Schroeder's Pants Cave is a cave located by Goodell Corners in

Herkimer County, New York Herkimer County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer (village), New York, Herkimer. The co ...

. It was initially explored in the 1950s by Herbert W. Schroeder and George A. Buck, teachers at the high school in Dolgeville, New York, and named for Mr. Schroeder after he tore out the seat of his pants during an early exploratory venture. In 1965 James G. Mitchell from

Manheim, New York Manheim is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 3,334 at the 2010 census. The town name is derived from Mannheim in Baden, Germany. The town is in the southeastern part of the Herkimer County and is bordered to t ...

died of

hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...

after becoming stranded on a rope in a pit in the cave with a frigid waterfall. Initial efforts to recover Mitchell's body failed. A rescue team was flown from

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on

Air Force Two Air Force Two is the air traffic control designated call sign held by any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the vice president of the United States, but not the president. The term is often associated with the Boeing C-32, a modified ...

. A three-day effort to retrieve Mitchell was aborted after repeated failures and a partial collapse. The cave was abandoned and blasted shut, essentially making the cave a tomb. Over 5000 dollars were spent on him to retrieve the body; Mitchell's death made headlines again forty-one years later when a group returned to the cave and successfully recovered his remains. Supposedly the cave waters were dye traced to East Creek away.

References

{{reflist Caves of New York (state) Caving incidents and rescues Landforms of Herkimer County, New York