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Post by Lyonz on Jun 18, 2006 11:18:41 GMT -5
Just wanted to let anyone know that was interested in reading the whole story - if you go to herkimertelegram.com you can see the entire story. The reporter there did a wonderful job and there is even a pic. It might only be there for a few days but then they do have a 14 day archive so hurry if you'd like to read this story in it's entirety. It has been all over the news and papers here in Central NY this past week.
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Post by Sharon Faulkner on Jun 18, 2006 11:26:00 GMT -5
Thanks Christian! I had been searching media reports for news on this weekend's activities regarding the cave and couldn't find this.
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Post by Sharon Faulkner on Jun 18, 2006 11:49:32 GMT -5
Nice article, here's an excerpt: Area native making documentary about Dolgeville cave tragedyBy JESSICA ARSENAULT June 16, 2006 DOLGEVILLE - February 13, 1965 began like any other day for James G. Mitchell, a young spelunker from Massachusetts. It was a cold, snowy day, typical of Northeast winters, the day Mitchell and his two cave-exploring partners, 21-year-old Hedy Miller and 23-year-old Charles Bennett, arrived in Dolgeville to explore virgin territory of a small grotto known as Schroeder's Pants Cave. Mitchell had visited with the cave property's lessee, George Lyon, a month earlier and expressed his interest in the narrow cavern. But on the day he returned to explore it, Lyon was not home to warn him of the exaggerated danger existing on that particular day. All week long, the days had been getting warmer than usual, creating more melt water runoff than usual. Unbeknownst to Mitchell and his crew, that ice-cold runoff found its way into Schroeder's Pants Cave by various means and poured through the tunnels and passageways. Here a link to the full story: herkimertelegram.com/articles/2006/06/17/news/news01.txt
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Post by L Roebuck on Jun 18, 2006 13:42:34 GMT -5
Enjoyed reading the article! Also here is media coverage from WKTV, Utica, New York, USA. Group Working to Find Remains of Local Man Killed in a Cave 40 years Ago A 40-year-old story may soon have a new ending. Back in 1965, James Mitchell - a chemist and speleologist - was exploring Schroeder's Pants Cave in the Town of Manheim with two friends. Mitchell got stuck in a vertical shaft, and his friends couldn't free him. Mitchell died from exposure to cold water running on him. Crews from Washington, D.C. attempted to retrieve Mitchell's body the same week he died, but to no avail. Now, Christian Lyon, a Dolgeville native, is bringing in a crew next weekend to retrieve Mitchell's remains. Full Article: Utica New York, USA www.wktv.com/news/local/3068016.htmlVideo: www.savethis.clickability.com/st/saveThisApp?clickMap=link&webPadID=K148594149
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Post by Sharon Faulkner on Jun 19, 2006 7:46:14 GMT -5
1965 cave accident victim's remains to be retrieved June 19, 2006 Utica Observer-Dispatch By Bryon Ackerman backerman@utica.gannett.com DOLGEVILLE — A team of spelunkers from around the country will attempt Saturday to retrieve from Shroeder's Cave in Dolgeville the remains of James Mitchell, a 23-year-old who died while exploring the cave in 1965. Christian Lyon, a Dolgeville native who lives in Los Angeles, began organizing the effort three years ago. He said he is trying to bring closure for the family. The 1965 incident received national media attention, and a rescue team from Washington, D.C., attempted to aid in the rescue, which failed to save Mitchell or remove his body from the cave. The accident inspired the creation of cave-rescue teams across the nation, Lyon said. Lyon is making a documentary, "Tragic Exposure," which will cover the cave's discovery, Mitchell's death and Saturday's recovery efforts. Lyon's grandfather discovered the cave in the fall of 1947 and made the discovery public in 1948. Lyon said he hopes his documentary will let the legacy of the national impact of Mitchell's death live on. "It's a story that needs to be told," Lyon said. Spelunkers from around Upstate New York and from Kentucky, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio will be donating their time Saturday in the retrieval efforts. "I called them and they all jumped at the chance," Lyon said. "Everyone is lending a hand to help in this tragic case that happened right in our backyard." Once the remains are brought out of the cave, Herkimer County Coroner Chris Moser will bring the remains to the Little Falls Hospital morgue and evaluate them. He will then bring them to Earlville to be cremated and given to Mitchell's family. www.uticaod.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060619/NEWS/606190319/1001
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Post by L Roebuck on Jun 19, 2006 11:56:11 GMT -5
Here is the link to WCAX - TV NEWS, Burlington, VT, U.S., Schroeder’s Pants Cave coverage. Note the use of the terms cave explorers and spelunkers......
