No injured cavers recorded.
On Sunday, March 9, John Godshall (13), Michael Robinson (12), Thomas Raferty (13), and Brett Thomas (14) went exploring in a maze-like cave near Allentown, Pennsylvania. They were lightly dressed and carried only candles for light. After crawling around for awhile, observing, among other things, 'huge bats hanging from the ceiling their eyes shining in the candlelight', Thomas tumbled into a small hole and dropped the candles.
They realized they had not kept track of the way out and, in total darkness, were lost. Agitated, they yelled for help and crawled aimlessly about. Hours passed, their hands and knees becoming raw from the crawling. Finally they saw light, went to it, but found it was only a shaft of sunlight coming through a small hole. The hole could not be widened and when the sun set they were in darkness again. They huddled together for warmth and to keep from falling through a big hole in the floor. Meanwhile their absence was noted and the police were called in. Officers from the Allentown Police Dept. searched the cave and found the boys that night. They were in the cave for 18 hours.
Youngsters will seek adventure and what could be more exciting than exploring a dark, mysterious cave with only candles. Impetuosity would lead them to use the candles if that is what fell to hand first. Can we reach cavers like this with safety education? Perhaps not but surely the offspring of NSS members wouldn't go caving like this.
A group of four teenage boys were lost in a cave after their only light source - candles - extinguished.