Mossdale Caverns

[Ali]

Not so much diving, but I went for a walk from Grassinton to Mossdale Scar today. When I finally got there saw a plaque on the wall for fallen cavers and did a search on the net 1hr ago. What turn up was a real shock, no wonder my parents tell me not to take up caving. Really sad storey, but what an adventure it would have been.

RIP

Ali

What lies beneath: Mossdale caving disaster - This Britain, UK - The Independent


Too long to copy and paste!

[The Hurdy Gurdy Man]

I remember it well. Basically the cave flooded and the cavers were trapped.
We had our own near miss in July 1968 when Swildons cave flooded to the roof.
Such incidents are rare though. It does remind one that it is wise to check the weather forecast if going down flood prone caves
Our close call was the result of a " hundred year storm ". Nearly six inches of rain fell in 24 hours in a fairly small local area.It wasnt forecast.

[CotoChris]

That is one heck of a story, being claustophobic I can not imagine anything scarier. RIP

[The Hurdy Gurdy Man]

We were one year later. It must have been fresh in our minds.We entered Swildons in warm sunshine at about 2pm after lunch in the Queen Vic. There had been a few sharp showers. We reached the head of the forty foot pitch. The stream was a trickle. Collectively we felt ill at ease and left the cave. Something we had never done before or since in hundreds of caving trips.
Within hours all hell let loose. Roads were washed away, Cheddar Gorge was a raging torrent. The forty foot pitch was swept away. We were the last people to see it.
Second sight?
I really believe so.

[Ali]

Talking to my father about it today and he remembered it. He was saying one of the lads was from Guiseley. That's where I live.

Glad all turned out well for you Hurdy Gurdy Man. I suppose it's the just the unexpected down pours that cause trouble, that's the gamble!

[Hamster]

Luckly flooding incidents are rare but with the more extreme weather events that are happening can result in a busy time for the local rescue teams, see the attached extract from last years CRO incident reports

Oct 4 Sat 18.25 Sunset Hole, North Yorkshire - Cave Rescue
The start of a very busy night with four cave rescues and several 'alerts' and 'overdue' reports. A party of seven cavers (m, 29, 23, 22; f, 20, 20, 20, 20) became trapped by flooding after heavy and persistent rainfall. They were found sheltering at the second cascade and escorted to the surface

Oct 4 Sat 19.40 County Pot / Wretched Rabbit, Cumbria - Cave Rescue
A party of nine cavers were reported overdue on an exchange trip in the Ease Gill system. Located on the surface having been delayed by high water conditions following heavy and persistent rainfall. Kendal MRT were placed on stand-by.

Oct 4 Sat 19.57 Ireby Fell Cavern, Lancashire - Cave Rescue
Twenty five cavers were reported to be trapped by high water conditions following heavy and persistent rain. Two were trapped beyond the sump and were dived out, the others were variously assisted or escorted to the surface; assisted by UWFRA, Kendal MRT, and divers from the CDG. Seventy rescuers were involved in this operation which concluded at 12.48 hrs on Sunday afternoon.

Oct 4 Sat 20.55 Stream Passage Pot, North Yorkshire - Cave Rescue
A party of three cavers (m) were reported overdue after heavy and persistent rainfall. Located walking down to Clapham by first CRO team, having been trapped near the entrance by the high water conditions.

For more info look at the individual team web sites:

www.uwfra.org.uk

www.cro.org.uk/

The Broughton Game Show held tomorrow (28/6) near Skipton is a major fund raising for both teams so please come along and give some support if you are free.

[Helen F H]

This is a cracking book if you can find a copy - I have one aboard if anyone wants to borrow it.

Race Against Time: History of the Cave Rescue Organization - Jim Eyre - Lyon Equipment- book: price, extracts, reviews, critques, videos, news, interviews...

[The Hurdy Gurdy Man]

Probably the most publicized UK Caving tradgedy was the Neil Moss Incident.

The poor man went down a narrow vertical tube in Peak Cavern.
A brick sized rock fell out of the wall onto his foot trapping him by the ankle.
He was on a rope but all the pulling couldnt get him up again. People could get down and touch him on the head but not release him.He stayed alive for a long time before they realized they wouldnt get him out in time. As far as I remember he is still there.





[


Wikipedia says:

"Neil Moss (full name Oscar Hackett Neil Moss) was the victim of a famous caving accident in England on Sunday March 22, 1959. A twenty-year-old undergraduate studying philosophy at Balliol College, Oxford, Moss became jammed while trying to pass through a narrow unexplored tunnel in Peak Cavern, a famous cave system near Castleton in Derbyshire. Initial attempts to haul him free failed because the rope broke several times, and when he lost consciousness as carbon dioxide from his own respiration built up in the tunnel, he was unable to assist further rescue attempts with a stronger rope. He never regained consciousness and was declared dead on Tuesday morning.

His father, wishing to avoid further injury or loss of life in an attempt to retrieve his body, requested that it be left in place. The fissure in which it was jammed was sealed with concrete and an inscription was later placed nearby. This section of the Peak Cavern is now known as Moss Chamber."

[Hamster]

Also on the history of the UWFRA
Anytime...Anywhere The first Fifty Years of the Upper Wharfedale Fell rescue Association

[hogen-deifar]

That was a gripping read, Ali, thanks for sharing it with us. Certainly makes you pause for thought and think of those poor men and their families. RIP, like you say.

17 days after it happened I was born. It's a shame Mum's not around to see if she remembers it or whether the events of a fortnight later clouded her memories. I'll ask Dad about it when I see him next week.

It's the sort of story a film could be made of, if it hasn't already.