Members started to arrive around 09:00 at the club hut, our plan today was to start digging in Jacksons mine and do some preparation work for the upcoming digs we have planned in the mine.
First order of the day was to open up and get the kettle on, then setup the tripod and get the winch out, sadly I found out at this time the track layer that pulls the winch would not start which meant it was blocking the winch in the container stopping us from continuing. To make things worse whilst trying to start it the pull cord on the start broke.
I now spent the next hour and half fixing the track layer fitting a new pull cord, and stripping and clean the carburettor, whilst I was doing this other members erected the tripod above the shaft whilst waiting for the winch.
Finally and a little later than planned the track layer was fixed, tripod erected, winch in place and people ready to go down, we quickly dispatched members down the shaft leaving Andy to last as he wanted to do some additional work on the new communication cable. Not long after the comms sprang back into life and we now have a crystal clear means of communication between surface and the 300 and 400 feet levels.
Due to the lateness of the day before starting, it was a fairly short trip today for members, with them returning to surface some two and half hours later, with some prep work done and new plans for the next stage.
Everything was now quickly packed away, we had glorious weather on the surface which had made us very thirsty, so we managed to persuade the troglodytes (didn’t take much) to join us in the local pub for a few and a chat, good day had by all.
Daggers
