Snail Shell Cave Rescue

[L Roebuck]

Three phone calls came in early this morning concerning a possible cave rescue in Rutherford County. And finally the news reported two 18 year olds are missing in Tennessee's Snail Shell Cave and as I type the cave it is being searched by rescuers.

[L Roebuck]

Cave Rescue Underway
Posted: 6/14/2006 7:44:00 AM
Updated: 6/14/2006 8:35:01 AM

Rescue crews from surrounding counties are being called to help with a cave rescue in Rutherford County. Two 18- year-olds are missing.

The search and rescue is going on in the Rockvale community in Rutherford County.

Major Chuck Thomas with the Rutherford County Sheriff Department says there are two missing 18-year-olds. Officials are searching near a cave on Highway 99 near Snail Shell Cave road.

The teens were dropped off at the cave around 3:00 Tuesday afternoon. The mother of one teen called officials when her child had not returned by the middle of the night.

Cave rescuers from other areas have been brought in to help with the search.

According to an environmental group, the Karst Waters Institute, Snail Shell Cave is the longest continuous cave in the Central Basin, with 13 miles of passages.

The group's Web site listed the cave among its "Ten Most Endangered" in 2000-2001.

Stay with the NewsChannel 5 Network for more on this story as it develops.


Full Article: www.newschannel5.com/content/news/20034.asp

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Additional Links:

Southeastern Cave Conservancy: www.scci.org/
Karst Waters Institute: www.karstwaters.org/

[L Roebuck]

An article in the Tennessean, " Rescuers: Missing Rutherford County cave explorers found " says the men who went into Snail Shell Cave were Timoteo Hernandez, Jr., and Matthew Donald Corns have been found.

Full Article:
tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/NEWS03/60614002/1001/NEWS

[Sharon Faulkner]

Here's another news report from today's rescue:

Rescuers find teens who got lost in cave
By The Associated Press
June 14, 2006

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Rescuers who spent seven hours searching a cave for two missing 18-year-olds found them Wednesday, cold but uninjured.

The two men, whose names have not been released had been in the Snail Shell Cave in Rutherford County since Tuesday afternoon, said Randy White, a spokesman for the county’s Emergency Medical Services. "They are well, they are cold and they are hungry," White said.

The two men were dropped off at the cave’s entrance Tuesday afternoon and authorities began searching around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, said Maj. Chuck Thomas with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.

The men were very deep in the 13-mile-long cave when cave rescue teams located them, White said.

"It’s probably the largest cave down here," Thomas said. "It goes for miles."

White said that the cave ranged in depth from 5 to 80 feet and some sections were under water.

White said that the two men apparently were not experienced in caving and brought with them only flashlights and glow sticks.

"Unfortunately it is a very popular cave for people to go into," White said. "But it is not a cave that the inexperienced should try on their own."

Karst Waters Institute, an environmental group that tracks caves, listed Snail Shell Cave as the longest continual cave in central Tennessee with 13 miles of passages.

The cave is located on private property and the teens had to walk a quarter of mile from where they were dropped off to get to the entrance, White said.

Snail Shell Cave is owned by the Southeast Cave Conservancy, an environmental organization.

Tim White, a southeast regional coordinator with the National Cave Rescue Commission, said that hypothermia is the first concern during cave rescues. Caves in Middle Tennessee have an average temperature in the mid-60s, he said.

"Hypothermia is a great concern especially in a cave like this where the lost people would have been in water for a long time," Tim White said. "Also in the early stages of hypothermia, your decision-making skills are impaired."

The last time a cave rescue occurred in the state was March 2005, when a caver fell and dislocated an ankle in Raccoon Mountain Caverns near Chattanooga, according to National Speleological Society records.

[L Roebuck]

Boy, this rescue recieve a lot of media coverage. Here's yet another version pertaining to the rescue.


Teen picks girlfriend instead of caving
By LISA MARCHESONI
[e-mail]
—Lisa Marchesoni, 278-5155

Blackman senior Chris Lamb declined an invitation from two friends Tuesday to explore the remote Snail Shell Cave near Rockvale.

He decided instead to spend the evening hanging out with his girlfriend.

Lamb became worried when 18-year-old explorers Tim Hernandez of Murfreesboro and Matthew Donald Corns of Smyrna didn't emerge from the cave later that night.

The two men spent the night in the 14-mile cave before being found by rescuers Wednesday. They emerged cold and hungry but unharmed.

"It's a good thing I said no," Lamb said with a laugh.

Lamb and fellow Blackman seniors Daniel Reese and Adam Cunningham searched for their friends from another entrance they knew about on Shores Road but couldn't locate them.

They returned to welcome them to safety.

Cunningham said the men weren't lost and surprised to see the rescuers. The rising seniors have explored the cave before. Reese said he enjoys looking around the cave "to find new stuff."

Lamb's walked through the cave wearing a helmet with a head lamp.

