Bluefield Daily Telegraph from Bluefield, West Virginia • Page 1

I i About Fcf fdtf 'Jtfiff 14 VolumeXXXIH. 4L W. Tuesday Merttiflg, February 17, Pages ABflOCtATBD LJDA8OD WIRB Price: Five Cftfitft, ffifin Iirrnr 4 TTATTMf 1 I tmipi RESCUERS WERE 24 HOURS LATE Only Dead Form of Cave Victim in Teeth of Relentless Granite Trap FLOYD COLLINS AN EXPORER OF CAVES SINCE HIS Was Born on a Farm Within Five Miles of Spot Where He Lost His Life. WAS CAUGHT THREE TIMES BEFORE FATAL EXPERIENCE BrjBe of Those Among Early Bescuers Who Talked With Him Said He Described New Found Cavern as Most Beautiful He Had Ever Seen. Cave City, Feb.

Collins was trapped in Sand Cave at 10 o'clock Friday 'morning, January 30, by a fall of a boulder on his Coot. He was exploring the tunnel of an old cavern, the front part of which had collapsed years ago, forming' the ravine which leads up to the limestone ledge in which the- mouth of Sand Cave is located. Some time Wednesday night, February 4, he was fed the last time. Early the next; day a rescue party heard his cries from behind the eave- to for the, last time. His plight remained undiscovered lor twenty-four hours, when on Saturday, January 31, Jewell Estis, a boy, penetrated Sand Cave "far enough to hear his cries for help.

Neighbors and his brothers at once began efforts to him out and release the rock and dirt which pinioned his legs. All such efforts were unsuccessful and outside helpers, who had cleared-away the dirt as far as his knees, were blocked by repeated cave-Ins in the tunnel, just above spoiling, Finally state officials ordered the rescued Carmichael Wat Mott Indefatigable Worker (A 1 St George Tucker Cnrmlchael, as engineer in charge of the Work on a rescue shaft dug to the sand care prison of Floyd Collins, was one of the most Indefatigable workers en- iged In the endeavor to rescue ie trapped care explorer. Mr. Carmichael is general man- and superintendent of the nt of the Kentucky Kock phalt Company, at Kyrock, Kentucky. A native of Lexington, Ya- he Is a-descendant of St.

George Tucker, a lieutenant colonel in the lean revolutionary forces and Inent Virginia jurist Mr. Cnrmlchael, who was graduated from Washington and Lee University with a degree In civil engineering, is in the middle forties. Mrs. Carmichnel had been here with Jier husband constantly. It was frequently commented that Ids untiring energy and practical engineering knowledge had been a source of much Inspiration for the tired workers.

dicaps of lack ofc; proper tools and materials, 'the work progressed unceasingly until the odor of banana oil sprayed into Collins' cave Sunday night became uumistakeable Tuesday night ia the shaft, through sandy layer in the, bottom, just below, the forty foot.lejvel. The natural tunnel down which Collins-" had crawled in search uf a new cavern, was about 125 feet from'Sur- face to the spot where Collins lay. The rescue shaft, started a few feet in front of the mouth of the cave in a limestone ledge, was aimed at a perpendicular tube, the shortest line to reach him-in the of the tortuous tunnel. Floyd Collins bar been a cave explorer since he a boy. He was born ou a farm five miles from Sand Cave, where the Collins family lives, and as his.

father can remember Floyd has seldom-been away form the pave country. When just big enough to handle a plow, the mule one day sank to his knees in what has since been known as "Mule Cave," and Floyd's cave enthusiasm was Mule Cave never developed into anything which would attract tourists, but Floyd was WILL fllltP OF FLOJJLLINS Will Convey Deep Sympathy of Kentucky and Country to Bereaved Family. WILL SLEEP ON HILL TOP OVERLOOKING SAND CAVE Crystal Stalactites and Stalagmites Among Which Will 'Mkrk'His Formalities Planned. Frankfordt, Feb. IB.

ffl 5 William Fields announced tonight-that he would attend the funeral services for Floyd Collins at Sand Cave, to'convey'the-deep gym-' of Kentucky and the country to the Collins family. Cavs City, Feb. 1C. services for Floyd Collins planned for Crystal Cave, his greatest discovery, and he will be buried on the'hill top overlooking the mouth of Sand Cave and the shaft down which the heroic band of volunteers raced with death to reach him, it was decided today by Lee Collins, aged father of the dead cave explorer. In Crystal Cave, w'hich Floyd discovered in 1917 on his father's farm a few miles from Sand Cave, is a huge crystal auditorium.