Spelunkers will attempt retrieval of remains from 1965 cave death" DOLGEVILLE, N.Y. His death more than 40 years ago in an upstate cave led to the creation of cave-rescue teams across the nation. " " James Mitchell's body was never removed from Shroeder's Cave, in Dolgeville in Herkimer County. This weekend, cave explorers -- also known as spelunkers (spee-LUHN'-kerz) -- will attempt to recover his remains." Full Story: www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=5047710&nav=4QcS
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Post by guanonoggin on Jun 19, 2006 21:31:54 GMT -5
Dude, Be sure to let us know if they can get Mitchells remains out. That would be totally good Karma for his family. If it were my remains though - I'd like them left in the cave. Anyways it's a gnarly but cool story Christian! Good luck with it dude!
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Post by Lyonz on Jun 20, 2006 10:48:47 GMT -5
Hey Dude ~ I definitely will let you all know of our outcome this weekend. I have an exceptional group of cavers, led by Kevin Dumont out of Kentucky, who already has experience in Schroeder's Cave, so I anticipate a successful recovery. It will not be easy, as anyone who has been in Schroeder's will tell you, but the efforts are all worth it. And yes, I am most happy for the remaining members of James' family as this will hopefully bring them a sense of closure. Thank you all for your support and well wishes in this project. Christian
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Post by L Roebuck on Jun 20, 2006 15:37:25 GMT -5
Here's some more media coverage about James Mitchell and Schroeder’s. Decades later, effort revived to retrieve body from cave shaftBy Mac Daniel, Globe Staff | June 20, 2006 James Mitchell was a 23-year-old chemist from Winthrop whose death made national headlines in February 1965 when he died of exposure while exploring a cave in central New York. After being lowered into a narrow 75-foot-deep shaft by two friends, Mitchell somehow got stuck in a stream of frigid water flowing at 10 gallons per minute as his two friends from Cambridge tried frantically to help. Days later, after a rescue team was flown from Washington on the vice president's jet, efforts to retrieve Mitchell's body had failed, and the cave was blasted shut in the young spelunker's honor. But the many limestone entrances to the cave, about 20 miles east of Utica, N.Y., were never fully closed, leaving Mitchell's body without a private resting place for the past 40 years. Now, Christian Lyon, 36, an actor from Los Angeles and the son of the local Dolgeville, N.Y., mayor, has returned to not only retrieve Mitchell's body, but also make a documentary about Mitchell's death and the recovery, which is planned for this weekend. `` I want to do justice by Jim," Lyon said from Dolgeville yesterday. ``I was not alive when this happened, but for some reason he matters to me." Mitchell mattered to a lot of people, especially cave explorers. His death was a milestone in the spelunking world, with rescue teams forming around the world after his much-publicized tragedy. In fact, the National Speleological Society in Washington gives a James Mitchell Award for outstanding scientific papers. On Feb. 13, 1965, Mitchell, Hedy Miller, and Charles Bennett, all friends from the Boston Grotto of the National Speleological Society, set out to explore Schroeder's Pants Cave. Mitchell, attached to a nylon rope, descended more than 60 feet in the cave toward a pit Lyon said is big enough to fit a house in. Press reports said that, exhausted from walking nearly a mile to the cave in knee-deep snow and crawling through parts of the cavern 18 inches high, Mitchell was unable to make it back to Miller and Bennett and became stuck 10 to 15 feet below his partners as frigid water washed over him. He was declared dead about a day later, and $500,000 was spent in an effort to retrieve the body. Charles Bennett, now 63 and a scientist with IBM, declined to comment on the recovery, saying he did not wish to ``contribute to publicity which might be unwelcome to the survivors." He added that Mitchell's death served as a wake-up call to the caving community about the dangers of hypothermia. Mitchell's family is from Waterville, Ohio, and when