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Adventure business dream lured divers
Search for Memphian called off at mine
By Tom Bailey Jr.
baileytom@go*.co*
On Tuesday afternoon, two Memphis cave divers were exploring a possible =
adventure business 300 feet down in the pitch-black waters of an =
abandoned marble mine in Jasper, Ga., when something went wrong.=20
Memphis firefighter/paramedic Travis Jenkins, 27, made it out and called =
911.=20
"You think about going into a building you've never been into =
before, but let's turn all the lights out and fill the building with =
water." - Randy Wright=20
His diving buddy Dale Fisher, 41, was still missing Thursday and =
presumed dead. He apparently became lost in the bowels of the mine =
shaft, where the water temperature is 58 degrees and there are no air =
pockets where a diver could take refuge when his air tanks empty. =
Somehow Fisher got separated from Jenkins, who held the line to guide =
them out of the watery labyrinth.=20
Jasper authorities on Thursday pulled recovery divers, who had made six =
unsuccessful dives for Fisher since Tuesday night, from the treacherous =
6-mile complex.=20
"The decision was made it was completely unsafe and we didn't need to be =
in there," said Allen Wigington, deputy director of the Pickens County =
Emergency Management Agency.=20
The city now plans to lower the water level over the next two to three =
weeks by pumping out 60 million to 80 million gallons of water so a boat =
can be used, Wigington said. "We are going to recover the body," he =
said.=20
Jenkins remained in the area where he has family, Wigington said. The =
Commercial Appeal was unable to contact him Thursday.=20
Cave divers comprise a tiny subgroup in recreational diving. They are =
drawn to caves, mine shafts and other such places because of the beauty, =
the accessibility, the adventure of exploration or simply the joy of =
breathing underwater, said Lloyd Bailey of Gainesville, Fla., president =
of the National Association for Cave Diving.=20
But cave diving is potentially dangerous, especially without proper =
training.=20
"You got one way in and one way out," said Randy Wright, managing =
partner of The Dive Shop in Memphis.=20
"You think about going into a building you've never been into before, =
but let's turn all the lights out and fill the building with water."=20
Jenkins works on the C shift at Fire Station 26 in Frayser. Fisher got =
his emergency medical technician's license a year ago. But The =
Commercial Appeal had been unable to determine Thursday if, or for whom, =
he works as an EMT.=20
The divers were exploring a business opportunity, said John Weaver, =
mayor of Jasper, a town of 2,000, and the north ernmost bedroom =
community of Atlanta, 60 miles south. Jenkins's newly incorporated =
company, Mid-South Divers, had proposed to the city that it operate a =
recreational diving operation at the city-owned cave site, Weaver said.=20
But Jasper was a long way from approving the plan, even before Tuesday's =
diving incident, Weaver said.=20
City officials did give the Memphis divers permission to dive, after =
they signed a waiver releasing the city from any liability, Weaver said. =
In exchange, he said, Jenkins and Fisher agreed to provide Jasper with =
information about the condition of the mines and the quality of the =
water.=20
Wigington gave this account of what Jenkins reported:=20
The two men were in the old mine's "D level," or three levels down, when =
the safety line became tangled.=20
Cave divers take with them a reel of line, the end of which they secure =
at the surface. By reeling off the line as they dive down in dark =
waters, they can follow it back to the surface.=20
Jenkins was holding the reel Tuesday. A different line tethered Fisher =
to Jenkins.=20
As Jenkins tried to fix the tangled safety line, Fisher descended beyond =
him. Somehow, the two became separated despite the tether.=20
Jenkins looked for but failed to find him. Thinking Fisher may have =
risen above him while he was working on the line, Jenkins swam toward =
the surface. But he didn't find his friend.=20
''He realized he was over his head and he went and called for help," =
Wigington said.=20
The local governments had spent $20,000 in the rescue-recovery effort =
through Wednesday evening, and the amount will rise with the =
24-hour-a-day pumping operation, Wigington said.=20
Bailey, also a leading cave-diving instructor, discovered during a =
telephone interview with The Commercial Appeal Thursday that Jenkins =
apparently called Jan. 17 to inquire about taking introductory to =
advanced cave-diving classes this spring and summer with a friend.=20
"Oh my God," Bailey said when he found a staffer's telephone memo saying =
a "Travis Jenkins" from the 901 Area Code had called.=20
- Tom Bailey Jr.: 529-2388=20
March 1, 2002
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>
<P class=3Dheadline1>Adventure business dream lured divers</P>
<P class=3Dsubhead>Search for Memphian called off at mine</P>
<P class=3Dsmalltext><B>By Tom Bailey Jr.<BR><A=20
href=3D"mailto:baileytom@go*.co*">baileytom@gomemphis.com</A></B></=
P><SPAN=20
class=3Dbodytext>On Tuesday afternoon, two Memphis cave divers were =
exploring a=20