250 feet high, and this will be Floyd's burial chapel, Mr. Collins said. Crystal stalactites and stalagmites, among which he loved to roam, will mark his grave. Twice he was trapped in Crystal Cave, the first time by BODY TO BE RECLAIMED ONLY TO RETURN IT TO AGAIN Funeral Service Will be Held Amid Stalagmites and Stalactites of Crystal Cavern and Under Its High Dome Will be Dug Grave in Which Young Explorer Will Await the Resurrection Consents to Amputation of Leg to Expedite Recovery of Lifeless Body. Cave City, Feb.

16 Collins' legs will be amputated just above his ankle in order to expedite his delivery from Sand Cave, if officials in charge of the rescue work decide further lateral operations are too dangerous to workmenl who already have risked their lives to secure the cave man's release. This was made known tonight when Lee Collins, aged father of the cave victim, signed a worn statement to the effect that if Mr. Carmichael, director-of actual rescue operations determined further work too hazardous for his men, he had his signed permission to resort to amputation. Cave City, Feb. 16 long struggle is ended.

Mother Earth, after clinging grimly, in life and in death, to Floyd Collins, for more than seventeen days, finally surrendered at 2:45 o'clock this afternoon, and without warning, opened a tiny hole between a rescue shaft and the natural tomb of the cave explorer. Fearing down this tiny fissure into Sand Cave, the brave workers waged an unequal combat with the natural forces of the earth, saw that what they had'fought' so hard for had been lost. Collins was But they will reclaim his body, only to restore it again to the rugged hills'he roamed as a youth and explored as a man. "Thank God, they've found him." This was-Lee Collins' single statement after his boy had jeen-found. A terse statement, signed by the three men who ha'd led scores of others in the long fight, told of the result tribute to their assistants.

iu OEffflljSISttll Aircraft Committee 'Calls on War and Navy Secretaries to Send Representatives Questioning in Session. determined to find a cavern which a dirt fall near the mouth, when he Three times before this experience, Qvllins was. caught in caves. Once, exploring new crevices in Crystal Cave, be was wedged in a crevice, and Johnnie Gerald pulled him out. When he was first exploring Crystal Cave, uu earth slide cut him'' off from the outside, but he dug hte way through.

Earlier in his cave he was held half the ht in a crevice in a cliff along River, but managed to work febnself loose, A few years after Mule Cave was discovered, Ed. Turner, a civil engineer from New York, spent eight to ten'months' exploring the cave qoun-, try, 1 taught FJoyd the elementary geology he found useful. Between them they located an onyx cave, which inconsequential, and in Care, found an Indian moccasin, one of the priifed souvenirs region. By this time he had started spending- his spare'time after farm duties in cave.hunting father, had taken the bitter Lee Collins, his trapping and in was enlarging the fissure through which he crawled to discover its beauties. Again later he was caught in a 'Thirteen) narrow crevice while further exploring the cavern and was pulled out by John Gerald, who worked so hard to free him from.Sand Cave.

The simplest of formalities, in line with the plain, simple lives of the Collins family, will mark the funeral services, After eighteen days, Floyd's aged 7father 'admitted his hopes for his son's respue 'were growing faint and he, to talk cf plans for the last rites for his son. Even then he always added, these were conditional "in case they don't get him 'Almost constantly, Mr, Collins and his wife, Floyd's step-mother, have waited within flight ot the cave mouth, then the shaft mouth, hoping against hope, praying aloud, and thanking sadly those friends who came to bring words of cheer. Homer, Floyd's youngest brother, was for a time permited to work in the shaft, but'when the hour of rescue drew Page Thirteen-) Washington, Feb. 16, testimony from officers on both he active and reserve lists of the rmy arid" navy that the United tatea Is deflicient in air power the Ircraft committee today called upon ecretarles Weeks and Wilbur to end representatives before it to how bow the war and navy departments could adequately defend tho atlon against an attack from- the air. This decision was unanimously reached in executive session and the secretaries' representatives were requested to appear at 2 p.

