No injured cavers recorded.
Accident: Virginia, Cathedral Spring Cave [Robins Rift] At about 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, a caver work crew completed the excavation of the Robins Rift, breaking through into the Cathedral Springs Cave System in Bath County, Virginia. Timbers had been used to hold loose material during the work but a permanent culvert was to replace the timber shoring. On Sunday an attempt was made to put the culvert in place but it proved to be too unwieldy. After the attempt the workers formed two survey teams and entered the cave. One of these comprised of Bob Carts (22), Ed Ricketts (over 40), Mike Artz (21) and Dick Sanford (over 40) went in Sunday afternoon, after the other crew had exited. After about 1/2 hours they completed their objective and headed out. At Robins Rift, Carts proceeded through the squeeze but immediately after that a collapse occurred moving one wall toward the other, compressing the squeeze by six inches. A loose rock filled most of the remaining space, the constriction then being about the size of a human head. The VAR rescue network was notified while those on the scene worked to enlarge the opening and stabilize the collapse. Within a half hour such progress was made that one of the trapped cavers was able to get out. Space blankets and food were passed in. Two rescuers arrived at 5:45. By 7 p.m. all were out, more rescuers arriving shortly after.
The entrance had collapsed several years earlier shortly after being dug open. None of the rocks supporting a huge boulder overhanging the entrance moved. It is reported that if this had fallen, it would have likely trapped the cavers for several days.