Ruby Falls, a unique wonder, located 1300’ below the surface of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga Tennessee is on the area’s most popular tourist attractions.  Drew McMichael started with the Ruby Falls Company in 1978, working as a ticket seller. After two years, he was promoted to apprentice tour guide, which led to a full-time tour guide gig in 1981.  Drew loved taking folks deep beneath the surface to show them the wonders of the caving system, with its stalactites and stalagmites, many in unique shapes, carved by Mother Nature.  The highlight of the trip was, of course, the spring-fed falls at the base of the cavern.

After five years of guiding, they all started to seem the same, despite the diversity of the guests.  Drew’s boss presented him with an opportunity to join the maintenance team.  Drew jumped at the chance.  For six months, he was partnered with Stanley Summers, known to everyone as “Steamer”.  Steamer was the lead hand, taking all trainees under his wing.  The maintenance part was easy, replacing bulbs and wiring, repairing worn steps and ramps, and ensuring railings were sturdy.  Safety was paramount, and Steamer could not emphasize enough the danger one could face in a power outage.  Unlike the surface, where there was always some degree of light, when the power failed 1300’ beneath the surface, you cannot see your hand in front of your face.  With the complete lack of light, you have 100% darkness.

Drew worked for nearly a decade, arriving each day just as the last tour was ending, working until midnight making the necessary repairs.  Part of his daily routine was to check the battery pack on his headlamp, and to check the fuel level on the generator.  As fate would have it, on the first day of August 1997, Drew was late for work for the first time in his career.  Sure, he had called in and informed his boss that he was dealing with an irate teenager.  He arrived at 4:35, out of sorts due to his son’s stubbornness, and for the first time in his career, he entered the elevator without checking his battery pack or the generator.

Halfway down the shaft, Drew remembered to check his battery pack.  25% power.  His thoughts drifted upward to the generator.  For a moment, he thought about stopping the elevator and heading back to the surface, but the odds were stacked in his favor.  Only seven power outages in his time with Ruby Falls and each time the generator kicked in, avoiding any issues.

Drew reached the bottom of the shaft, enjoying the cool, dampness of the chamber.  Drew shared his duties with Archibald “Arch” Lee.  They alternated shifts, working three on, three offs.  Steamer worked the day shift with two or three part time employees who maintained the gift shop, the grounds, storage facility, all equipment, and the maintenance shop.  Drew had the place to himself, heading to the maintenance station where a list would be waiting for him.  Steamer relied on his men to follow his instructions to the letter, leaving a list of tasks to be done in the order in which they were posted.  Today’s list included repairing two stairs on the north wing of the eastern cut. Drew loaded his trolley with the equipment and wood needed for the job and headed out. 

Midway through his shift, as Drew was completing the repair work on the stairs, the lights flickered.  He reached for his headlamp, noting that it was down to 4%.  The second the job was complete; he loaded the trolley and Drew began his journey back to the main shaft.  The lights flickered a second time, followed by a loud rumble that vibrated the chamber.  Drew panicked and broke into a run.  As he turned a corner, his headlamp caught an outcropping, snagging it from his head, smashing onto a rock. In all his years, he had never worried about an earthquake.  They never happened here, ever.  As he reached the halfway point of his journey back to the main shaft, the lights flickered again before going out.

Drew stopped immediately.  His heart racing more from fear than fatigue.  He moved slowly to his right, trying to touch a rock to help guide him.  It seemed to take an eternity to reach the cool surface of the rock.  It did little to help pinpoint where he was.  Drew had been so busy running; he hadn’t focused on his whereabouts.

On tours, the guide would always kill the power for a moment to give the customers a sense of what total darkness looked like.  As much as Drew had always enjoyed that part of the tour, it now terrified him.  Drew opted to sit beside the rock formation and wait for the generator to come on.  No one wore smart watches or carried smart phones down here.  No gps signal so phones and watches were useless although a phone flashlight would sure be comforting right now.  Drew wore his dad’s watch, an old Rolex with no light display.

