Stupid deaths, stupid deaths ...

This might be a sensitive topic for many, so apologies in advance.

I have had a few near misses in my life, especially two where I would almost certainly have died had it not been for my own tenacity, skill, and some luck in both cases - it was a matter of seconds on both occasions. These incidents were separated by about three decades, with the first down to childish ignorance of the possible dangers, whilst the second probably occurred from my being lulled into a false sense of security. During my life I have done many quite dangerous activities but I can only think of one occasion where I needed to be rescued (not a serious incident) and another where there might have been the necessity for a rescue. But overall, although a few quite serious accidents occurred, none of those I shared such activities with actually died or sustained any life-changing injuries. This was not the case for one of my friends though, which I will now relate.

I first went caving with the Scouts, on two occasions, where we went to the nearest caving region for a weekend's caving, and going down about a half-dozen or so caves. I was so smitten with caving that I subsequently joined a caving club whilst at college, and spent most weekends doing this, although I still managed to have a reasonable (drinking) social life as I had some good friends at college. Later, I joined another club, and it was whilst at a caving conference with them that I learnt about the death of one from the first club. This was a real shock, to all who knew him too probably, since he was just one of those people least likely to be another accident statistic. He would hardly have called himself the brightest but he was quite down to earth, a very experienced caver, and someone who spent much of his time rescuing others. He was in his mid 20s when this happened.

The incident involves a sump, which, for any who don't know, is a bit like a toilet u-bend and just about as appetising. This group, of which he and I were members, was more involved in the technical aspects of caving, such that exploration and cave rescue were two things high on the list of priorities. Cave exploration often involved trying to push through sumps to gain access to passages beyond. It is an aspect that many cavers will probably not like (I never did) because it does obviously involve the real dangers of drowning - which is what happened to my friend. It seems to be the case that about half of all fatal incidents in caves are related to water, which is understandable, given that sumps and/or flowing water are much evident in caves - many caves are formed by flowing water in the first place.

The particular incident involved a quite tight sump - so tight that it would have been a struggle without any water being involved - so one can appreciate the dangers of being trapped in such a situation and where one's air might run out. This is apparently what happened to my friend. Those with him were apparently not that experienced or just did not realise what had happened after a certain time had elapsed. Signals are supposed to be given by means of a rope but these might have been misinterpreted. He had a smallish air bottle and when they recovered his body apparently all the air had been used up. All of my understanding about the incident has come from reports in caving journals and some conversations with those who were around at the time and knew about the incident.

It seems to me that he was rather reckless by trying to push through this sump without sufficient backup - in the form of other experienced cavers and backup equipment (like additional air bottles) - such that he was seriously risking his life, and for what? Just so that another section of cave could be explored? He might, in addition, have been trying to show off to others, but that is just speculation.

It is coincidental that the first occasion I was to join this first group, was to retrieve a young boy’s body from a sump, and it was in the very same cave where he died. He was with a party of boys on adventure training, but he had foolishly dived into a sump and drowned. I missed this first meeting though for some reason. I never participated in any cave rescues since I usually returned home before any call-outs were made and I was not on the telephone at the time. A young trainee soldier had survived a similar experience in this cave a few years earlier before being rescued, by firstly, finding an air-bell, secondly, by his remarkable patience and endurance (he was there for 12 hours), and lastly by a great deal of luck. For this incident, he then inadvertently held the record for the longest free-dive (90ft) in a cave. Another coincidence is that the only photograph I have of my friend is of him lying in some water in a cave, but not a sump, and I have few cave photographs at all since I didn’t persevere doing so - often taking too much time or requiring to have to drag additional equipment when there was enough already.

So, one of the few sad memories that have come from the many activities I have undertaken. Have any of you similar tales that tend to point out the foolishness of youth?


Hope next time it's not you! (From Horrible Histories)

No one interested? I felt real anger when my friend died - for being so stupid.

My friend was not an experienced cave-diver, although that should have been gleaned from what I wrote. He had done some normal diving previously but was by no means an expert. The following, if available to others is interesting, and something I just came across (a BBC World Service podcast):

BBC World Service - Outlook, Why Trapped Cave Divers Call Edd

It concerns the type of cave-diving more usually undertaken - fully submerged passages and being much more extensive. The female in the incident mentioned was extremely lucky that Ed Sorensen was around. A similar incident occurred in the UK once, where a diver got lost in such a situation - losing their guideline. The rescuer could actually touch the diver through a rock hole, but through which the diver could not get. So it was a race against time to find a way to the diver before his air ran out. Fortunately he was saved.

