T-Junction Dig 2
1/20/01

Josh Andrews, Jeff Andrews, Steve Dalton, Terry DeFraties, Rick Hines, and Ryan Thompson spent 3 hours today watching Jason Percival dig.  Jason and his backhoe removed about 9 feet of clay and lose rock from a 12-foot diameter circle around the 9-inch drilled hole.  Nine feet of overburden before
reaching bedrock was more than we expected.   The good news is we only have 109.5 feet to go.  The bad news is that the dig needs shoring (sound familiar).
Jason to the rescue.  Jason operated the phone while operating the backhoe and located a 10 foot diameter by 22 foot long steel tank that is available for salvage.  Jason is working on a plan to get the tank to the dig.  
The tank if stood on end, on the now exposed bedrock, could shore the dig, provide a secure enclosure, and provide a high anchor point for the jackhammer work and caver access.   

Before leaving we erected a temporary fence around the dig.  Steve used his chain saw to taper a section of cordwood that we used to plug the 9-inch hole.
I hope we can recruit Jason to be a CCC member.  He has nice toys (a backhoe, an abrasive saw, a big truck and trailer and a jackhammer).  He has local connections that may help with material (a big tank).  Most importantly, he is enthusiastic about the dig.  
Thanks to all that helped and a special thanks to Jason Percival.

Rick Hines