Sitting in the complete absence of light was unnerving.  Drew was certain he could see something moving toward him in the shadows.  A cougar was discovered in the main chamber a little over three years earlier.  It escaped, never to be found.  The maintenance team spent months sealing any possible crevice that the cougar could regain entrance.

Despite the dampness, Drew was sweating.  A second tremor shook the cavern.  Drew’s heart raced as he prayed for it to stop.  Seconds later, it slowed to a slow rumble as it subsided.  To his right, a rock slammed to the ground, causing him to jump, emitting a childlike squeal.

“Please don’t let me die like this,” he whispered.  “Turn on the damn lights,” he yelled to no one.

He knew that there was a generator malfunction of some kind.  The system was designed to restore power in less than one minute.  The earthquake must have damaged the system.  Drew made the decision to make his way to the elevator shaft.  Rising to his two shaky legs, he used the rock formation to guide him slowly up the path.  Remembering the twists and turns of a path he had travelled thousands of times in the light was easy.  Doing that in complete darkness was another story, a very terrifying story.

Movement was slow going.  Reach ahead, place your hand on a rock, follow up with your feet.  Repeat.  After travelling a hundred feet or so, Drew felt something run over his foot.  He screamed so loudly it hurt his throat.  He lashed out with his foot, missing his invisible foe, striking a rock flush instead, cracking a toe.  Work boots were not a requirement down here.  Comfortable running shoes were the footwear of choice.  Unfortunate.  Drew hopped on his good foot, striking his uncovered head on a stalactite, cutting through his scalp.  He became dizzy, falling to the ground.  His visitor ran over his leg, heading in the opposite direction.  Drew felt like crying.  His toe hurt, his head hurt, a creature or creatures had found him, and he couldn’t see a damn thing.  Laying there, panting, heart racing, Drew thought he could hear a pack of rats scurrying near him.

“Not rats,” whispered Drew.  “Please, anything but rats.”  Reaching into his back pocket, Drew withdrew a handkerchief, and quickly wiped the blood from his head.  The cut was not deep, and the bleeding was minimal.  Hopefully the smell of blood would not attract a pack of rats.

Despite his fear, Drew slowly got to his feet and began his journey.  Step by slow step, he closed the distance between himself and the elevator shaft.  Odd that nothing seemed familiar to the touch.  Several times he stopped to listen; certain the rats were following him.  Once he thought he heard a low growl.

Drew continued at a snail’s pace; certain he was close to the elevator shaft.  Once there, he would use the phone to call up for help and there were spare headlamps there as well.  Unfortunately for Drew, he had mistaken the west passage for the east passage.  The west passage had been closed to the public for years.  During tours, several large signs indicating danger were posted, keeping guests out of the area.  In the darkness, Drew could not see his own nose, let along signs.  Three dozen feet down this corridor, Drew encountered a sharp drop, causing him to stumble, rolling clumsily over the rail, protecting workers from the Ruby Falls River.

The water was ice cold, and the current was unforgiving.  Drew was slammed into the side wall and several stalactites grazed his scalp and face as he raced downward.  Drew fought to stay on the surface, gulping for air every chance he was given.  After slamming into a stone wall, Drew was about ready to surrender himself to the water.  He was bleeding badly, his arms and legs were growing tired, and he was so cold.  It was then that he caught a glimpse of light, faint at first but growing.  This renewed his fight, and he clawed himself to the surface riding this wild ride toward the light.  As he neared the light, the current began to slow somewhat and in a matter of seconds he found himself in a small cavern.  He fought to pull himself to the side and pulled himself out of the water.  He sat in the dim light, growing aware of his surroundings.  The water continued out the mouth of the cave, leading to the dim light of dusk.  Drew managed to get to his feet, following the path out of the cave.  Drew found himself at the base of Lookout Mountain, on the southern ledge, an isolated location, never developed by the Ruby Falls Company.

Drew knelt and kissed the ground, thanking God for sparing his life.  He performed a quick audit of himself, determined that none of his injuries were life threatening.  He looked back toward the cavern, shuddering at the thought of what he had just been through.  It was then he heard the growl.