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NEWBERRY'S 180 PIT
 160 THE HARD WAY
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Ellen Witherite, a 21 year old visitor from Maryland, was exploring Newberry's Cavewith George Fairer and Pete Stoller. The date was May 21, 1964. The party had descended the 60-foot entrance drop, followed by the Straddle Pit, descended the 12-foot drop and rigged the 180- foot main drop. George rappelled down first. Ellen began the descent, but jammed her chest safety about 20 feet down. In the process of unjamming the knot, she slipped out of rappel and began to fall. In panic, she gripped the loosened safety knot, preventing it from stopping her fall.
After falling over 100 feet, Ellen hit a ledge with her head, shattering her hard hat. The impact, occurring some 20 feet above the floor, loosened her grip on the safety knot. The knot caught her, but with the stretch of 180 feet of nylon rope, she hit bottom anyway. George immediately rushed to the stunned girl and cut her loose, then yelled to Pete at the top to leave the cave and get help.
Pete reached the nearby Banes' home and contacted the Wytheville Rescue Squad and Sally Carlson, secretary of the Cave Club. Sally began phoning other cavers, and a rescue squad of VPI cavers arrived at the cave at 10:30 PM. Pete led two of them to the drop, and Tom Bell rappelled down to determine the extent of the girl's injuries.
Ellen had a broken leg, a broken ankle, a gash on her head from striking the ledge, and numerous cuts and bruises. She was also suffering from shock. The broken leg was splinted, and drugs administered to ease the pain and the sickness caused by shock. Ellen was then strapped to a stretcher.
A block and tackle had been rigged at the top of the 180-foot drop. John Eads rappelled down, then prusiked alongside the stretcher as it was pulled up. After assisting the stretcher over Eads returned to the surface, completely exhausted. Reporters and spectators had been waiting nearly six hours for word from below, so John was asked a lot of questions.
Unlike some other incidents, the crowd did not interfere at all with rescue operations. In fact, the Wytheville Rescue Squad provided essential equipment, left the underground phase to experienced cavers, and were extremely helpful and friendly. They even provided coffee and sandwiches.
The Straddle Pit had been crossed by forming a human bridge. The cavers braced backs and feet against opposite walls and passed the stretcher across. More difficulties occurred in the narrow, winding, sometimes low passage leading to the entrance drop. Four people were needed to carry the load over the rough floor, but only two people at a time could reach the stretcher. The pace quickened when Tom met them, and mentioned the food waiting for them.
The Rescue Squad ambulance had been driven right up to the entrance. A winch was lowered down the 60-foot drop, and after a brief rest, the cavers attached the injured girl to the end of the cable by means of a sling-seat, because the narrow fissure and small opening to the surface would not permit a stretcher. They then positioned themselves along the drop to keep Ellen from hitting the walls during her ascent. She emerged from the cave at 9:30 AM Sunday.
Dr. James Kegly, who until this time had had to diagnose and treat Ellen by proxy, treated her as soon as she emerged. She was then rushed to the Radford Community Hospital.
The rescuers, who also included Jay Murray, Rick Nolting, R.E. Whittemore, Bob Robins, Joyce Slaughter, reached the cave only three hours after the accident. The rescue operations lasted twelve hours. --THE TECH TROGLODYTE, Fall 1964.
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