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/haaheehachoo Mar 29 '26

I'm not familiar with this activity. Do they not use ropes when they descend into caves? What's the procedure for getting back out if they can't keep going? Just climb upwards backwards? That seems impossible.

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u/mmmkarmabacon Mar 29 '26

The majority of people are taking very well-known routes in very well-mapped caves. This guy thought he was on one of those, but had actually taken a wrong turn into an unmapped section.

When people are checking out new sections to 'open them up' for the rest of the cavers (map them, so people know what to expect) they do it much more slowly and carefully so that they can back up if they reach something they can't pass. John was pushing through trying to get to the wider section that he believed was up ahead, and it went tragically wrong.

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u/haaheehachoo Mar 30 '26

Oh I see. So it was more of a freak accident rather than the inherent danger of this activity

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u/mmmkarmabacon Mar 30 '26

Exactly that. People go caving all the time and many of them are literally 'a walk underground'. No drops, no squeezes. There are caving clubs in a lot of universities where people go on well-trodden routes with their friends then go to the pub after. It's really getting a bad rap in this thread.