"My Night Down
A Haunted Mine"
DAILY EXPRESS (OCTOBER
30th 2008 PAGES 40 + 41)
As Hallowe'en
approaches MONICA CAFFERKY headed deep underground with some spine-tingling
results.
It's Friday night but rather than relaxing in front of the telly I'm about
to descend into a disused mine in Saltburn, Cleveland, on a mission to connect
to the other side. I'm on a ghost hunt with husband and wife team Mark and Angie
Riley, who run a paranormal investigation group called Abbey Ghost Hunters.
Over the years I've experienced several spooky outings but, on my previous ghost
hunts, nothing much happened. However, this feels like a serious operation because,
joining the excursion with Angie a medium, and Mark a self confessed sceptic,
there are four other members of their team and they have brought along all sorts
of ghost-busting gadgetry.
Investigator Tracey Young shows me an EMF meter, which measures electrical activity.
An increase in the reading is supposed to indicate the presence of spirits.
Fellow ghost-buster Andy Boase has come equipped with a super sensitive thermometer
as sudden changes in temperature are thought to show Paranormal activity. Alan
Willis and Mark both have camcorders fitted with infrared lights so we won't
miss a thing as we creep through the pitch black mine.
"We set up the paranormal group six years ago and we've been coming to
the mine for four years," Angie tells me. "There is a lot of residual
activity where an emotional scene imprints on a place and I often pick this
up, It's like watching a film replaying. Then there are the spirits who pop
over from the spirit world. I've got to know these former employees quite well."
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as Angie reels of the names of visiting
ghosts: Joseph, Teddy, Jarvis, Fiery Jack and Albert Wilson.
"Shortly after we started coming to the mine I picked up an image of three
miners staggering out," says Angie. " In the middle was a man and
I could see his face clearly, he'd been injured and was in pain. I said to Mark
that this injured man was really fiery and I kept getting the name Jack."
Once back above ground
Angie asked one of the mine's volunteers if he knew anything about an accident
and a fiery man called Jack. The volunteer's mouth dropped open and he told
her that Fiery Jack - his nickname - was a well known character who worked at
the mine and had lost a leg in an accident.
"The volunteer dug out a photo of Fiery Jack, who worked there from the
late 1800s to 1925. When I looked at his photo I couldn't believe it. He was
the man I'd seen being carried out of the mine," says Angie, "I was
blown away. As a medium it was lovely to recieve confirmation about what i'd
picked up. There's another photo of a man called Albert Wilson, who I also see
at the mine, which was fully operational between 1848 and 1958."
After these anecdotes I feel as if
I might run straight into a poltergeist. Mark's not a mind reader but his next
comment echoes my thoughts: "The mine is one of the most haunted spots
we've ever investigated." With his sceptic hat on, he adds: "The majority
of the phenomena has a scientific explanation. For example, if you walk past
certain points in the walls the temperature will drop due to the metal clips.
Any temperature drop or rise around 2c is natural and not paranormal."
He then hands me a thermometer that glows eerily and we walk slowly down the
tunnel into the darkness. The only light comes from the infrared beams on the
camcorders and a few tiny torches.
Angie tells me to walk ahead of her and to shout if I see anything unusual.
I take little steps into the black and put out my hand to reach ahead of me.
Five minutes later, my scalp starts tingling. It's and odd sensation and I've
never had it before.
"Here this spot feels different," I tell Angie. "Well done,"
she says, "This is where we usually meet Joseph and I can see him by the
cart." Then Angie starts talking, "Hello Joseph lad. It's me Angie.
I've brought some friends to meet you."
I'm standing next to a medium who is talking to a spirit and I can't see a thing
other than blackness. My heart is racing and I'm definately feeling a little
scared.
Angie continues "Can you make a noise? Do you remember last time how you
threw a stone? (Actually he did not throw it he rolled
it, this was a mis interpretation) Can you do that again? Everyone wants
to meet you. We're your friends."
Sadly, Joseph doesn't want to show his presence, which I find a relief. "He's
very shy," says Angie, "He has a sad story. When he worked in the
mine his older brother Edward took his wages for gambling. He told me all about
it."
I'm not a medium so I can't talk to Joseph but I did feel something or was the
atmosphere getting to me? I can't say for sure.
Mark suggests that we continue walking and check our instruments. Nothing happens
for a while then Andy says: "My thermometer is jumping around from 5c to
8c then back down to 4c."
I check mine and notice that the readings are also erratic. Suddenly a tiny
yellow light shoots past my face, from right to left, then disappears into nothingness
down the mine. It looked like a firefly but you don't find fireflies in Cleveland,
do you?
I tell Angie what i've seen and she tells me it's spirit light. These are the
souls of people - on photographs they show up as orbs. Now i'm spooked. At this
point Mark jumps in: "Real orbs (Spirit Lights)
are coloured and are rare. The ones everyone gets on their digital cameras are
very common and are caused by moisture or dust." (They
are not spirit lights).
We
continue walking waiting for something else to happen. "What's that?"
says Tracey suddenly. "I can hear scratching." Angie heard it too,
as did Alan but Mark and I didn't hear a thing.
"I can see shadows on the track," says Alan. We all turn and I strain
my eyes in the darkness. I can see an outline of the cart and movement but i'm
sure it's my eyes playing tricks on me.
We continue walking and waiting for more to happen. I've been at the mine nearly
two hours but it feels more like 20 minutes and soon i'ts time for the big finish.
Alan produces a table on wheels that he brought down earlier. We place our fingertips
lightly on the surface. Angie calls out: "If anyone is here can they please
move the table." After a few minutes the table shoots across the floor
towards me. I can't help myself and I tremble in shock.
Then the table heads towards Angie then over to Alan and it's very scary. Once
the table stops moving after a few minutes I ask to test it. I place my fingertips
on the top and try to move it. I can't. I place my hands flat on the table's
surface and have to push hard to make it budge. So who or what moved it when
Angie was calling out in the dark?
Perhaps deep down the mine was my first real meeting with the spirit world but
one thing's certain: the experience was addictive. I've already signed up for
a number of ghost hunts with the group in my area. Who needs TVs Most Haunted
when you can have the real thing.