The Grave of Floyd Collins, The Greatest Cave Explorer that Ever Lived
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- Опубликовано: 1 дек 2024
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I grew up in central Kentucky and they taught us about Floyd Collins in school! Thank you for sharing his story and for all your exploring :-)
I was told his story by a park ranger at Mammoth Cave. Poor guy couldn't get a break even in death.
The guy you're talking about in the movie ""127 hours" that got trapped by a bolder. Well it was his arm and yes he cut his own arm off with a tiny pocket knife. His name is Aron Ralston. Google him if you guys have never heard of him. What a great story. Days after the accident they went back and got his arm. Tom Brokaw interviewed him back when it happened.
You just can't leave body part lying around in a national park. Rangers frown on that.
Big difference on the stories. Had he been with someone or if he was found it would it would have had a different story.
Were as there was a lot of people around Floyd but couldn't do much.
Other then that, well yeah their stories almost the same.
Not
just being a smart ass, sorry
Great movie amazing how he managed to cut his arm off and get out without bleeding to death! wow !
@@vanessaburridge2779 he was very lucky..if he had not come across the family of hikers he would have bled to death. The stars were lined around him. ✨️
I remember reading about this in elementary school! I was horrified by the idea of being trapped in a cave then and I'm still freaked out by the idea now! Then they displayed the poor guy for profit!
Fascinating story Jacob......Really Excellent Video!
Love that you always have as much facts for us as you can . enjoy you and your videos and always look forward to them . awesome job again
Stories like this haunt me...just found out about John Jones, just so sad for both of them...
I would love to know where your getting your information from. There's always the chance you have info or sources I don't know about but I have been working on the Collins story for around 30yrs. I've been over ever inche of the family farm and meet one of his relatives. I've been in every cave that's possible to get into as well as all the tourist routes in Mammoth and done volunteer work to returning the cave back to its natural state. I moved to Tennessee from Michigan to be closer to caves. I was a grotto member in DUG, the club that's been working in Fisher ridge. I was on the very first Collins tour offered by the park service, the ranger was carrying TRAPPED because no one did this tour before. I helped him through it. So there isn't to much I don't know about in the whole area and it's always possible someone has some info I don't know about but when it comes to the Collins story 90% of the info is wrong so this has all turned into fixing the misinformation of the story. I'm not saying your info is wrong for the most part. I just question where your info comes from if it's something I've never heard of. There's always a chance of learning something new
Thanks for the story! Great video!
I love your channel. I am from Ravenswood WV but live in Perth Western Australia now. Watching you makes me feel like being home again.
Very cool story . I had never heard of Floyd Collins.....thanks!
I love your vlogs. I enjoy some history of the location
I promise there are no jump scares in this video
The body was on display in the tour cave that the Collins family owned, you can still see the cement slab to this day that the coffin used to rest on.....but the cave is off limits to most people now. Floyd Collins Crystal Cave was later found to connect to Mammoth many years after the death of Floyd....hey...I find this stuff interesting anyhow. ;)
Aaron Ralston aka James Franco cut his arm not leg off. But it's okay, you might have not known
@@DementedCaver pretty close. The family didn't own the cave. Only Floyd and Lee, his dad, owned it. Floyd wasn't moved into the cave until it was sold. Some one didn't read the fine print on the sale contract. But Floyds body was included in the sale. There was some pretty mad people about this and the family tried several times to get Floyds body Back with no luck.
It's believed that's why his body was stolen.
The two top theories about Floyds body was 1. The family had it done trying to get his body back.
2 it was done by some of the other cave owners in the area because he was a good attraction and was pulling customers away from the other caves. Interesting part of the area history was the cave wars in which cave owners did just about anything, short of killing each other to get customers. In fact that was the only rule to all of it, no killing, anything and everything eles was fair game.
