Tragedy of Sand Cave
Chapter 5:
The World Aroused

Dawn of Monday, February 2 [1925], found every telephone and telegraph wire leading from Cave City to the world singing stirring messages for aid. Sensible men of the community had come to realize that human power would be futile to combat the terrific forces that held COLLINS in their grasp. On the first train reaching Cave City early Monday morning, came A W NICHOLS, stff corresspondent of the Louisville Herald, the first newspaperman to reach the scene. NICHOLS went at once to the cave and succeeded in penetrating the tunnel to about ten or twelve feet from COLLINS. "The world is coming, old man," NICHOLS shouted to the entombed explorer, who was then very weak and was able only to mutter his thanks, the first message Floyd COLLINS sent to an anxious humanity. NICHOLS told COLLINS that Louisville stood ready to offer any assistance, financial, human or mechanical, to effect a rescue, and in a brief interview explained how deeply Kentucky had been stirred by the tragic plight of the daring hill man. NICHOLS was closely followed by William Burke MILLER of the Louisville Courier-Journal, who also penetrated the tunnel that morning getting all the way to COLLINS and interviewing him regarding his plight and as to what methods COLLINS would suggest to free himself. Lieut. Robert A BURDON and Private John BLAKE of the Louisville Fire Department accompanied by th writer arrived at Cave City on the noon train. [the writer refers to HARTLEY, author of this book]. The firemen had volunteered their services and the Lieutenant was in the fissure in less than an hour after reaching Cave City.[Photo of Floyd Collins Surrounded By Curious Specimens Taken From Crystal Cave.] After the powerful air compressor and drill, which was brought from Louisville in a special car donated by the L. & N. Railroad, was hauled to the cave by a team of six horses, the apparatus was mounted on the cliffs and preparations were made to use it but careful investigation of the tunnel showed that the space was too small to use a drill, thus sweeping away the only chance man ever had to rescue Floyd COLLINS by bringing him through the fissure to the surface. Every effort was made to devise a means whereby the drill cold be used but the natural contour of the passage made this impossible. It is curious to note that Lieut. BURDON upon emerging to the surface after his inspection trip, said, "There is only one way to save COLLINS without maiming him and that is to sink a shaft to him." There was more drinking of moonshine on Monday night than any other night during the rescue. It was then that the situation literally slid from under the control of the hard-working but severely handicapped organization. The more level-headed workers of the crowd, who stood astounded while the frolicsome topers reeled dangerously from boulder to boulder, engaged in free fist fights and broadcasted their sentiments to the world in raucous streams of profanity, realized that troops were needed and needed immediately. Governor William Jason FIELDS was notified of the critical situation and ordered engineers of the State Highway Department and other experts to proceed at once to Cave City to aid in the rescue. COLLINS by Monday night was resting very well, having been fed three times during the day and he indicated his gain in strength and spirit by asking for 'A mess of ffried onions", his favorite dish. It was impossible, however, to give him anything except liquid foods such a coffee and milk. The coffee, esepcially, was of great value in keeping him warm. The blankets coveing COLLINS were changed during the day and later in the afternoon a new plan of rescue was suggested by Leiut. BURDON. [Photo of Lt. Robt. BURDON and Private John BLAKE, Detailed from Louisville Fire Department as Volunteer Rescuers.] "I believe there is a chance to free him if we can adjust a harness about his waist and shoulders and pull on a rope attached to it until Floyd's foot is broken and drawn from under the boulder," the firemen explained. The harness, hasstily constucted of stout leather was brought to the cave by Homer COLLINS, who descended into the tunnel with BURDON and MILLER and assisted in adjusting it around his brother's body.

They are now trying to get Floyd out of the cave by a leather harness.

BURDON explained carefully just what they had planned to do and Floyd muttered, "Go ahead and pull, I had rather be dead than down here." When the final test came and MILLER and BURDON began pulling, Floyd uttered a low moan which completely unnerved his brother, who was holding to the end of the rope and who at first pulled with all of his strength. Homer immediately stopped pulling and begged BURDON and MILLER to do likewise. The harness was left in place and the three men returned to the surface to find out-spoken complaint among the workers against BURDON's plan of rescue. Homer COLLINS, however, saw the impossibility of attempting to remove the rock and offered $500 to any surgeon in the world who would be able to amputate Floyd's leg and thus set him free. But this plan also was not feasible because of the utter lack of room to permit a surgeon to perform such an operation. A conference was held between Lieutenant BURDON, Private BLAKE, city and county officials and relatives at which the firemen explained in detail about the hose hoist plan. "It might break his foot or maim him," said Leiut. BURDON, "but it is the only chance of getting him out." "Handle him as you would one of your own," the father pleaded. And the words touched the heart of BURDON, who realized that the aged parent was not in absolute sympathy with his system of extricating COLLINS. [Phote of Militiamen Making Their Beds After Reveille...] Upon returning to the hotel, after pulling on COLLINS' body sufficiently to straighten the torso, Lieutenant BURDON lay awake until the wee hours, turning over the matter in his mind. He concluded to secure two hose hoists from the Louisville fire department, and dispatched a message to Major Alex BACHE, his chief, for this equipment. The hoists were sent immediately. Lieutenant BURDON was confident that, with the leverage of a crowbar, augmenting the power of the hoists, he would be able to drag COLLINS from beneath the rock and was determined to do this, regardless of how much suffering he would cause. The Louisville fireman rode back to the cave Tuesday morning and found his hoists had arrived but that GERALD had already assumed command. Lee COLLINS, the father, appeared highly incensed against Lieutenant BURDON and there was much hostility among many of the rural rescue workers. Sensing the situation, Lieutenant BURDON made no further effort to haul Floyd to freedom with the hoists.

Index Prologue Ballad Chap1 Chap2 Chap3 Chap4 Chap6 Chap7 Chap8 Chap9 Chap10 Chap11 Chap12 Chap13 Chap14 Chap15 Epilogue