tomorrow for questioning behlad closed doors. Although committee members-were not willing to d'sucss the matter, the motion to call upon the departments for confidential information as to the nation's air defense was presented, by Representative New Jersey, the committee examiner. Several members admitted the action was, prompted by tire repeated statements of numerous witnesses that the United States Is lacking In air power. It was intimated also that unless the war and navy departments are able to alleviate the fears of some members that the nation's air power the committee inlgbt take up the advisability, of going wore extensively into the question of recommending to, the b9U8e that national defense in all ot its phases be investigated. Some members were of the opinion However, that the departments would, (Turn to Page Eleven.) Jr-TVTJnr Cave.

and pre- mveitlgatibn of It by Albert Marshall, the'statement said." "His game little partner, Ed, Brenner, of Cincinnati, whose work has very conspicuous and of untolc value by reason, of his Email' statur? and great strength and iron nerve went down head foremost Into this hazardous with a light eloselj txa'mlned the-face arid position of thta man who we understand is Floyd Collins, and'called up to Mr. Carmichael five feet above him, that the man was cold and apparently dead." The bullletin was signed by Brigadier General H. H. Denhardt, H. T.

Carmichael and M. S. Posey. Dr. William Hazlett, of Chicago, and Dr.

C. Fancis, of Bowling Green, announced later that from information bad obtained, Collins had been dead more than twenty-four hours. Although the quest for Collins had ended in locating his body, the tired miners, saddened by the realization that the 'man they tried so hard to tiave was dead, turned, heavy-hearted, to the still dangerous task of recovering bis body. Hours of digging remain ahead of them befpre they'can remove Collins from his tightly-wedged position in the narrow passage to Sand Cave. When, finally, they'have brought him from this tomb, Collins' body will bo to a grave, in the cave, after a funeral service under the high dome of Crystal Cave, which itself Stands as a monument.

to the man, There, umid its stalagmites iuid ata- Inctites, his funeral service will be held. The "monument" to the rescue workers, however, wllj be torn down by the hands that built It. The rescue shaft will be dynamited after Collins' body has'been removed. It is a dangerous place and we do BLUEHELD STARTS TODAY TO PUT OVER A PROJECT NEAR ITS HEART not want any one Uiuefleld 4odW will begin putting pvw one of tUe projects Barest Hi its widest people even the variety feel that dollar farther In the Y. W.

than In almost any other Much favorable cqmmeut has been i Jjwrd on the originality of the scjr ev a t', erf store displays show various phases of djly Jony i thie 4J6Plays ID -Hftwley's," Hopa ker's, building, as well.as in tne windows ot other business houses, 'iciurlTonbe grgatt'lzatiftn's uroj-n In JJuefleia. is 'The puftllc -wjlj to keep olose watch of the progress of the campaign by tne (thermometer on the entrance door'of Y. headquarters on Fed" The Is the.tlierinpaj^ etey wlU-rlse as Pledges' corded, the top 0t will breftk through before the win report 9ftUy at team lunclieona tc, tolay- Tfte wwkera will ttet luncheott aujj else trapped there," said' Mr, Corraichael, in charge of tha excavation. From the early days of the caveman's entrapment, when friends and neighbors made many futile efforts to extricate hint down through tho days that followed, -there was waged a great struggle with nature. and the elements.

Collins was found twenty- four hours" after the accident, firmly pinioned by. a bwlder which fell on tils foot as he was emerging from the cave. Friends and neighbors, rushed to his aid, and time after, time rescue parties. went into the narrow oil passage and wormed their way along its slimy, course to where the rtun was Imprisoned. Their efforts tp get him were unavailing and other from khe-tfutslde Came 'In.