@@DementedCaver every now and then the Rangers will take a group into the cave as a reward for volunteering to do work in Mammoth. When I did some volunteer work we were taking out old tour routes that are no longer used. Returning the cave back to nature
My boyfriend is Floyd Collins's nephew and all the Collins and that cemetery is his aunt uncle and cousins
Ohhhj wow then you are a superstar celebriti then
That's really cool...i wonder if his family ever still talks about him..
That's funny. Did you not know this happened almost 100 yrs ago? Your timeline is a little off. And I don't recall for sure what happened to the family. I know his step mother died and Lee was soon after remarried and everyone else all went different ways. I think his sister was murdered and I believe she had a boy
Oooo yea
The Collins do have a cemetery, but ya know what?
I believe Lee ( father) is the only one in it. And it's hard to find. This I can say, it's somewhere between the house and the gate. Walking to house the grave is on the right
When I visited Floyd's grave, I left him a can of beans and some RC Cola.
Positive he is pass needing it.
thanks for the video and not scaring us lol
Sorry I had no idea! Lol. But thank you for teaching me this. Awesome video. As always. :D
FYI when you see the casket if there's no chains the photo is before the body was taken
Scott, any truth that a boxing ring was set up nearby, and a boxing match held? Any info on who fought...?
A bizarre tale of an adventurer
Black Stone Cherry did a song about this, "Ghost of Floyd Collins". It's pretty awesome.
There has been a few different records on Floyd. I have a record by Al Carver 1926
Inetesting,There shoud be a movie of this..
There is a stage play
Billy Bob had the rights to do a movie a few years ago, but let them pass. He was going to play Floyd. There is a most excellent book called TRAPPED written by a fellow called Roger Bruckner I believe if you are interested....you can still purchase copies at the Mammoth Cave gift shop or you could even snag a copy on Amazon. There is at least one documentary style show of the events that happened out there as well.
The best place to get the book TRAPPED is on eBay most of the time for just a few dollars. There is 2 books, TRAPPED and a revised TRAPPED that has a extra chapter. You would want to read The Longest Cave also. That is the story of the C 3 exploration and connection of Crystal Cave to Mammoth Cave
There is a movie loosely based on the Collins story. Carnival Sunday then the tittle was changed to Ace In The Hole staring Kirk Douglas.
As far as I know Billy Bob still owns the movie rights
I remember baby Jessica falling down the well.
His facts are not true. Not even close.
Collins was not the worlds greatest cave explorer. The press came up with that tittle. It was in 1925 and he was front page news around the world for the 17 days he was trapped. True he was looking for a new enterance into Mammoth but not for him or his family. The property belonged to two farmer's, Doyle and Ester. It was a money venture. Had Floyd been successful and found a new enterance Floyd would get half of any money made and the two farmer's split the other half. By this time Floyd had found a cave, Floyd Collins Crystal Cave, on the family farm that he developed and opened for tourists. Here he had a deal with his father with a 50/50 split. It's called mineral rights, what you own on the surface you also own what ever was under it. Had he not made a deal with his father he would not have a claim on the cave, he didn't own the property.
To find a cave. Sand Cave is not a accuale cave but rather a shelter cave. It's just a large room and a large enterance. From the mouth of the cave you can see all the way to the back wall. There is no actual passages leading out of this room. Floyd had been working for 3 weeks on opening a passage. 3 weeks had only got him 150ft in. It's incredible that he even got that far. Normal cave passages run through solid rock on all sides. Floyd was digging through a break down pile, at best he had 1 solid wall. A break down is a pile of rocks and boulder of material that has falling from the passage collapsing. If you go on the historic tour at Mammoth you are walking down on top of a breakdown pile. The original mouth of the cave can be seen down one of the hiking trails. At some point in the past the ceiling collapsed a formed a new enterance that is used today. What Floyd was doing was digging through a pile of rocks. Just about anyone else that knows caves would never even try to do what Floyd was doing. How the cave got its name is a bit of a mystery. There is no sand at Sand Cave.
