U.S. CAVE HORROR.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 53, 4 March 1925, Page 14

U.S. CAVE HORROR.

CAPTIVE'S OWN STORY.

IMPJIISOJrEZS 2TVB DAYS. i.Frim O-ur O-wn Correspondent.) SAN" FRANCISCO, February 6. For human pathetic interest the accidental impriaoranftiit of Floyd Collins in the famous Mammoth Cave in Kentucky had few parallels in American history, and, naturally, the whole of the nation was keyed to a high pitch of excitement virile desperate efforts were in progress to release the unfortunate adventurer, who had entered the great cave with a view of discovering , a new entrance with a view of commercially developing it for tourists in that part nf the country.

Tie jrrpan cavern was at one time aa famous aa Niagara Falls, and is atill popular as an objective for honeymoon po-jples whose family traditions reach back a generation or *o. The cave hae been known since 1800. .and is one of the great natural wonders of America. In addition it has had some interesting experiences of ita own, aa caves go.

A hat chamber, occupied perhaps aa long as there have been hats, contained a deposit, of fossii guano, sheltered from the bleaching effect of rain. Thia supplied a. good quality of saltpetre, which was used in making gunpowder for the Americana in the war of 1812. Soldiers of General Packenham's army were shot with it at the Battle of New Orleans. At one time when tuberculosis was called "consumption," the cave was thought to he beneficial , to consumptives, and a sanatorium waa established for them deep- in one of the galleries. Snnliglvt never reached them, and they did not do ■very well.

There are gome beautiful stalactites in the cave,, and the 'famous eyeless fish in the deptha of the cave are well known all over the world. The discoverer ia said, to have been a mulatto slave. His explorations were carried ont with courage, and he claimed to know an exit that he never disclosed. Another entrance watrld have beett of great value to anyone owning , the land on which, it might be fonnd, and: Collins 3 efforts seem to have been part of a hunt that haa been going on continuously for over a century. : Horrors of ToTtare Chamber.

Interviewed while still locked securely with hi 3 leg between immense rocks, Floyd Collina told, hia oto story after having been imprisoned five day 3in the cave, in a narrow' passage far underground, .j. . . .

"I; was in the most beautiful place I have ever seen,'when, sooti after ascending'a. steep rwa}X T I." dislodged a hugs rock. It caught by left foot. Tliat was at 10 o'clock last Friday morning, and 1 it is now Wednesday.. The first night I spent in yelling at the top of ray voice. I knew jay chance was slim, but I couldn't give up without doing something. So I just shouted and shouted. After a long: time I was unable to call any more. I go* hoarse. I straggled on, though, until 1 -finally lost consciousness. Maybe I slept, but I don't know. But I felt better when I awoke.

"Surely, I thought, no man was ever trapped like .this; .. I- .prayed as hard as i could. I begged God to send help to mc. Finally-1 heart! a voice, and it abunded better than anything I ever heard. I called feck and. got an answer, and found it was Jewell Eatea. He cotildn't get to mc, but before long Clyde Hesters came back to mc. - Uα told mc it was Saturday morning. I told Clyde to get word to- my brothers, Homer and Marshal, and ray father. He left. My brothers came down Saturday afternoon and saw how I was fixed. They tried to dig mc out, but they couldn't.

'"Saturday night I felt Better. A .Uankpfc. .had been brought-to mc and it helped mc keep out the cold. I was '.jiumb all over, but I felt ■warmer after 5 was covered. I couldn't move and 'jwas getting awfully weak.

t "Sunday, after attempt after attempt to save had failed, I began to lose confidence. I prayed continually. Some;how I wiggled a toe. Pain 3 shot through mc. I don't know how long it was before my brother came in withsomething to eat, but it seemed agea. I had some whisky and it warmed mc up fat whole lot. I could talk for a while, 'but it wasn't long before I wr,s unconscious or asleep. I don't know which.

Prays as End Nears. r " 'Tuesday morning," I thought to myself. 'Four day 3 down here, and no : nearer freedom than I was the first day. How will I get out, or '

j "I couldn't think of it. I have faced "death before. It doesn't frighten mc. 'But it is so long. Oh God be merciful.'

"Tuesday night I felt better than at any time since I was caught. I was mighty weak a few hours ago—mighty ■weak. So many plana have been tried, so many people, and so little has been done that I am beginning to get fearful again. I keep praying. I say: 'Oh Lord, dear Lord, gracious Lord, Jesus all powerful, get mc out if it is Thy will, ~;but Your will be done.' I know lam ;gojng to get out. I feel like it. Something tells mc to be brave, and I am going to be.

"Now, fellow (addressing the newspaper man), you'd better go out and get •warm. But come back. You are small, and I believe you are going to get mc out. I want you to tell everybody outside that I love every one of them," and I'm happy because so many are trying to help mc. Tell,them lam not going to give up; that I am going to fight and be patient and never forget them. You go out now, btit don't leave mc too long. I want you with mc, and 111 keep helping all I can to move some of this rock."

Explorer's Leg Released. The heart-breaking labour of cutting through to Collins had been completed early that day, and the explorer's leg had been released. It seemed, the houre of drudgery were to be crowned with success, but another danger at « this point menaced Collins, that of suffocation. Eescuers refused to use drilla because of the danger jot further collapse of the rocky substance around the pinioned man. When the rescue chain backed out to obtain a canvas -sheet on which to carry out the victim a portion of the tunnel wall ..fell in, and Collins was locked in a passage .20ft long, 3ft wide, and 3ft high. Behind him yawned a black pit 40ft deep. It was then that the rescue party resolved to call for 50 more men to rush work on a new tunnel to be sunk under the blockade to emerge in the cavern behind .:the prisoner, the plan being to tug at the rock which had held the explorer in ?ts. vice. .During that day- Collins had ■had'no nourishment except a few drops -of whisky, and he was threatened with pneumonia, and was coughing violently a I day. His body had been wrapped in blankets, and an electric light bulb was d TuL * t0 diSpel th ° eloOm

Sistli Day's Record. lien with picka and shoves—and with fallen hopes—on the sixth day were digging a shaft in the hill above Sand Cave in a laat effort to reach. Floyd CoDina. who still remained alive in hia subterranean prison. A moist earth, soaked by recenc rains, began swelling early in the day, and sealed up the narrow hole which, twisted and dipped 125 ft to the place where Collins waa held fast. The floor rose till it met the ceiling of the passage way, and solid rock blocked all efforts to venture within. 45ft of where the imprisoned man lay. At thia time- it could not be ascertained whether Collins waa still breathing. National guardsmen would not permit workers to enter the cave because of the extreme danger to life, and all hopes were placed in the shaft which waa going slowly down to a point where men hoped to step into a cavern and reach Collins from behind. The moat liberal estimates predicted this work would require two days. The last time anyone heard Collins' voice waa early in the morning, when rescuers called to him. from- their aide of the stone blockade. Eoy Hyde, one of the last to leave the cavern, "though , ; he heard Collina mumble, "Oh, God, help mc." An hour and a half before John Oeralds, the victim's chum, said he attempted to talk to- Collina,. and received only vague responses. Collins had repeatedly called for Ilia mother, who ia dead, and hia brothera. "I am covered with dirt,' T waa the answer given- to> most of Hyde's questions, he said.

News recently cabled stated that Collina expired before he could be r&leaaed, owing to a fresh cave-in.