I cannot imagine enjoying wriggling thru small underground openings, especially under water.
Claustrophobia....drowning...& being covered in mud....ugh. But a friend was an avid caver.
He led discovery & mapping of the connection between the Flint Ridge & Mammoth caves.
A Link Is Found Between Two Major Cave Systems
Surviving all that, pneumonia got him a few years ago. (He was 73.)

Revoltingest said:

I cannot imagine enjoying wriggling thru small underground openings, especially under water.
Claustrophobia....drowning...& being covered in mud....ugh. But a friend was an avid caver.
He led discovery & mapping of the connection between the Flint Ridge & Mammoth caves.
A Link Is Found Between Two Major Cave Systems
Surviving all that, pneumonia got him a few years ago. (He was 73.)

Click to expand...

I've only ever caved in the UK (and Ireland), but I know the systems are so much bigger elsewhere, like Mammoth, and the fortitude to descend to the bottom or to explore the enormous lengths involved must take enormous strength. The one aspect of caving that I would take away, apart from the sheer enjoyment, is the numerous challenges one has to overcome when being underground, and even though I have done many similar activities, I still see caving as having provided much of my self-confidence. Just a pity it doesn't seem to carry over into other areas so much.

Mostly Harmless too said:

I've only ever caved in the UK (and Ireland), but I know the systems are so much bigger elsewhere, like Mammoth, and the fortitude to descend to the bottom or to explore the enormous lengths involved must take enormous strength. The one aspect of caving that I would take away, apart from the sheer enjoyment, is the numerous challenges one has to overcome when being underground, and even though I have done many similar activities, I still see caving as having provided much of my self-confidence. Just a pity it doesn't seem to carry over into other areas so much.

Click to expand...

There are a fair number of regular deaths in my community of machinery collectors & movers.
Virtually could've been prevented by just observing some basic safety....
1) No loose clothing around moving parts.
2) Always watch you boiler water level, especially in a tractor climbing a grade.
Ensure that you have redundant pressure relief valves, at least one being modern.
3) Never work alone if at all practical. But if alone, be extra cautious, & prepared to not finish the job.
4) Wear eye protection.
5) Know your equipment in every aspect.
6) Always work methodically....never hurried, hungry, distracted or tired.
7) A whole bunch more admonitions!

#1) I read of a fellow who got his leg caught in a agricultural auger.
It ripped of his lower half of skin. Quick thinking co-workers put
things on ice, & he was even able to keep one testicle.

#2) A boiler exploded in Ohio a couple decades back, killing several
people. It's pressure relief valve didn't work because of improper
maintenance.

#3) A friend was crushed under a machine tool he was moving.
He only survived because he was able to reach his cel phone.
It messed him up permanently.

#5) I read of a heavy lift which was dropped because the lifting straps failed.
The load was below their rated capacity. Turns out that the straps were
stored near solvents, & the fumes had weakened the fibers.

Revoltingest said:

There are a fair number of regular deaths in my community of machinery collectors & movers.
Virtually could've been prevented by just observing some basic safety....
1) No loose clothing around moving parts.
2) Always watch you boiler water level, especially in a tractor climbing a grade.
Ensure that you have redundant pressure relief valves, at least one being modern.
3) Never work alone if at all practical. But if alone, be extra cautious, & prepared to not finish the job.
4) Wear eye protection.
5) Know your equipment in every aspect.
6) Always work methodically....never hurried, hungry, distracted or tired.
7) A whole bunch more admonitions!

#1) I read of a fellow who got his leg caught in a agricultural auger.
It ripped of his lower half of skin. Quick thinking co-workers put
things on ice, & he was even able to keep one testicle.

#2) A boiler exploded in Ohio a couple decades back, killing several
people. It's pressure relief valve didn't work because of improper
maintenance.

#3) A friend was crushed under a machine tool he was moving.
He only survived because he was able to reach his cel phone.
It messed him up permanently.

#5) I read of a heavy lift which was dropped because the lifting straps failed.
The load was below their rated capacity. Turns out that the straps were
stored near solvents, & the fumes had weakened the fibers.

Click to expand...

Ooooh! Perhaps sticking to dangerous outdoor recreational activities is safer.

Over several years of many different activities the worst that happened to me was a broken ankle (mountaineering) - and collarbone (whilst cycling). Both my fault.

Mostly Harmless too said:

Ooooh! Perhaps sticking to dangerous outdoor recreational activities is safer.

Over several years of many different activities the worst that happened to me was a broken ankle (mountaineering) - and collarbone (whilst cycling). Both my fault.

Click to expand...