"It's like an adventure," Lamb said.

But this time, Lamb's glad he chose hanging out with girlfriend Katie Russell rather than an adventure.

Full Article and Photo: www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060615/NEWS01/606150304/1002

[Sharon Faulkner]

One more item. This one contains a little more information than some of the others I've read.

Two teens found safe in cave

ROCKVALE — Timoteo Hernandez hugged his son, Tim, in celebration after the young man and a friend were rescued unharmed Wednesday after a long, chilly night in Snail Shell Cave.

Tim Hernandez, 18, of Murfreesboro, and friend Matthew Donald Corns, 18, of Smyrna, were cold and hungry when found by a rescue team about 10:30 a.m. The men spent 18 hours in the cave, where temperatures average 52 to 56 degrees.

They were supposed to call friends for a ride home after exploring the cave, but when their friends didn't hear from them, a search began.

Rescuers were called about 2:30 a.m. The elder Hernandez, Corns' parents and friends waited until almost noon before learning that the young men were all right. "My son, I love him to death," Hernandez said. "They're safe. I'm glad my boy's OK." The two young men didn't want to talk after the rescue.

Snail Shell Cave is believed to be the largest continuous cave in the Midstate, with about 13 miles of passageways. It is in a wooded area near Rockvale. Southeastern Cave Conservancy owns the 88-acre preserve.

Cave property manager Bob Biddix of Murfreesboro said the young men didn't have permission to be inside the cave. Visitors must be members of the conservancy or the National Speleological Society and receive a permit to explore the cave.

Biddix said the group is considering filing trespassing charges against Hernandez and Corns. He feared that the men would suffer hypothermia in the cave, which has a creek flowing through it.

Hernandez and Corns suffered slight hypothermia but refused medical treatment. The young men were wearing shorts and T-shirts and carried only flashlights and glowsticks.

Volunteer John Hickman of Nashville, who belongs to the Hamilton County Rescue Service/Cave and Cliff Unit, paramedic Chris Gandy and volunteers Jason Hardy and John Hoffled crawled through a "tight" secondary entrance and into a couple of feet of water.

They searched for two hours, yelling to attract the men. "They heard us yelling; then we heard them yelling back," Hickman said.

Rescuers located the men about one mile from where the team entered the cave. The team gave the hungry men sausage and biscuits, drinking water and warm clothes.

"They spent a lot of time walking around to stay warm," Hickman said.

Biddix said many people want to explore the cave but described it as an advanced excursion, not one for beginners. He described the cave as a "unique natural feature" with many native species.

"We want people to see it, but we want people to do it in the right way," Biddix said. "This cave does require proper equipment."

For photos: www.fairviewobserver.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060615/COUNTY07/606150392/1321/MTCN06

[L Roebuck]

Man rescued from cave arrested at rock quarry
By LISA MARCHESONI
[e-mail]
—Lisa Marchesoni, 278-5155

One man rescued after allegedly trespassing at a cave June 14 was arrested on an unrelated charge while trespassing early Monday at a rock quarry, a sheriff's deputy said.

Timoteo Hernandez Jr., 18, of North Thompson Lane was located while trespassing near a rock quarry on Old Nashville Highway.

Hernandez, who was previously convicted of possession of marijuana, theft and evading arrest, was charged Monday with violation of probation. The warrant stated Hernandez failed to report to his probation officer, undergo drug screens and pay fines and court costs.

Hernandez and Matthew Corns, 18, of Smyrna were exploring Snail Shell Cave in Rockvale without permission the night of June 13. When friends didn't hear from them, they called in emergency responders and volunteers who launched a search for them.

They were found cold and hungry about eight hours later after spending the night in the cave with temperatures hovering about 52 to 56 degrees.

Cave property manager Bob Biddix was concerned about the men getting hypothermia.

Paramedic spokesman Randy White said hypothermia occurs when the body temperature drops. It causes disorientation and slows the thinking process.

Hernandez and Corns suffered slight hypothermia but refused to get medical treatment. They told friends and rescuers they didn't know they were lost, but rescuers said they wandered around and couldn't find their way out.

The 14-mile cave is owned by Southeastern Cave Conservancy. The group considered filing trespassing charges against Hernandez and Corns, but no charges were placed yet.

Hernandez is being held at Rutherford County Adult Detention Center while awaiting a hearing Aug. 1 in General Sessions Court.

Full Article:
dnj.midsouthnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060628/NEWS01/606280322/1002

[Brian Roebuck]

This guy seems to be a habitual trespasser at only 18 years old! If he keeps it up he may end up face to face with an angry "good ole boy" with a shotgun protecting his land! It can be dangerous to trespass in Tennessee! I wish him luck in getting to 19.

[L Roebuck]

Perhaps Hernandez just has a ' Trespassing Affliction '?

[tncaveres]

I am going on the 15th for my first trip to Snellshell. Atleast I will be there legally.