contacted by Lyon about the rescue, they approved of the project and said they hoped to bring the remains home. The family would only agree to work with Lyon if they were not contacted by the press, he said. Lyon said members of the original rescue team and Mitchell's family will gather in Dolgeville on Friday and begin the private rescue on Saturday, led by a caver who has been inside the cave, which is said to be one of the trickiest in the Northeast. Once recovered, the remains will be passed over to the New York State doctor of forensics who, with the local coroner, will bring the remains to a local morgue for examination. James Mitchell's remains will be cremated, with some of his ashes given to family members and the rest buried near the site of the cave, where the Lyon family placed a marker years ago marking the tragedy, which affected that family as well. Lyon's grandfather discovered the cave in 1947, and the marker and cave are on family property. ``It's going to probably be overwhelming for me, but also a great sense of relief and closure," Lyon said. ``If my documentary and the book I plan on writing never see the light of day, and my only success is that I retrieved Jim's remains, then that will still be one of the greatest moments of my life." Full Article: Boston, Massachusetts, USA www.boston.com/Direct Link tinyurl.com/kbyrm
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Post by L Roebuck on Jun 21, 2006 8:18:38 GMT -5
Mitchell’s remains to be exhumed from Schroeder’s Pants CaveBy ROB JUTEAU Evening Times Staff Writer (Tues., June 20) Published: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 12:22 PM CDT DOLGEVILLE — The remains of James Gentry Mitchell have been entombed in Schroeder’s Pants Cave for 41 years. The 23-year-old spelunker lost his life after he became stuck in a vertical shaft about 235 feet from the entrance of the cave located in the town of Manheim. The attempted rescue and recovery effort, led by the National Capital Grotto Rescue Squad, captured national media attention as it seemed as though all of America was engrossed by the happenings that occurred during a frigid February in New York. Cold temperatures, a snowstorm and cave-ins made the rescue hazardous and success doubtful, and as a result, the decision was made to halt the effort. “Based on what the experts tell me, they went in to get his body, but rocks started falling in on them,” Christian Lyon, a Dolgeville native who now lives in Los Angeles, said. “They were a foot away from hitting home, but they thought the cave was collapsing, and they got out.” Lyon and a team of spelunkers from around the country will attempt to write a new ending for the 41-year-old story on Saturday as they will endeavor to retrieve Mitchell’s remains from the shaft. The latest recovery effort is the culmination of three years of organization and research. “I have always been fascinated by the story,” Lyon said. “I can remember looking through my father’s scrapbooks of the incident from the time I was little, and every couple of years I would find myself looking at the books again. For some reason I am attached to the story.” Full Article: Herkimer County, NY, USA www.littlefallstimes.com/articles/2006/06/21/news/news2.txt
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Post by Taylor on Jun 21, 2006 21:36:18 GMT -5
Very interesting reading here. This story seems to have all the necessary ingredients for a successful documentary. Best of luck on the recovery efforts this weekend.
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Post by Lyonz on Jun 22, 2006 10:52:16 GMT -5
Thanks very much Taylor for your kind words and support. 3 years of work and a lifelong passion are finally here. I will post here soon with the results of this weekend. Christian Lyon
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Post by Lyonz on Jun 22, 2006 14:31:33 GMT -5
Friday, June 23,2006 - the AP is running their story. If you happen to see it in your local newspaper and it isn't too much trouble, I would love to have copies from around the country, for my own archival purposes. My dad had so many of the national papers from the '65 tragedy, and that is part of what has had me riveted all thes years. I would pay for postage and I would give you my po box if needed.