I managed many broken bones, bicycling, motorcycling, & playing with machinery.
I've managed to cut down on the injuries in recent decades.

Revoltingest said:

I managed many broken bones, bicycling, motorcycling, & playing with machinery.
I've managed to cut down on the injuries in recent decades.

Click to expand...

Very wise.

Caving does appear to be a bit like Marmite, in that either one loves it or hates it. Having to overcome numerous fears - of the dark, of claustrophobia, of being cold and/or wet, of being lost, trapped or buried alive, of falling rocks, of heights and falling, of water and drowning, of being injured and the potential for a difficult rescue, and lastly, of being dirty, uncomfortable, and physically exhausted - and all this possibly experienced in the same cave - what’s not to love about caving? It is possibly the combination of all these factors, and in overcoming them, that appeals to many of those who love caving. Few other pastimes can boast such an array of different challenges. Those who do go caving will hardly have a better bunch of mates, all working as a team, and (under)grounded in themselves, who will have overcome such fears (hopefully), such that a real sense of accomplishment is felt after the successful completion of a long trip underground - often lasting 10 or 12 hours. It is not an elitist pastime like many but has real enthusiasts involved, with many university clubs along with numerous others. While many sports and outdoor activities are often celebrated in the public eye, caving is one of the few that is seldom given much publicity, and perhaps this is a good thing since many others have been spoilt to some extent by their popularity. Also, cavers rescue each other unlike most other activities, since one has to be an experienced caver to do this, so the costs generally are not landed on the doorstep of the public - most rescuers being volunteers. One other aspect of caving is that it tends to use more muscles than any other activity and so if done regularly it does keep one quite fit. Caving probably tends to favour the introvert over the extrovert, which is perhaps why the TV presenter Kate Humble and the actor Laurence Fox so hated their caving experiences, and there is less scope for prima donnas to dominate, but many females are attracted to caving, as are children since it is possibly the epitome of adventure for them. As one might expect, much of caving doesn’t suit those over-endowed with body size, that is, those who are fat, and many parts of caves will not be open to them. Even Bear Grylls, someone not renowned for his fearful nature, seemingly had problems whilst caving.

Not for everyone then.

I have free-dived through many sumps whilst caving, some quite tight, and it was never a pleasant experience. It always seemed to be that I was on the edge of panicking, so unnerving was it. Holding one’s breath underwater is so unnatural, but there is an added element when there is a rock wall above one, so that there are only two ways to go usually, forwards or backwards, or to die. Whether it is a bath full or an ocean, water can kill just the same, and I had more than enough respect for it. Possibly the toughest sumps for myself were those in Kingsdale Master Cave, where it was necessary to pass a series of three sumps in quick succession, of 2 metres, 4 metres, and 9 metres during a through trip to Rowten Pot - the longer sump particularly being aided by a weight-belt and a mask. I used to practice swimming underwater long before I ever went caving, so perhaps I was anticipating it being useful one day, which it was. In the UK, about half of the deaths whilst caving have come from drowning, either whilst diving, attempting to pass sumps, being carried away by fast-flowing streams, or other water-related incidents. I have been sub-aqua diving a few times, and even just breathing underwater didn’t come naturally when I first tried it.

Most of the sumps we encountered were quite short and usually well known, with at least one member of our party often having been through before. The dangers were therefore minimised, and most of the people who attempted such trips were usually experienced enough for this to be safe. The Kingsdale-Rowten sumps were unknown to the three of us who went through them, but all three of us were competent enough to tackle them (having been through 7 metre sumps before), and although never consciously thought about, I knew that if anyone did get into difficulties then the others would certainly try to help the unfortunate one. This is perhaps why I got so angry about my friend's death, since if he had been with some equally competent cavers his life might have been saved. The longest sump of the three entailed diving down about two metres to find the entrance, but there was a rope line all the way through to guide one and enable one to pull through. This is the one aspect that usually means one doesn’t get into trouble - having mates with the same level of experience and ability, and whom one trusts implicitly.

In the early days of cave exploration, when there were few suitable electric lamps available, one of the earliest cavers, the renowned French caver Norbert Casteret, dived through a few of these sumps (in the Grotto de Montespan) without any light at all, and since he was exploring the cave for the first time it took a great deal of courage. He had just matches and candles with him then, in 1923. He was rewarded by finding prehistoric cave art in the cave. One of his books, Ten Years Under the Earth, was in our local library, so was one of the first caving books I read as a youth. Our relatively modern electric miner’s lamps were at least nominally waterproof.

So blame the library for sparking my interest in caving!