1965 cave accident victim's remains to be retrieved
Monday, Jun 19, 2006
By Bryon Ackerman
Observer-Dispatch
backerman@utica.gannett.com
DOLGEVILLE NY— A team of spelunkers from around the country will attempt Saturday to retrieve from Shroeder's Cave in Dolgeville the remains of James Mitchell, a 23-year-old who died while exploring the cave in 1965.
Christian Lyon, a Dolgeville native who lives in Los Angeles, began organizing the effort three years ago. He said he is trying to bring closure for the family.
The 1965 incident received national media attention, and a rescue team from Washington, D.C., attempted to aid in the rescue, which failed to save Mitchell or remove his body from the cave.
The accident inspired the creation of cave-rescue teams across the nation, Lyon said.
Lyon is making a documentary, "Tragic Exposure," which will cover the cave's discovery, Mitchell's death and Saturday's recovery efforts. Lyon's grandfather discovered the cave in the fall of 1947 and made the discovery public in 1948.
Lyon said he hopes his documentary will let the legacy of the national impact of Mitchell's death live on.
"It's a story that needs to be told," Lyon said.
Spelunkers from around Upstate New York and from Kentucky, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio will be donating their time Saturday in the retrieval efforts.
"I called them and they all jumped at the chance," Lyon said. "Everyone is lending a hand to help in this tragic case that happened right in our backyard."
Once the remains are brought out of the cave, Herkimer County Coroner Chris Moser will bring the remains to the Little Falls Hospital morgue and evaluate them.
He will then bring them to Earlville to be cremated and given to Mitchell's family.
http://www.uticaod.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... 90319/1001