Tragedy Overtakes Party In Southern Alps

Chronicle (Levin), 8 April 1948, Page 4

Tragedy Overtakes Party In Southern Alps

Press Assadation ) ' \

(Per

WELLINGTON, April 1. Caught in a.- severe alpine storm when attempting the crossing of Copland Pass from Fox Glacier to the Hermitage, Mount CPok/thrfee women died of expo'sure last night. j . They \vere : — Joan Bust, bus- conductress, Midland- Motors, Ghrjstchurch. Margaret Sullivah. _ nurse, public hospital, Dunedin. Thelma Jefcoate,. nurse,' public hospital, Dunedin. "The- leader of 'the party, Guide M. Sullivan, from the Fox Glacier Hotel, reached the ; Hermitage at 9.30 a.m: this mornin'g in an exhausted condition to tell of the tragedy. The manager of the Hermitage, Mr. L. S. Dennis, said today that the party, which was well equipped, •left Fox Glacier on Monday in good weather con'ditions. 'They spent Monday night at the Douglas Rock Hut. Weather conditions all that day were good. Next morning at 6 o'clock the party left ■the hut in clear weather and reached the top of Copland Pass (6950 ft.)'at about 2 p.m. Blizzard Sets In " By this time the weather 'was deteriorating and a. strong northwest wind of almost gale force was blowing. It was snowmg a blizzard, and conditions were very bad. The party was slowed down due to the weakening of the girls. After Guide Sullivan had cut steps in the ice field and the party had reached the rocks, one of the girls said she ;was unable to go on. She tried to insist that the rest of the _party go on and leave her, but this course was refused. Guide Sullivan then made several attempts to get the others mo'ving ■ and kept continually massaging them, knowing that they would perish if they stayed immobile. However, they were so weak tnat they were unable to move and flnally it was decided to wait until daybreak. A shelter was scraped out of the scree and rock and they tried to make themselves as comfortable as possible, but at 11 p.m. the first girl died. At. 3 a.m. the other two ' girls difed. - • ■■ ;-'v ■ i : . Guide: ''Sullivan them : istruck out . for the Hermitage,' which' 'he reach- j ed- ut- '9.30-. this morning' "in -an exhausted condition/ Despite-that,i however, he was very keen to lead j the rescue party but he was fmally! prevailed upon to rest. Parties left this morning for the scene under Guides Ayres and 'Forsyth, while- mt'hea's« have left thel ?ublic Works camp at Pukaki under I the directioh of Constables E. H.i Trappitt and W. T. Round. These; parties are proceeding up the Hooker Valley, which. runs ' directiy away from the Hermitage towkrds Mount • Gook. Their i;-immediate obj e^tiye is; • the Hooker, Hut, eight miies away^- and the victims of. the tragedy are belieVed to be about one lour further on. ' It is expected that the bodies will be brought back to' the Hermitage tonight. " Some Experience Two of the girls recently crossed the Haast Pass from Lake Wanaka and had some tramping experience. :'This is regarded as a fairly reasonable crossing, ^_said Mr. Dennis this afternoon, "aird many people have been over this year. "In the mountains conditions can make all the difference. This is an alpine pass and conditions can change very quickly." ' Bad Place In Severe Weather Copland Pass consists of three short, narrow defiies between large rocks on the top of a, range in the .Maiint- Cook regio'ny and, is/ffequentiy used as a short cut between the Hermitage and the West Coast Totally cairn weather is most unusual there. It is approached from the West Ccast almost t.o the pass by wocded country, and'on the east side the .rack comes from Hooker Glacier up the Copland Valley. The New Zealand Alpine Journal states that the crossing of the Copland Pass is not recommended for novices, as "there are too many pitfalls for the uninitiated." It also recommends that, unies's one member of the party knows tl;e pass really well, it should not be attempted in bad weather! The pass is subject to fog from about 10.30 a.m. onwards, even on fine days. Persons who know the pass say that the country about it is typically alpine. They also expressed the opinion that it would be a badplace in which to be caught iri the' event of severe weather.