As I said he was digging out a passage on the farmers property during this time he was staying in both the farmers houses, it is about 5 miles to the Collins farm from Sand Cave. He had just finished breakfast at Doyle's house before he set off to work in the cave. Everybody in the area knew where he was and what he was doing. When he didn't show up at Doyle's that night Doyle just figured he went to Estes and even at that Floyd was known to disappear for a day or two. Nobody gave it a thought until the next day when the farmer's talked to each other and learned he seemed to be missing. At that point they headed to the cave. Jewells, Estes son went with them. When they got to the cave they seen Floyds coat hanging on a branch. They called to Floyd but no answer. Because of the nature of the cave sound could not travel very far. When Floyd found himself trapped he called for help till his voice was gone even though he knew it would make no differents. Jewell jumped into the hole and crawled down to Floyd. There is no walking passage in Sand Cave. The passage is only a few feet high and a few feet wide. The biggest part of the cave, the turn around room, wasn't any bigger then the inside of a VW bug. When Jewell got to Floyd he told him to go get help and so the rescue began.
Floyd wasn't pinned under a boulder. The 27 pound rock just layed over Floyds foot. It was 27 not 16 pounds shaped like a leg of lamb. It was a few days into the rescue when the passage squeeze down some and it was later proven Floyd was still reachable. This happened about 5 ft from Floyd but It did not touch him in any way.It was at this point that a rescue shaft was begun which this guy completely left out. The shaft was supposed to pass Floyd so they could come in below Floyd and get the rock off. At one point amputation was discussed but it would have been impossible to do. There was a lot of things going on while the shaft was being dug, a lot.
From the shaft a lateral tunnel was dug and they did reach Floyd. They broke through just above Floyd and a miner was giving a report back to the doctor about vitals. It was determined that Floyd died a day or two when they reached him. But that can't be true, hypothermia would have killed him with in 3 or 4 days at the most. There is no way he lasted 15 days. The cave at best was around 55 degrees, water was constantly dripping on him and he couldn't move around to generate heat. 3 or 4 days at best.
As long as he was thought alive people were willing to risk there life to get Floyd out but not for a dead man. The passage wasnt filled in the rescue shaft was. Services were held at the cave for Floyd and everyone went home.
This was the first out of 5 buirals of Floyd.
It was another 2 months before the money was raised to hire some miners to bring Floyd out. Floyd was then brought to the family farm and put in a grave along the trail to his cave, Floyds second burial. Some time late the cave was sold to a dentist from Hourse Cave with the rights to Floyds body, someone didn't read the fine print of the sale and Floyd was dug up and moved into the main passage of the cave in a glass covered coffin at which point Floyd's body was stolen out of the cave. The body was quickly recovered, minus part of his left lag and returned to the cave in a more secure coffin. I am willing to bet that part of his leg was amputated and left in Sand Cave when he was finally brought out. This as Floyds 3rd and 4th burial where he stayed greeting tourist until the cave was shut down and the park service took control of the cave.
He was then taken and interned in the grave yard of the Mammoth Cave church. His 5th and final burial.
I believe I got the narrators facts straighted out but this is just a quick cover of the story and there is so much more to it.
There have been over the years numerous stories and write ups, and a few tv programs in the 50s about Floyds story. And 1 movie loosely based on the story. Carnival Sunday , refers to a day in the height of the rescue. A day that had the most people on site with food vendors and kids with balloons printed with Sand Cave on them, it was like a circus atmosphere ,later changed to Ace In The Hole staring Kirk Douglas. As of right now Billy Bob Thornton holds the movie rights.
I hear you, you say if this was such a big story why have I never heard about it? I hear the story was told in southern schools but it is such a huge story what happened that it's been looked over? The only thing I can find is there are still families in the area who might have something to hide about the rescue. Some years latter when Brucker was researching the story he found one of the last miner alive who refused to talk about any of it. All he would say is they'll get me if I say anything. Who are they? And what did he know?
