I was working at Mammoth Cave for a few months and Floyd's story is incredibly important to the history of the park! When Floyd was being rescued, there was a media frenzy and thousands of people came to watch the rescue attempts. Hot dog stands popped up near Sand Cave and the roads were completely blocked by people trying to watch this situation play out. While Floyd was trapped underground, there was basically a carnival happening above him. This public fascination with his unfortunate circumstance was pretty messed up, but the media frenzy brought attention to the amazing caves in this area (it is the longest cave system in the world) and that is a main reason why Mammoth Cave became a National Park. Floyd's story also doesn't end with his death in Sand Cave. When his body was being displayed in Crystal Cave, it was stolen due to the cutthroat Kentucky Cave Wars happening in this time period when entrances to the caves were privately owned and everyone was sabotaging each other's entrances to attract the most tourists and make more money. His body was recovered after it was stolen and eventually he was given a proper burial. Today before cavers go into Crystal Cave (which the Collins family owned), they go to Floyd's grave and ask him to join them. If people don't do this it is believed that bad things will happen to them while they are in Crystal Cave. Floyd's ghost is said to protect and help cavers if they get into trouble. There is a story of a caver in Crystal Cave losing her balance and almost falling into a 100+ feet deep pit and she felt someone pull her back. She turned around to thank her caving partner, but he was all the way across the chamber they were in so there is no way he could have pulled her back. Knowing the history of the cave, she said "thanks Floyd." There are so many more crazy stories like that at the park, working there was so interesting. Thanks for this great episode Mr. Ballen!
Thanks for sharing that! This is the kind of story that really stays with you, poor Floyd. I'm glad he was eventually given a proper burial and that he's still around helping fellow cavers.
Cave stories where they’re crawling through tight spaces let alone get stuck/trapped for days give me so much damn anxiety. That’s an actual nightmare for me…
Damn I was feeling a little wild just hearing about the lamp going out and the ceiling being so close to head/chest. It’s just crazy to imagine how he felt after waiting for 30 hours
@NotZeet I looked up the Wikipedia article instead, and there I don't find much difference in the story Mr. Ballen told? I'd like it if you could tell some more about this, because I'm not really interested in watching an hour long detailed story and seeing pictures.
@@Avatar-Destiny I watched the same documentary sometime last year. Ballen did leave a whole lot of details out. The full story is crazy, and got even crazier after Floyd's death.
Me too! My kid keeps asking have I watched the latest, but I say no, so now I’m desperately trying to catch up! But this story though, so sad and it’s really affecting me.
Why do we all share this same behavior? Now, I, the Psychologist, want to research this Mr. Ballen Phenomenon. 😮😮😮 Glad to be back from my break. This guy is amazing but we clearly have to step away periodically
I discovered this wonderful man in the beginning of my pregnancy, I spent my days listening to his videos at night. My son is turning 2 years old on the 4th ofJuly, he still recognizes John's voice! When I play a video of this man, my son stops whatever he's doing and just stares at the TV/Phone. We love you, Mr. Ballen ❤😊
He just did the King Island in a recent podcast which was an amusement park.i grew up going to. Definitely learned a few new things, although the park was 2h South, not West from the student's high school.
The truly sad part of this is that during those 17 days as floyd lay dying. Am amusement park was set up next to the cave entrance where people were selling food postcards etc... They got in the way of rescue efforts refusing to leave. It makes me sick thinking about the depths of depravity humans will go to for a buck. The sad thing is we really haven't changed. Anything happens and look around cell phones are out.
Well it's sad that literally everything down to water costs and life's a struggle for a lot of ppl. Only thing free at this point is air which the quality is way down everywhere due to the wildfires. It's sad but when did everything begin to cost??
@@greenwave819kinda funny to see leftists shoehorning their politics on a TH-cam channel founded by a Navy Seal veteran. Shouldn’t you guys hate Ballen for being a CIA asset or something?
@@brandes8057 There's a saying: "Don't like delivery trucks taking up all the lanes? Stop buying shit." It's like when people wanted paper straws to be provided in place of plastic straws to help the environment. But then nobody used the paper straws because it sucked? Everyone always have ideas that sound better on paper. People might have good ideas to improve society but are never one to really actualize these ideas.
@@brandes8057 so you want companies to stop charging for their services (bottling, warehouses, employees, benefits, pensions) because you dont want to pay for it? okay weirdo
@@Datrebor fair enough, but would that really have made a difference in this case? Had the 2nd person been crawling ahead of Floyd, maybe a rescue operation would've started sooner. But had he been behind Floyd, they would've both been stuck there.
@@titusmaximus3235 if a second person was behind him they could’ve easily moved a tiny 25lbs rock, that not heavy at all it must’ve just been real tight as to why he couldn’t move his foot himself.
@@titusmaximus3235 I didn't think of that. But if he was behind him. Could he have freed his foot from the rock? I don't know if it would have made a difference here. I just think it is better to go with another person instead of by yourself.
I've walked in a cave that was super small and I got lost somehow, never again and I would never even think about crawling into something or swimming in one, but hey it's people's right to explore this earth how they want I guess
This proves no matter how skilled or determined you are, never venture out alone. I feel pity for his brother and the people who took the arduous task to dig a new tunnel to rescue him but it went futile.
The sad part is, it wasn’t futile. If people didn’t camp out for the spectacle and deteriorate the caves condition with their fires. Or if the rescuers had attempted the downward dig they began at the end even a day earlier. They could have actually saved Floyd. If only one thing in the timeline occurred just a day sooner they would’ve at least got him out alive. That’s not to say he would have survived long, I don’t know if he could’ve survived the stress. When they dug almost straight down for 3 or so days, they finally got to him, freed his leg, only to find he had died around 18 or less hours before they got to him. It’s so sad because he held out so long despite all odds, but they just ran into so many issues handling it. The most annoying of which was the random citizens who just built a shantytown around the site and often unintentionally impeded the dig.
TB I do not think in this situation someone else being there would have been good it would have probably been worse if there were more than one person.
Did anyone else think of the man who was trapped and sadly died in Nutty Putty cave? These cases are so heartbreaking, I'm not sure I could go home, eat, sleep knowing my brother was trapped in a cave... I get he was exhausted from chipping away in the tunnel but surely he could have asked people to take turns in shifts...? Thank you for keeping these people alive through your storytelling Mr.Ballen ❤
I was thinking of this. "The last descent" was such a hard film to watch, saw it on prime & I'll never forget it. I can't even imagine cave diving, scares the hell out of me 😢
I don't know how I even got through this video - several times I almost had to shut it off, but I wanted to get through it because it sucks having claustrophobia beat you all the time. I definitely feel your anxiety though.
Nope! I went spelunking a few times as a young man, and that feeling of getting your gear stuck on something in a tight spot is awful. That's why you should always go in pairs, so the other person can help you out.
I grew up near Mammoth Cave and spent a lot of time exploring the area. We found Floyd Collins' home and his gravesite during one of our visits. I was always fascinated with his story and was excited to see one of my favorite storytellers talk about this. Fantastic storytelling as always!
I thought John said he doesn't use a script? I thought he basically goes over the story twice so he knows it inside out, and then tells it in his own words from memory? You're his family so you obvs know more about his business than we do. I just thought I remembered him saying something to the contrary.
For those of you who don't know, there is an excellent 1996 musical about Floyd Collins, and I would highly recommend listening to 'The Riddle Song' from the soundtrack: It's about his brother Homer giving him riddles in the cave about their childhood to try and keep Floyd's mind alive. It's an incredibly sad song.
For someone whose English is not the first language, there’s no story I wouldn’t understand because Mr. Ballen uses simple words everyone understands, PLUS his gestures.❤
He also explains words that aren't well-known by non-English speakers, which is always nice. He is definitely considerate of his international audience, which is great.
I had to do something like this as an "adventure" trip in the army. Crawling through cave tunnels where your nose is skimming water is one of the most terrifying thing I've ever done. I was one bad thought away from a full blown meltdown.
You probably know, survival is 75 percent the mind...people who believe they're going to die often do. And those who believe they'll survive usually do. Your thoughts are powerful. They determine what you'll do.
I had the opposite experience. Climbing to the top mast of an aircraft carrier is one hell of a way to confront your fear of heights! (Still have dreams about that...)
Ah, here we have the weekly bot comment under Mr Ballens videos, making a nonsense link between a difficulty in their life such as a disease or someone being old, and connecting it to Mr Ballens videos.
Having been trapped in a cave in myself I can tell you there is nothing quite as terrifying. I still have nightmares 15 years after my ordeal. And I wasn't in nearly as bad a position as the two men with me, those two are extremely lucky to have survived.
How was this not a 24/7 hour operation to save him? I mean couldn't the rescuers have worked in shifts? To just leave him alone each night seems completely insane to me.
I don't think anything could have saved him to be honest, how could you break those rocks fast enough to get to him without hurting/killing him? It really was impossible. He was doomed the moment he went through that tunnel.
@@alicec.hughes8840 Home phones preceded cell phones and cell phones preceded smart phones. Then how come people are using smart phones? Kerosin lamps preceded torch lights and battery lights, but many people in 1920's used torch lights.Battery lights like torch lights was also invented in late 1890's. He went in 1925, he could have easily used torch light. Come to think of it, if torch lights were invented in 1897, then definitely battery lights would have also been introduced already. Ur comment is not making any sense.
It took me a while but I just realized this is the same story that Internet Historian told! This is such a crazy story both inside and outside the cave. The hysteria outside the cave got so massive that it became a news story worldwide.
