Soon after , the Wilkinson family ( the owners of the property since 1884 ) learned of the discovery . Mr. Percy Wilkinson lowered his 14 year-old son Bernard into it with a bicycle lamp on 140 feet of rope tied to a tree to explore the cave . Soon after , the Wilkinson family ( the owners of the property since 1884 ) learned of the discovery , Mr. Percy Wilkinson lowered his 14 year-old son Bernard into it with a bicycle lamp on 140 feet of strong rope tied to a tree to explore the cave .