possible adventure business 300 feet down in the pitch-black waters of =
an=20
abandoned marble mine in Jasper, Ga., when something went wrong.=20
<P>Memphis firefighter/paramedic Travis Jenkins, 27, made it out and =
called 911.=20
<P>
<TABLE cellSpacing=3D10 cellPadding=3D0 width=3D200 align=3Dright =
border=3D0 vspace=3D"5"=20
hspace=3D"5">
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD width=3D1 bgColor=3D#666666><IMG height=3D1=20
src=3D"http://www.gomemphis.com/images/one_pix.gif" =
width=3D1></TD>
<TD><FONT size=3Dsmall>"You think about going into a building you've =
never=20
been into before, but let's turn all the lights out and fill the =
building=20
with water." - Randy
Wright</FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>His =
diving buddy=20
Dale Fisher, 41, was still missing Thursday and presumed dead. He =
apparently=20
became lost in the bowels of the mine shaft, where the water temperature =
is 58=20
degrees and there are no air pockets where a diver could take refuge =
when his=20
air tanks empty. Somehow Fisher got separated from Jenkins, who held the =
line to=20
guide them out of the watery labyrinth.=20
<P>Jasper authorities on Thursday pulled recovery divers, who had made =
six=20
unsuccessful dives for Fisher since Tuesday night, from the treacherous =
6-mile=20
complex.=20
<P>"The decision was made it was completely unsafe and we didn't need to =
be in=20
there," said Allen Wigington, deputy director of the Pickens County =
Emergency=20
Management Agency.=20
<P>The city now plans to lower the water level over the next two to =
three weeks=20
by pumping out 60 million to 80 million gallons of water so a boat can =
be used,=20
Wigington said. "We are going to recover the body," he said.=20
<P>Jenkins remained in the area where he has family, Wigington said. The =
Commercial Appeal was unable to contact him Thursday.=20
<P>Cave divers comprise a tiny subgroup in recreational diving. They are =
drawn=20
to caves, mine shafts and other such places because of the beauty, the=20
accessibility, the adventure of exploration or simply the joy of =
breathing=20
underwater, said Lloyd Bailey of Gainesville, Fla., president of the =
National=20
Association for Cave Diving.=20
<P>But cave diving is potentially dangerous, especially without proper =
training.=20
<P>"You got one way in and one way out," said Randy Wright, managing =
partner of=20
The Dive Shop in Memphis.=20
<P>"You think about going into a building you've never been into before, =
but=20
let's turn all the lights out and fill the building with water."=20
<P>Jenkins works on the C shift at Fire Station 26 in Frayser. Fisher =
got his=20
emergency medical technician's license a year ago. But The Commercial =
Appeal had=20
been unable to determine Thursday if, or for whom, he works as an EMT.=20
<P>The divers were exploring a business opportunity, said John Weaver, =
mayor of=20
Jasper, a town of 2,000, and the north ernmost bedroom community of =
Atlanta, 60=20
miles south. Jenkins's newly incorporated company, Mid-South Divers, had =
proposed to the city that it operate a recreational diving operation at =
the=20
city-owned cave site, Weaver said.=20
<P>But Jasper was a long way from approving the plan, even before =
Tuesday's=20
diving incident, Weaver said.=20
<P>City officials did give the Memphis divers permission to dive, after =
they=20
signed a waiver releasing the city from any liability, Weaver said.=20
<P>In exchange, he said, Jenkins and Fisher agreed to provide Jasper =
with=20
information about the condition of the mines and the quality of the =
water.=20
<P>Wigington gave this account of what Jenkins reported:=20
<P>The two men were in the old mine's "D level," or three levels down, =
when the=20
safety line became tangled.=20
<P>Cave divers take with them a reel of line, the end of which they =
secure at=20
the surface. By reeling off the line as they dive down in dark waters, =
they can=20
follow it back to the surface.=20
<P>Jenkins was holding the reel Tuesday. A different line tethered =
Fisher to=20
Jenkins.=20
<P>As Jenkins tried to fix the tangled safety line, Fisher descended =
beyond him.=20
Somehow, the two became separated despite the tether.=20
<P>Jenkins looked for but failed to find him. Thinking Fisher may have =
risen=20
above him while he was working on the line, Jenkins swam toward the =
surface. But=20
he didn't find his friend.=20
<P>''He realized he was over his head and he went and called for help,"=20
Wigington said.=20
<P>The local governments had spent $20,000 in the rescue-recovery effort =
through=20
Wednesday evening, and the amount will rise with the 24-hour-a-day =
pumping=20
operation, Wigington said.=20
<P>Bailey, also a leading cave-diving instructor, discovered during a =
telephone=20
interview with The Commercial Appeal Thursday that Jenkins apparently =
called=20
Jan. 17 to inquire about taking introductory to advanced cave-diving =
classes=20
this spring and summer with a friend.=20
<P>"Oh my God," Bailey said when he found a staffer's telephone memo =
saying a=20
"Travis Jenkins" from the 901 Area Code had called.=20
<P>- Tom Bailey Jr.: 529-2388</SPAN>=20
<P><B>March 1, 2002</B></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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