Evening star., 1925-02-10
C0LL|NSST|LlLNES
RESPIRATION TESTS
DECLARED TO SHOW
Experimenters Record ID or
IS Breaths a Minute
Over Wire to Cave.
SHAFT is NOW 38 FEET
DOWN TOWARD VICTIM
Witness at Military Inquiry Gives
Direct Proof Story of En-
tombment Is True.
BY the Associated Press.

tombment Is True.
BY the Associated Press.
CAVE CITY KY, February 10
Another amplifier test today CON
vinced experimenters that Floyd Col
Inns still breathed in his Sand Cave
prison. Respiration is about IA or Is
times a minute, it was indicated.
The military court OF inquiry in
vestigating circumstances surround
ing the Imprisonment and rescue work
Of Floyd Collins in Sand Cave ad-
journed shortly after noon until )
pm. after hearing two witnesses.
More testimony was in prospect when
the session was to be resumed.
William b. Miller, reporter for the
Courier-Journal at Louisville, and b.
G. Fishback, a farmer, were heard
during the two-hour morning session.
Hoax Rumor Is Refuted.
Their testimony was to the effect
that rumors speculating on whether
Collins still was in the cave were
false and that threats of danger to
the reporter in his cave rescue ef-
forts were delivered by friends, not
enemies, seeking to warn him OF the
hazardous undertaking in which he
was engaged
depth estimated at more than 3S
feet had been reached in the shaft at
Sand Cave at 1915 am. today. Rescu-
ers continued their efforts to reach the
cave prisoner but spectators had
largely moved 10 Cave City. where the
preliminary sessions of the military
court of inquiry were being conducted.
h<,,
O'Clock on the morning of February
81 said Miller, in opening his story.
Il went directly 10 the hotel and made
inquiry as to whether the man had
been gotten out of the cave or not.
II then proceeded to the cave,
where I found six or eight men
standing around the outside, and two
boys were also there. There were
altogether about Is men in and
around the cave. met Homer and
Marshall Collins, brothers of the en-
tombed man, Floyd Collins. They
came up out OF the cave entrance
and Homer said he had fed his
brother
"On the way out to the cave 1 met
Columbus Doyel brother of B. Doyel
who owns the property on which the
cave entrance is located.
L went down in the hole with
Columbus Doyel, who directed the
age where 1t was too hard for him
to get through. and / proceeded far
ther by worming my way down on
my stomach.
Went Down Head First.
Il vert down through the passage
head first Until, without realizing it,
I was right on top OF Floyd. I had
begun calling when about 10 feet
from him and receiving only a grunt
for an answer.
Before / realized it ! had slipped
down the chute. All 1 could see was
Floyd's head covered with an oil
cloth. which was wet"
At this point Miller was asked
whether at this time he had received
any information from persons who
had already been in to Collins. He
said he had been told that Collins
had been fed Saturday evening and
also that John Jerald had been dig
ging around the prisoner.
"Oh you and the stone are hurting
me-" were the first words Miller heard
from Collins, Miller said. This came when
he slipped down the chute onto the
prisoner. He lifted the cover from
Collins face and Collins asked him
to put it back to protect him from
the fall of dripping water.
Asked About Details.
! At this point Miller was asked tc
describe in detail conditions at the
noint where Collins was found
There are" said Miller, mo pool.
of water, but a constant seepage.
was unable to see his feet, ! coulG
see as far down as his chest, bu'
could not tell how much of his body
was covered below that point.
"A large stone arches over hi:
breast with only about two inches
clearance. I just got my hand under
| the stone and over his chest. / car
| ried a flashlight, but, was unable tt
see beneath this stone. Floyd saiC
he was cold. 1 believe it is colder
| inside the cave than outside. In ad
dition the seeping water vets an!
one who goes in. causing them to fee
| cold.
"On this, my first trip, / remained
near Collins about half an hour.
/ believed the case to be hopeless from
| what | saw and returned to the sur
! face.
Made Second Trip.
| MY next trip was made about $50
o'clock that afternoon. Homer Col
| Inns, "a brother of Floyd, went in first
was second and Lieut.. Robert Bur-
don. Louisville Fire Department, wa.
| third There were others back OF
Continued on Pag. 2, Column p