@@AderynBach42what was your response? Don't go leaving breadcrumbs of your accusations and then make other people search high and low for your supposed comments on it. If it means that much to you then own it and respond to everyone instead of telling them to find your comments
I was introduced to this event through Internet Historian. However, listening to it with Mr Ballen narrating is another way entirely of hearing it. This was so damn disturbing and once again, Mr Ballen proves he is an amazing story teller.
The Internet Historian telling is a good one if you’ve already heard it before, because of how it was jokey and largely made fun of incompetence of the rescuers and onlookers botched the whole thing. Mr Ballen’s telling is probably the best way to hear of it first, because of how well he weaves a tale; I felt like I was there listening to this version
How horrendously depressing... The despair he must have felt near the end... And his poor brother... 😭 I hope whatever rock killed him did so very quickly.
Its just baffling and heartbreaking that Floyd was stuck in the caves for 17 days and people were returning to their home , eating and sleeping and waiting for next day to go back and try to rescue him.
I thought the exact same thing! How could they do that.. It really highlights how times have changed, we’d have experts working day and night nowadays. It feels so cruel he was just left out to the elements every night alone 😢
Seriously. I guess I am used to coal mine rescues, everyone is there 24/7. He was stuck by a collapse, it didn't occur to them there could be further collapse and better hurry?
Yea that part is strange to me. With the number of people who got involved someone should have constantly been rotated around the clock to work and to make sure he knew they were trying. The psychological toll that had to take on Floyd was likely devastating. If they had got him out he would have never been the same mentally imo.
I'm with you 100% and I felt like I was right there with this idiot as Mr. Ballen was telling the story!!! He's just that good at making people see the story as he talks!!!
Evev though it’s nearly 100 years ago, I was close to tears. That poor man and his brother! They were both so brave. You really are magic at bringing real stories back to life, Mr B ❤
I used to go spelunking with a caving grotto from the Cincinnati Ohio area many years ago. And Floyd collins story is very well known in the caving community there. We even had a yearly pilgrimage to his gravesite to pay respects to him. His story was used as an educational tool to teach cave safety. His story is so incredibly sad.
I felt physically uncomfortable throughout that story. You told it so well, it made me squirm, cover my eyes & even feel a little nauseous. I’m slightly puzzled that if Floyd was looking for a tourist attraction like some big chamber at the end of the small tunnel, was he expecting people to go to the same route? I don’t think he would’ve had many takers. What a unimaginably horrific way to die. these stories always remind me of John Jones at Nutty putty. That story haunts me. 😢
That's exactly what I was just wondering!! I just got to the Discord segment, right after his lantern went out, and I've been sitting here wondering how the hell something like this could be a tourist attraction. So crazy.
@@LilRedlady413 I know, the descriptiveness & detail puts you there too. Normally I only get that when I’m watching the real thing. Worth pulling over for though!
I think the underwater stories are way more frightening but also with a cave story it has the potential like in this story to be dragged out for weeks which would be way more agonizing but also would probably make me feel more hopeful of a successful rescue
I'm claustrophobic and I can't swim so either one is a nightmare to me 😭. I used to have recurring nightmares about drowning in any water. I would wake up in cold sweats and screaming 😭. My family and I used to live in Virginia Beach Virginia and used to go there literally all the time. It was gorgeous and back when I was a kid I could swim really good. Now I'm 38 and can only doggy paddle. I think my older sister tried to drown me once. Or at least when I was a kid I thought so.
Back in 1925, Sand Cave was not part of Mammoth Cave National Park. It was on private land. The reason Floyd went in there was to try and find an alternate entrance to Mammoth Cave. The Floyd family owned another tourist cave near by called Crystal Cave, which was renamed Floyd Collins Crystal Cave after his death. His casket and tombstone were displayed inside Crystal cave for many years. Since those days, Mammoth Cave NP has bought both Crystal Cave and Sand Cave. You can see the entrance to Sand Cave today along with the remains of the shaft they dug trying to rescue Floyd. It is a short walk from a parking area, along a boardwalk to the cave entrance. However, you can't go in. Shortly after the Floyd Collins incident, they covered over the "hole" which led to the tunnel Floyd was trapped in, with a metal grate. (That is the one you see in the photo near the beginning of this video.) If you are interested in caving in this region, a very good book to read is called "The Longest Cave". It gives a good description of the history of the Mammoth Cave region and especially the cave exploration and surveys done to connect the Flint Ridge cave system with Mammoth Cave. When the connection was made in the early 70's, it made the Flint-Mammoth cave system the longest in the world by several *hundred* miles.
I'm claustrophobic so this story and the way you told it literally had me where I had to pause it several times and walk away to recollect myself. You are such an amazing storyteller.
Rest in peace Floyd…I’ve listened to a lot of cave diving both in and out of water, and this has got to be the most agonizing account I’ve ever heard about someone who was so close to survival, and then had it taken from him several times. To remember these individuals, these stories definitely should be passed down and not forgotten, and who better to do this than MrBallen? Thanks for these amazing videos as of late John, you’ve been on fire
There's a very fascinating book about this entire incident called "Trapped! The Story of Floyd Collins" and it is a great read if anyone is interested in hearing more about this story. I've read it a few times, it's just so sad and completely preventable. One inconsistency from this video, the cave Floyd was trying to reach didn't have much in it regarding Native American artifacts - I believe it was mentioned as a possibility but it was a cave system that was extremely difficult to navigate so it wouldn't really be a prime spot for Natives to store much of anything, I could be wrong though. Floyd mainly had the idea that all the caving systems were connected somehow, and thought finding a new entrance to Crystal Cave would've been profitable for his family, they were all dirt-poor folks. Last time I read the book was a year ago so I could be misremembering but it is an excellent read.
I never knew I was closterphopic until I started hearing stories of people in caves like these. Just the thought of being stuck deep underground with my arms pinned and not being able to move and nobody can hear me makes me experience a level of anxiety I didn't think was possible
Given how many of these kinds of stories you can find, you would think claustrophobia would be a lot more common than it is. Like, being stuck in a cave with no way to get out? Heebies geebies, none for meesies.
I had no idea that I was claustrophobic until I went through fire academy in my 30's. Took 30 plus years to know what that terror actually felt like. Sometimes you don't know until you know lol
Can we all just be in awe over show fast this channel is growing…. I mean I got here at around 1M and I thought that was completely insane.. now less than a year later and you’re almost at 8M, holy cow! The way you’re so casual and serious in your audio doesn’t captivate how intense and exciting it is to be reaching some 10M people. Wow just wow. I am so happy for you and your team. That’s incredible!
I've been here since 2018 when he had around..oh, I don't know...maybe 100k. Yes, it's truly insane how big Mr B is on YT. So proud of him!! #mrballengroupie❤
Worth a note... Most of us who DO enjoy going into caves would avoid "Sand Cave" like the plague... and NEVER EVER go caving alone, I don't care HOW "experienced" or "expert" you think you are! Sand Cave was named such because it's about 90% sandstone-conglomerate. That's UNSTABLE as Hell! It's one thing to trudge and crawl through a mix of muck, bat-sh*t, and broken rocks with solid enough limestone throughout 90% or more of the cave, but when you start finding sandstone and sedimentary rocks or composites all over the place, it's no longer a good "tourist spot". Tourists don't come to places knowing what they're doing. They come to places to be led around and coddled. 9 out of 10 wouldn't have the sense to get in out of the rain! SO if I'm honest, Floyd was working at self defeat from the beginning on this one. You can still tour a LOT of Mammoth Cave and several others around this area, including a few guides who know where Sand Cave is, but the last I saw, there's a gate and NOBODY goes into Sand Cave. There are LOTS of good caves with wide-open spaces and very little to challenge you, unless you specifically WANT to "play rough". There are LOTS of show-caves, full of guides and paths, and lights, and all you can stand to be told and shown... gift shops full of crap to show off being there, and Carlsbad has a damn food-court in the bottom with ELEVATORS back to the surface... a nightly bat-show, so you can be awe inspired at the shear mass of squawking, fluttering, wing-rats as they swirl into the sky... If scrubbing and scraping, and crawling through contortions you never dreamed you could do before isn't your thing, you should STILL find a show-cave that's worth a look. You'll probably see a few things that are worth the trip... ;o)
@@oxlip You're correct. There have been a few stories that Mr. Ballen shared where claustrophobia was involved. One with another guy going deep into a cave and being unable to free himself, and then a recent story he covered about some workers in Spain who opened up a big pipe that sucked them in with only one guy escaping. I'd never do any of that for the big bucks.
Just hearing about someone crawling through a tunnel even if the story has no chance of ending bad gives me horrible anxiety and my feet and palms start sweating lol
I still haven't recovered from Ballen's telling of John Jones' caving nightmare.. just why do they do it I'll never understand. I still feel sick when it comes to my mind..
Floyd was trying to make an entrance to an amazing white crystal room in the cave. There were so many caves around the area and the owners of said caves would do anything to get tourists to visit and profit off of them. They'd sabotage others signs or say things to make tourists not want to go to other's caves. Floyd had a great idea for the attraction. If only that lantern still had fuel in it, if only he didn't tip that lantern over while crawling out, he could have done it.
Internet Historian did an incredible video on this not long ago, “Man in cave”, but it was sadly taken down due to copyright. Reuploads are floating around and there’s tons a reactions by streamers on here, so it’s pretty easy to find. I definitely recommend the watch considering he not only hired VA’s in the project but also used 3d modeling to give full perspective on how crazy this cave was built.
