16 
DE RANGE : THE VALE OF CLWYD CAVES. 
distance into the hill. But the yellow sand with oblique lamination, 
came right up to the rocky ridge overhanging the north of the 
cavern, and extending northwards beyond it, the sand-bed not only 
abutting against the rocky ledge but filling up hollows and inequalities 
in its surface ; the overlying beds of boulder clay, associated with 
seams of sands, also abutted against the rounded mass of overhanging 
rock, as did the succeeding bed of fine sand a few inches in thick- 
ness, that could then be followed round the four sides of the pit, as 
could the boulder clay resting on it. 
On my next visit June 17th, 1887, my colleagues, Messrs. 
Tiddeman and Reid, were present, the northern face of the shaft was 
boarded up ; the shaft was carried westward to 11 feet from the 
inner wall of the cavern ; no new phenomena were observable ; the 
materials of the cave were almost entirely excavated out, and the 
north joint had become dry. I again visited the cavern on October 
the 3rd and on the 8th, in company with Mr. Shone, F.G.S. The 
timbering had been removed, and the north side of the shaft re- 
exposed. Professor Hughes was present, and had a small east and 
west cut made into the west bank of the shaft, which showed a slight 
trace of oblique lamination to the S.S.E., the direction so often met 
with in the Middle Drift Gravels of Lancashire and Cheshire. The 
joint was slightly yielding water ; no new phenomena were observable. 
On October 10th I again visited the cave, accompanying the 
Director-General of the Geological Survey, and Professor Hughes. 
Messrs. Hilton Price,?. G.S., Luxmoore,F.G.S.,and E. Morgan were also 
present. Very heavy rains had fallen, and the pit was unfortunately 
in a soft and somewhat obscure condition. A large block of lime- 
stone was pointed out to Dr. Geikie, and he was correctly informed 
that others occurred at the mouth of the cavern, but he was not told 
that similar blocks occurred throughout the whole tunnel. A vertical 
band of sand or sand pipe was shown to him on the west face of the 
" tumbler" block before referred to. 
The visit led to the following letter being addressed to Dr. Hicks 
by Mr. Archibald Geikie, L.L.D., F.R.S., Director General of the 
Geological Survey of the United Kingdom, which is of considerable 
interest : — 
