Evening star., 1953-02-07
Two Men, Lost Since Wednesday in Gave,
Rescued Alive From Ledge in West Virginia
Doto Supplied by
The Stur Prompts
Intensive Search

1WO washington men lOSG In
West Virginia mountain cave
since Wednesday were brought
out alive today within an hour
after an intensive search of the
cave got under way.
West Virginia State police Of
f1cially gave The Star credit for
instituting the life-saving search.
Scores of volunteers, includ-
ing cave-exploring experts from
Washington, were en- route to the
scene near Franklin, w. Va,
when the men were found.
The rescued men were Harry
C. Breeden, jr.. 20, of 2215 Hall
place NV. an employe of an
electronics shop, and Kenneth
Sterner, 10, of 1886 w place
NV. a Potomac Electric Power
Co. employe.
Located on Ledge.
The men were located on a
ledge about 400 yards inside
Trout Cave. This is one of three
caves about 100 yards up the
mountainside off Route 22O, 5
miles south of Franklin in Pen
dleton County. Franklin is just
across the West Virginia State
line. about A miles northeast of
Harrisonburg, Va, and 100 miles
from Washington.
Trooper William G. Cunning
ham of the Franklin detachment
of the State police said the men
told him they entered the cave
at 2 pm. Wednesday.
They were far into the cave
when their f1ashlight burned out
and they remained in total dark
ness until their rescue at IL am.
today.
Trooper Cunningham said they
told him they worked their way
back through the darkness until
they reached he ledge and
crawled out On it as far as they
could go. The ledge was near
the roof Of the cave.
"They had just about given
up" he went on. "They would
never have made it by them
selves from where they were"
Very Cold and Hungry.
The men, he said, were very
cold. very hungry, dirty and
bearded. They had to be helped
out because of weakness. They
were taken to State police quar-
ters in Franklin.
They attracted the attention
OF the searchers by shouting
when they heard calls directed
to them.
Ironically, there were shouts
from them late last Thursday
but at that time they were so
far back in the cave they didn' t
hear the calls.
"We wouldn't have gone in
today if it hadn't been for The
STAR" Trooper Cunningham
volunteered. "You Strengthened
us out when you told US the
men really were missing"
Fears that q man might be
lost were aroused when Mr.. Bree-
den's car was found locked and
abandoned on Thursday at a
space where cave explorers usu-
ally park. Mr.. Breeden is known
to be an enthusiast of cave ex-
ploring.
Police did not know until to-
day that a second man might be
in the cave. The Star, in ques-
tioning Mr.. Breeden's family,
learned Mr. Sterner was also
making the trip and notified the
police.
Group From d. C. Leaves.
A group of cave explorers from
Washington, led by William j.
Stephenson, past president of the
National Sociological Society,
left Washington during the
morning to assist in the search.
Some of them had been exploring
the same caves only last Sunday.
Virginia State police were try
ing to intercept them to report
the search was over.
Mr.. Stephenson alerted fellow
speleologiStS In WayneSboro,
Va; Elkins, w. Va. and
Charles Town, w. Va. He esti-
mated more than Is experts
planned to join the search.
| Franklin's Volunteer Fire De-
partment, armed with colored
twine to prevent getting lost,
moved into the three caves.
State police carrying torches led
the searchers.
It was decided to go into the
three caves simultaneously be-
cause no one knew which cave
might be the right one. The car
was parked below a pathway
leading to all three caves.
One of the caves was described
as big as a city" with a criss-
cross of subterranean paths-not
all of which have been explored.
(See CAVE, Page A-2.)