Only John and his pacing with telling stories could both have me nervously sweating with anxiety and also totally gripped on every word , you’re truly a man of many talents MrBallen and of course Auld Lung 😂❤👋🏽🏴
@@Steven_McCrae don’t do it. It’s a fake. It’s not Mr Ballen, likely scammers who copy popular content creators logos, give themselves a very similar sounding name. It happens on a lot of channels with multi million subscribers. (Thought you were my bro in law for a moment! Same name and similar pic, I’m also in Scotland 🏴 😆. Advice is the same though. These guys are not Mr Ballen).
@@Steven_McCrae no worries 👍 See how quick they were to take it down after I posted about them being scammers?! They particularly look for comments that have actually been liked by actual Mr Ballen. Did actually think I was replying to my bro in law at first 😂
@@Kat_12389 Batteries were extremely expensive back then. It wouldn't surprise me if most people didn't even have torchlights, back in those days. Also, please write, "...of *an* oil lamp", instead of, "...of *a* oil lamp." Why are people doing this thing now? Shows lack of education.
Internet Historian did a really good in-depth video about this story it gets really wild. The whole event was one of the biggest stories during the time and got to a point where people outside of the cave pretty much had a fair going on. The people outside were actually the reason why the cave collapsed because the heat coming from outside was slowly beginning to wear down the temperature in the cave.
I went cave exploring every single day for two weeks. That was enough for my entire lifetime. I'll never step foot into another cave ever again. Thanks for the nightmares
It's good how MrBallen told the story, but the final end was far more gruesome! Back in 2017 they used to give tours at Mammoth Cave about the Floyd Collins incident. We went on the tour, lead by a park ranger who was very knowledgeable. There have been a number of books & movies of this tragic story. The land where Sand Cave was located was actually owned by Floyd's family. After his death, a wealthy man, a doctor, i believe, managed to talk his parents into selling the land, along with Floyd's body, who was actually buried on the land. He dug up Floyd & put him on display. Because Floyd's body was making this cave so popular, some other cave owners stole Floyd & attempted to throw him into the Green River; however, his body got caught on some trees until someone managed to get him down & finally buried him, again! True story, google it or read the book like i did!
I'm curious...what's the name or author of the book? And why was Floyd's brother gone for fifteen hours and still came back alone with no help or supplies except for sandwiches and water? Fifteen hours after first finding his brother stuck, for real? I mean, I know not everyone had a car or a phone...
Mr Ballen is so good at telling stories that even someone like me who has aphantasia and lacks imagination can almost “see” the events unfolding as he explains it all in great detail. He may be the cure to a blind minds eye lol I binge this channel daily.
This is the first story since I first started watching almost three years ago that I had to force myself to get through. It left such a bad feeling in my stomach. You are a fantastic storyteller
This is the third time I've heard this story being told. It never gets old. Internet Historian recently did a video on this incident a couple of months back. He had a few prominent youtubers help with the voices. It'd be epic if they both collab on a video 😮
Thanks for saying. I am going to look them up now. I'm an old former caver, and have always been fascinated with Floyd Collins story. Oddly enough, even though I read his story shortly after my first caving excursion, it never made me think twice about going underground. I had to give it up because I got too old. I'll still go walk thru a public attraction. Caves are amazing!
Internet Historian did such an amazing job on "Man in Cave". Absolutely the best telling of this story. It sucks that Man in Cave has been copywrite stricken twice now. It's so emersive, especially with Historian telling you to dim your phone screen to the best spot.
I find it really heartbreaking that there are so many story’s of cases where people are so close to being rescued, but time just isn’t in the favor and they end up passing away right as they are about to be rescued ❤️🩹😔
I agree. There was the woman was trapped in mud, who ended up drowning; the Nutty Putty cave incident. You think you're saved when help arrives, but you're not. It hurts my heart.
I doubt it helped his cave-in factor to have someone old-timey tunneling a cave right towards him. The rescuers might have shook the kill rock(s) loose.
We are so sorry we missed this event 😢 please have another one soon and we'll be sure to tune in and tell all of our family and friend's to tune in as well! Thanks in advance Mr. BALLEN 😊
I was listening in the dark with the phone screen facing the pillow so I could try to pay attention and relax my way to sleep. I’m extremely claustrophobic and my anxiety really kicked in. My heart is racing like crazy. Great job once again!!!!
Mr. Ballen said he walked right up to this cavern, starred, stopped, and smiled. And proceeded to tell us the man's plan for the cavern. How did you know all of this?! *"BECAUSE YOU'RE A GIFTED, CERTIFIED STORYTELLER!!"* The way you bring these stories to LIFE is just remarkably special!! I've stayed up, I swear, till the sun started hitting against our curtains. *I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOUR CHANNEL!! AND I JUST RECENTLY BECAME A ACTIVE DONOR!*
Floyd died of hypothermia(that’s why he was hallucinating)not by falling rocks. The cave he was in is part of the Mammoth Cave system(which he helped to map), and it stays in the mid 50’s year round, so the fact that he lasted that long in the first place is a testament to his physical and mental character
Like Ballen said he new the risks and it didnt pay off. Id never take that risk to begin with. Caving is super dangerous with lots of fatal consequences making the risk even greater. I duno why people do it.
Cause of death was exposure (hypothermia in this case) and dehydration/starvation. Delirium is possible in severe enough hypothermia but delirium from severe dehydration or malnutrition is also very likely for several different reasons i.e. renal failure/or severe electrolyte imbalance, anemia, hypoglycemia, metabolic acidosis, among other things.
I will never be in a cave that requires slithering, shimmying, sliding, or even turning sideways to fit through a passage. Also, I demand to always see the entrance/exit point
i’m so far from all my friends right now, half a worlds away and i feel so alone, i use youtube to bring me a shred of distraction and company, thank you mr ballen for being the most comforting person on my feed. i really appreciate you
i really didn't expect the picture to affect me as much as it did, more than the story itself even. seeing how insanely close and visible he was to the outside world but still so, so far away actually took my breath away
If you liked this video I can recommend The Internet Historian's video on the same event - Man in Cave. It doesn't have quite as serious a tone to the extent that this video does, but it also contains some more details about the rescue attempts, the people involved and it also goes into further detail about what happened after Floyd's corpse was taken out of the cave.
Oh man, I first heard this story from the Internet Historian. I highly recommend listening to that version, it is a lot more tragic and infuriating because the rescuers wasted a lot of time and could have actually saved him if they worked a bit smarter. It's also crazy what happened to his body afterwards.
When I see Mr. Ballen videos, I feel like a 5 year old in kindergarten excitedly sitting down for circle story time (and I’m 61 ☠️). I listen and hang on every word like the teacher’s. My heart wants the stories to have a Cinderella ending, just like the teacher’s. But then I realize the reason I listen to Mr. Ballen. It’s to be scared the crap out of 😳😵💫🥶😱💀. I’m never disappointed 😊. Thanks Mr. Ballen. Great story!!
RIP sweet Floyd. I’m so sorry for your unnecessary passing. I wish more people didn’t wait and took turns chiseling you out. Prayers for your family. 🕊️ Great storytelling MrBallen.
Well, in the first place, Lloyd had gotten there for no other important reason than to explore. To me, its a miracle anyone outside his family was willing to go in and do a rescue. Have in mind, getting to where he was in the first place was hard already. I dont want to sound heartless, but this was just a foolhardy undertaking. And, what if there had been someone chiseling out at the time the cave in happened? That would have meant 2 or more people trapped rather than 1. I know its heartbreaking, but if you have an adventurous spirit, you have to realize that satisfying that spirit comes with its dangers. Can't expect other people to save you from that.
This was the first creepy real story I probably ever heard about, in a documentary aboyt caves and spelunking. Amazing to listen to it all over again narrated like this.
That's a hard one. I was twitching through both. I am terribly claustrophobic and both stories made me extremely anxious. I thought I wasn't going to make it through either of them.
There's the more recent story of a cave dweller who got stuck upsidedown sort of and gravity and the angle of his body caused his body to swell and his loved ones and rescuers were there and attempted to get him out but it was too dangerous (don't remember exactly what the cause was but they tried many different ways to get him out)...he ultimately died knowing he was going they were unable to remove him from the space. Very traumatic story indeed..a lot like this one.
A while ago i saw a video that was a few hours long detailing the whole time he was in the cave and the media circus that surrounded the whole rescue and just how many people from all over came to watch or try to help, It ultimately makes everything including that image so heart wrenching because they came so close many times. This was a great video my man!
@@andeturner6498 If the video was of his narration and animation of the story then that was 100% it. Internet Historian deleted it because it was striked. He said it’ll take a few weeks to re-edit and then it’ll be back up.
Worst part is the part that followed. the legal battles that ensued over his corpse. Those who set him up as an attraction had a lengthy legal battle with this man's family when they tried to take him and lay him to rest. Ultimately they lost, which is a shame seeing as a memorial would have been a better attraction than a dead man never laid to rest. Add that the incopetence of the owner of said attraction had the cadaver stolen on a couple occasions and at one point it fell into a nearby river... i mean... this story goes really deep.
The cave he was buried in was one that he had discovered on his family farm and was commercialized by his family called Crystal Cave, which was integral to the exploration of the Flint Ridge cave system and the eventual connection to Mammoth Cave. There is a fantastic book written by Roger Brucker and Robert Murray called "Trapped!: The Story of Floyd Collins". I highly recommend it.
He had his dead body turned into a tourist attraction at the same place where he died trying to find a place to start a tourist attraction. That’s some sick sense of irony right there.
@@DiodeMom Well, in those times, it was pretty common to profit off of morally dubious/bankrupt attractions and products. During this time period, things such as freak shows about people with biological rarities or deformities and racist human zoos were not entirely uncommon.
