The Life and Death of Floyd Collins

by Homer Collins, John Lehrberger

This is a family story of AmericaÂ’s most famous cave explorer who was trapped and died in Sand Cave, Kentucky, in 1925. That story has been told many times but never before has the complete life of Floyd Collins been presented. FloydÂ’s younger brother Homer tells how Floyd was fascinated with caves from his childhood, of his discovery of the famous Crystal Cave on the home property, and of the Sand Cave rescue attempts from the viewpoint of a devoted brother whose extraordinary efforts to save Floyd were rewarded by his being removed from the premises while others inexperienced in working in caves carried on the unsuccessful attempt. It is a warm story of a man whose love in life was exploring caves, a man who endured his grim death with dignity and pride in his vocation.

206 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[chelsea | honeyiboughtmorebooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book after visiting Sand Cave. If you ever find yourself in Cave City, KY, be sure to add this short .3 mile walk to your "places to visit" list. While it's mainly just an overlook, there's a nature trail that will lead you from the lookout down to the cave where you can go inside. To the back of the cave, there's a sewer grate covering a hole. Unsure if this was where Floyd Collins entered, if it's where the shaft was built, or if it was placed there for draining purposes but it's still so cool to see.

[Rosamund Hencinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Floyd’s life from the perspective of his brother Homer. An incredible account for those interested in the story of Floyd Collins.

[Joan Colby · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems ironic when a person dies doing what he loved—the racecar driver who wipes out, the stunt pilot who crashes, the avid rider thrown from his horse, etc. Floyd Collins was a cause celebre in the 1920’s when the noted cave explorer was trapped in a pit for 16 days while rescuers tried all conceivable methods to extricate him to no avail. Collins had been obsessed with caving from childhood. He was born and raised in Kentucky’s; cave country. With just a 4th grade education, he immersed himself in geology and befriended by a professor of geology, to whom he’d sold cave artifacts as a youngster, he became an expert on cave lore. He explored numerous caves, frequently alone with nothing but an oil lamp and he would take enormous risks wiggling into tight passages intent on finding the “big cave”—like Mammoth Cave. In fact, he discovered Crystal Cave (now part of Mammoth) which was on his property. Collins farmed, hunted and trapped for a living when not caving, though occasionally he was paid to explore a cave. Like many of his neighbors he was intent on making money from his subterranean enterprises. Cave wars ensued where cave owners contested, each trying mainly by foul means, to discredit their rivals. Collins’ entrapment was sensationalized by the newspapers of the day, in particular a young news reporter Skeets Miller made his reputation and garnered a Pulitzer for his reportage of the tragedy. Unlike other books written about Collins plight, this one is authored by his brother who dictated the story to his co-writer. It covers Collins life and the history of the cave country.

The grisly description of how he was trapped in Sand Cave has actually given me both day and nightmares. I'm pretty claustrophobic. I don't even like elevators. So the picture of Floyd tightly wedged into a crevice, his hands pinned to his sides, his foot trapped by a fallen rock, lying there for days helpless while partiers of rescuers attempted, futilely, to free him just gave me the chills. This was a hugely sensationalized case in 1925--hundreds of people gathered at the cave, many more or less partying, while the newspapers printed day by day headlines. I bought this book while we were visiting Mammoth Cave recently. Good thing I didn't read it before we took the tour.

[Richard Downey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Story of Floyd and his adventures and death have fascinated me since I first heard of his name in grade school. This book is a memoir by his brother Homer as told to Jack Lehrberger in the 1950s. It is a fascinating reminiscence and one I relish reading over and over. Highly recommended!

[Amanda Linehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Granted my interest in the topic of Floyd Collins and caving was high because of Mark's show, but this was still a really good read. I finished it in one night!

[Dan Colantuono · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5