Rock Falls From Cliff, Hits Meramec Caverns Building

Wednesday, June 12, 1985

Meramec caverns at Stanton was shut down for two days this week after a mass of stone crashed through the roof of the building at the cave’s entrance, injuring four of the Sunday visitors and causing an estimated $15,000 to $20,00 in damage.

A mother and daughter from Florissant and a couple from Mexico, Mo., received minor injuries from flying material when a large slab of rock — evidently loosened by days of steady rain — dropped from an overhanging stone bluff and landed with the force of a small bomb in the building’s souvenir area.

“We didn’t have any forewarning at all,” said Les Turilli, general manager and part-owner of the tourist attraction.

The massive boulder fell about 30 feet, caving in a wide section of the ceiling and crushing two souvenir displays. The four peole who were injured were standing within about 15 feet of where the rock landed and about 25 other customers were in other parts of the visitor buidling, according to Turilli. “It’s a miracle no one was under it.”

“There was a big boom and a big gush of wind,” said Steve Lambing, 18, a cook who was nearby in the building’s kitchen. Plastic soda cups were blown off a counter 40 feet from the crashs area, he said.

Turilli was in an upstairs office at 1:50 p.m. when he heard the boom and felt a tremor. He thought at first it was a jet breaking the sound barrier, then he looked out a window and saw the hole in his building’s roof.,

He says he immediately evacuated the building and shut off gas and electric lines. Sullivan and St. clair fire crews were s summoned, along with Sullivan ambulance, but there were no flames or gas leaks, according to the manager.

Three people were treated for minor injuries at Sullivan community Hospital and then released, the hospital said. One victim, Adelina Diaz, 34, Florissant, was treated and transferred to St. Luke’s Hospital in St. Louis. Her husband, Jose, said Monday that Mrs. Diaz had been under observation for a head injury but had been released that day.

The Diaz’ nine-year-old daughter Araceli was one of the victims treated for cuts. Her father said Mrs. Diaz had shielded the girl when the ceiling caved in, and then the child “lay on the floor and covered her head. She said it was like a tornado drill.”

The other two treated for superficial wounds were a young Mexico couple, Gerald and Darla Phillips, according to Turilli.

Turilli said it ws the first major stone collapse at the cave since it was made a commercial attraction in 1933. Rocks have fallen from the bluff before, but usually they are “the size of a blowing ball,” and none has ever come through the roof before. He added that there has never been a cave-in inside the cave itself.

The manager said the Meramec Caverns property is inspected twice a year by a state caves and mines official. “We’ve always gotten a clean bill of health,” he said.,

Following Sunday’s accident, the bluff above the visitor building again was inspected and found to have additional loose stone. The stone has since been removed by mine-safety officials. The bluff now “looks like an old man that needed a shave and got one,” said the manager.

“We plan to work hand-in-hand with the mine-safety people,” he stated, explaining that future rockslides will be prevented by coating the bluff with Gunnite — an adhesive used on mine walls  and attaching a chain-line wire mesh to the bluff face.

The cavern was opened back up to the public Tuesday morning, but the souvenir area will remain closed for an indefinite period. It took until near midnight Monday to remove all debris from the accident, according to Turilli. Although the rock mass broke in pieces either before or after impact, the chunks were still so large that a jackhammer was needed to reduce them to moveable size. The biggest chunk was somewhat larger than a washing machine. Turilli said the original slab of stone appeared to have been about ten feet long, six feet high and two or three feet thick.

He said the cost of repairs probably will be $15-20,000. He had been expecting to draw 800 or more customers Monday, but instead had to turn people away.

He emphasized that the bluff collapse had nothing to do with the safety of Meramec Caverns itself.

“The cave is safe,” he said. He pointed out that the cave has been designated a “nuclear bomb shelter” by the federal government. There were more than 400 people in the cave at the time of the accident and “they didn’t even know it happened.”

Turilli said Monday he didn’t know how the public would respond to the rock accident, but after roipening Tuesday morning he said it was proving to be a “great day” for business.

“I’m. hoping it (the accident) won’t have too much of an impact on business,” he said. “We’ve had all the ‘impact’ we want.”

Meramec caverns was made a commercial attraction 52 years ago by Turilli’s grandparents, Lester and Mary Dill. The enterprise is still family-owned, with Mrs. Dill president of the corporation. Turilli has been general manager of the business for four years.

Caption:

After the Crash — It took workers until Monday night to clear away wreckage and rock debris after a mass of stone caved-in the roof of the visitor building at Meramec Caverns Sunday afternoon. The main chunk of stone is seen at the center of the top photo illuminated by sunlight coming through the puctured roof. Statues of Jesse and Frank James seem to be reacting to the bluff-collapse at their legendary hideout. The rectangualar, slightly white section of the bluff (above statues and extending to the right) shows where the stone sheared away from the cliff.

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