I’m from this area. I’ve heard this terrible story so many times as a kid since growing up around the same area, but it’s honestly so cool to hear to speak about it.
Out of all the stories Mr B tells… the caving disaster ones make me the most anxious. I used to go spelunking as a kid… but I’d never go again. Nothing bad ever happened to me, I’m just too well aware of my own mortality to risk it.
When John tells these stories, they give be such anxiety that I start fidgeting in my own seat even though I'm safe and in a large room with plenty of space. Even so, I still can't stop listening to them. Thanks for doing what you do John, keep it up!
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
I have no idea why people cram themselves into underground tombs like that. This story gave me anxiety.
Same, I will never ever go caving 😰
Me too. In a big way.
Me too!
Ya I have claustrophobia trying to get through listening to it let alone actually attempting such insanity.
Am I missing something here why couldn’t he pull his foot out from under a 25 pound rock?
I was working at Mammoth Cave for a few months and Floyd's story is incredibly important to the history of the park! When Floyd was being rescued, there was a media frenzy and thousands of people came to watch the rescue attempts. Hot dog stands popped up near Sand Cave and the roads were completely blocked by people trying to watch this situation play out. While Floyd was trapped underground, there was basically a carnival happening above him. This public fascination with his unfortunate circumstance was pretty messed up, but the media frenzy brought attention to the amazing caves in this area (it is the longest cave system in the world) and that is a main reason why Mammoth Cave became a National Park. Floyd's story also doesn't end with his death in Sand Cave. When his body was being displayed in Crystal Cave, it was stolen due to the cutthroat Kentucky Cave Wars happening in this time period when entrances to the caves were privately owned and everyone was sabotaging each other's entrances to attract the most tourists and make more money. His body was recovered after it was stolen and eventually he was given a proper burial. Today before cavers go into Crystal Cave (which the Collins family owned), they go to Floyd's grave and ask him to join them. If people don't do this it is believed that bad things will happen to them while they are in Crystal Cave. Floyd's ghost is said to protect and help cavers if they get into trouble. There is a story of a caver in Crystal Cave losing her balance and almost falling into a 100+ feet deep pit and she felt someone pull her back. She turned around to thank her caving partner, but he was all the way across the chamber they were in so there is no way he could have pulled her back. Knowing the history of the cave, she said "thanks Floyd." There are so many more crazy stories like that at the park, working there was so interesting. Thanks for this great episode Mr. Ballen!
Q
Thanks for giving us more contex that was actually really interesting.
Thanks for sharing that! This is the kind of story that really stays with you, poor Floyd. I'm glad he was eventually given a proper burial and that he's still around helping fellow cavers.
That's weirdly wholesome even tho I don't believe in ghosts
I live near Lost River Cave! Very cool.
Cave stories where they’re crawling through tight spaces let alone get stuck/trapped for days give me so much damn anxiety. That’s an actual nightmare for me…
I got stuck behind my couch when I was a kid. Full panic. Caves are def not for me. Thanks Mr.
Same here. And I’m always like where’s your cave buddy????
Damn I was feeling a little wild just hearing about the lamp going out and the ceiling being so close to head/chest. It’s just crazy to imagine how he felt after waiting for 30 hours
Well said I was thinking that same thing
So true , I had to pause and stop listening for a brief period. 😩
Every cave story I hear I just learn more and more "Do not go into the tight squeezes"
It’s just a dumb thing to do! Whyyyy!!???
@@j.roberts2230 adrenaline is a helluva drug
@@igs_ lol….yeah and life and death is a helluva decision
Go for loose holes
I knew that before this stories lol
That photo at the end is just absolutely heartbreaking. He was SO CLOSE.
But remember he was going back in again, it was bound to happen unfortunately
@@InspectorQualityAdmin They could have just dragged him out by force xD but i guess left legs ankle is worth much more than life 💀💀💀
It wouldn't have been close at all if he didn't go in the cave to begin with.
@@scoper7897 DAAAAAAAMN HOW DIDN’T THEY THOUGHT ABOUT IT
@@emmepi4945 low iq and panicking maybe? They could have also cut it
I'm just glad these stories get told and not just forgotten.
@NotZeetwhats the real story?
@NotZeet I looked up the Wikipedia article instead, and there I don't find much difference in the story Mr. Ballen told? I'd like it if you could tell some more about this, because I'm not really interested in watching an hour long detailed story and seeing pictures.
@@Avatar-Destiny I watched the same documentary sometime last year. Ballen did leave a whole lot of details out. The full story is crazy, and got even crazier after Floyd's death.
@NotZeet He didn’t get it completely wrong he condensed into a story format. He doesn’t do detailed stories like that, he’s not a documenter.
If anyone's interested. Internet Historian did a very well done retelling of this story a year or so ago.
Floyd got the tourist attraction he always wanted, but he probably never thought the attraction would be him.
That sounds like something "1000 Ways To Die" would say at the end.
lol, exactly. Caves are for bats. Period. And, they carry rabies, not a human destination, get a clue.
Bruh
@@earth-6163 yea
Nice. Amazing comment 👌🏻
I'm so glad I took a break from watching Mr. Ballen. Now I have a whole bunch of stories I can binge. :)
OMG I did the same, while I missed regularly watching every new upload, it has-been great watching one after another!!!!
Bru!!!!! Same!!! It’s like whe first started
Me too! My kid keeps asking have I watched the latest, but I say no, so now I’m desperately trying to catch up! But this story though, so sad and it’s really affecting me.
I did the same 😊 I'm having an awesome time catching up!!!
Why do we all share this same behavior? Now, I, the Psychologist, want to research this Mr. Ballen Phenomenon. 😮😮😮 Glad to be back from my break. This guy is amazing but we clearly have to step away periodically
I discovered this wonderful man in the beginning of my pregnancy, I spent my days listening to his videos at night.
My son is turning 2 years old on the 4th ofJuly, he still recognizes John's voice! When I play a video of this man, my son stops whatever he's doing and just stares at the TV/Phone.
We love you, Mr. Ballen ❤😊
What a wonderful story, Happy Birthday to son, we share a birthday but I will be 62 on that date😊
@@catherinewilliams3850 happy birthday 🎉
Happy birthday in 2 months😊
Happy Birthday to your son!
My little preemie will be 17 on the same day!
thot
MrBallen could make a trip to Disney World sound scary
Please report spammers. ^^^
Theres a story about that
@@charlieclark9552 yeah!! I remember that. She was crushed I believe by an attraction?
He just did the King Island in a recent podcast which was an amusement park.i grew up going to. Definitely learned a few new things, although the park was 2h South, not West from the student's high school.
So can I real life pedos work there
Man, props to MrBallen for having the time to tell us this story while being stuck in a cave.
just listening to this story gives me level 100 anxiety!!
@@caingarcia99 Me too - 😭😭😭🥶🥶🥶
Real life horror - what a freaking sh💩ty way to go - 💔💔💔
Óbito Uchiha vibes
❤
@@caingarcia99 I e vf fe I vf
The truly sad part of this is that during those 17 days as floyd lay dying. Am amusement park was set up next to the cave entrance where people were selling food postcards etc... They got in the way of rescue efforts refusing to leave. It makes me sick thinking about the depths of depravity humans will go to for a buck. The sad thing is we really haven't changed. Anything happens and look around cell phones are out.
and yet people love rich people that have made many bucks
Well it's sad that literally everything down to water costs and life's a struggle for a lot of ppl. Only thing free at this point is air which the quality is way down everywhere due to the wildfires. It's sad but when did everything begin to cost??
@@greenwave819kinda funny to see leftists shoehorning their politics on a TH-cam channel founded by a Navy Seal veteran. Shouldn’t you guys hate Ballen for being a CIA asset or something?
@@brandes8057 There's a saying: "Don't like delivery trucks taking up all the lanes? Stop buying shit."
It's like when people wanted paper straws to be provided in place of plastic straws to help the environment. But then nobody used the paper straws because it sucked? Everyone always have ideas that sound better on paper. People might have good ideas to improve society but are never one to really actualize these ideas.
@@brandes8057 so you want companies to stop charging for their services (bottling, warehouses, employees, benefits, pensions) because you dont want to pay for it? okay weirdo
This just goes to show that sometimes overconfidence indeed can make us careless. Rest in Peace Floyd
That no matter how good you are, you should never go alone. Always have another person with you.
@@Datrebor fair enough, but would that really have made a difference in this case? Had the 2nd person been crawling ahead of Floyd, maybe a rescue operation would've started sooner. But had he been behind Floyd, they would've both been stuck there.
@@titusmaximus3235 if a second person was behind him they could’ve easily moved a tiny 25lbs rock, that not heavy at all it must’ve just been real tight as to why he couldn’t move his foot himself.
@@titusmaximus3235 I didn't think of that. But if he was behind him. Could he have freed his foot from the rock? I don't know if it would have made a difference here. I just think it is better to go with another person instead of by yourself.
Knowone would be dumb enough to go with him
This story was so hard to sit through. I could never imagine doing caving willingly 💀
Right?! Why do people do this????
I've walked in a cave that was super small and I got lost somehow, never again and I would never even think about crawling into something or swimming in one, but hey it's people's right to explore this earth how they want I guess
Too hard to listen to. I can’t keep listening - I feel like I’m the one basically buried alive. It’s just unbearable.
Yea Ashley you should stay out of caves.. I'm in every cave waiting on you to get stuck. 👿
@@Handlesarestupid702 Death wish.
17 days entombed ...in a cave...injured! Ugh...so so sad...and truly a haunting photo! Thanks John....we all love you and your storytelling
Higs
Even experienced drivers make mistakes and face worst scenarios..
