>From an article posted on the web today:
"From what we understand, he went in with one flashlight, and there is no natural light," he said. Muskogee Emergency Management Director Jimmy Moore said the cave has a small opening but is massive, with several bodies of water. Chennault said the cave encompasses about 160 acres and the lake about 50 acres. Rolands' vehicle was parked near a padlocked gate leading to the cave on private property. The cave was once boarded up, but people had broken into it over the years, Moore said. Family members told authorities that Rolands liked to explore caves. Chennault said the cave is really an abandoned rock quarry within a mountain. The rock was stripped out years ago and used to build the dam. Rolands' wallet and personal belongings were found in his truck. His clothes and keys were found in the cave, Moore said. Below are my comments: Without knowing more about the accident, you can only make assumptions as to what happened to him. It seems apparent that he did not tell anybody he was going in the cave, or for how long he would be gone. He didn't have a headlamp and probably didn't have a helmet, but that probably did not have an effect on his predicament, unless he fell and hit his head before falling in the water. He apparently only had once source of light, which most likely led to his problems. I bet he ran out of light and wandered around in circles for a while till he became exhausted and then fell in he water and panicked and was too tired to climb out of the water. Had he had a really good flashlight, then maybe he would have been o.k. if he were not wandering too far past the twilight zone. He might have had a good flashlight, but if so, he probably didn't have extra batteries. In this case, had he chosen to stay put and wait for help, he would have survived, presuming the air quality in the mine was safe. The water was probably cold, so once he fell in ( in total darkness ) he was in a real mess, especially if he was waited down with boots, and cotton clothes, etc. The mine probably once had a large entrance somewhere once that had been filled in or collapsed. Unfortunately, the general public will think caving is crazy, and they will consider this a caving accident. Anti-spelunkers will call it a spelunking accident. I do not consider this a spelunking accident. The victim may have liked caves, but he over-estimated his ability to use common sense or good judgement. He was over-confident that he could safely enter this mine. A cheap $ 4 back-up light from a dollar store, would have probably saved his life. David Locklear caver in Fort Bend County --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
