Brit suffered ‘worst death ever’ after being trapped ‘forever’ in Peak District cave
The tragedy unfolded on 22 March, 1959
It should be pretty obvious to everyone by now that caving is perhaps one of the most dangerous hobbies a person can have.
We're all very aware of the infamous incident at Nutty Putty Cave in Utah, where a US man's remains were sealed forever after he became wedged upside down at the end of a passageway.
However, if that isn't enough to scare you straight, then it's time to recall the story of Oscar Hackett Neil Moss, known as Neil Moss, a British man who also made a one-way trip into a cave system.
On 22 March, 1959, Moss, a keen adventurer and Oxford University undergraduate, travelled to Castleton, Derbyshire, with hopes of exploring the nearby Peak Cavern.
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Here, the philosophy student met up with a group of fellow spelunking enthusiasts from the British Speleological Association and journeyed underground with the hope of exploring a recently discovered chamber inside the cave system.
Their journey would end up becoming famous for devastating reasons.
Moss entered the cave alongside seven other climbers in search of the extremely narrow downward passage, located inside Peak Cavern's Stalagmite Chamber, situated around 1,000ft (300m) below the surface.
After locating the passageway, it was decided that Moss, who was 6ft tall and relatively slim, would be the first in his group to attempt the journey. Prior to his expedition, four other cavers had already assessed the area and had noted that the passage was 40ft deep - and that there was a corkscrew twist in the middle which would be difficult to navigate.
What happened to Neil Moss?
While navigating the passageway, Moss encountered a boulder while lowering himself down, which he attempted to move in order to see if the shaft continued. This would be his first fatal error, as the boulders then trapped the rope ladder which had been lowered into the narrow opening.
He then tried to climb back out of the shaft but was unable to, as he'd manoeuvred his body into 'an elliptical slit only eighteen inches wide'.
"I say, I'm stuck, I can't budge an inch," he reportedly shouted to the rest of the group, signalling that he needed assistance.
The group then made several attempts to free Moss from the passageway by pulling up the ladder while he clung on. However, this was unsuccessful due to the boulders having trapped the bottom of the rope ladder.
Moss was also in a race against time, as carbon dioxide from his own respiration was flooding the passage, leaving him confused and disorientated. The poor air quality had become so bad that several rescuers in the above chamber also began to pass out, leading to several attempts to flood the chamber with oxygen.
After two days and numerous rescue attempts thwarted by 'foul air', Moss was declared dead on 24 March, 1959 after they were unable to hear breathing.
His father, Eric Moss, who'd been waiting outside the cave and was desperate to hear updates about his son, told rescuers to seal his body inside the passageway, as he didn't want anyone else's lives to be put at risk.
The entrance to the lower shaft was sealed with loose rocks from the chamber, while an inscription in dedication to Moss was later added nearby. Today, this section of Peak Cavern is known as Moss Chamber, instead of Stalagmite Chamber, in memory of the 21-year-old.
Brenna Cooper