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Post by L Roebuck on Jun 22, 2006 15:50:09 GMT -5
Hey Christian, If they run the articles in any Tennessee newspapers I will be sure to mail you a copy. Below is a short snipett and the link to the article. Spelunker's 41-year-old remains to surfaceBy JOHN KEKIS ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER DOLGEVILLE, N.Y. -- Forty-one years ago, rescuers couldn't get the body of James Mitchell out of the cave where he died. Workers dynamited the cave, sealed it with rocks, placed a memorial headstone above it and left him dangling in his harness, 60 feet above the cave floor. Mitchell's story drove spelunkers to get more serious about safety, and would later intrigue a boy whose grandfather discovered the cave in the Adirondack foothills. On Saturday that boy, now grown, intends to give that story a real ending. "He needs a proper burial," said Christian Lyon, 36, who has the blessing of Mitchell's family and local officials to recover his body, and will be filming the event for a documentary. His work will finally lay to rest a 23-year-old Massachusetts chemist still remembered with an annual award from the National Speleological Society for outstanding scientific papers. The high-profile rescue effort, by an inexperienced crew from hundreds of miles away, led cavers to form rescue teams around the world. Mitchell had come to Dolgeville, some 200 miles northwest of New York City, on Feb. 13, 1965, to explore Schroeder's Pants Cave with two friends from the Boston Grotto Club - Hedy Miller, a nurse, and Charles Bennett, a graduate student at Harvard. In preparation, Mitchell visited Lyon's grandfather, George Lyon, who had discovered the cave with Herb Schroeder in 1947. But no one warned Mitchell and his friends that temperatures earlier that week had hovered around freezing, creating more runoff than usual. Ice-cold water was pouring through the cave's passageways. Mitchell, then Miller and Bennett, inched through sections named by previous cavers - Lemon Squeeze, Z-bend, Gunbarrel - until they reached an open area. There, they stared down a vertical shaft that extended to a bell-shaped cavern about 80 feet below. Despite the frigid water cascading around them, Mitchell hooked his safety lines and started down. Then he stopped. "Something went wrong," Miller told reporters afterward. "He tried to wiggle lower and then could not move. He tried to pull himself up on the rope with one hand, but his hand kept slipping." About 10 gallons of icy water were pouring on his head every minute. "He told me not to worry, that he'd get out. Later on, he could not talk at all," Miller said. After 45 frantic minutes trying to lift Mitchell to safety, Bennett left the cave to find help. And when the newly formed National Capital Grotto Rescue Squad flew in from Washington, D.C., on Air Force 2, the story became front-page news. Full Story and Photo: Seattle WA, USA seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Cave_Remains.html
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Post by Lyonz on Jun 22, 2006 17:14:45 GMT -5
Thanks alot. I would really appreciate that. If it does appear in Tennessee, let me know, I will get you my po box and any expense for the postage. I just got off the phone with the London Times and yesterday, FOX news did a live national spot with me. All very exciting as it is finally here. All start arriving in Dolgeville tomorrow. Thanks again for all your support.
Christian
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Post by L Roebuck on Jun 22, 2006 18:27:46 GMT -5
No problem, I will let you know if our newpapers run the article. Well Christian tomorrow is the day! With all the excitement I hope you will be able to get some sleep tonight? The story is so compelling I feel sure most people who have been following it from the very beginning of this thread will be waiting to hear if the cave team had a successful recovery of James Mitchell's remains. Best of Luck to all of you this weekend!
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Post by Azurerana on Jun 23, 2006 10:22:53 GMT -5
I mean no disrespect to either Mr. Lyons efforts or the Mitchell family, but I don't understand this effort. Is the objective to be able to reopen the cave without its tragic reminder? Is there a problem with people sneaking into the cave which Mr. Lyons is trying to solve? I'm afraid the story will cling to the cave as long as the cave exists. While a body recovery prompted by the family of a recent victim is somewhat understandable, one would hope after 40 years, the family would have come to terms with their loss, and I would suspect that a majority of today's active cavers, simply know James Mitchell as a name on the NSS' annual award and never met him personally.
