112: Dig Update

We continue to do what needs to be done and this time, with some extra help, we were able to push very deep into the tube. It now winds like a snake with seemingly enlarged corners (although we don't dig these out as there is no need at this stage). Each way-station was enlarged and we pushed the head forward quite some distance considering in the space in which we work.

The egg seen ahead last time, was another Paradise Duck egg and the bone appears to be a rabbit leg. Something like a ferret has dragged the egg further back to eat, in a space where the fill was not so high (one of the widened corners)... and also the bone. Now when you look at this photo you need to realize that the entire tube is filled like this and if you go back to the dig update of the 14th July, you will realise how much we have to clear just to fit a body through, let alone enlarge to be able to rest on your elbows and how much is required to be able to even sit up.

This dig involved ten and a half man hours or three and a half hours of non-stop digging for an individual at the head. It may not sound like much, but it is very tiring, the equivalent of a very intense workout. Bucket after bucket load came out as we pushed forward because here the fill was soft, but only very slow progress when we worked on the clay and river rocks. One rock weighted about 15kg!

We dug forward, and down (you must have space to move otherwise its too uncomfortable and dangerous should anything go wrong). The first photo above shows the egg and the far wall which we assumed went directly ahead or slightly to the left. It didn't, It bent hard to the right at almost 90 degrees - you can see it veering off the the right in the picture below.

Eventually we could crawl right up into there and dig further ahead (to the right) using a small hoe. Being soft dry dirt the progress was fast and to be honest when I thought I saw the drop off, we almost decided to push ahead. But, with being so tired that would be reckless should anything go wrong. I had previously said to the crew, I want a way station for every 3 metres and pushing forward in such a confined space would have taken me beyond the self-set boundary. You have to understand, none of us are cavers. There are no large caverns between tight squeezes, just small way-stations enough for one other person and a little equipment. Below is the view ahead and far to the right of the photo above. The gap where the dirt is level is only 15cm to the roof. In this photo, the far wall looks like it is dirt piled up, but torch light revealed it to be tube wall which turns to the left once more. And if that is correct....!

But in the end, the lack of space and time wasn't the only thing that stopped us going forward. Some of the equipment we used broke. That meant the signs suggested we should stop, so we gave up for the day. We are now about 33 feet (10 metres) into the hillside.

I can't explain it properly but the anticipation level I had was high even before we got down there, the progress the best ever, and the result very promising based on observational evidence. Still, I've been fooled before with the extent of this fill. Time will tell.