Remains Are Retrieved From Cave After 41 Years
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Rescuers recovered the remains of an amateur explorer who died 41 years ago in a cavern in Dolgeville, about 200 miles northwest of New York City.
The body of James Mitchell had been locked inside Schroeder’s Pants Cave since Feb. 13, 1965, when the 23-year-old Massachusetts chemist died of exposure while hanging from a harness above a cavern in the cave.
Mitchell’s story made national headlines and prompted spelunkers to become more serious about safety. Rescue teams were formed around the world.
Christian Lyon, 36, a Dolgeville native whose grandfather discovered the cave in 1947, had the blessing of Mitchell’s family and local officials to recover the body.
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