Evening star., 1925-02-17
CAVE TO Be TOMB
Of COLLINS;
AT SHAFT TODAY
Engineers Get Family's Con-
sent, as Removal of Body
Imperi|s Rescuers.
WAS DEAD THREE TO FIVE
DAYS, SAYS PHYSICIAN
Friends Go Down in Passage and
Satisfy Themselves of Identity
of Victim.
By the Associated Press.

CAVE CITY, KY, February IL
The body of Floyd Collins will be
left In his natural tomb and his
funeral services will be held this
afternoon at the mouth Of the shaft
which was dug to rescue him, but in
vain. His aged father. Lee Collins.
consented to the arrangement after
DR.. William Hazlett of Chicago had
himself examined Collins and pro-
nounced him dead.
Seven friends of Collins crawled
down the tunnel to identify him as
members of coroner's jury. includ-
ing Magistrate Clay Turner, tho
acting coroner.
"Everything has been done that
could have been done. and mans in
Eenutty and modern machinery have
failed" said Mr.. Collins. NO more
lives should be sacrificed In further
attempts to remove his body"
Dead Three to Five Days.
DIR. Hazlett came up the shaft at
12:20 o'clock p.m., anu said he had
identified Collins through a gold front
tooth. He announced that Collins had
been dead between three and Ave DAYS
when he was reached yesterday after
noon. Magistrate Turner said he had
seen and recognized Collins. and felt
seemed to them no way of removing
the body without grave risk.
Brig. Gen. H. H. Denhardt, in su-
preme command of the rescue work
and head of the States military In
quiry. said he was awaiting the ar
rival of Commonwealth's Attorney J.
Lewis Williams to take up the
matter of formal coroner's inquest.
The others who went down with
Magistrate Turner and DIR. Hazlett
also announced they recognized Col
Inns, that he was dead, and that there
seemed to them no way of removinb
his body.
Meanwhile the work of dismantlinR
the rescue camp was proceeding
rapidly, the machinery being removed
/ and preparations for packing the
tents and bedding started.
Some Timbers Slipping.
Mr.. Carmichael in emphasizing his
verbal recomme endation of burial in
the present position, said he sug-
gests this mode be followed due to
the hazardous condition of the tim
bers in the shaft. Some of the crib
bing had slipped as much as s feet
in the bottom of the shaft during the
hight, he said, making the position
Ok the shaft workers more dangerous
evtery minute they remained there.
4Iee Collins, aged father of the
>paAer men this morning that he did
not \ favor severing part Of his boys 8
body for Identification purposes and
that Nhe would rather have the body
remain in its present position than
to ask workmen to further undergo
the risk of their lives.
Amputation Impractical.
The proposed amputation of Col
Inns left foot. which is pinned by a
large rock into a crevice which form
ed natural wise, was found imprac-
tical, as the surgeons were unable to
reach his foot. An early morning
attempt failed to drag the body from
the barrel-like hole, so amputation
could be possible. 1t was found i'm
possible to reach farther than the
torso.
Lee Collins. father of the cave ex-
plorer. had given permission for am
putation of the feet.
Albert Marshall, Danville, KY. who.
with Ed Brenner of Cincinnati, was
the first to reach Collins Monday
afternoon. described the natural cave
tunnel as absolutely dangerous.
Marshall and Brenner, who placed all
of the timbering in the rescue shaft
and lateral tunnel. had repeatedly
gone into perilous places unhesitat-
ingly.
1T Is risk Of life to venture into
the cave from the lateral tunnel to
Collins" said Marshall. Loose rocks
in the roof threaten to fall at any
moment and will do so If disturbed"
skylight framework had been put
into the hole where the workers Mon
day afternoon broke through the
rnnf 10
bottom of the 55-foot shaft
Would Stop Exploration.
Carmichael had advised dynamitine
the hole to avert a similar tragedy.
He contended that the place was so
dangerous that 1t should be destroyed
to prevent other adventures from
suffering similar fate Of death
through exhaustion. starvation and
thirst after being caught under
ground.
Citizens of Cave City today pledged
$1,000 to further the work of recov-
ering the body. with the stipulation
that, If the rescue work was un-
successful. the sum would go toward
memorial to be erected in memory
of Collins.
Revealed yesterday afternoon, the
body of Collins had been imprisoned
more tnan IL days.
Cave-in Helps Rescuers.
without warning, the roof caved in
!. yesterday afternoon and it was an
nounced officially that Collins had
been found, apparently dead" =
A short time later, after Ed Bren-
ner Of Cincinnati had gone. head first,
into the hazardous pit and. under
physicians directions. made a super
ficial examination of the trapped man,
DR.. William Hazlett of Chicago and
Capt. c. f. Francis. medical officer Of
the Kentucky National Guard. ex-
pressed the opinion that he had been
dead "a hours.
Saddened by the realization that
their long struggle with nature had
failed in so far as rescuing Collins
alive. the sappers continued to toll.
timbering and excavating in the S
feet beyond where their lateral struck
the original avenue.
The body was almost covered with
dirt and rock which must be removed
before a medical examination can be
made. .
Revs. Albert Hale. Baptist, of Cave
tContinued on Page 4. Column 1.)