• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
What happened to cave after British man suffered one of worst deaths possible after getting 'stuck forever'

Home> News> UK News

Published 20:38 20 Jun 2024 GMT+1

What happened to cave after British man suffered one of worst deaths possible after getting 'stuck forever'

Oscar Hackett Neil Moss never made it out of the cave, but what did they do with the area?

Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair

Caving might be one of the most dangerous activities you can take up as a hobby, and if you don't believe me, listen to the story of Oscar Hackett Neil Moss.

The British student was a keen explorer and sports enthusiast and suffered one of the most grim deaths ever after he became trapped inside Peak Cavern, forever.

The Oxford undergraduate was just 20 when he went into the famous cave system situated in Castleton, Derbyshire on the fateful date of 22 March, 1959.

Moss joined a group of other spelunking (also known as cave exploring) enthusiasts from the British Speleological Association on an adventure through the underground.

Advert

He was with seven other cavers, keen to venture through a dangerously narrow passage located within a chamber discovered just two weeks earlier, called Stalagmite Chamber.

A scary 300m (1,000ft) below the surface, Moss decided that he would head inside the chamber to make history, squeezing through the vertical shaft - though he is remembered for something more negative than this.

Six feet tall, he was a large, slim lad and though it was determined that the passage was 40 feet deep, and featured a corkscrew in the middle that would have been 'difficult' to get through.

Exact details couldn't be confirmed, but it's believed that the student tried to move a boulder out of the way, but instead obstructed the ropes and ladders that were put there by the group to get him back up.

Moss got stuck in the narrow cave. (David Webb/James Lovelock collection)
Moss got stuck in the narrow cave. (David Webb/James Lovelock collection)

Advert

He ended up being too heavy for the team to pull him up, and the ropes simultaneously snapped.

A few of his fellow cavers, along with Moss himself, began to feel short of oxygen, as his body was jammed in the narrow passage, blocking the airflow through his respiratory system.

The atmosphere around Moss quickly became overwhelmed with carbon dioxide, and he became disorientated before losing consciousness completely.

Three other cavers passed out as they awaited the help of a rescue team, and when they showed up, some were small enough to fit through the tunnel to free Moss, but couldn't due to the 'foul air'.

Sadly, the Brit was declared dead on the morning of 24 March, 1959 by an RAF doctor as he never regained consciousness, though medics could not see his body.

Advert

The entrance to the lower shaft of the cave was then sealed with loose rocks from the chamber, never to be accessed again.

The cavern is now named after Moss. (David Webb/James Lovelock collection)
The cavern is now named after Moss. (David Webb/James Lovelock collection)

An inscription in dedication to the late Moss was added nearby, and the section of Peak Cavern is now known as Moss Chamber instead of Stalagmite Chamber.

When Moss was in the chamber, he reportedly shouted to his cave exploring companions: "I say, I'm stuck, I can't budge an inch."

He tried to move his body into a position that would help him, but ended up getting into a position that made it even more difficult to pull him out of the corkscrew section of the passage, where he became 'sandwiched in an elliptical slit only eighteen inches wide'.

Featured Image Credit: David Webb/James Lovelock collection

Topics: History, UK News, Health, Environment

Joshua Nair
Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair is a journalist at LADbible. Born in Malaysia and raised in Dubai, he has always been interested in writing about a range of subjects, from sports to trending pop culture news. After graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a BA in Media, Journalism and Publishing, he got a job freelance writing for SPORTbible while working in marketing before landing a full-time role at LADbible. Unfortunately, he's unhealthily obsessed with Manchester United, which takes its toll on his mental and physical health. Daily.

X

@joshnair10

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • British man suffered one of the worst deaths possible after getting 'stuck in cave forever'
  • Terrifying simulation shows what happened to explorer who suffered ‘worst death imaginable’ inside Nutty Putty cave
  • British man suffered one of worst deaths possible after getting 'stuck in cave forever' in peak district
  • British man died whilst getting hair transplant in Turkey

Choose your content:

12 mins ago
13 hours ago
14 hours ago
15 hours ago
  • 12 mins ago

    Expert weighs in as people 'convinced' Putin's body double met Trump for high-stakes summit

    Many suggested that the real Putin hadn't showed up to the summit with Trump

    News
  • 13 hours ago

    Trump shows off nuclear bombers in 'alpha' move when meeting Putin

    Of course, he whipped out the best fighter jets for the occasion

    News
  • 14 hours ago

    Trump greets Putin with uncomfortably long 'yank' handshake in Alaska

    The pair are holding crunch talks in Alaska

    News
  • 15 hours ago

    Mum slams 'despicable' council for slapping her with fine over son's ‘educational’ term-time holiday

    Michelle and Andrew took their son, Oliver, out of school for a 10-day holiday

    News