| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carty, Natalie | Not recorded | Female | Contusions | Shoulder |
On 18 June a crowd was gathered at the entrance to Big Horn Caverns during the annual National Speleological Society Convention. A treasure hunt was in progress and several small caving parties were coming and going. The entrance is a funnel shaped sinkhole leading into a fissure 64 feet deep, with much loose rock around the edge. The pit was rigged with four ropes and a ladder all of which converged at the base. All were in use at this time.
A crowd had gathered at the base of the pit waiting to ascend, and there was much confusion and poor communication with the surface. Roswell Jones (32) on belay, was about halfway up the ladder. He was having trouble because some of the rungs had slipped. It was about 3:00 p.m. as Warren Lewis (53) went in using a rappel rack. As he backed over the edge the rope did not feed smoothly through the six brake bars. He spread the bars widely apart; the friction was suddenly reduced and he fell backward into the pit.
As he fell, he kicked loose several large rocks. He struck the brake bars upward with both hands until they grabbed the rope and checked his fall. As his fall was arrested, he struck Jones. Their combined weight caused the ladder rungs to slip six feet down the cables. Neither was seriously injured. The rocks which had been dislodged ricocheted off the walls and ledges, falling among the crowd at the bottom of the pit. They scrambled for safety under the overhang. One piece weighing about twenty-five pounds struck Mrs. Natalie Carty a glancing blow on the shoulder, knocking her down and causing severe pain.
Others were struck by falling debris but were uninjured, perhaps because all were wearing hard hats. Mrs. Carty was moved to a safer place and the shoulder was examined. Gradually the intense pain subsided and she chose to climb out of the pit. After the ladder was replaced she went up, on belay, and was taken to Lovell Hospital. Her shoulder was found to be badly bruised, but not broken.
Source: Warren Lewis, Roswell Jones, and numerous observers.
(Lewis) "I was incautious in approaching the sloping edge without maintaining full control of the rope. In my twenty-five foot fall, I seriously endangered other cavers. The danger was aggravated by the congestion in the pit, which exposed many people to falling rocks. Only those climbing, or preparing to climb, should have been in the open area. A belay or safety would have prevented the fall." The Convention Field Trip differed in two aspects from the usual trip; many people were involved, and there was no check on the techniques used, or the proficiency of the cavers. Often small groups could not "cave" together. It seems imperative that under those circumstances only the highest standards of technique and proficiency be exhibited. It would appear that the "rules" for a large convention trip must be more strict than those for smaller groups.
This record was last updated on 27th Apr 2024 at 23:11 UTC.