@@SUNFlower-tt9zvwhich is why it’s an idiotic, suicidal sport
The photo confused me..wasn’t he on his back?
This proves no matter how skilled or determined you are, never venture out alone. I feel pity for his brother and the people who took the arduous task to dig a new tunnel to rescue him but it went futile.
Reminds me of a demotivational poster I once saw: "Remember that every corpse on Mt. Everest was once a highly motivated person."
@@shinyhoarder well that motivates me to not hike too high on Mt. Everest
Even if Floyd was a seasoned caver it's always best to go with someone else just incase something does go wrong.
The sad part is, it wasn’t futile. If people didn’t camp out for the spectacle and deteriorate the caves condition with their fires. Or if the rescuers had attempted the downward dig they began at the end even a day earlier. They could have actually saved Floyd. If only one thing in the timeline occurred just a day sooner they would’ve at least got him out alive. That’s not to say he would have survived long, I don’t know if he could’ve survived the stress. When they dug almost straight down for 3 or so days, they finally got to him, freed his leg, only to find he had died around 18 or less hours before they got to him. It’s so sad because he held out so long despite all odds, but they just ran into so many issues handling it. The most annoying of which was the random citizens who just built a shantytown around the site and often unintentionally impeded the dig.
TB I do not think in this situation someone else being there would have been good it would have probably been worse if there were more than one person.
Did anyone else think of the man who was trapped and sadly died in Nutty Putty cave? These cases are so heartbreaking, I'm not sure I could go home, eat, sleep knowing my brother was trapped in a cave... I get he was exhausted from chipping away in the tunnel but surely he could have asked people to take turns in shifts...? Thank you for keeping these people alive through your storytelling Mr.Ballen ❤
I was thinking of this. "The last descent" was such a hard film to watch, saw it on prime & I'll never forget it. I can't even imagine cave diving, scares the hell out of me 😢
I've never seen this film, I'll have to watch it but like you said, I'm sure it's scarring 😓
I mean, rules of nature.
Ok so it’s not that story! 😮💨 I was confused. Joe made a video about that story right?
@@miaya.micronis Mr ballen did one too but I can't remember the title. Should be pretty easy to find on here though.
Poor Floyd. Most of Mr. Ballen’s stories freak me out, but this story got me in the feels. To be so close to being saved. So sad. 😢
I think the hope of rescue probably brought him consolation while he waited, even though it ultimately didn't happen quickly enough.
I know 😢
Think this is bad look up jon jones nutty putty cave incident and the movie based on it called “the last descant”
MrBallen makes you feel like you are there. I've never known anyone who tells a story like him. It's a gift.
I'm so claustrophobic. This story triggered my anxiety and I swear I could feel the pressure on his chest. Such incredible story telling.
I was really hoping they would save him
There is no way I'd be crawling about down there.
I don't know how I even got through this video - several times I almost had to shut it off, but I wanted to get through it because it sucks having claustrophobia beat you all the time. I definitely feel your anxiety though.
@@ronaldthwaites177 That makes two of us. I have friends who do this, but I used to wait for them at the cave entrance.
I found myself holding my breath, I was so anxious listening to this. Caving is my idea of a nightmare.
This was absolutely horrifying 😮 that poor man, I can’t imagine & don’t want to imagine how he felt. Bless his soul 💜
True😢
Yes. He saw a preview of his afterlife and it sounds AWESOME. Unlike modern times when the world is full of people who worship the Man Downstairs.
Nope! I went spelunking a few times as a young man, and that feeling of getting your gear stuck on something in a tight spot is awful. That's why you should always go in pairs, so the other person can help you out.
I grew up near Mammoth Cave and spent a lot of time exploring the area. We found Floyd Collins' home and his gravesite during one of our visits. I was always fascinated with his story and was excited to see one of my favorite storytellers talk about this. Fantastic storytelling as always!
Every time Mr. Ballen tells a cave exploring story, I keep unconsciously taking deep breaths... and grateful that i CAN!
I recall John's mom stating he is very particular about the way scripts/stories are written and I for one, am so thankful! Best story teller ever! ❤
Are you John's Dad?
@@ryannevermanmusic I'm John's 3rd cousin removed. I can confirm that was actually said.
@@Ambi1021 that's awesome!! I bet your family has great campfires lol
Was this some amazing revelation to you? Why wouldn’t he or anyone who uses a script not be particular about how it’s written?
I thought John said he doesn't use a script?
I thought he basically goes over the story twice so he knows it inside out, and then tells it in his own words from memory?
You're his family so you obvs know more about his business than we do. I just thought I remembered him saying something to the contrary.
For those of you who don't know, there is an excellent 1996 musical about Floyd Collins, and I would highly recommend listening to 'The Riddle Song' from the soundtrack: It's about his brother Homer giving him riddles in the cave about their childhood to try and keep Floyd's mind alive. It's an incredibly sad song.
I remember hearing about this year's ago, wow. Shook my memory.
I was hoping someone would mention the musical. "How Glory Goes" still fucking breaks me.
I had to switch screens to Google, type the info you gave into the search bar, and listen to it. It is, indeed, sad -- so, so sad.
I saw a live production around that time. Left an impression indeed.
Does it mention how stupid he was to try to help homer alone?
For someone whose English is not the first language, there’s no story I wouldn’t understand because Mr. Ballen uses simple words everyone understands, PLUS his gestures.❤
Thats awesome!
He also explains words that aren't well-known by non-English speakers, which is always nice. He is definitely considerate of his international audience, which is great.
Yeah, and he is very clear with the pronunciation, and the visual lenguage that he gives with the gestures add even more to the video
ol' lungy speaks at least 3 languages, so he's gotten used to speaking to an international audience.
I had to do something like this as an "adventure" trip in the army.
Crawling through cave tunnels where your nose is skimming water is one of the most terrifying thing I've ever done.
I was one bad thought away from a full blown meltdown.
You probably know, survival is 75 percent the mind...people who believe they're going to die often do. And those who believe they'll survive usually do. Your thoughts are powerful. They determine what you'll do.
I would’ve simply refused lol even if I got Court martialled for it
I had the opposite experience. Climbing to the top mast of an aircraft carrier is one hell of a way to confront your fear of heights!
(Still have dreams about that...)
Mr. Ballen thank you for your incredible stories. My grandma is 92 & she look forward to your Sunday podcast. Blessings to you & your family. 💜
I think it's cute that your grandmother likes Mr. Ballen 😊
⬆️NOT AGAIN⬆️
Brilliant 👏 God bless your wee grandma ❤
Please report spammers ^°°
Ah, here we have the weekly bot comment under Mr Ballens videos, making a nonsense link between a difficulty in their life such as a disease or someone being old, and connecting it to Mr Ballens videos.
Having been trapped in a cave in myself I can tell you there is nothing quite as terrifying. I still have nightmares 15 years after my ordeal. And I wasn't in nearly as bad a position as the two men with me, those two are extremely lucky to have survived.
What happened?
Tell us the story please
I was only trapped for 2 hours and I would rather do taxes for an entire year than repeat the experience.
The internet has taught me to stay the fuck out of caves.
That must of suck
How was this not a 24/7 hour operation to save him? I mean couldn't the rescuers have worked in shifts? To just leave him alone each night seems completely insane to me.
Agree💯
I don't think anything could have saved him to be honest, how could you break those rocks fast enough to get to him without hurting/killing him? It really was impossible. He was doomed the moment he went through that tunnel.
@@carlosrobles5591 so you do think he lacked foresight or was he just overconfident about his abilities of being an experienced caver?
@@Kat_12389 kerosine lamps preceded batteries etc-this is before battery lights
@@alicec.hughes8840 Home phones preceded cell phones and cell phones preceded smart phones. Then how come people are using smart phones? Kerosin lamps preceded torch lights and battery lights, but many people in 1920's used torch lights.Battery lights like torch lights was also invented in late 1890's. He went in 1925, he could have easily used torch light. Come to think of it, if torch lights were invented in 1897, then definitely battery lights would have also been introduced already. Ur comment is not making any sense.
It took me a while but I just realized this is the same story that Internet Historian told! This is such a crazy story both inside and outside the cave. The hysteria outside the cave got so massive that it became a news story worldwide.
It’s crazy how anxious I feel as I listen to this. The claustrophobia this story causes is intense!
same😳😖
Indeed! Perfectly stated.
When he talked about turning onto his back with the walls on both sides my breath was GONE
same ! 😵💫
I barely got through this one.
I am really impressed by Mrballen. Storytelling he doesnt call people dumb or stupid. He doesnt let murderers get praise. He just tells it like it is.
@Jason Voorhees example? I'm genuinely curious
@Jason Voorhees I really doubt it’s intentional though. Sometimes information is changed or lacks sources
Except in this case when just about everything he said was wrong. I've left a detailed response to most of the false things he said in this video.
@@AderynBach42what was your response? Don't go leaving breadcrumbs of your accusations and then make other people search high and low for your supposed comments on it. If it means that much to you then own it and respond to everyone instead of telling them to find your comments
@@AderynBach42your in every comment section get his shaft out your mouth
I was introduced to this event through Internet Historian. However, listening to it with Mr Ballen narrating is another way entirely of hearing it. This was so damn disturbing and once again, Mr Ballen proves he is an amazing story teller.
The Internet Historian telling is a good one if you’ve already heard it before, because of how it was jokey and largely made fun of incompetence of the rescuers and onlookers botched the whole thing. Mr Ballen’s telling is probably the best way to hear of it first, because of how well he weaves a tale; I felt like I was there listening to this version
I hear about it from 8bitryan
I was just about to post that this was a rehash of a story until you pointed this out. No wonder it sounded familiar.