A Miners from the nearby cpaj fields and from the aspbajt jnjnes of the Kentucky Asphalt Company at Kyrock, flocked' tp his rescue, assigned to the cave to "cover" the -made that an ln- part pf Weir sudeayora to the sent Mr. his personal flrft man. to the ftceue State- trpopa follow eB, -a'lWle handful ol.them'-a and then General jjenbajd), opra cisr of ths brldade, was oixiered to take, supreme command Both Branches of Congress Drive Forward in Effort to Clear Calendars A Large Number of Measures Passed. Washington, Feb. 16 Both the house and senate drove forward today in an effort to clear their calendars, and each hold a night session.

The senate passed and sent to conference the postal pay and rale increase measure and disposed of sixteen other bills before "constituting itself Into a board of alderman to consider laws for the city of Washington, The. house cleaned up thirty measures during Its day session 'and the leaders had as the objective before adjournment tonight the. passage of approximately '-JOO bills on its consent calendar, While mostof the measures given douse approval were of interest only certain localities, several wer.e of wide importance. These Included a senate resolution extending for years from next June 30, the arrange- Official Bulletin on Finding Floyd Collins Care Cltr, Feb. offl.

clal bulletin, after the 'finding of the body of Collins follows! "At lino o'clock the lateral headings, nt distance of 121-2 feet from the shaft and measured clr- culnrljr broke through Into the original just as tne ninnholo was started, Jnst below the breakdown." "From Information at hand. It will be several hours before jiliy- Rlclnn or any one else can reach Collins, unless It develones the war can be found of driving drift which will reach Collins' feet. "It will probably be thirty-six hours before the body can be brought to Iho surface." This ivns signed by H. T. Car- mlchnel, H.

H. Denhnrdt, M. JE. S. I'osey and 1).

Fntikhoiiser. EFFORTS No Thought of Personal Danger Checked Albert Marshall of Mike Brenner. PROPPED LOOSE BOULDERS TO SQUEEZE BETWEEN 'EM Former Being Too Large to Get Through Small Opening, Latter Went Down Only to Find That Floyd ColJins Was Cold in Death. Floyd ment whereby press dispatches are transmitted to Hawaii, Alaska and Orient by navy radio, and bouto sills providing for restoration of ilia ilstorlc Fort McHenry, Maryland, and 'old Fort Vancouver stockade in Washington elate. The filibuster, which developed in he senate last week dissipated today, for the time being, at least, when the senate entered into an Unanimous consent agreement to vota at 2 p.

m. Friday on the emergency officers' retirement bill, The filibuster had been aimed at this measure, he Cape Cod canal purchase bill and (Turn to Page j'Oleven.) Cave City, Feb. 16. Collins 'was" fodiia afternoon, according- to an 'official issued after rescuers had penetrated. into what they believe was' the.

original Sand Cave: cav- erh where Collins was caught. 'No medical; examination' was made as impossible for a physician t.o reach'tlm It reported by a workman the roof of the cavern over 'Collins gave way, causing them to reach oral hours" before had expected. The first intimation of. the old tunnel was the- finding of several bottles. working tools, lines of wires, and line's of rope, Carmielmel was called in by Alfred Marshall when these were found.

In the, shaft were Albert Marshall, A. Blcviiis; Simon Johns and John Immediately afterward Mike Brenner was. called into hurry the timber work, the old being found In an extremely critical condition. This was found completely closed. Thin, after breaking tlirongli a four foot ledge of rock, verified the prediction to an Inch, the distance from the entrance of the heading to Cllllns' head Is six feet vertically.

The location of Collins Is at the elevation originally indicated, and within' a few feet of the position determined by the first survey. The old cavern was found In an extremely dangerous condition. Later John Gerald, 'conspicuous in the original rescue work, was called down to iudontify the articles found and thus definitely, determined Collins 1 position, this check being necessary on account of the inadvlsability of entering until the timbering work was done. "The articles and their position were positively identified, Meanwhile Albert Marshall showed some splendid courage, so manifest throughout the shaft work from surface to foundation, without of personal danger, IJe propped loose and dangerous boulders and lot himself down Into the pit feet foremost, the opening being too small on account of his large stature for him to go head He touched wiht feet what he thought 'to bo a blanket wrapped, around Collins' body. "immediately after, his game little partner, Mike Brener, of Cincinnati, by reason of his small stature and iron nerve, went down headforemost, (Turn to 'Page Thirteen) HUGE IWITH BERTH ENDED SUDDENLY IN RESCUEJEFEftT Floyd Collins Dead More Than Twenty-Four Hours When Body Was Found.

