Cave Explorers Find a House Deep Inside a Cave — Then They Hear Something Inside

Mara read silently while Ethan waited. Initially, some patients reported feeling better. But the cave was cold and damp, with smoke from heating and cooking fires in the air. As the weeks passed, many grew weaker instead of stronger. “They had lung disease,” Ethan said. “And they were breathing smoke?” Mara nodded. She tried to picture the cottages filled with people who had already struggled to breathe before they arrived. There had been no easy way to step outside for fresh air or sunlight.

One patient had asked to leave and returned to the surface. Others remained, trusting the treatment or hoping it might still work. Then Mara reached the part of the account that explained why the experiment had ended. Five patients had died inside the cave. Their bodies were laid out on a rock that later became known as Corpse Rock. Dr. Croghan finally gave up the experiment and took the surviving patients back above ground. Mara stared at the words, then lowered the tablet.

Ethan looked at the two cottages. “And they just left all this here?” Mara checked the final section of the notes. There was one more detail about the doctor that she hadn't expected.