In the middle of the on going rescue a court of inquiries were held because of all the rumors going around, the biggest one was Floyd was not trapped at all and he was really sneaking in and out of the cave and that some people were hindering the rescue because they may have reasons to have Floyd out of the picture.
Linberg was there, one of the news papers hired him to fly some pictures to them trying to get a jump over other news reporters storie. When the case was delivered to the paper it was found to be a empty case, no pictures in it.
I highly believe that there is more to the story then what we already know, I have found things in the story from my own research that dosent add up.
Any questions?
The movie ACE IN THE HOLE is based on this incident.
Loosely VERY loosly
Could you visit the abandoned Land of OZ park in North Carolina? Would love to see it here.
It's not actually abandoned but I may visit while its open
+The Carpetbagger Can't wait to see that!!!
True it's not abandoned nor is It open. It's open for 1 week every year. It started out as a reunion for the employees after the park closed down and grew into a week long celebration and open to the public. I just seen a 30min documentery on Oz a few weeks ago on tv
Jacob, Nice segue!! I got it before you said it. LOL I'll still be fussing at you to be careful. When I finally meet you, I hope you"re not in a glass casket. Thanks for the video.
May we never turn on the radio to hear of rescue teams trying to pull "The Carpetbagger" out of a collapsed old building.
I need to start carrying cyanide pills :)
I like ur stuff man keep it up
"They filled the tunnel with dirt and called it a day." HAHAHA!!
Um nope. The rescue shaft was back filled but not the cave passage
WOW :)
Holy sh*t! Jacob you were there like a week after I was! Wait, did someone actually steal the can of Ski I left for Floyd?! Ahahahaha
Or did Floyd drink it? *duh duh duhhhhhh*
I cannot confirm or deny that I drank the ski
Left out the part about the circus that was happening above the ground with vendors and stuff
It was called carnival Sunday by name only. It wasn't a actual carnival or circus. That Sunday was the apex of the rescue. The day that had the biggest turn out of people. It was the place to be on that day in 1925. There was miles of parked cars on both sides of the road as well as the nearby farm fields leading to the rescue site. There was food vendors and children walking around with balloons that had SAND CAVE printed on them. Most of the people never even got close to the rescue site or for that matter never even knew or heard of Floyd. It was just something to do on a Sunday afternoon. All these people milling around was reminisces of a county fair minus the rides and side shows. Hence "carnival suday"
may God rest his soul.
If he didn't tell anyone where he was going how did they find him?
I am realated to him he is my far cousin
This is a rabbit whole that will pull you in and get stuck. No disrespect to Collins family.
We call them Potholers Lol :)
That's what they call caving in Europe. Potholers
A guy the goes into dangerous places and explores , Wait a minute that sounds like somebody else I know. Do you call someone when your about to go into some shack? LOL
Good point
save my post cards for. June. Patron start taking out July 1
Oh, what were they thinking ? The holy grail of taxidermy ? The elusive shriveled spelunker's leg. Ewwww
I love taxidermy , but I will pass on that
I would bet that the leg is still in Sand Cave
I'll add to that a little more info. Amputation was discussed at one time during the rescue. The problem was 1. There just wasn't any room to do it.
2. Had it been done the doctor advised Floyd would have bleed to death before the could get him out.
For the simple fact of mentioning the leg after the body was stolen and returned tells me that there is more to the story that was left out. They made a point to say something about the leg, the left leg, the leg that had him trapped when the body was returned.
The contradiction to that is someone reported they have the left shoe and it has a imprint of the rock on it. I don't know who that person was but if it was Doyle he was known for selling the rock, and sell the rock and selling the rock. He would claim it was the rock and sold it to tourists. When they were gone he was reported to get another rock. I don't know how many he sold. This is the man who owned Sand Cave and charged 10ct a ticket to look at the cave. That is a fact. 1. There is a photo or two of him standing in front of the ticket booth. 2. The booth still stands today. 3. I own one of the tickets.
