Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-02-10
Gerald Tells His
Story Of Situation
Where Collins Is

oVVA VI A|$VsASSSAV@s
| Where Collins Is
Louisville, KY. Feb. (By A. P)-
Johnny Gerald-one Of the most act
i've OF the Collins neighbors In the
early efforts to rescue Floyd Collins
and the latter's chum, came to Louis
willie today to give his story and re-
flute lies that nave been told about
mo either directly or in yelled
terms"
| Gerald returned to Cave City to-
night to attend the military inquiry
! there tomorrow.
II am not cave explorer or guide,
Gerald says in his statement. copy
righted by the Courier Journal. IL
was never in Mammoth Cave except
as a boy many years ago. ! am a
| tobacco buyer.
MY story Of my work for Floyd
| Collins Is below.
"On Saturday, Jan. 81, went to
Cave City from Horse Cave and on
my way passed Mr.. Woodford, q
neighbor. He asked me If had
heard about Floyd Collins being in
! the cave.
When I got to Cave City learn
| ed that they thought they would
have him out by Saturday night so
! thought nothing more about it..
| On Sunday l went to Cave City again
to find out about Collins.
! Il found that they had not got
| him out, and said would 60 to the
cave, taking Earl Amos. Jimmy
6u LIKE and Paul Burnett in my car.
When we got to the cave I went
down into it to find out what the
situation was. They told me there
| wasn't any possible chance Of get-
| ting 10 him. They told me Burnett
could go In and feed him. but he
would not 80 in.
>, Monday morning went over to
Horse Cave to get an air drill as
they told me would have to drill
my way into this rock. Also bought
! eOO feet OF hose In order to make the
connections reach down to Collins.
l hired q man. to take his gasoline
! engine and drilling equipment over
| ana when we reached Cave CITY
Lieutenant Burden OF the Louisvi,Is
ire department was there. When
| we reached Sand Cave they would
Eoi let US go In: Lee Collins, Floyd's
| iatner. said he wanted to give Lien
tenant Burdon a chance to work.
| stayed there all day waiting to give
assistance II necessary. l notice Mr..
| hurdon said l was In charge down
| there, but l was not.
stayed there till some time
Monday night and Mr.. Burden and
.ne others tried to pull Floyd out
WIN a rope and harness. Floyd
nSaru me and hollered back that
| Ihats Johnny Gerald; he's nv
Trend III. Let him down there: he'll
u went down about six feet from
Floyd. ga close as 1 could get to him
RE told me what to do, We moved
| some loose rock and passed IL ont
| ana worked where could wrap
Floyd In quilt.
J went back out OF the cave for
ABOUT an hour and begged for a
small man to 80 In with me and
mana me two rocks so l could cleor
the passage. They were right above
Floyd. ] told him he wouldn't have
to stay Ave minutes.
Two ladies from Afunfordville.
small women. wanted to 70 down
but ! wouldn't let them, thinking it
did not look right with q bunch of
| men hanging around.
i went back down with Mr.. Wells
ana my party and nearly stood on
my mead 70 pull those rocks out. Mr..
Wells held my feet.
| l
doHn to Floyd with a bottle of milk
| and fed it to him. Then I went to
| work moving loose rock and sand
| from against his back. l asked FLOYD
all about how he got in and he told
me he went in the same way we
came down. ! asked him IL he was
going IN or coming out when he got
| caught and he said he was coming
out. he said he was crawling around
on the edge of = pit and just as ne
turned off from the pit, he kicked a
small rock that was in the way of
his foot. That was when the other
rock fell and caught him. He said
ne thought this other rock would
weigh 30 or 60 pounds, but other
stun coming down on top Of the
rock was holding 1t. He went to
sleep after wrapped him UP with a
quilt and washed his face.
After resting an hour or two on
top l went back into the cave again
with my party. ! told Floyd /
might not get back down until We'd
nesday. That was about or 6
o'clock Tuesday morning.
THAT don't make any difference,
Floyd said. I can live here two
| weeks If you'll just feed me-
Oscar Logsdown told me he did
not think there was any chance to
get to Floyd because Of the break
| down.
! 80 Everett Maddox and I went
down to see what had happened.
| When l got around the corkscrew !
I saw the breakdown about fourteen
feet above Floyd. He heard me talk
ing and hollered is that you,
johnny
II answered him. and he asked me
| to get him something TO eat, and you
and Oscar Logsdown come down and
take me out and take me to Cave
| City
| "Floyd thought we would come
down and get him out. saying his
| feet were loose. He asked why l
didn't come down right now and !
told him some stuff had dropped
down and we would have to work it
out and he began crying. l backed
out and left him crying"
| THE breakdown was about four
bushels OF dirt and muck and rock
and about four feet long, and / told
him l thought l could get to him in
an hour.
Il organized party and went to
the breakdown.
Il put il one timber to keep rock
| from falling in on me and worked for
about an hour getting the stuff out
leaving a small part of 1t for some
one else to finish.
II came out and Mr.. Carmichael
got me a party of five men to &c
down and finish cleaning out the
breakdown.
'They came out later and reported
that they had cleaned 1t up so we
could go down to Floyd.
1--WE went back down and ! found
that stuff had dropped down again, a
little worse than before.
| 81 ..nn1nred down the hrea kdoWn a