Tragedy of Sand Cave
Chapter 4:
The First Sabbath

Homer COLLINS was at last persuaded to leave the cave at dawn on Sunday morning. He was worn from exhaustion, his clothing dripped mud and icy water, and he was on the verge of both a nervous and physical collapse. Church bells tolled softly and their mellow notes were wafted on the gentle breezes. The Reverend Columbus DOYLE, pastor of a small flock of Hardshell Baptists, arrived at the meeting-house to find most of the pews empty. Learning from a few faithful in attendance of the disaster that had befallen Floyd COLLINS, whom he had known from childhood, the minister, a man of stout heart and strong physique hurried to the cavern. He found a scene of wild confusion. His ears, abhorring profanity, were shocked by the oaths of well-meaning but less devout men of the hills. There was no organization, all was chaos. Homer COLLINS was in a state of collapse and had offered a reward of $500 to any man succeeding in rescuing Floyd, dead or alive. Shortly before noon, a new figure entered the picture, Larry B HOOPER, an electrician, whose home is in Nashville, Tenn., but who at the time was visiting friends in Cave City. Hooper, or "Tennessee" as he later was affectionately was known by the rescuers, clambered down the shaft landing from the cliffs just as a Barren County farmer emerged from the tunnel and announced that he had been to COLLINS and felt the cold sweat of death on Floyd's forehead, that the explorer's eyes were glazed and that man had already lost the race. HOOPER, though a young man, knows men and realized from the expression on the face of the informer that all was not well. Although he was unfamiliar with the character of the tunnel, "Tennessee" donned a suit of overalls and crawled through the tunnel's bends and twists to the side of the entombed man. He spoke to COLLINS and received a response, he felt his pulse and found it was steady, he gave him a few sips of hot coffee, wrapped the explorer more securely in the grass sacks and rubber coat, and then struggled back to the surface. [Photo of a scene early in the battle - Many came and watched. But few Would Enter the Tunnel]. "Where is that man?" shouted HOOPER, his eyes searching wildly for the farmer who had falsely reported COLLINS' death. The farmer by this time was hastily scaling the path and did not look back as HOOPER shouted, "You are a liar, Floyd COLLINS is alive and we can get him out if there are enough real men willing to help." [Photo of A W NICHOLS, Louisville Herald - First Correspondent to Reach Scene and Talk to Collins]. Hooper was in the cave two hours, and while engaged in giving the lie to the report of death, Magistrate Thomas Clay TURNER of Cave City had impaneled a coroner's jury for the purpose of questioning the farmer and officially declaring COLLINS dead. The jury was assembled but it promptly became a rescue party when HOOPER delivered his challenge. It was inevitable that the menace of moonshine should creep into a disorganized band of rescuers engaged in so hazardous and exhausting a task. Probably the first thought of those, who brought the whiskey to the mouth of the cavern, was that the powerful stimulant might be needed to steel the nerve of the brave men who were trying valiantly and as best they knew to pry the rock from COLLINS' foot. There never was a situation where moonshine had less place, than where only men in full possession of every faculty could be of any use in the tunnel and those whose sensibilities were dulled in the least by artificial stimulation would not only be useless as rescuers but would seriously jeopardize the lives of their companions. So fragrant and open was the drinking on Sunday night that the Reverend Mr. DOYLE, who came prepared to do his best and who tried, went into the tunnel as far as the squeeze, returned home that night fully heart-sick and disgusted. And on through the night, party after party crawled to COLLINS, pounded vigorously at the rocks and gravel, and came back exhausted without effecting material progress in the task that was foredoomed to failure. [photo of Larry HOOPER, "Tennessee" Who Proved First Report of Collins' Death Was a Falsehood.]

Index Prologue Ballad Chap1 Chap2 Chap3 Chap5 Chap6 Chap7 Chap8 Chap9 Chap10 Chap11 Chap12 Chap13 Chap14 Chap15 Epilogue