The other man is 200 feet off the floor when the rope, which has evidently been rubbing against the rock at the lip, breaks. Discovering the broken rope, his companion hurriedly ties two other ropes together and returns to the bottom of the pit, where the victim lies face down in a pool of water, dead. Our team arrives at the base of Crow mountain after being slowed by an embarrassing breakdown of the rescue truck on the interstate. Jackson County Rescue, after verifying that this is indeed a body recovery, has put all activities on hold until our arrival. We get into wetsuits and sort out our gear.
Medical kits are conspicuously absent.
Even without the medical packs, there is a small mountain of ropes and gear to be moved up the mountain and to the top of the pit. The county coroner accompanies us into the cave and even helps with the equipment. From a distance, it looks like a typical small diameter rope, enough like legitimate caving rope, apparently, to make the Illinois cavers assume it was safe. Dennis goes first with a radio. I'm next, carrying a body bag.