| RefNo | MS/222/46 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Forty-first report of progress of excavations by William Pengelly and Edward Vivian, Torquay, to the British Association Kent's Cavern Committee |
| Creator | Pengelly; William (1812-1894); geologist |
| Vivian; Edward (1808–1893); science writer; poet |
| Date | 7 January 1869 |
| Description | Monthly report of the superintendents of excavation. Completed works in the Bear's Den has 'in a sense' been realized. Describes how the Bear's Den, in 'the south-western branch of the Western Series of Chambers and Galleries', has always been regarded as the end of the cavern. On one side of the Den, there is a 'small subterranean lake, barely 20 feet long' and eight feet wide. Prior to recent heavy rains, the water was 'as low as it has ever been known; at present it is as high as it has ever been seen'. The lake made it impossible to reach the farthest wall except by swimming, which people had allegedly done previously and found a small chamber.
A quote from Mr MacEnery on the Bear's Den is noted as follows: '"Before we take final leave of this strange scene, we should not omit to notice the basin of water beyond it on the left", and then proceeds to question if the basin is '"a natural spring"' or filled '"during many seasons"' before asserting it cannot be man-made. MacEnery claimed '"the cave beyond it deserves no particular notice"' and noted that '"Admiral Sartorius and others have swam across"', as documented in 'Cavern Researcher' on 'p.10'. Another text is referred to, written by 'the Rev. [Richard] Mr Polwhele' called 'History of Devonshire' that was published in 1797, and also describes the location and size of the basin.
On 4 December [1868], they blasted a mass of stalagmite from the Chamber and a hole, measuring eight by six inches, was revealed in the northern wall. They illuminated the hole with a candle, which revealed to be the mouth of a tunnel passage that inclined upwards. They noted a current of air passing through the passage, and ascertained the passage led to another area of the Cavern. John Farr, a workman, ascended the passage and forced his way through to another passage that ran east-to-west: at the western end, Farr 'found himself at the end of the lake remote from the Bear's Den'. On 16 December, one of the superintendents also journyed through the passage and examined the eastern end of the passage. The superintendent found numerous - perhaps hundreds - of inscriptions of initials and dates carved into the walls, the earliest from 1618 and the latest being 1744. It is pondered why so many people had swam across the lake and stayed long enough to mark their initials and date of their visit. |
| Extent | 5p |
| Format | Manuscript |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA2162 | Pengelly; William (1812 - 1894); geologist | 1812 - 1894 |