beck was in full spate. The dam, left in position since Whitsuntide, was taking water down the Rat Hole to full capacity, yet a foot of water was tumbling down the main hole across the whole width of the lip. Descents on such a day would have been out of the question, but the conditions seemed only to act as a spur to the workers and in a little over two hours the winch was erected, the gantry bolted in position and a bell tent pitched in which to house the engine, ladders, rope, etc., until the following week. Had the weather been fine and moderately settled it had been our intention to fix the engine, but this was considered inadvisable under the existing conditions. It meant that more work had to be done on the following Friday so that everything would be in readiness for descents to commence at an early hour on Saturday, so a party of half-a-dozen arrived on Thursday evening and Friday morning to complete the preparations.
During the week the weather had steadily improved, by Friday it was almost ideal and the waters of Fell Beck had subsided to normal summer level. At 4 p.m. everything was in order and Fred Booth was lowered to fix the guide-line and telephone. A mishap – in the shape of a broken telephone cable – delayed the completion of Friday’s work, but by 7 p.m. a sound repair had been effected and the party, now numbering twelve, sat down to a feast of Yorkshire pudding, roast lamb and potatoes, happy in the knowledge of a days work well done and a steady barometer giving promise of a fine week-end.
Descents had been arranged for members of the British Association to take place on Saturday and Sunday, 3rd and 4th September, sixteen on each day. This number was again divided to make four parties of four each, timed to arrive at the Ghyll at one and a half hour intervals, starting at 8 a.m. The earlier parties each day had of necessity to stay in Clapham overnight, and to ensure their punctual arrival in the morning E. E. R. and W. V. B. also stayed in the village to guide them over the moor.
Saturday morning dawned cool and with that gentle haze that betokens a fine day. Such it proved to be. The camp was early astir, breakfast served at 6.30 and shortly after 7 the first of the below-ground party was down.
It might be well here to explain how the working party and guides had been arranged. Out of the twelve, six were detailed for operating the surface tackle and six below ground. Of the latter, four were guides, working in pairs, and two remained in the Main Chamber receiving and dispatching guests. A time-table had been mapped out which allowed each party of four to have two hours exploration underground from the time the last member reached the bottom, the guides each conducting two parties.
The parties on Saturday were as follows:‑
No.1.‑ Messrs M. H. Donald, F. C. Turner, E. W. Hodge, A. Smith. Guides: Fred and Harold Booth. Route:‑ East Passage as far as Mud Chamber; South Passage as far as Flood Exit Pot.
No.2.‑ Miss M. Barker, Miss G. Walmsley, Prof. C. K. Ingold, Mr Butler. Guides:‑ E. E. Roberts and A. E. Horn. Route:‑ South Passage to far end of Stream Chamber main passage.
No.3.‑ Mr John Parkin, Mrs. Parkin, Miss G. Bacon. Guides:‑ Fred and Harold Booth. Route:‑ South Passage to Stream Chamber.
No.4.‑ Messrs H. T. Flint, F. W. Shotton, S. W. Evans, T. Hori, Bulsara, Prof. Curtis.
Guides:‑ E. E. Roberts and A. E. Horn. Route:‑ West Chamber; East Passage as far as Mud Chamber; South Passage as far as Sand Cavern.
In addition to the passages traversed by the groups, every member of the BA had ample time in which to make a fairly exhaustive tour of the Main Chamber itself. All parties went into the South Passage, and, a lamp having been placed in the window, high up in the West Chamber, were taken to the south end of the Pool Canal, from whence the light of the lamp can be seen, and its reflection in the still waters of the Canal was considered by all to be one of the most spectacular features of the visit.
The first party to visit the Stream Chamber had a weird experience when nearing it. In the little recess at the top of the pitch between the Sand Cavern and the Stalactite Chamber, they disturbed a bat. It was clearly seen by every member of the party and was very nearly caught. One has heard of the bats in the Austrian Caverns and one could readily understand finding them in any ordinary lateral cave, but it is believed to be the first time that one has ever been seen down Gaping Ghyll. It must also be remembered that the point at which it was seen is nearly a thousand feet from the Main Chamber and a good deal more than that from the Flood Exit on the other branch of the South Passage.
Above ground a large party had watched operations in glorious summer-like weather. Descents and ascents had proceeded smoothly throughout the day and at 6 p.m. precisely, the last of the day’s guides was safely brought to the surface and the tackle covered up for the night.
On Sunday, another glorious day, the working parties exchanged duties, the surface party of Saturday going below and vice-versa. As on the previous day, our visitors, including eight ladies, proved themselves fully equal to the short ladder climb and the delicate, not to say fearsome operation of negotiating themselves into the swinging bo’sun’s chair. In no case, certainly as far as Sunday’s party are concerned, was any more than verbal assistance required from the gantryman on duty.
On Sunday the parties were:‑
No.1.‑ Messrs J. B. Williams, F. C. Woods, Dr. Thouless, Mackey. Guides:‑ J. F. Seaman and G. L. Hudson. Route:‑ West Chamber; South Passage to Stream Chamber.
No.2.‑ Miss M. Gough, Miss J. Gough, Mr W. P. Harper, C. B. Childs. Guides:‑ W. V. Brown and J. Hilton. Route:‑ East Passage as far as Mud Chamber; South Passage to the Stream Chamber; the West Chamber.
