next--Catawba pg239
articles index
|Names.
|Photos index
|Cave index
|Places and Grottos.
VAR home page
|
previous--Care-Net and Hellhole pg237
next--Catawba pg239
articles index
|Names.
|Photos index
|Cave index
|Places and Grottos.
VAR home page
|
. . .BIRTH OF THE
Brainbucket Award
Ed Day, 1960's VPI Grotto member, currently of PSC. Photo by D. C. Parrott. |
The following is a true-life adventure written by Ed Day for the POTOMAC CAVER. Only excerpts have been included in order to reduce eye fatigue:
"A group of thirteen cavers decided to start off VPI's fall quarter with a bang by going to Warm River Caveon September 21, 1963. Arriving at the cave late in the afternoon, we rigged our one rope double in the 30-foot entrance pit. Since this drop is considered climbable without a handline, we then pulled the rope down and used it to assist us on another short drop just inside the cave."
Ed continues to discuss the exploration inside the cave, and notes that for the climb out of the cave that the rope was still rigged-in for the inner drop. Ed ascended near the middle of the group and waited to unrig and coil the rope after everyone was on the surface.
"In the meantime the rest of the party had climbed out of the entrance pit without a line, correct, I would say, in their judgment that it was not necessary. I started up last with the coiled rope on one shoulder and my pack on the other.
"I had climbed to about ten feet off the floor when I lost my footing, toppled over, and fell headfirst to the floor. My helmet (I had no chin strap) came off in mid-flight and the side of my head struck a rock on the floor. At this point I blacked out.
"Apparently I rolled, unconscious down the sloping floor and came to rest. The one person at the top of the drop summoned the others. Then he climbed back down into the pit. I am told that I regained consciousness about a minute after the fall, but my memory does not go back to this point for, at my earliest recollection, the entire party was back at the pit. They had rigged a belay on me and were preparing me to climb out. At this point, I did not know where I was or how I had gotten there, and I did not know the people who were with me. I was also in a state of pain and was bleeding from a cut over my right ear. It was in this state that I climbed out of the pit. During the following half hour my memory returned, and I actually drove the 'yellow bomb' part of the way back to school.
|
INTENT UPON
REMAINING VIRGIN
On July 26, 1967, blasting with dynamite at the Valley Stone Quarrynear Staunton broke into a cave passage that was previously unknown. On Saturday, July 29, three days later, a group of four quarry employees entered the cave, shortly after 7:30 PM. They were Charles Vaught, John Miller, David Price and Johnny Branner.
The four men, carrying ropes and flashlights, had gone about 70 feet into the cave when they noticed the air becoming "foul." They began breathing faster and decided to leave. Branner and Price made it back to the entrance but Vaught and Miller were overcome by fumes. Rescue operations were initiated.
One member of the Staunton Rescue Squad, Melville Fitzgerald who reached the scene quickly, attempted to enter the cave. He reached the room where the victims were lying and reported that one was still breathing, but was himself nearly overcome, escaping very narrowly.
The cave was ventilated artificially and, at about 10:00 PM, the bodies of Vaught and Miller were removed. --AMERICAN CAVING ACCIDENTS, 1967-1970.
"Two weeks later I was duly honored for my heroic exploit by being presented with the 1st Annual VPI Brainbucket AWARD for 'using my head in caving'. The award consists of a genuine US Army tank helmet complete with earflaps. It is painted red and blue and inscribed with my name in black enamel. It will remain the property of the club, and will be presented each year to a deserving person. The presentation was accompanied by a ballad in my honor, written by the legendary VPI folk singer Ted Penn, and sung by the immortal George Fairer. Gentlemen, I am overwhelmed!"--Edward Day, THE POTOMAC CAVER, Vol. 7, no. 3, March 1964.
During the summer of 1971, a mile and a half into the labyrinths of Organ Cave, two young friends of John Canfield (16) lowered him by parachute cord about 15 feet to the floor of a chamber. The friends were unable to hoist him up and so Canfield climbed from a stream bed at the bottom of the chamber onto a bank. That was about 9:00 AM Friday, and for the next twelve hours Canfield had little to do except reflect on why people should not explore caves without proper equipment. Rescuers entered the cave at 5:30 PM Friday, after Canfield's companions got word to the authorities that their friend was stranded. They pulled him out through a waterfall in the stream and emerged from the cave at 11:15 PM. --AMERICAN CAVING ACCIDENTS, 1971
|
previous--Care-Net and Hellhole pg237
next--Catawba pg239
articles index
|Names.
|Photos index
|Cave index
|Places and Grottos.
VAR home page
|