# The Miller Cave Tragedy: 7 Entered, 5 Survived | E217

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories-2136323/the-miller-cave-tragedy-7-entered-5-survived-e217
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories-2136323/the-miller-cave-tragedy-7-entered-5-survived-e217.md
Podcast: [The CRUX: True Survival Stories](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories-2136323)
Published: 2026-02-23T12:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://bleav.com/shows/the-crux-true-survival-stories/episodes/the-miller-cave-tragedy-7-entered-5-survived-e-217/
Audio file: https://pdrl.fm/6c099d/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/1385/injector.simplecastaudio.com/5011364a-4adb-4853-94db-b451263aae87/episodes/c9ad3f72-022e-45dd-b695-ee5149822ddd/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=5011364a-4adb-4853-94db-b451263aae87&awEpisodeId=c9ad3f72-022e-45dd-b695-ee5149822ddd&feed=Ze0KQfi5
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-crux-true-survival-stories-2136323/episodes/the-miller-cave-tragedy-7-entered-5-survived-e217
Duration seconds: 2906

## Resource

*CONTENT WARNING* Contains descriptions of hypothermia, drowning, and death. February 28, 1987. Seven people descended into Miller Cave, a 112-foot vertical shaft in an Iowa farm field. When a winter storm shifted direction, water began pouring into the cave—turning a routine college caving trip into a fight for survival. Student leader Chad Blietz (now Chad Darby) shares his firsthand account of climbing through freezing spray in total darkness, battling hypothermia, and making impossible decisions as conditions turned deadly. Seven entered. Only five survived.This episode honors those lost and explores the survival lessons that still matter today.

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-crux-true-survival-stories-2136323/episodes/the-miller-cave-tragedy-7-entered-5-survived-e217/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories-2136323/the-miller-cave-tragedy-7-entered-5-survived-e217.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.