Evening star., 1925-02-18
TELLS OF RESCUE WORK.
Shaft Crew Leader Describes Eff
forts Made to Save Collins.
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press.
CAVE CITY, KY, February 1S.-
The leader of the Floyd Collins res
cue shaft crew, H. T. Carmichael, gave
the coroner's jury here last night the
official picture Of the two-week effort,
as follows: tH
IT have been active in the rescue
work at Sand Cave since two weeks
this last Tuesday.
1t was Monday night before I
knew Collins was entombed. l Sc
lected Thomas Smith and sent him
with 10 men to Mammoth Cave.
They had been instructed to do
whatever they could and to advise
me as early as possible of the con-
ditions. They reported about $50
next morning that the situation was
less confusion.
Il asked what they needed in the
rescue work. They said that 1. my
self, was needed. 1 arrived at Sand
Cave at II o'clock Tuesday.
Informed of Cave Conditions.
"I got my first real information
from Casey Jones as to conditions In
the cave. That information was that
there was no special difficulty In
reaching Collins, but that he was in
a horribly tough squeeze, and that
the hole was a small one and par
ticularly tight.
Casey told me he had reached Col
Inns, and fed him. Collins told Casey
his feet were caught in a crevice
under rock he guessed to weigh
about 40 or SO pounds.
Il understood that Collins said he
loosened the rocks. Jones and all OF
the men had expressed some hope Of
getting him out. By Tuesday night
We were somewhat discouraged.
Everything went very we'll until
Wedn esday, during the early hours,
February 4. 1 decided Johnny Gerald
was the real man to get Collins out.
Thursday morning early I asked
Gerald to pick a party to go in.
He told me no sane man would at
tempt to go through the place after
he came out that time.
Men did things that all the money
In the world would not buy.
"wednesday morning, February 4. a
party came out and said that condi-
tions on this side of Collins were
very critical. that there was a 10 or
IL foot space with rotten roof clos
ing every minute. This party went in
and gave Collins nourishment
Fail in Effort to Reach Him.
ITO the best of my knowledge they
were not reaching Collins early Thurs
day morning. The work of timbering
the tunnel was begun, and we found
that 1T was impossible, as the forma- =
tion was treacherous and dangerous.
Mr.. Anderson, Mr.. Ford and Lieut..
Wells made -uryey for a shaft.
was certain that we would locate
Collins at a 65-foot level, and we
located a shaft so as to miss him
about 10 feet.
I'VE started the shaft Thursday a
week ago at about $50 o'clock In
the afternoon.
II feel that the shaft was the
neatest of any other little job 1 ever
saw. I don't believe another set of
men in the United States could have
done any quicker work. AS we went
deeper, what seemed to be slim
was more frequent.
when the shaft reached about As
feet we hit bunch of muck and
loose boulders. At SO feet loose ma
terial was falling out so fast that
pulling in two.
I'VE decided to leave the shaft and
drift from the tunnel side of the
shaft to q crevice.
Every man working was given to
understand that we thought Floyd
Collins was alive. After driving this
heading about 10. feet we went on
through the shell, and at IL or Is
feet, when we broke through the
limestone ledge, we came point
blank into the original cavern. This
was just below the slide 6 or feet
above Collins.
ITO take the man from his present
position would probably result in
the death of one or more of the res
cue party. We were determined to
either bring Floyd Collins out of
there or to prove to the world that
Floyd Collins was in there and tnat
ii WA. not a hoax. I feel that we
have definitely established that fact!