| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kerr, Chris | 23 | Male | Not recorded | Not recorded |
On May 31, Frank Hutchison (30) and Chris Kerr (23) visited Climax Cave in Georgia. Dark clouds were on the horizon but Hutchison is very familiar with the cave and felt there was nothing to worry about. Several hours after entering, in the north end of the cave they noted several anomalous, rapid changes in air flow. This contributed to a decision to cut short the trip. As they reached a low area just before a long crawl near the entrance there were signs that the water level had risen some six to eight inches. The crawl is about one foot above this level and a sandy por- tion showed signs of water flow. At a vertical crevice was a buildup of white foam. Just beyond this the ceiling drops to a 15-inch sand crawl about 20 inches in width. This leads to a short section of low ceiling called the "Second Dig" since it occasionally has to be dug out. This was one such occasion. At the Second Dig there was only about one-half to one inch of air space above a pool of mud! After perhaps ten minutes of digging Kerr was able to squeeze through. Hutchison, somewhat larger, could only force his way with help from Kerr. They were soon out of the cave.
The air reversals appeared to coincide with the end of a storm. While the silting of the entrance was of no great consequence, it appears that a water rise could have been a problem in the new area toward which they were headed. Hutchison's familiarity with the cave helped at the silt-in since someone less familiar might have decided the silt-in was the wrong way out and become lost. The lesson here is to have respect for the weather in any cave even potentially affected by water.
Speleonews Aug79 p78.
This record was last updated on 29th Apr 2024 at 03:21 UTC.