Both of the stories I 've seen say Jim's remains will be examined by the coroner, then cremated and apportioned for burial. I don't understand how this is more respectful than just leaving them alone. But then again, I don't understand much about funeral customs. I always understood funerals and other death rites were conducted to console the survivors and to honor the dead.
I'm trying to understand this. It may be because to me, dead is dead-once the spirt has fled, the remains shouldn't be used in a macabre manner, but otherwise, it's just dust to dust.
I know, I'll have to read the book to find out.
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Post by L Roebuck on Jun 23, 2006 12:47:00 GMT -5
Azurerana I thought the Mitchell family may have wanted their loved one's remains finally recovered. That's understandable and I hope this brings the family closure. But personally, if something happened I'd rather my remains stay in the last cave I explored - but that's just the caver in me.
I was curious about the cave's name. One article stated that Herb Schroeder and George Lyon discovered the cave in 1947. So logically the "Schroeder" part must have been named after Herb but how did the "Pants" portion get put into the name?
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Post by Azurerana on Jun 24, 2006 0:13:42 GMT -5
Azurerana I thought the Mitchell family may have wanted their loved one's remains finally recovered. That's understandable and I hope this brings the family closure. But personally, I'd rather my remains stay in the last cave I explored but that's just the caver in me. I have no idea where my mother 's body ended up. She wanted to donate her body to science, and did so. My dad was cremated without a funeral--his wishes-- his sister had a memorial Mass said, sans remains, and on the day of my calculus final, we took the little box to bury him with his parents-- no ceremony there except to play the Wabash Cannonball. Or in the words of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band--'Gravestones cheer the living, dear, they're no use to the dead.' I never realized how weird I am in regards to funerary rituals until this moment. I suppose someone with a geology background, and the habit of looking at the big picture doesn't qualify as 'normal' any more. I guess I better write out some directions, or they'll likely do something conventional to me after I am gone.
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Post by L Roebuck on Jun 24, 2006 8:02:25 GMT -5
I never realized how weird I am in regards to funerary rituals until this moment. I suppose someone with a geology background, and the habit of looking at the big picture doesn't qualify as 'normal' any more. I guess I better write out some directions, or they'll likely do something conventional to me after I am gone. Perhaps it is just that you didn't realize until now how different each family's funeral customs might be compared to your own family? That might be a good topic for another thread since it seems organized caver's have a different outlook. This new article answered my question about Schroeder’s Pants Cave name. Team to recover caver, 41 years on tinyurl.com/fybnv" Mr Lyon’s grandfather, George, discovered the cave with his friend Herb Schroeder in 1947 and named it Schroeder’s Pants Cave after Mr Schroeder tore his trousers while exploring it." Also here is a PBS mp3 Interview with Christian Lyon who is making the documentary about the removal of James Mitchell's body from Schroeder's Pants Cave in Herkimer County, Dolgeville, NY. Photo: James Mitchell Picture Photo: Schroeder’s Pants Cave Entrance Photo: Bruce Lyon holding 1965 newspaperCaver's remains to be recovered today Saturday, June 24, 2006 www.herkimertelegram.com/articles/2006/06/23/news/news01.txt
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Post by L Roebuck on Jun 24, 2006 10:24:07 GMT -5
I can't help but wonder how today's recovery effort is going....... hopefully, Christian will have time to post later.
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Post by gbjennings on Jun 24, 2006 11:27:44 GMT -5
I am a native of Dolgeville (spend my entire childhood there through age 20), but I was in Viet Nam at the time of this tragedy and did not hear of it until this week. I am terribly sorry for this death, but I must admit I am also sad this cave has been gated for so many years because of one man's mishap. Why should all others who choose to explore this cave be denied the opportunity because of one person's error in judgement ? If the decision were mine, I would remove the remains but leave the cave open for anyone who chooses to explore it. Sorry, but I just don't get it.
Gary
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