“A compelling narrative that keeps readers on edge until the final verdict is revealed.”
By Carl Nightbridge, USNN World News
(May 7, 2024) Howes Cave, NY – A tragedy unfolds in the depths of Howe Caverns in the 1930s, shrouded in mystery and followed by a dramatic courtroom battle for justice. The book “The Cave Electrician’s Widow,” written by Cobleskill author Dana Cudmore, sheds light on this little-known event in the history of the famous tourist destination.
The story revolves around an incident where two employees of the caverns met their untimely demise, sparking questions about what truly happened deep within the caves.(CONTINUE).
“Cudmore. . .puts the reader in a very similar position to [that of] the jury. . . Compelling. . .”
REVIEW by John Dunham, The Northeastern Caver Vol. 55, No. 4, Dec. 2024
On the morning of April 24th, 1930, electrician Owen Wallis and caverns part-owner John Sagendorf went into the tourist section of Howe Caverns for some brief maintenance before the day’s commercial tours. A few hours before they entered, the adjacent limestone quarry blasted 70,000 tons of rock off the quarry wall near the cave.
By mid-morning, both men were dead, apparently overcome by gas and smoke in the cave, and several others were heavily affected while attempting rescue (CONTINUE).
“An engaging narrative. . .”
By Martin Strosberg Schenectady County Historical Society, January 2025
Many of us have experienced the thrill and delight of a visit to Howe Caverns, a major tourist attraction in our area. Howe Caverns as we now know it, with its elegant lodge, winding passageways, spooky stalagmites and stalactites, and underground boat ride, was officially opened to the public on Memorial Day, 1929. What many of us do not know is that back then (and to a lesser extent, even today) there was a major quarry operation immediately adjacent to the Caverns. (CONTINUE)
REVIEWS FOR UNDERGROUND EMPIRES: Two Centuries of Exploration, Adventure, and Enterprise in NY’s Cave Country
“Cudmore has written a book not solely about the caves’ history, but about all the history attached to the caves—the multitude of personalities and the cultural and economic tides that have swept across the Leatherstocking Country and its greatest natural wonders. … Underground Empires is a rise, fall, rise, fall, and rise again story filled with colorful characters, high adventure, a little romance even, and some tantalizing mysteries — From the foreword by Geologists/Authors Robert and Johanna Titus
REVIEWS FROM THE CAVING COMMUNITY FOR ‘UNDERGROUND EMPIRES
“Dana Cudmore has given us a very readable, interesting, funny, and valuable history of caving in NYS“
I very much enjoyed reading Underground Empires. A fine writer and excellent researcher, Dana Cudmore has given us a very readable, interesting, funny and valuable history of caving in New York State. A native of the area and an avid local history buff, Cudmore’s personal experience in the field makes him the ideal guide to narrate this fascinating and unique tour of upstate New York’s great underground. Well worth the read! –Matt R, Amazon verified purchaser, May 2022
For the Farming With Dynamite program, based on the new book of the same name:
“It was fascinating. Very enjoyable.”