Show EXPLORER DIGS WAY OUT AFTER BURIAL FOR SIX DAYS Describes Ter Ter- Terror Terror He lie Felt First Few Pew Days CANDLE AIDS HIM HI I Elaine Moved d B Bj Faint Paini Current Points Way Yay to Freedom Free om SHELL MOUND Tents Aug g. 22 By The Press Lawrence Ashley hley geologist and cave explorer to- to toay today today day ay owed his life to t a small cache of food he had bad planted far Lack in the recesses of the Nick A cave and ando to o a 0 small shovel with which he dug his Ws way to freedom after atler being en entombed en- en entombed for six sic sl days Ashley made his exit yesterday from the he famous ca cavern which spreads out under three states and from which marauding bands of Cherokee Indians used to make their sallies against white F settlers at a point In Castle CastleRock Rock Pock gulch near the abandoned Cole City mines eight mlles miles from the mouth the cave li h entered on Monday londay morning a week wed ago In a n dazed conscious semi condition and andon andon on n the verge erge of collapse the explorer protested he was none the worse for his ils experience though he admitted the experience exp was harrowing enough The entrance of the NIck Jack cave ave is on the Tennessee line where that hat state joins Alabama and Georgia and nd the passageway of the cavern runs far ar back into the latter two states TRAPPED BY nt sLIm SLIDE Ashley entered the cave last Mon Mon- Monday Monday Monday day to examine an unexplored sub- sub cavern which he believes Is much larger than the famous Mammoth cave caven In n Kentucky and It was there that he was trapped by a landslide which cut ut off oll his retreat and forced him to dig his way to freedom with a pocket pocketknife pocketknife knife and a 0 small shovel which he had lad carried with him into the cave A supply of food which wl ch he had cached ached In the cavern and from which he ic was not cut off by the slide served to o sustain life during his six-day six light fight to o free himself v Exhausting my supply of water for forthe forthe the le lamps I resorted to candles for light he declared in relating his ex- ex ex- ex It was fortunate that I lighted a candle andle for as slight as the movement mo of f air was I was convinced that it would lead me to a new and unknown opening Frantically I followed the draft raft of air and finally found a small amount mount of water for my carbide lamps amps FINDS OPENING On Thursday night I discovered a small mall opening I could see but could not crawl through this small apper- apper ture ure In the frenzy of my first terror I tried to dig 1 way out with a small pocket knife The ceiling was of rock and nd floor of a hard packed shale form- form atton I was soon convinced of the futility utility of these efforts and retraced my steps some four or five miles to the he point where the cavern took place and nd secured a mall snaIl trench shovel which I had foolishly left behind i on Again coming to the new entrance which Is In Georgia I think I slept a afew few ew hours As soon as it was daylight I started digging out A strong ani ant animal mal malodor odor was vas present and In a short time Ime I discovered that I was in the nest of a family of young wildcats I realized that they would do me no harm larm If I let them alone so I discon- discon discontinued my operations for some time and they slunk out of the small open open- openIng opening Ing ng leaving me free to continue my excavations va Due to the small amount of light from rom the aperture in the mountain mountain- mountainside side Ide I was able to extinguish my car car- carbide carbide carbide bide lamps and so 60 conserve fuel This work continued on without regard to time I was able to squeeze through the he opening I had succeeded In mak- mak making tag ing ng I remember coming out into the bright sunlight for the first time lime In nearly a week exhausted but glad to tobe tobe tobe be free of the mountain tomb |