That's close anyway. When Floyd was finally pulled out of Sand Cave he had been in there around 3 months. Almost nothing was said about his condition at that time. I'm not sure how long his body was in his 2nd grave before being moved into the cave and put on display. But at that point he first went to a shed over in Horse Cave. Where he was given a wax skin, most likely just his face. Of couse he was wearing a suit and gloves on his hands. The work that was done on the face was bad and didn't even look like a real person. There is photos of him at that point that looks like a very bad wax dummy. Didn't look real at all and from what I can tell it took 3 days to do the job.
Some years ago my grandfather, he didn't know my story, told me about a cave he went to that had a guy in a coffin. I was like no way really?
Although, he "Rests in Pieces" since his leg is somewhere else, right?
I do believe part of his left leg is still in Sand Cave which would explain the missing leg when he was found after being stolen out of Crystal
Did you see the Billy Wilder/Kirk Douglas classic movie Ace In The Hole/AKA The Big Carnival.? It was based it's based on this story to a small degree. Amazing film but a commercial flop.
I have it on my DVR
my thumbs up button is broken, they won't fix it. THUMBS UP
👍
very cool story, very Carpet Baggerish.
His body was stolen more then once
No, just one time. He was buried 5 times though. His body was stolen one time out of Crystal Cave. He was found in short time and not far from the cave along the river.
Some say it was his family because they did not want him on display.
Some say it was some of the other cave owner that didn't like the competition of drawing in customers.
very interesting story.
What a fool . 😜😜
i thought it was stolen in 1929. not sure really
Because he die a crucial slow death thats why he got the title the greatest cave explorer wtf
No he was given this title by the news to pump up the story. Look up Steven Bishop. (Spelling?) A slave and one of the Mammoth Cave guilds. And although he was a slave he was a celebrity guild. Amoung other discoveries he made in Mammoth he was the first one to cross over the bottomless pit which opened up a great big portion of never before seen parts of the cave. And he didn't die in the cave. But he was buried in a small grave yard not far from the cave. You can see his grave to this day. Floyd didn't really do anything besides finding Crystal Cave. And I have a problem with his cave. He was in his 30s when he discovered the cave only 50yrd from the family house. A property he grew up on. You would think the world greatest caver would have found the cave a whole lot sooner.
Most people don't know this but there is a cemetery on the property. A family cemetery but I think Lee is the only one in it. I know where his grave is supposed to be but I haven't found it yet.
No. You are driving down the road you run over 5 people.
The judge said, you killed 5 people. Ain't never seen anybody drive like before. Boy, you must be the grates drive in the world..
Died.yes. He didn't and it would have been rather peacefully.
He wasn't in any pain he was not in some kind weird position. Reclining a little bit back with his head pointing up towards the cave mouth . not sideways, not upside down or bent in a strange position. Just kinda standing there laying back waiting on someone to get him out. and was in contact with people for the most.
Hypothermia, I'll say it again hypothermia
That's what killed him.
Cave temperature is around 50-55* could not move around to generate heat and had a small stream of water dripping on his face. Now don't take my word for it. Look in up for yourself
In this condition he had 3 or 4 days at the most to live.
The way it works is you looes straight then he would start
Getting sleepy, then start to fade in and out of consciousness and delusions start.
Before you know it, or don't know it, you fall asleep. A sleep that you will not wake up from.
No pain no discomfort, other then being cold, in the final states you will start Getting warm or hot, being cold sucks but for the most part you just slip to sleep. You may not even know you are about to die.
Game over
Don't know about " wtf" has to do with anything but no one who knows Floyd ever labeled him as being the greatest anything. There have been some great cavers that came
To mamoth over many years some of the greatest speleoalges the world over.
And Floyd meet all of them, and often hired him as a guild.
Those people was where got his schooling from.
The best of the locals just referred to Floyd as being a caving fool and that's about it.
Being the greatest was just a honorary tittle some news man gave to him
the like your festive tee.
Cabling is foolishness. 😖
Did he find Jimmy Hoffa in there.
You all are full of it so I call it BS