24th March

Report by Tav

“Tav digging, Mike hauling and Jake on spoil disposal. Work continued on the descending hole opened up last week. 22 buckets of soft, moist fill were removed, still with no sign of a floor. The digging is easy, although clambering out of a 3m deep pit with a fully laden bucket to load the skip is a bit trying. The passage width shows no signs of narrowing and is undercutting the thick mineral deposit blocking the passage in both directions. At this stage it looks more like a previously unseen lower section of the main passage rather than a separate downward development and stands a reasonable chance of passing beneath the obstruction. Not without interest.”