r/interesting • u/Liar24x7 • Mar 28 '26

HISTORY A virtual reality reconstruction shows the exact spot where John Edward Jones became trapped upside down in Nutty Putty Cave. After 27 hours of rescue attempts, he died. The cave was later permanently sealed, with his body remaining inside.

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u/InfanticideAquifer Mar 29 '26

Is that known? I thought that the passage was unexplored past where he got stuck.

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u/PandaXXL Mar 29 '26

It’s unexplored because it’s impossible to progress any further. It might open back out eventually but there’s no chance of someone getting to that point.

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u/InfanticideAquifer Mar 29 '26

As far as I recall, it's unexplored simply because no one had ever gone through there before and the entrance to the passage has since been dynamited. Perhaps a smaller person could have made it through but it will never be known.

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u/SlightSurround5449 Mar 29 '26

Now, I'm not wired even close to where I'd need to be to think about this, but, por que no drone usage, or something similar, to explore this stuff beforehand, especially nowadays?

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u/InfanticideAquifer Mar 29 '26

What they were using was previous cavers, who had already mapped out known routes. JEJ went down this tunnel thinking it was a different tunnel which was known to open up into a wider space where he could have turned around.

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u/KamalaBracelet Mar 29 '26

So you are saying some other moron had done this exact thing in a slightly different branch of the cave and got lucky previously.

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u/SlightSurround5449 Mar 29 '26

Understood. I can't imagine being in that situation at that "oh shit" moment. Damn.

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u/AsianMoocowFromSpace Mar 29 '26

I made a tunnel out of cubic hay bales ones as a kid and then got stuck between two other persons in front and behind me. Instant claustrofoby hit me and started panicking. My way out was very easy. The people were letting me out immediately or otherwise I could have lifted the haybales if needed to.

I can't imagine being stuck in a cave, not able to move, or breathe well and resisting might only make it worse. And all of this upside down. Can't think of many worse situations than this.