Lost Johns’ Cave. 1959

by S. W. Stembridge

Mungo Gill by B.E. Nicholson

It had long been the ambition of certain members of the Club to get a party dowm Lost Johns’. The prolonged spell of dry weather seemed to favour the attempt so it was arranged that six of us should meet at Clapham for the week end of September 18th to 20th. At the last moment one member gave backward and it was rather a despondent five who arrived for a meal at Lowstern on the Friday night; they were John Lovett, Trevor Salmon, Michael Selby, Brian Nicholson and myself. After some dis­cussion it was arranged that Nicholson, Selby and I should get down on the Saturday morning, taking with us enough tackle to rig the first two long pitches, while Salmon and Lovett would follow as soon as Lovett was available after lunch.

The advance party was underground by 10.30 a.m.; there was not a drop of water entering Lost Johns’, the stream bed was quite dry. After going downstream past the ” T ” junction we found the entrance to the new roof traverse without difficulty; a short traverse on ledges led to a wide comfortable looking passage where we left a candle for the following party. The roof traverse passage continued for a short while until No. 1 Hole was reached and easily climbed, although a 20 ft. handline would have helped vand provided an extra aid for the return. All the tackle was passed down and we went on down a short, winding and narrow passage until we came to another short climb which we descended using a 20 ft. handline.

This pitch proved to be the entry to the Vestry, and after admiring the extremely fine formation hanging down the left hand wall, we prepared to ladder the Cathedral Pitch, 70 ft. which followed immediately. A belay was found just inside the Vestry for the ladders and another for the pulley block; it was dis­covered on the return journey that it would have been much easier if the ladders had been belayed further out in the fissure. I went down but found the ladder tangled on a ledge about 20 ft. down (The Pulpit); after freeing this a very nice climb of 50 ft. followed, a 150 ft. lifeline was used.

After a brief glance at the Survey we turned right handed down a short narrow passage (The Crypt) leading to the edge of the Dome pitch, 80 ft. Three rock eyelets in the wall of the passage made excellent belays for the ladder and pulley. Nicholson descended first and found the ladder was almost 10 ft. off the floor of the pitch, but this was really quite convenient as it was a simple matter to step off on to a ledge which gave access to the next part of the pot. As this pitch had exhausted the tackle brought in by the advance party, it was decided to make a stop for lunch.

After the 170 ft. floor lifeline had been secured Selby and I reconnoitred the tunnel and the window so that there should be no delay when the other party arrived with the tackle. We heard Lovett and Salmon coming down as we were having lunch, soon they were at the head of the pitch and the tackle was lowered. All had gone well with them except that they had traversed over Nos. 1, 2 and 3 holes before realising that No. 1 was the hole they should have descended, nevertheless they had made the descent from the surface to the bottom of the Dome in 45 minutes. The Dome pitch had been laddered on Electron and all the following pitches were laddered in the same manner.

Selby, Salmon and Lovett went up through the tunnel and round to the far side of the window while Nicholson and I passed the tackle up by means of wire belay rope before going through the tunnel to join them. A few yards from the end of the tunnel we came upon a short pitch which we descended by means of a handline, the same line being used for the next short pitch which followed immediately. This second pitch almost warrants a ladder and, if one is not used, a good handline is advisable. We were now at Dome Junction and a short but pleasant passage led to Bob’s Pit, a fissure in the floor estimated as 30 ft. deep. The roof around this area is beautifully encrusted with gypsum crystals. Traversing over Bob’s Pit we came almost immediately to ” Candle ” and ” Shistol” pots which we descended by two short ladders each of about 15 ft.; a 100 ft. lifeline on a pulley block at the upper pitch served for the two pitches. As these pitches are almost adjoining, a 35 ft. ladder would be ample to do them both.