Didn't internet historians video get copyrighted twice now
@@trublu2801 it was back up yesterday; dunno if it still is
How horrendously depressing... The despair he must have felt near the end... And his poor brother... 😭 I hope whatever rock killed him did so very quickly.
Its just baffling and heartbreaking that Floyd was stuck in the caves for 17 days and people were returning to their home , eating and sleeping and waiting for next day to go back and try to rescue him.
I thought the exact same thing! How could they do that.. It really highlights how times have changed, we’d have experts working day and night nowadays. It feels so cruel he was just left out to the elements every night alone 😢
Right like even his brother was gone for like 15 hours at a time??
Seriously. I guess I am used to coal mine rescues, everyone is there 24/7. He was stuck by a collapse, it didn't occur to them there could be further collapse and better hurry?
Yea that part is strange to me. With the number of people who got involved someone should have constantly been rotated around the clock to work and to make sure he knew they were trying. The psychological toll that had to take on Floyd was likely devastating. If they had got him out he would have never been the same mentally imo.
Because stupidity was weeded out once upon a time. Today you are seeing stupidity surviving and reproducing and making more stupidity.
I have severe claustrophobia and these stories literally make me sick to my stomach. I love listening anyways because MrBallen tells them so well :)
I've realized I have immense stress watching people spelunk especially recklessly
I'm with you 100% and I felt like I was right there with this idiot as Mr. Ballen was telling the story!!! He's just that good at making people see the story as he talks!!!
Me too.
The Descent is a terrifying film which always comes to mind when Mr Ballen tells a caving disaster story.
The book was actually far more interesting than the 2-dimensional horror film produced by Hollywood. I highly recommend it. 👌
I couldnt go into caves for years after watching descent 💀
@@brianmurphy6480 thank you!
Thank you!
That was a descent movie. :)
Evev though it’s nearly 100 years ago, I was close to tears. That poor man and his brother! They were both so brave.
You really are magic at bringing real stories back to life, Mr B ❤
Brave, or stupid?
@j.p.jenkins3631 Douchebag or dick? A life was lost so instead of judging how about you show some compassion for once in your life.
@@j.p.jenkins3631stupid
I used to go spelunking with a caving grotto from the Cincinnati Ohio area many years ago. And Floyd collins story is very well known in the caving community there. We even had a yearly pilgrimage to his gravesite to pay respects to him. His story was used as an educational tool to teach cave safety. His story is so incredibly sad.
I felt physically uncomfortable throughout that story. You told it so well, it made me squirm, cover my eyes & even feel a little nauseous.
I’m slightly puzzled that if Floyd was looking for a tourist attraction like some big chamber at the end of the small tunnel, was he expecting people to go to the same route? I don’t think he would’ve had many takers.
What a unimaginably horrific way to die. these stories always remind me of John Jones at Nutty putty. That story haunts me. 😢
That's exactly what I was just wondering!! I just got to the Discord segment, right after his lantern went out, and I've been sitting here wondering how the hell something like this could be a tourist attraction. So crazy.
I was sweating listening to this story it made snot come out of my nose and I was pissing , cumming , and shitting all at once
I get the anxiety, I've had to stop my car and get out during some of these stories...but that is because they are told so well. I thank Mr Ballen
@@LilRedlady413 I know, the descriptiveness & detail puts you there too. Normally I only get that when I’m watching the real thing. Worth pulling over for though!
I hear “caving incident” and I know I’m in for a particularly nightmarish story. Makes you feel claustrophobic even if you don’t normally feel it
I think the underwater stories are way more frightening but also with a cave story it has the potential like in this story to be dragged out for weeks which would be way more agonizing but also would probably make me feel more hopeful of a successful rescue
I'm claustrophobic and I can't swim so either one is a nightmare to me 😭. I used to have recurring nightmares about drowning in any water. I would wake up in cold sweats and screaming 😭. My family and I used to live in Virginia Beach Virginia and used to go there literally all the time. It was gorgeous and back when I was a kid I could swim really good. Now I'm 38 and can only doggy paddle. I think my older sister tried to drown me once. Or at least when I was a kid I thought so.
I tend to be claustrophobic in general, so i could never even WALK into a cave. Too much anxiety
Trump 2024 and George Floyd deserved what he HAD XOMING HIS WHOLE CRIMINAL LIFE!!!!!❤😅😮😢😅😅😮😢❤
I breathe heavy at the caving or diving stories…
Their just to good to ignore tho!!
Back in 1925, Sand Cave was not part of Mammoth Cave National Park. It was on private land. The reason Floyd went in there was to try and find an alternate entrance to Mammoth Cave. The Floyd family owned another tourist cave near by called Crystal Cave, which was renamed Floyd Collins Crystal Cave after his death. His casket and tombstone were displayed inside Crystal cave for many years.
Since those days, Mammoth Cave NP has bought both Crystal Cave and Sand Cave. You can see the entrance to Sand Cave today along with the remains of the shaft they dug trying to rescue Floyd. It is a short walk from a parking area, along a boardwalk to the cave entrance. However, you can't go in. Shortly after the Floyd Collins incident, they covered over the "hole" which led to the tunnel Floyd was trapped in, with a metal grate. (That is the one you see in the photo near the beginning of this video.)
If you are interested in caving in this region, a very good book to read is called "The Longest Cave". It gives a good description of the history of the Mammoth Cave region and especially the cave exploration and surveys done to connect the Flint Ridge cave system with Mammoth Cave. When the connection was made in the early 70's, it made the Flint-Mammoth cave system the longest in the world by several *hundred* miles.
I'm claustrophobic so this story and the way you told it literally had me where I had to pause it several times and walk away to recollect myself. You are such an amazing storyteller.
Me too. Have to pause and catch my breath 😫
😂
Yeah I came to comments to see if other people found this story extremely anxiety inducing, and felt very uncomfortable
Rest in peace Floyd…I’ve listened to a lot of cave diving both in and out of water, and this has got to be the most agonizing account I’ve ever heard about someone who was so close to survival, and then had it taken from him several times. To remember these individuals, these stories definitely should be passed down and not forgotten, and who better to do this than MrBallen? Thanks for these amazing videos as of late John, you’ve been on fire
He died what he loves
@@coffeelink943 interesting grammar hahaha…I can’t disagree with anything you said
@@coffeelink943 Yeah being stupid will get you killed
Then you have to look into the John Jones in the 2009 Nutty Putty cave tragedy😔
@@anniefranks6881john jones was bad but at least he wasn‘t consciously stuck that long
These stories rarely have a happy ending, but I was really hoping he would get rescued.
Mr. B said he prayed. Perhaps he WAS rescued?
Perhaps he was.
@@mr.hanger in the spiritual sense he was rescued, but not in the physical sense.
@@mr.hanger ...
Honestly I was just happy no one else got stuck with him. It’s a caving story so someone is going to die. The only thing worse is cave diving
There's a very fascinating book about this entire incident called "Trapped! The Story of Floyd Collins" and it is a great read if anyone is interested in hearing more about this story. I've read it a few times, it's just so sad and completely preventable. One inconsistency from this video, the cave Floyd was trying to reach didn't have much in it regarding Native American artifacts - I believe it was mentioned as a possibility but it was a cave system that was extremely difficult to navigate so it wouldn't really be a prime spot for Natives to store much of anything, I could be wrong though. Floyd mainly had the idea that all the caving systems were connected somehow, and thought finding a new entrance to Crystal Cave would've been profitable for his family, they were all dirt-poor folks. Last time I read the book was a year ago so I could be misremembering but it is an excellent read.
I never knew I was closterphopic until I started hearing stories of people in caves like these. Just the thought of being stuck deep underground with my arms pinned and not being able to move and nobody can hear me makes me experience a level of anxiety I didn't think was possible
Omg same! Especially the cave diving horror stories Mr Ballen has covered.
@Jason Voorhees wtf. I think most people feel this way about being pinned down and stuck. Guarantee you would be if it happened to you.
Given how many of these kinds of stories you can find, you would think claustrophobia would be a lot more common than it is. Like, being stuck in a cave with no way to get out? Heebies geebies, none for meesies.
I had no idea that I was claustrophobic until I went through fire academy in my 30's. Took 30 plus years to know what that terror actually felt like. Sometimes you don't know until you know lol
@SeeKay same! I feel like I can't breath right now & a very quick heartbeat!
Can we all just be in awe over show fast this channel is growing…. I mean I got here at around 1M and I thought that was completely insane.. now less than a year later and you’re almost at 8M, holy cow! The way you’re so casual and serious in your audio doesn’t captivate how intense and exciting it is to be reaching some 10M people. Wow just wow. I am so happy for you and your team. That’s incredible!
I've been here since 2018 when he had around..oh, I don't know...maybe 100k. Yes, it's truly insane how big Mr B is on YT. So proud of him!! #mrballengroupie❤
He actually had just under 6mil subs this time last year 😂 but yeah he's definitely a fast growing channel. Been watching since 2019
I got here at 10k
I remember the "hidden secret" days!
@@radchiksame!!! I think it's so awesome to see channels that we really like and that are positive opposed to most other channels, get so big!
This was so anxiety inducing. I don't understand why some people go deep into caves that end up becoming extremely narrow. That's just scary.
Yeah. I don’t get it either.
No fear = bad decisions.
@@MsAubrey in this case, money
Worth a note... Most of us who DO enjoy going into caves would avoid "Sand Cave" like the plague... and NEVER EVER go caving alone, I don't care HOW "experienced" or "expert" you think you are!
