ENTOMBED IN A CAVE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18946, 18 February 1925, Page 9

ENTOMBED IN A CAVE.

FATE OF AN EXPLORER. FRANTIC RESCUE EFFORTS. DEAD BODY FINALLY FOUND. Ey Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright. (Received 8.;,*5 p.m.) A. ant] N.Z. NEW YORK. Feb. 17. The dead body of Mr, Floyd Collins, an explorer, who had been entombed in a cave at Cave City, Kentucky, for 17 days, was recovered by a rescue party to-day. Mr. Collins was trapped while exploring the cave on January 30 through a boulder falling and pinning him by one foot. The victim's plight was not discovered until, two days later. His relatives and friends then supplied him with food and water. They also installed electric wires and placed lamps around the. trapped man in order to provide him with heat. Frenzied attempts to rescue Mr. Collins were rendered extremely difficult owing to the narrowness of the passage. It was only wide enough for one person. This necessitated the scooping out of the earth and rock by hand, and passing the debris back from man to man to the entrance of tho cave. At the end of five days the exhausted rescue party reached the imprisoned man, but just as they were preparing to remove him there was a fall of rocks and earth between them and the victim. This cut him of! entirely and rendered further efforts to release him through the passage quite useless. Public interest in tho fate of the entombed explorer rose to fever heat. The Governor of Kentucky, State and Federal officials and engineers joined in the work of rescue. Numerous people gathered at tho spot, arid doctors and an ambulance awaited the rescue. Tho engineers wero compelled to sink a 70ft. .shaft into the cave from the surface. Owing to continual obstacles, such as rock formation, floods, and landslides, this task occupied 10 days. During this timo Mr. Collins was without food or water. 'Radio tests proved that he was breathing several days after ho was last seen, but these results ultimately failed. The delays and the excitement of the public led to the wildest stories being circulated. One was to the effect that the whole affair was a subterfuge to gain publicity. This resulted in a court of inquiry being called on ,the spot to dispose of the rumours. When the victim was finally reached the rescuers found that decomposition had set in. The doctors report that Mr. Collins died from exhaustion. The entire country was frantic with eagerness to heaij the result of the efforts of the party, which was broadcasted by wireless. Hundreds of thousands of people telephoned inquiries to the newspaper's