It was about here that we realised how closely the pitches in Lost Johns’ follow one another, for a further short passage led us to the Battleaxe pitch. Although only 3 5 ft. we laddered this with a 50 ft. Electron which deposited us on a small ledge marking the edge of the wet pitch.  It was here that we met our first running water, although it was only a trickle. This water issues from a stream passage on a ledge marking the floor of the Battle-axe pitch which we passed on our way down. Fifty feet of ladder were then fastened directly on to the Battleaxe ladders and all descended the wet pitch without mishap. The ledge connecting these two pitches is known as Thunderstorm Depot.

On reaching the last pitch we had two choices of route for the descent, one providing a dry landing on a bed of shingle, the other, slightly wetter, ending in a pool of water. As there was only enough ladder for the wetter descent this was rigged and Selby and Lovett went down, followed by Salmon. As Nicholson had kept quite dry up to this point Salmon and I carried him across the pool at the foot of the pitch, so that he could say he had arrived at the bottom of Lost Johns’ without getting wet. A narrow winding passage led eventually to Groundsheet Junction and the Master Cave. Lovett and Selby had already been up the left hand passage as far as the boulder choke so, after leaving a candle at the entrance to Groundsheet Junction we all proceeded down­stream towards the Sump.

The Master Cave is a fine passage, high and wide with a firm floor and many weird formations. Mud, thick, black and ages old clings to the walls and the passage twists and turns in all directions, at each bend there is a pool and these gradually get deeper and deeper. At about 3,000 ft. from Groundsheet Junction the water became continuous, deepening all the time; also a band of shale caused calf-deep mud along the bottom. As Selby and Nicholson were not wearing Survival Suits it was considered good policy for them to go back from this point to Groundsheet Junction. Salmon, Lovett and I laced up our Survival Suits, put our hoods up and walked forward into the lake. Soon the mud section was left behind but the roof was rapidly lowering and it was obvious that in normal weather conditions this would be the final accessible point hi the Master Cave. Just as we were prepar­ing to turn back a small lift in the roof about 6 in. above the water level gave us access to the further reaches of the lake. Swimming in Survival Suits is a very pleasant form of transport; the secret being to have the suits inflated just enough to keep the body balanced in the water. We crossed the lake successfully, the roof rising all the time till suddenly the water became shallower and we found ourselves in a rock passage exactly the same as the one we had just left. This passage continued for a further 1,000 ft., ending in a large mud bar beyond which there was another lake of about ioo ft. in length and this ended in a small pear-shaped sump.

From the very low portion in the first lake to the pear-shaped sump is believed to be a new section of passage. Careful examina­tion was made for any signs of a previous visit and although footprints had been noted in the mud as far as the duck, none had been seen afterwards, and certainly no one could have crossed the mud bar without leaving traces. So, unless the passage has been found in a very dry season previous to that of 1959, it is the opinion of the party that this section of the Master Cave is a new discovery.

We made a speedy return to Groundsheet Junction and ate a little food before the up ward journey. Leaving at 4.30 p.m. every­thing went well as far as the Dome, but there we were nearly all beginning to feel tired. We reached the surface at 8 p.m. and the only member who appeared as fit coming out as he was going in was Lovett, and there was vague talk of an assault on Mere Gill next day. This idea was soon abandoned however and we were all glad to get under the hot showers at Lowstern and in front of a warm fire. After half a pint of coffee with a tot of rum, and a good meal we were ready to turn in after a highly successful trip.

Five men out of five reached the bottom, the pot was rigged and derigged in the one trip, the advance party was underground 9½\ hours and the second party 6½ hours, and it is believed that a new section of passage rather more than 1,000 ft. long was discovered.

References:—

Y.R.C.J., Vol. II. No. 5, p. 28 (1903).
” A Night in Lost Johns’,” by A Silent Member.
Y.R,C.J,. Vol. VI.   No. 19. p. 44 (1930)
” Lost Johns’ Cave,” by Innes Foley.
Y.R.C.J., Vol. VI. No. 21, p. 257 (1934).
Cave Exploration.
Cave Science.   Vol. 2, p. 213 (1949-1951).

Tackle Required.

Total Tackle.