Missouri: Man falls 100 feet into Cave

[L Roebuck]

Man Dies After Falling 100 Feet Into Cave

(KSDK) - A man was killed after he fell 100 feet into a cave Friday afternoon in Jefferson County, Mo.

The 45-year-old man was lifted to the top of the cave around 5:45 p.m., and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

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[jonsdigs]

Explorer found dead at bottom of cave
By Christine Byers
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
12/30/2006

ANTONIA — An innocent curiosity about a nearby cave, hidden in the woods of Jefferson County, led to the death of a 45-year-old father of two Friday.

Dave Wiegand, of the 6300 block of Old Lemay Ferry Road in the Imperial area, was found dead at the bottom of an approximately 100-foot cave, according to Deputy Chief Glenn Nivens of the Antonia Fire Protection District.

His wife, Anna, accompanied him on his trek to the cave earlier Friday afternoon and grew worried when she could no longer hear him, said Larry Cole, Wiegand's friend and neighbor of 20 years.


She went for help, leaving the cave to get to her car. Then she drove to Cole's house, he said.

"Dave's stuck in a hole," she told him before calling 911 around 3 p.m.

Cole, his girlfriend, Pam, and their roommate, Don Durand, then returned to the site with Anna, Durand said.

"We do this kind of stuff all the time," Durand said of the many expeditions the friends and neighbors have shared searching for arrowheads and other artifacts in a nearby 30-foot cave.

The group had heard about the deep cave before but never could find it, Cole said.

Wiegand stumbled upon it Thursday, Durand said.

"He came over last night saying how proud he was that he found it," Durand said.

When the group arrived at the cave's opening, Durand said, they found four fence posts and rusty barbed wire blocking the triangular-shaped entrance, which was about the size of a manhole.

Wiegand's rope was tied to one of the fence posts, his backpack and flashlight were nearby, Cole said, adding that Wiegand responded to him when he called.

Emergency vehicles from the Jefferson County sheriff's office and several nearby fire districts gathered at the foot of the bluff Friday. "He told me he was fine, and I told him the Fire Department was on their way and that he had to come up," Cole said.

"Then I never heard from him again."

Nevin said firefighters learned from a previous rescue that the cave has a ledge about 75 feet below its opening and another drop-off of about 30 feet.

Cole said he feared his friend may have fallen from the ledge after they spoke, unable to navigate his way in the dark.

By 4 p.m., rescuers reached Wiegand, Nevin said.

They asked Cole and Durand to leave the scene, and the men said his wife was close behind as they traveled down the bluff.

But halfway down, she turned back, Cole said.

A police officer gave Anna Wiegand a ride back to the home she had left just hours earlier with her husband for an afternoon of exploring.

"I really feel for Anna," Cole said. "I know she had a daughter who died a while back and they have two boys. And now this."

Article

[Brian Roebuck]

Sad to hear the man met his death in the cave. Sounds like he had no light and no way back out once he got it. That would have to be a scary situation to be in.

On a side note - his buddies collected artifacts out of caves nearby. That would get you arrested in Tennessee. I wonder what the laws are in Missouri about that? It is one thing to pick up an arrowhead out of a plowed field but digging up things in a cave is a whole other level. Too bad people have little respect for archaeological sites and native american culture in general.

[Azurerana]

Plus, caving alone on a too short rope. Near as we can tell, he was not a known local caver-- I know nearly everyone who caves with MVG or MMV out of St. Louis, and the name is not familiar. There is a third grotto here--Stygian--I know most (but not all) of the cavers there, and he wasn't one of them, either. This place--Antonia Pit-- has a 71' drop to a ledge, and then continues down another 30' but doesn't lead to much horizontal cave.

