Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1925-02-21

The place of Collins entrapment
was mlscalled a cave. II actually was
just deep, corkscrew- shaped sink
hole, which meanders through
length of $50 feet to a depth from the
surface Of about seventy feet.
According to the stories Collins told
those who first reached him in the
rescue attempt, the channel opened at
its lowest point into pit, or room,
which, he estimated, had depth of
about ninety feet and was about
twenty or thirty feet across.
He had Unanswered a passage
around the rim of this subterranean
pit, he told. and was burrOwing back
into the sink passage. preparatory to
drawing to the surface, when he dis
lodged the boulder that pinioned his
left ankle and made him a prisoner.
Working on Speculation.
The sink hole is on the land of c.
Doyle, farmer, living nine miles
from Cave City. Doyle had arranged
with three other men, including Floyd
Collins, for survey of cavern posi-
bilit1es on the farm.
Floyd was to do the exploring. In
the event that he found any promising
leads, he was TO be rewarded with a
one-fourth interest in the cave. Doyle
and the other two men were to finance
the enterprise.
For three weeks Floyd had bur-
rowed In the sink or drain hole. Most
Of the stretches Of the passage were
so tight that they could be negotiated
only by squirming on the stomach.
Several "squeezes,' as they are called
in these parts were encountered
These sections of the channel are
shaped like the letter S and could
be passed only by body twisting that
would do credit to a contortionIst.
Elsewhere in the drain course the
passage was In the form of vertical
drops, on eight feet deep and of such
nature that II could be Unanswered
only by a head-foremost dive.
Collins believed that If he could
follow the passage to sufficient
depth he would find entrance TO q cave
or system Of caves. But for two weeks
he was able to progress only hun
bred feet Into the tunnel. There
| one of the "squeezes' was so narrow
that not even his natural agility en-
abled him to pass it.
During this period Of his explora-
| lions. Collins roomed at the Doyle
home. He told Mr.. Doyle he would
find wider passage through this
squeeze"
Against the advice of Doyle, who
feared that defamation would col
lapse the walls Of the entire tunnel,
Collins set off charge of dynamite
He found that the explosion had
justified his theory. Crawling back TO
the tightest squeeze" he cleared a
path through the blast debris and was
enabled to burrow deeper
But not until Friday morning. Janu-
airy 80, was Collins able to penetrate
TO the bottom OF the sink hole Fri
day morning. before entering the tun-
mel he mentioned to Mrs Doyle that
| he had dreamed he was trapped I'M
derground and that angels were sit
ting all around me-"
Collins started out that Friday
morning equipped with an electric
flash stick and coil Of rope.
Pinioned by Huge Stone.
He did not know the size Of the
boulder that fell upon his ankle. The
passage in which he was made captive
was at an angle Of IS degrees. His
body fitted snugly into the rock-bound
niche, a ledge Of limestone across his
chest preventing even the raising OF
his hands
All Of Friday afternoon and night
he was pinioned. helpless. and with
his plight unguessed by those above
the ground. Then Saturday Doyle
and several others went 10 the mouth