A series of small dots mark the end of the Rumbling Hole Inlet on the Lost John's survey with a simple reference 'tight' adjacent them. Perhaps the original surveyors and explorers of this part of the cave were intimidated or simply fat! The sump at the end of Rumbling Hole had been dived and found to surface after a few feet (Diving Review, 1964/6S, p54.). The diver returned comenting the passage was too constricted, possibly because of the gear he was carrying.
The Lost John's entrance series was rigged through the winter of 1985 by the Bentham and Ingleton Caving Club. Armed with whistles, two small LUSS teams went down Lost John's and Rumbling Hole. The group down Rumbling Hole went down to the sump and found it 'draughtings At the same time the group down Lost John's went to the end of the Rumbling Hole Inlet to find that it didn't end 'too tight'. Thrutching in the rift above the stream the passage could be followed round two constricted corners to where further progress was made at stream level. With encouraging vocal support from beyond the 'sump' in Rumbling Hole a further six corners were passed, all requiring varying degrees of digging before they could be negotiated. Progress was stopped as excessive shivering was hindering the digging.
A few days later Colin Boothroyd and Tim Pickup went down Rumbling Hole to investigate the 'sump'. A small duck ran into a body sized canal that was followed feet first round four right angled bends. The fifth bend was too awkward to be dug and negotiated feet first, and as there was no room to turn around a hasty retreat was made.
Confident that only one corner needed to be rounded before the connection could be made, a team went down each of the caves on February 1st, 1985. After half an hour of moving aside cobbles and fence posts (!) the last remaining corner was passed by Colin Boothroyd, who then went on to complete the first through trip between the two caves. Thanks are extended to Alex Wade, Eddy Daw, Paul Ibberson, Dave Checkley, Ken Daykin, Roo Walters, Dave Anderson, Tim Pickup and John Conway for encouraging support and 'tackling up' from both entrances.