1965 cave accident victim's remains to be retrieved

[lyonz]

The National Capital Grotto was short lived, and spun off of that was the National Capital Grotto Cave Rescue Group. It was only around for a few short years but they did go on a number of rescue atttempts, Dolgeville being the first big test.

[Ralph E. Powers]

lyonz Thank you very much for the information. It was most helpful.

Also thanks for the link/article.

[erebus]

Christian Lyon has emailed me and clarified some things I did not know about. I apologized to him for my "politics" remark.

[lyonz]

I appreciate the response erebus. My intentions for this weekends events in Dolgeville have always been pure and with only James Gentry Mitchell, and his surviving family in mind.

[lyonz]

As of a few hours ago, the news went global via the AP. I would love to have original copies of this story for my archives and the documentary. If you happen to see it in your local papers, could you please alert me so I could arrange for you to send me the various papers. I will pay for any postage. Thanks so much and I will keep all in the caving community informed as to this weekends events.

Christian Lyon

[Dave Bunnell]

For those old-timers out there who might have it, this incident was written up in the April '65 NSS News. There's a map of the cave and accounts by the two who were with Jim in the cave.

One thing that article mentions is that Jim didn't have or had lost his gloves, and the writer speculated that his hands got too cold to push the pruiks which had jammed up on wet, swollen rope. I recall a fatal accident in a Swiss cave attributed to someone not having gloves in an alpine cave who developed problems on a rebelay under a waterfall because his hands were too frozen to function.

[Teresa]

Slightly sideways from the topic--In regards to Phil's remark on the 'Air Force connection',
in 1986, equipment from Scott AFB, IL (a huge airbag, amongst other things) was used to free Dwayne Easter, a young man trapped under a huge rock in Pilot Knob Mine Missouri, in a rescue coordinated mostly by cavers. Considering the number of current and ex military cavers, it is likely that 'somebody knows somebody' chains exist between many cavers and military installations.

[lyonz]

For those old-timers out there who might have it, this incident was written up in the April '65 NSS News. There's a map of the cave and accounts by the two who were with Jim in the cave.

One thing that article mentions is that Jim didn't have or had lost his gloves, and the writer speculated that his hands got too cold to push the pruiks which had jammed up on wet, swollen rope. I recall a fatal accident in a Swiss cave attributed to someone not having gloves in an alpine cave who developed problems on a rebelay under a waterfall because his hands were too frozen to function.

Hey Dave ~
Jim had his gloves on but took them off to hopefully better grab the rope and work the knots. Ultimately it was just too much exposure.

[Phil Winkler]

Dave, I believe the incident you recall actually happened in the Pierre St. Martin cave in France in the 70s or very early 80s.

It didn't happen in the Lepineaux shaft but in Pozo Estella in France/Spain, I think.

look here: http://www.scavalon.be/avalonuk/psm/psm01.htm

and this brings back memories:
http://arsip.free.fr/classiques/classique_anglais.htm

At the bottom is a table of Links. The second one is to the Grand Salles. This rock has inscribed on it: Here Marcel Loubens spent the last days of a very courageous life.

Marcel was the caver who fell and died in the PSM shaft during the intial exploration back in the early 50s. It is eerie to stand at that spot and consider what it must have been like for him and his comrades.

[Tubo Longo]

Dave, I believe the incident you recall actually happened in the Pierre St. Martin cave in France in the 70s or very early 80s.

It didn't happen in the Lepineaux shaft but in Pozo Estella in France/Spain, I think.

The ARSIP site report two deadly accident in the period 1969-1971: http://arsip.free.fr/histoire.htm#haut

We should keep in mind that back then both personal gear and rigging tech. were very different and much poorer than they are today. Vertical caving was moving to only rope from only cable ladder, using a patchwork of tech, gear and style.

[AMF]

Mr Lyons has certainly researched this whole event rather determinedly... he contacted Philly Grotto some months back on the basis of a rather obscure reference to the incident that were posted in some old minutes on our web site. Quite a story surrounding the event... I wish him luck in the endeavor, but don't think I want to join him!

[Ralph E. Powers]

Dave, I believe the incident you recall actually happened in the Pierre St. Martin cave in France in the 70s or very early 80s.

It didn't happen in the Lepineaux shaft but in Pozo Estella in France/Spain, I think.

The ARSIP site report two deadly accident in the period 1969-1971: http://arsip.free.fr/histoire.htm#haut

We should keep in mind that back then both personal gear and rigging tech. were very different and much poorer than they are today. Vertical caving was moving to only rope from only cable ladder, using a patchwork of tech, gear and style.

non parlez vous francais

[Tubo Longo]

non parlez vous francais

Oui Monsieur, un petit pou. Porque'?

[erebus]

The body recovery story is now in the Times of London online.

[Wayne Harrison]

It's also in the US media as well:

Workers Remove Caver’s Remains After 41 Years

POSTED: 7:42 pm MDT June 24, 2006
UPDATED: 8:54 pm MDT June 24, 2006

DOLGEVILLE, N.Y -- Rescuers on Saturday recovered the remains of an amateur explorer who died 41 years ago in a treacherous cavern, closing a memorable chapter in American caving history.

The body of James Mitchell had been locked inside Schroeder's Pants Cave since Feb. 13, 1965, when the 23-year-old Massachusetts chemist died of exposure while hanging from a harness above a cavern inside the cave.

Mitchell's story made national headlines and prompted spelunkers to become more serious about safety. Rescue teams were formed around the world.

Christian Lyon, 36, a Dolgeville native whose grandfather discovered the cave in 1947, had the blessing of Mitchell's family and local officials to recover the body, and he filmed the event for a documentary.


It took six workers about four hours Saturday to finish the recovery of Mitchell's bones, which were scattered at the bottom of a 75-foot dropoff.

Mitchell's brother, Bill, and the recovery crew emerged from the cave with a small black pouch of remains.

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