No.3.‑ Miss C. M. Jones, Miss D. Bailey, Miss Barton, Mr G. Barton. Guides:‑ J. F. Seaman and G. L. Hudson. Route:‑ East Passage to Mud Chamber; South Passage to Flood Exit Pot; Stream Chamber.
No.4.‑ Dr. C. Appleton, Miss M. Appleton, Miss E. Appleton, Messrs J. H. Reynolds, F. G. Maunsell and Edgerton. Guides:‑ W. V. Brown and J. Hilton. Route:‑ East Passage as far as Mud Chamber; South Passage to the ‘T’ Junction; West Chamber.
The last man up, C. E. Burrow, brought the telephone out at 6.5 p.m., a total of fifty-six descents having been made in the two days.
The main credit for the success of this expedition must be given to the sub-committee which made such admirable arrangements and carried them out to the letter. We must also acknowledge the great work done by the guides. They had no light task, dealing with mixed parties, all strangers to the surroundings and for the most part novices in the art of crawling and scrambling in semi-darkness. Yet, as will be seen from the routes given above, many of the parties were taken great distances, and what was more important to the successful working of the expedition, they were brought back to the Main Chamber exactly to time. Not once was the chair kept waiting for a party overdue. Lastly, we must not forget the very real assistance given by our visitors themselves. To each one had been suggested beforehand the best way of helping, and each one responded nobly.
Perhaps we cannot do better than to conclude this article with the following “impression” written by one of the ladies, Miss Gertrude Bacon:‑
“A tramp across a trackless, desolate moor, and then, suddenly, a great gaping hole, its fern-edged sides going instantly down into blackness, and a faint blue haze rising from the apparently bottomless depths into which an underground stream plunges its way. A terrible place to come upon suddenly alone in a fog, and sufficiently awesome even on a fine September morning with the kindest of friends eager to rob the descent of every shade of terror. Nevertheless, I cannot pretend that I was either brave or agile as I sidled along the narrow edge of the abyss, climbed down the few steps of the rope ladder, and stepped across to the narrow seat on which I was to be lowered. Firm and skilful hands assisted me, and a strong rope was round my waist; nevertheless, balloons and aeroplanes held far less terrors for me than that bo’sun’s chair.
Then down and down through the mild thunderstorm of the waterfall with the dank grey walls slowly rising past, and then more kind friends to help me alight on the wet floor of the vast dim cathedral below – a wondrous shadowy cavern, the remembrance of which will never fade from my mind. Nor will that of the next two hours when, with two indefatigable guides, we walked, crept, crawled or wriggled through the Portcullis, along the South Passages where stalactites scratched ones back and stalagmites stood up like organ pipes, and huge stones barred the narrow way, and stodgiest mud clutched the shoes from ones feet, and one edged as far as possible from a grim black hole with a river in its depths. My torch had failed before we won our way back to the cathedral again, and merciful gloom hid my muddied garments; but a hot brew of delicious soup was very welcome, and I settled myself on the bo’sun’s seat for the seven minutes ascent with my mouth full of chocolate, and my heart full of gratitude to those kind men who had given me such an unforgettable experience”.
Sir Arthur Keith, the British Ass., and other men of learning,
To trace the origin of man have recently been yearning.
Throughout the week their thoughts had been of nature upward trending,
And so no doubt they found relief to spend one day descending.
But when the Yorkshire Post displayed a full page illustration
Of entertainment given to the Brit. Association,
His arm around a lady’s waist it showed the real he-man;
‘Twas hardly in the best of taste – Oh! naughty Freddy Seaman!
John Buckley ‑ give him all his due ‑ is really some pot-holer,
But having lost his old tin hat, he turned up in a bowler,
And so went down and spent the day with Davis prim and proper,
But what we really want to see is Roberts in a “topper.”
Committee men and President were equally delighted;
Their labours, though a work of love, did not go unrequited.
They feasted and they junketted with smiles a’growing wider,
The “apple” out of Appleton had turned to bottled cider.
For 30 years a faithful few in muddy coats and breeches
Have plotted out a wandering maze of passages and pitches.
They say that cooks and artists both are never made but born, Sir,
And so among cartographers, make place for Rule and Horn, Sir.
We have our leaders on the crags and others down the pot-holes,
And those who quit themselves like men when Percy serves out hot rolls,
But for an all round paragon to put us on our metal,
We could not find a better type than dear old Captain Kettle.
(C. Chubb at the Y.R.C. Dinner, 1927).
The Plan.‑ On the outbreak of war the survey of Gaping Ghyll was nearing completion but in the dispersal of men and materials some of the drawings were lost Some rough notebooks were available, however, and though obscured by mud and candle grease it was just possible to re-plot the missing sections. There is of course the possibility of a minor error.
The main features are so well known and so often traversed that a major error would be easily noted. Portions of plans in doubt were re-surveyed. From the commencement of the survey by Messrs. Gray and Cuttriss in 1896 to the present a number of men have carried on the work in different parties and at long intervals. The present plan is therefore an attempt to co-ordinate all the available plans to date and was undertaken at the request of the committee who feared that otherwise much information would be lost.‑ A. E. H.