Sand Cave was named such because it's about 90% sandstone-conglomerate. That's UNSTABLE as Hell! It's one thing to trudge and crawl through a mix of muck, bat-sh*t, and broken rocks with solid enough limestone throughout 90% or more of the cave, but when you start finding sandstone and sedimentary rocks or composites all over the place, it's no longer a good "tourist spot". Tourists don't come to places knowing what they're doing. They come to places to be led around and coddled. 9 out of 10 wouldn't have the sense to get in out of the rain!
SO if I'm honest, Floyd was working at self defeat from the beginning on this one. You can still tour a LOT of Mammoth Cave and several others around this area, including a few guides who know where Sand Cave is, but the last I saw, there's a gate and NOBODY goes into Sand Cave.
There are LOTS of good caves with wide-open spaces and very little to challenge you, unless you specifically WANT to "play rough". There are LOTS of show-caves, full of guides and paths, and lights, and all you can stand to be told and shown... gift shops full of crap to show off being there, and Carlsbad has a damn food-court in the bottom with ELEVATORS back to the surface... a nightly bat-show, so you can be awe inspired at the shear mass of squawking, fluttering, wing-rats as they swirl into the sky...
If scrubbing and scraping, and crawling through contortions you never dreamed you could do before isn't your thing, you should STILL find a show-cave that's worth a look. You'll probably see a few things that are worth the trip... ;o)
@@oxlip You're correct. There have been a few stories that Mr. Ballen shared where claustrophobia was involved. One with another guy going deep into a cave and being unable to free himself, and then a recent story he covered about some workers in Spain who opened up a big pipe that sucked them in with only one guy escaping. I'd never do any of that for the big bucks.
At the point where he chose the narrowest of the caves where you literally slithering like a snake, and had no clue where it went, I was done.
Just hearing about someone crawling through a tunnel even if the story has no chance of ending bad gives me horrible anxiety and my feet and palms start sweating lol
I still haven't recovered from Ballen's telling of John Jones' caving nightmare.. just why do they do it I'll never understand. I still feel sick when it comes to my mind..
Floyd was trying to make an entrance to an amazing white crystal room in the cave. There were so many caves around the area and the owners of said caves would do anything to get tourists to visit and profit off of them. They'd sabotage others signs or say things to make tourists not want to go to other's caves. Floyd had a great idea for the attraction. If only that lantern still had fuel in it, if only he didn't tip that lantern over while crawling out, he could have done it.
Internet Historian did an incredible video on this not long ago, “Man in cave”, but it was sadly taken down due to copyright. Reuploads are floating around and there’s tons a reactions by streamers on here, so it’s pretty easy to find. I definitely recommend the watch considering he not only hired VA’s in the project but also used 3d modeling to give full perspective on how crazy this cave was built.
I was about to comment this
i was wondering what happened to that vid. luckily i got to see it when it premiered. When i looked for it to show it to my niece it was gone :(
Only John and his pacing with telling stories could both have me nervously sweating with anxiety and also totally gripped on every word , you’re truly a man of many talents MrBallen and of course Auld Lung 😂❤👋🏽🏴
@@Steven_McCrae don’t do it. It’s a fake. It’s not Mr Ballen, likely scammers who copy popular content creators logos, give themselves a very similar sounding name. It happens on a lot of channels with multi million subscribers. (Thought you were my bro in law for a moment! Same name and similar pic, I’m also in Scotland 🏴 😆. Advice is the same though. These guys are not Mr Ballen).
@@Fleurbunny Had an idea was dodgy was just curious what they were going to offer me ? 😆🤷🏽♂️ But thanks for advice ! take care 👋🏽😁
@@Steven_McCrae no worries 👍 See how quick they were to take it down after I posted about them being scammers?! They particularly look for comments that have actually been liked by actual Mr Ballen. Did actually think I was replying to my bro in law at first 😂
I was sweating with snot coming out of my nose and cumming , pissing, and shitting all at once listening to this story ❤
Thank you Mr Ballen for being inside this cave telling us this story. You are the best.
The photo of Floyd is so chilling. He was so close to being rescued. Poor guy 😢
Why didn't he use a torchlight instead of a oil lamp? Torchlight was invented in late 1890's and this man went exploring the cave in 1925.
@@Kat_12389 Batteries were extremely expensive back then. It wouldn't surprise me if most people didn't even have torchlights, back in those days. Also, please write, "...of *an* oil lamp", instead of, "...of *a* oil lamp." Why are people doing this thing now? Shows lack of education.
@@laurenrowell9251 they actually did. My great grandpa had one. Remember it was 1920's not 1820's.
@@Kat_12389 quantum computers exist. Why aren’t you using one? It’s 2023 not 1923
@@TheDangerZone86 and how do u know I or somebody i know is not using one? Are u God? 😂
Btw why ain't u using one too?🤔
MrBallen might not be the postman but he never fails to deliver.
UNDERRATED COMMENT
Oh bad.😢
😂🤘❤👏😁
@@khillsy4489😂
heard this comment last week
RIP Floyd. That story made me feel claustrophobic just listening. He was a brave man.
Internet Historian did a really good in-depth video about this story it gets really wild. The whole event was one of the biggest stories during the time and got to a point where people outside of the cave pretty much had a fair going on. The people outside were actually the reason why the cave collapsed because the heat coming from outside was slowly beginning to wear down the temperature in the cave.
Wendigoon as Floyd was an awesome choice.
I was about to comment this, lol. Apparently, it got taken down, or it got privated...
As soon as I heard Floyd and cave I knew which story this was lol. Interesting to have a different take on the incident though
That video is no longer available unfortunately
@@believeinmatter was reuploaded recently
I went cave exploring every single day for two weeks. That was enough for my entire lifetime. I'll never step foot into another cave ever again. Thanks for the nightmares
Can I ask why you did that
It's good how MrBallen told the story, but the final end was far more gruesome! Back in 2017 they used to give tours at Mammoth Cave about the Floyd Collins incident. We went on the tour, lead by a park ranger who was very knowledgeable. There have been a number of books & movies of this tragic story. The land where Sand Cave was located was actually owned by Floyd's family. After his death, a wealthy man, a doctor, i believe, managed to talk his parents into selling the land, along with Floyd's body, who was actually buried on the land. He dug up Floyd & put him on display. Because Floyd's body was making this cave so popular, some other cave owners stole Floyd & attempted to throw him into the Green River; however, his body got caught on some trees until someone managed to get him down & finally buried him, again! True story, google it or read the book like i did!
WOW! This needs way more likes 😮
I'm curious...what's the name or author of the book? And why was Floyd's brother gone for fifteen hours and still came back alone with no help or supplies except for sandwiches and water? Fifteen hours after first finding his brother stuck, for real? I mean, I know not everyone had a car or a phone...
Oh my god lol wtf is wrong with people 😅
The Internet Historian did a video on this story sometime in the past year. I think it was his most recent video.
Internet historian just reuploaded it. It's far more in-depth than this video
Mr Ballen is so good at telling stories that even someone like me who has aphantasia and lacks imagination can almost “see” the events unfolding as he explains it all in great detail.
He may be the cure to a blind minds eye lol
I binge this channel daily.
Mr.Ballen is that one guy we all need at camp fires to tell stories.
YES!! ❤
This is the first story since I first started watching almost three years ago that I had to force myself to get through. It left such a bad feeling in my stomach. You are a fantastic storyteller
You haven't watched a full episode in 3 years? Is it possible you have a problem with finishing things you start? Lol
@@findit6333I believe he meant all the other stories he watched no problem but this one he had to force himself to watch.
I felt the pain and agony with Floyd in the cave with Mr. Ballen’s storytelling. Thank-you Mr. Ballen 🙏🏻❤
⬆️Same scammer that tried me couple weeks back!
This was one of hardest stories to listen to, I will never understand why people do things so risky and dangerous. So sad
Because we dont have a boring life like you granma
This is the third time I've heard this story being told. It never gets old. Internet Historian recently did a video on this incident a couple of months back. He had a few prominent youtubers help with the voices. It'd be epic if they both collab on a video 😮
Thanks for saying. I am going to look them up now. I'm an old former caver, and have always been fascinated with Floyd Collins story. Oddly enough, even though I read his story shortly after my first caving excursion, it never made me think twice about going underground. I had to give it up because I got too old. I'll still go walk thru a public attraction. Caves are amazing!
@@itsnotthesamething the internet historian version is a little jokey but goes into far more detail than ballen did because its over an hour long
Internet Histoian's video got taken down, sadly.
He reuploaded it last week.
@@mjc8248 it got taken down again
After you mentioned his name I instantly recognized this story from Internet Historian. So excited to hear your story telling of this event!
From being a long time listener, he’s covered this story before I find.
i was wondering... "wait...this sound like the story of the cave." 🤣 then i remembered his name is Floyd and was like IT IS HIM!!!
Same !! 😊
Internet Historian did such an amazing job on "Man in Cave". Absolutely the best telling of this story. It sucks that Man in Cave has been copywrite stricken twice now. It's so emersive, especially with Historian telling you to dim your phone screen to the best spot.
@DPSFSU Seriously! I was so sad when I saw it was gone again.
Finding a Mrballen video I haven't watched is like finding a 20 dollar bill in my old trouser! Very impossible 😅
Waited for this video whole day ❤
@Mbita Acoustic Your reported spammer!
I find it really heartbreaking that there are so many story’s of cases where people are so close to being rescued, but time just isn’t in the favor and they end up passing away right as they are about to be rescued ❤️🩹😔
It's horrible that this happens too frequently.
I agree. There was the woman was trapped in mud, who ended up drowning; the Nutty Putty cave incident. You think you're saved when help arrives, but you're not. It hurts my heart.
