Floyd Collins was dubbed the 'greatest cave explorer ever known', but met a tragic end after he became trapped for 17 days.
This story takes us back to 1925 when Collins became trapped in the Sand Cave in Kentucky, during what is known as the "cave wars" as explorers battled to discover hidden caves first.
Collins was no amateur when it came to contorting himself into small spaces, as in 1917 he discovered the Crystal Cave beneath his father's farm which the family turned into a tourist attraction, per the National Park Service.
Venturing into Sand Cave on January 30, 1925, armed only with a kerosene lantern, Collins soon found himself trapped 60 feet underground by a dislodged rock that pinned his leg.
Efforts to free himself were in vain as the more he shuffled to dislodge the rock, the more it pinned him down.
To set the scene, Collins had passed a segment of the cave called the "turnaround room" which was a passage just big enough to turn yourself around if you didn't want to venture any further.
Trapped 60 feet underground, the explorer was lying on his back with the roof of the cave just inches from his face, and the rock pinning his leg with further rubble on his chest.
Collins' brother would describe it as "a chimney no bigger around than your own body, lined with projecting rocks that dig into your flesh and tear your clothing."
Collins was discovered 25 hours later, and a desperate rescue attempt began as he lay in complete darkness.
His brother managed to squeeze his way through the cave and make it to him, where he was able to lower down food and drink to sustain Collins while they figured out a way to free him.
To make matters worse, the explorer was pinned in a location where he was blocking the only avenue to rescue him.
As news of Collins' plight spread, crowds swelled around the cave, transforming the scene into somewhat of a carnival that included food stalls. It's estimated around 50,000 people headed to the area to see what was going on, per the Mirror.
Amidst the chaos, journalist William Miller, dubbed 'Skeets' was the only writer brave enough to venture into the cave himself to interview Collins.
"I saw the purple of his lips, the pallor on his face, and realized that something must be done before long if this man is to live," wrote Miller, his words later earning him a Pulitzer Prize in Journalism.
Despite valiant efforts by rescuers and the National Guard, Collins' fate was sealed when part of the cave collapsed, thwarting attempts to reach him.
In a last-ditch effort, a new shaft was excavated, but it was too late. 17 days after getting trapped, on February 16, 1925, Collins was found dead, his body ravaged by starvation and exhaustion.
This horrifying story doesn't end there.
His body, initially left within the confines of the cave, was later exhumed and buried at the family farm - until two years later when the farm was sold to a new owner, who decided to dig Collins up and put him back in the cave in a glass case for tourists to look at.
In 1927 there was an unsuccessful attempt to steal the body, and then in 1929, the thieves were successful.
Blood Hounds were used to track the body, and he was returned to the cave - however, he had managed to lose a leg during this time.
In 1961 the National Park Service purchased the cave and stopped all tourists from gawking at Collins' body, and then in 1989 he was finally laid to rest in Mammoth Cave Baptist Church, where he remains today.
On his tombstone, it reads: "Greatest cave explorer ever known".
