No injured cavers recorded.
On Sunday, December 18, at about 3 p.m., Dr. Allen Carleson (late 30's) entered the Echo Pit entrance of Crevice Cave. He rigged the 115 foot shaft and descended. At the bottom he found the rope a few feet short. When he dropped off the end, the rope recoiled its stretch leaving the end out of reach. Carleson sat down to wait.
At 10 a.m. on Monday Carleson was missed when he failed to show up for surgery. Carleson's associates called local authorities who soon reached the scene. Meanwhile Mr. Rollets, the landowner, had realized Carleson was still in the pit and made voice contact. The rope was extended (about 7:30 a.m.) but by that time Carleson was too fatigued to climb out.
The Sheriff's deputies were talked out of descending hand-over-hand by Mr. Rollets who also got them to contact local cavers.
A team arrived at about noon and rigged the pit. One man descended to find Carleson unharmed but hungry and shivering uncontrollably. A plan was conceived and the rescuer ascended. Carleson was then hauled out on his rope rigged through a pulley on a tractor boom, onlookers supplying the power. The second rope was used as a belay. Carleson was out at 2:30 p.m.
Carleson either forgot about the stretch of the rope or was unable to stop when he saw the shortness of the rope and switch over to ascent. Either way, his shortsightedness would have been bad enough on a normal cave trip, but on a solo effort, it is really inexcusable.
Solo caver short roped himself, thanks to rope stretch he was unable to reach the rope after descending off the bottom of it without injury.