There was a famous (at the time, at least) cave rescue in Howards
Waterfall Cave, near Trenton in northwestern George back in 1966. A
party of Explorer Scouts set off an explosion of gasoline vapors that
had seeped into the cave from a leaking storage tank in a gas station.
Total of three fatalities; I believe at least one of them was a would-
be rescuer before the carbon-monoxide problem was recognized. The
rescue and recovery was difficult because the duration of the fire-
department's "air packs" was insufficient, although most of the air
packs in the Chattanooga area were eventually used. Scuba wasn't
nearly as common back then, and getting full scuba tanks was slow. I
think natural ventilation of the cave was mainly instrumental in
finally allowing the rescue of some trapped Scouts. Accidents
involving bad air often tend to have additional fatalities among
people who attempt a rescue without realizing the source of the
problem or the risks to themselves. This seems to be unfortunatly
frequent in various industrial situations, like cleaning storage tanks.
Most detailed description of that accident I've seen is in caver Don
Black's book "I Don't Play Golf: Recollections of a Rescue Voluneer,"
published, I suspect as an author-subsidized book, in 1993. -- Bill
Mixon
---------------------------------------------
He who renders warfare fatal to all engaged in it will be the greatest
benefactor the world has yet known. - Sir Richard Burton
----------------------------------------------
You may "reply" to the address this message
came from, but for long-term use, save:
Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu
AMCS: edi...@amcs-pubs.org or sa...@amcs-pubs.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Visit our website: http://texascavers.com
To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com
For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