Missouri has 'do not remove or dig without written landowner permission' provisions in the state cave resources act tinyurl.com/yarcuk , and also an Unmarked Burial of Human Remains Act RSMo 194.410. Since most Missouri caves are wet, archeological material in caves comes under the somewhat nebulous "natural material" provisions--it's quite rare when anything not stone or stonelike (pottery/bones) survives in caves. Archeological digs are regulated on public lands by a number of laws; on private land, such resources are considered the property of the landowner, and unauthorized entry/collection would be considered under trespass/theft laws.

Actually, Missouri has a very long history of archeological interest and study, especially in the caves. Usually the archeo crowd are most interested in shelters-- there isn't a whole lot of archeo material to be found deep in our caves. We have very very few paying jobs here for archeologists, and very little research in the state has been accomplished without the efforts of dedicated amateurs. The MAS (Mo. Archeological Society) dates back to 1915--long before any organized scientific interest in caves here. I bet a large percentage of cavers (including me) also have arrowhead collections (not collected underground, of course) and there is some overlap between the two groups. It's not fair to say there is little respect for archeological sites or Indians-- cavers and archeos often collaborate on cave gatings, and share information. There is also a pretty high interest in Indians, considering Missouri has no reservations, and the last tribes were officially 'removed' in 1808 or thereabouts. (We have Native Americans living here, of course, and Pow-Wows are generally well-attended.)

When you have such high interest, virtually no employment opportunities in the 'official field' (Other than a few professors, some state cultural resource people and maybe some people in DNR, and maybe a couple of museum curators I can't think of anyone making a living in these fields in the whole state) you are going to have a lively amateur community, and yahoos galore.

Most Missourians don't know the Cave Resources Protection Act applies to private landowners, but most prosecutions under the law happen on state lands, because local prosecuters just can't get their brains around crimes having to do with bones or rocks. Both the Unmarked Human Burial Act and the Cave Act carry rather light sentences (max 4 and 1 years imprisonment respectively) so usually prosecutors go for other laws to throw at people they catch.

Likely the people being interviewed didn't even know taking stuff from caves was illegal, on top of taking stuff from other people's property. Or else, why would they have told reporters about it?

[Brian Roebuck]

Azurerana,
You wrote "It's not fair to say there is little respect for archeological sites or Indians-- cavers and archeos often collaborate on cave gatings, and share information." but my meaning was that people in general have little respect - not cavers and especially not archaeos!

Thanks for the insights into Missouri cave protection laws etc. I am glad there is some way to disuade folks from wanton digging and destruction.

[Azurerana]

The problem is (and the archeological community openly acknowledges it) where do you draw the line between a looter, a collector, and an 'amateur archeologist'? It's pretty obvious what a looter is--someone just digging without permission for artifacts alone, trashing the site for anyone after themselves, and destroying any metadata---meaning, not using standard archeological methods of measured and documented excavation, by going layer by layer, noting charcoal, soil, flakes, any vegetable material, etc., which might give a clue to the culture or changes in culture through a midden. Looters are also usually in it for the money in the artifact trade. Collectors are people who collect artifacts for personal pleasure, not for profit, usually aren't diggers, and know enough that if they find something really significant, they'll go to either a well-versed amateur or professional archeologist with it . An amateur archeologist is usually in a club (the MAS has chapters, like the NSS), has some education on the subject, (either formal classes, or extensive reading) works as a volunteer on group digs, often has a bachelor's degree and despite gainful employment elsewhere is often an expert on some site, time period, or particular kind of artifact. Mo. law actually defines a professional archeologist as one with an advanced degree, employment in the field, or a specific combination of education and advanced experience.

Sort of analogous to the caver designations of vandal, spelunker, caver or speleologist, with about the same levels going from bad to good in value judgement. Looters and vandals deserve to be hanged, collectors and spelunkers need to be educated, amateur archeos and cavers are good guys who just can't make a living at it, and professional archeos and speleologists are the lucky ones who get to follow their dreams 8 or more hours a day.

The problem is: there aren't badges for the first three categories in either group--you gotta get to know them to tell them apart.