No injured cavers recorded.
On June 6, Jack Hissong (41) led a group of 8 Boy Scouts and Scout Leaders from Troop 44 in Mack, Ohio, on a trip into the cave at the Sinks of the Roundstone in Rockcastle County, Kentucky. The scouts included R. Morris (38), E. Zimmerman (48), R. Fine (17), T. Morris (13), D. KoCata (12), G. Marsh (12). N. Long (12) and D. Moore (12).
The scout group had essentially no experience in caving, but received slide show instruction, demonstration and suggestion of equipment needed, followed by an equipment check three days before the trip. The weather forecast immediately before the trip indicated a 40 percent chance of light thundershowers with clearing by evening. Hissong had been in the Sinks of the Roundstone before during rain and observed no great changes (only three inches) in water levels. Nevertheless he checked three points on the surface stream inlets and these appeared normal.
At 10 a.m. Saturday the party of nine entered the Railroad Tunnel entrance. All had "three light sources, hard hats, food, small packs, etc." For the first 4 hours everything went smoothly - there was no evidence of excess or increasing water flow. The group experienced the various aspects of caving and had a good time. Most of the food was eaten at a lunch break. At the four hour mark they were leaving the northern portion and rejoined the main passage where it is a simple walk to the main entrance. Sometimes this is dry but even if wet, it is easy to wade across. This time, however, they encountered a four foot deep, swiftly flowing stream with floating organic debris. Obviously there was very heavy runoff occurring outside. Hissong waded in and decided the flow to be too great for all the rest. They decided to backtrack and leave the way they had come in - the Railroad Tunnel entrance.
Increased water flow made the going slow and at the Funnel, the slippery mud slopes made getting across very difficult. Possible by-passes were checked but found to be sumped. Short ropes and slings were combined into a handline and everyone made it across, each waiting his turn while the water rose around his feet. They moved on to a point overlooking the large Junction Room which by then was impassable - "a raging violence of currents, waterfalls, and maelstroms created by cross-currents pouring in from the fully-sumped north wall passages.
It was obvious they were stopped. Still, Hissong tried to make a solo exit to get help but twice was nearly killed when he was swept under and held by the current. Both times he fought his way to the surface and finally got out of the flow on a ledge some 140 feet from where the others were. At this point he decided to give up the exit attempt until he was 100 percent certain of making it. The others retreated to a high, dry place and set about combating the inevitable hypothermia. This they did best by making a body-pile thus conserving body heat. The excess food was pooled and rationed. If someone became too cold, he would be sent to exercise in a crawlway.
There was communication between Hissong and the group by lights and shouting. Hissong decided that, once the water fell to a safe level, he would exit, get auto inner tubes and return to float everyone through the deep parts. A few hours later he communicated this to the others and set out. He exited quickly and drove toward a service station, encountering portions of the road flooded with 1/2 feet of water. The truck stalled repeatedly and he was forced to backtrack. Finally he gave up and at a mine he was able to get a truck inner tube. After calling the State Police, he returned to the cave and carried out the ferrying operation. All were out by 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, 21 1/2 hours after entering.
The group had probably given proper consideration to the weather. The storm was unusual, dumping 3.6 inches in a two hour period. One has to question the wisdom of Hissong's attempt to exit while the flood was in full rage. If you have a safe refuge, wait it out.
A scout group was trapped within Sinks of the Roundstone cave for 21.5 hours after an exceptional flooding event. The group made it out safely.