straight creek ky resident knows of cave with curious element

[kid_explorer]

I exlpored a cave on straight creek ky as a child 30 yrs ago. I had never heard of the swift silver legend until @ 5 yrs ago. My family which has lived on straight creek for 3 generations had not heard of the story either. I recently became engaged in a conversation that sparked my interest to possibly relocate the cave and re-explore it. The mystery that has always bothered me and others about the cave is that there is a steel cable that was somehow fastened to a large boulder at the end of the cave and it dropped @ 80 ft. straight down to the bottom. No one that I have talked to can explain what is down there and why that cable would be there in the first place. I know that coal is mined in this area but I do not believe it was an entrance to an old coal mine. I am a coal miner myself and in my experience coal was not loaded out this way. I have saw how old coal mines look and this to me is not an old coal mine.
Why was this cable put there?
What is at the bottom?
Could it be worth revisiting?
Can any cavers or others help me with these questions?

[truckinbutch]

Definitely worth revisiting with a fresh eye . Take help in the interest of safety .
Let us know what you find .
Jim

[kid_explorer]

Yea that's definitely a concern of mine. I have access to atmospheric monitors, now I'm recruiting a few guys for the repelling and climbing experience and equipment. I hope that the path in the cave is still passable. The last time I was there as a teenager a boulder the size of a volkswagon had fallen from the top and had partially blocked the path.

I'll probably make one trip to locate the cave with a gps and at that time descend into the cave to see if the end is reachable. Then take notes of what equipment I'll need to make the final descent to the bottom.

[Rebel - KGC]

GREAT! Be VERY careful... GOOD LUCK! HH! Coffee?

[swiftfan]

Which Straight Creek? Is it the one in Pike Co?

[The Real Swift]

That would be a saltpetre mine. I have seen several that were labled as swift's lost mine.
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/n....jsp?id=h-3144

I exlpored a cave on straight creek ky as a child 30 yrs ago. I had never heard of the swift silver legend until @ 5 yrs ago. My family which has lived on straight creek for 3 generations had not heard of the story either. I recently became engaged in a conversation that sparked my interest to possibly relocate the cave and re-explore it. The mystery that has always bothered me and others about the cave is that there is a steel cable that was somehow fastened to a large boulder at the end of the cave and it dropped @ 80 ft. straight down to the bottom. No one that I have talked to can explain what is down there and why that cable would be there in the first place. I know that coal is mined in this area but I do not believe it was an entrance to an old coal mine. I am a coal miner myself and in my experience coal was not loaded out this way. I have saw how old coal mines look and this to me is not an old coal mine.
Why was this cable put there?
What is at the bottom?
Could it be worth revisiting?
Can any cavers or others help me with these questions?

[Curtis]

I would still explorer it. Is the hole (80 ft.) very far back in the cave? If it was for salt peter (guano-bat droppings) the whole cave would have had to been that deep not just one spot..unless it was a branch and the bats hung out down there. The fact is no one knows what it is or why it was dug, so find out. Take plenty of pictures of everything and post them..we can all then try to help piece it together..who know is may have been swifts and some came later on with the cable to retrieve the goods!

[grayflint]

we need an update