The rescue teams find there target more often then not it is a rare occurrence for someone to be recently dead when a rescue team finds them
I doubt it helped his cave-in factor to have someone old-timey tunneling a cave right towards him. The rescuers might have shook the kill rock(s) loose.
They are the worst. It’s an unimaginable way to go.
We are so sorry we missed this event 😢 please have another one soon and we'll be sure to tune in and tell all of our family and friend's to tune in as well! Thanks in advance Mr. BALLEN 😊
I was listening in the dark with the phone screen facing the pillow so I could try to pay attention and relax my way to sleep. I’m extremely claustrophobic and my anxiety really kicked in. My heart is racing like crazy. Great job once again!!!!
Mr. Ballen said he walked right up to this cavern, starred, stopped, and smiled. And proceeded to tell us the man's plan for the cavern. How did you know all of this?! *"BECAUSE YOU'RE A GIFTED, CERTIFIED STORYTELLER!!"* The way you bring these stories to LIFE is just remarkably special!! I've stayed up, I swear, till the sun started hitting against our curtains. *I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOUR CHANNEL!! AND I JUST RECENTLY BECAME A ACTIVE DONOR!*
Floyd died of hypothermia(that’s why he was hallucinating)not by falling rocks. The cave he was in is part of the Mammoth Cave system(which he helped to map), and it stays in the mid 50’s year round, so the fact that he lasted that long in the first place is a testament to his physical and mental character
There's a lot wrong with his take. I've left a detailed response. This was very poorly researched. Like, Wikipedia does a better job.
@@AderynBach42 that’s harsh… holy cow!
Like Ballen said he new the risks and it didnt pay off. Id never take that risk to begin with. Caving is super dangerous with lots of fatal consequences making the risk even greater. I duno why people do it.
Cause of death was exposure (hypothermia in this case) and dehydration/starvation. Delirium is possible in severe enough hypothermia but delirium from severe dehydration or malnutrition is also very likely for several different reasons i.e. renal failure/or severe electrolyte imbalance, anemia, hypoglycemia, metabolic acidosis, among other things.
Mid 50s? 50 C is as hot as Death Valley!
I’m a Kentuckian -well aware of Mammoth Cave and all it entails -but even I can’t breath listening to Mr. Ballen’s description of Sand Cave!!
I will never be in a cave that requires slithering, shimmying, sliding, or even turning sideways to fit through a passage. Also, I demand to always see the entrance/exit point
😂 for real, my luck isn't good outside a cave, let alone in one
i’m so far from all my friends right now, half a worlds away and i feel so alone, i use youtube to bring me a shred of distraction and company, thank you mr ballen for being the most comforting person on my feed. i really appreciate you
These types of stories don't make you more lonely and depressed....
i really didn't expect the picture to affect me as much as it did, more than the story itself even. seeing how insanely close and visible he was to the outside world but still so, so far away actually took my breath away
It's not about you.
It did me too😢 so sad😭
If you liked this video I can recommend The Internet Historian's video on the same event - Man in Cave. It doesn't have quite as serious a tone to the extent that this video does, but it also contains some more details about the rescue attempts, the people involved and it also goes into further detail about what happened after Floyd's corpse was taken out of the cave.
Ha! I just watched the re-upload of IH video and was recommended MrBallen's version to accompany it 😄
Oh man, I first heard this story from the Internet Historian. I highly recommend listening to that version, it is a lot more tragic and infuriating because the rescuers wasted a lot of time and could have actually saved him if they worked a bit smarter. It's also crazy what happened to his body afterwards.
What happened to his body?
Got a link to that version?
Ahhh so that was why this story felt so familiar. Thx I couldn't put my finger on it.
@@Itellyouhwatt Floyd got the tourist attraction he always wanted, but he probably never thought the attraction would be him.
Doesn't seem to exist anymore.
You should do more ghost stories or hauntings those never fail to get me on edge
I second that
@mbitaacousticnobody asked
He used to do, this is like old school MrBallen.
Agreed 💯
Pause
Wow this story was bone chilling. I feel for this man so much. Sounds like one of the worst ways to go out.
Hard to get through this episode, as this is one of my biggest nightmare. But, thanks again to MrBallen for another amazing episode.
No one can have me listening to a story like johns. This man is the king of storytelling
When I see Mr. Ballen videos, I feel like a 5 year old in kindergarten excitedly sitting down for circle story time (and I’m 61 ☠️). I listen and hang on every word like the teacher’s. My heart wants the stories to have a Cinderella ending, just like the teacher’s. But then I realize the reason I listen to Mr. Ballen. It’s to be scared the crap out of 😳😵💫🥶😱💀. I’m never disappointed 😊. Thanks Mr. Ballen. Great story!!
RIP sweet Floyd. I’m so sorry for your unnecessary passing. I wish more people didn’t wait and took turns chiseling you out. Prayers for your family. 🕊️
Great storytelling MrBallen.
^ ignore the guy above me, that is not the real MrBallen
I thought the same thing, wondering how this wasn’t a 24/7 rescue mission with people taking turns to chisel him out. Rest in peace, Floyd
Well, in the first place, Lloyd had gotten there for no other important reason than to explore. To me, its a miracle anyone outside his family was willing to go in and do a rescue. Have in mind, getting to where he was in the first place was hard already. I dont want to sound heartless, but this was just a foolhardy undertaking. And, what if there had been someone chiseling out at the time the cave in happened? That would have meant 2 or more people trapped rather than 1. I know its heartbreaking, but if you have an adventurous spirit, you have to realize that satisfying that spirit comes with its dangers. Can't expect other people to save you from that.
I love your stories, mrballen, and I salute you for your service in the military!
This was the first creepy real story I probably ever heard about, in a documentary aboyt caves and spelunking. Amazing to listen to it all over again narrated like this.
Omg the anxiety this story produces while I vividly imagine what MrBallen describes. Great storytelling and very scary to think about happening!
I don't know which story is more frightening, this one or the one of the divers that got sucked up into the pipe.
That's a hard one. I was twitching through both. I am terribly claustrophobic and both stories made me extremely anxious. I thought I wasn't going to make it through either of them.
I think thy are both scary.. they all trapped pitch black small space..atleast Floyd got food n water for few days unlike the divers.
There's the more recent story of a cave dweller who got stuck upsidedown sort of and gravity and the angle of his body caused his body to swell and his loved ones and rescuers were there and attempted to get him out but it was too dangerous (don't remember exactly what the cause was but they tried many different ways to get him out)...he ultimately died knowing he was going they were unable to remove him from the space. Very traumatic story indeed..a lot like this one.
@@kalalooney5964 Oh god, that is horrifying.
@@kalalooney5964 so sad! Makes me shudder and take a deep, deep breath!
I came across your show few weeks ago and I absolutely love it I am addicted I watch it every single day thank you I appreciate you
A while ago i saw a video that was a few hours long detailing the whole time he was in the cave and the media circus that surrounded the whole rescue and just how many people from all over came to watch or try to help, It ultimately makes everything including that image so heart wrenching because they came so close many times. This was a great video my man!
Internet Historian "Man in cave"
@@Luka_menorykee looked it up to see if that was it and it wasnt but would be still worth a watch
@@andeturner6498 If the video was of his narration and animation of the story then that was 100% it. Internet Historian deleted it because it was striked. He said it’ll take a few weeks to re-edit and then it’ll be back up.
The Mr. Ballen show is the one show that is your favorite, but that you don't ever want to be on. Thanks for the stories!
⬆️😳⬆️
Yes 😂
Please report spammers ^^^
How true.
Worst part is the part that followed. the legal battles that ensued over his corpse. Those who set him up as an attraction had a lengthy legal battle with this man's family when they tried to take him and lay him to rest. Ultimately they lost, which is a shame seeing as a memorial would have been a better attraction than a dead man never laid to rest. Add that the incopetence of the owner of said attraction had the cadaver stolen on a couple occasions and at one point it fell into a nearby river... i mean... this story goes really deep.
What kind of a court doesn't give a body to the family?
I could not be a cave explorer. This story gave me more horrific misery than any story I've ever heard from Mr Ballen.
The cave he was buried in was one that he had discovered on his family farm and was commercialized by his family called Crystal Cave, which was integral to the exploration of the Flint Ridge cave system and the eventual connection to Mammoth Cave. There is a fantastic book written by Roger Brucker and Robert Murray called "Trapped!: The Story of Floyd Collins". I highly recommend it.
He had his dead body turned into a tourist attraction at the same place where he died trying to find a place to start a tourist attraction. That’s some sick sense of irony right there.
It’s beyond fucked up that they turned his death into a tourist attraction.
@@Nonamelol.seriously! Like, who gave THAT the green light? 😮
@@DiodeMom Well, in those times, it was pretty common to profit off of morally dubious/bankrupt attractions and products. During this time period, things such as freak shows about people with biological rarities or deformities and racist human zoos were not entirely uncommon.
It's more of him being mocked really , it's like "here's the idiot that crawled into his own death". He's famous for all the wrong reasons
Gross.
I’m from this area. I’ve heard this terrible story so many times as a kid since growing up around the same area, but it’s honestly so cool to hear to speak about it.
Out of all the stories Mr B tells… the caving disaster ones make me the most anxious.
I used to go spelunking as a kid… but I’d never go again. Nothing bad ever happened to me, I’m just too well aware of my own mortality to risk it.
When John tells these stories, they give be such anxiety that I start fidgeting in my own seat even though I'm safe and in a large room with plenty of space. Even so, I still can't stop listening to them. Thanks for doing what you do John, keep it up!