FIGHT AGAINST NATURE A MOST DISHEARTENING ONE Heart Breaking' Disappoint ments Repeatedly Encountered in One Hazard After An- Hours Required to Release Body. Cave City, Feb. 1C. Collins is dead. The long race with death ended suddenly at 2:45 o'clock this afternoon, in defeat for rescue workers who have been striving for more than two weeks in an effort to rescue the entombed cave explorer.

Physicians after a thorough examination announced that Collins had been dead more than 'twenty-font 1 hours. Collins was trapped by a foiling boulder in Sand Cave at 10 o'clock Friday morning. January 30. His plight was discovered twenty-four hours- later, and there then began a great light against nature to rescue him. Heart breaking disappointment the workers encountered repeatedly us nature dumped one hazard after another into their paths.

At last, however, man's pcvaerv- ance won. aiid the limestone roof oE Sand Cave collapsed under the weight to tho natural Collins was trapped and a which closed the natural some ten days ago. But their Indomitable struggle to- sink a shaft to save him was in vain. It will take nwny (o his 'body from the of a rock vise, but the race is lost. Physicians' ''were unable to reach his body, but Mike Brenner of Cinc.innnti, applied their medical tests found, the.

rescurerf came least twenty-four hours too late. There, his' eyes sunken, Collins lay, Brqnucr plunged head first Into the narrow crevice, made Hie hasty examination and BO reported to the physicians who announced the ad been lost, The 'nian they had worked BO and so long to save had paid with his ifo' for search for the earth's underground treasures. 'After twenty-odd years' of eon-- structlon work 1 never seen a group of unorganized men do work BO well and quickly," said Mr. Car- nicliael. volunteer laborers, ranging from small boys to old' 1 have each given every ounce of his strength to his added.

"Outy, ot the hundreds that volunteered and'' worked for nie they wpre ninety-nluo per cent uuro gold, "The shaft work was "Started a week ago last Thursday, nt o'clock in the afternoon and only" five ounces of dynamite was need in driving the shaft depth of sixty feet. It was all done by pick and shovel." i Late today miners continued to. timber up the laeral and enlarge the passageway to Collins, so that his body could bo removed. Officials said it might take thlrty-sJs hours, the work would lack thd fiery energy which has driven the rescue crew constantly for eleven (lays. 10 K1H1KG Huntlngton, Feb.

1(1, in the Ohio river here will reach 'Its crest tomorrow at fortyo-no feet, unless heavy ruins augment the present Plow of 'Us, tributaries, Major. Trippe, United States divisional engineer, said tonight. TUP river at bad reached- a stage of 98.8 feet, and was rising at a. rule of a foot an hour. ot NOMINATION OF FRANK B.

KELLOGG AS SECRETARY OF STATE CONFIRMED Washington, Feb. The noinlna-. tton of Fr.ank B. Kellogg, ol Minnesota, to pharjes $, as' secretary ot state, was confirmed today by the senate. Action was taken unexpectedly without consideration of the by toe foreign relBtlope ee; Chairman Jtorah had expected to up Mr- in again, since -Mr, JCellogg'e appoint- other cabinet ment was a personal one- to the presi- William Jardlne, of iSsusas? the, senate went Into eession, Pbalrmau Borah, Immediately changing hie original iuUntiou, obtained unanimous consent for the consideration of Mv.

nomination without Its reference to comioltfee. Senator Swftueon, Virginia, the rttiiking; Democrat on the relations committee, roluortty would offer HO opposition to conttvnjatlou a said, and senate succeed Howard M. Uore, to, ginid, secretary of agriculture, aud Charles B. qf to, to attorney general. "f'" 1 The nomination of Mr.

wajg' sent to the senate Saturday, wlUi the name of Mr, KeJloaK, baa been referred to the gatd there would be Warren's, iir rty.wttl longer.