DAVENPORT, Iowa -- An Illinois man who was trapped in an Iowa cave for 20 hours said he wasn't initially worried when he got stuck the narrow passage, but he lost track of time and turned to prayer as a dozen rescuers took turns crawling through 300 feet of twists and turns to free him.
Logan Eliasen, 20, of Port Byron, Ill., told the Des Moines Register he had no idea how many people were involved in the rescue because he only had contact with two or three at once.
Eliasen, a Bible and theology major at Wheaton College and three friends went to Maquoketa Caves State Park on Friday to camp overnight and go caving.
He and friend Emma Thompson, 20, also of Port Byron, Ill., visited the Wye Cave about 7 p.m., while their friends stayed at the campsite to eat.
The couple tried to coach Thompson on how to get free, but nothing worked. The couple went for help.
Once rescuers arrived, they freed Thompson in about 30 minutes.Top of FormBottom of Form
Rescuers chiseled away at the rock. They tried to tug him loose with ropes. He was alone occasionally for 10 to 20 minutes at a time when workers changed shifts.
It was during a shift change when he told himself he would try to free himself. He tried three times but couldn't find the strength to push his body onto the ledge and free himself. He tried once more.
"I prayed for the Lord to give me the last burst of strength," he told the Register. "I pushed."
Given something to eat and water to drink, he worked his way with rescuers to the larger part of the cave where medical treatment began. Freed from the cave about 3 p.m. Saturday, he had scrapes on his body and suffered from dehydration and exhaustion.
Eliasen spent the night at Jackson County Regional Health Center.
Among the rescuers was Davenport firefighter Amy Priest. At 5-foot, 6-inches and 140 pounds, she was among only a few rescuers small enough to make physical contact with Eliasen.
"I just did what I could for him," she told the Quad-City Times on Tuesday.
Source: Quad-City Times; Des Moines Register
