Party Due Back Today From Plane Crash

Chronicle (Levin), 13 December 1948, Page 4

Party Due Back Today From Plane Crash

- 0 ^ : . (Special to "Chronicle") 1 . .... ,PALM. NTH., Dec. 13. Snecess attended the renewed at;empts made at tlie weekend to reeover ;he bodies of the three airmen who :rash«8d into the almost maccessible reaehes of "the Ruahine Ranges in the ficinity of Howlett'"s Ilut on November 10. The party of police from Palmerston North, Messrs F. Heise and A." Wood, of Rangiwahia, and seven airmen from the R.N.Z.A»F. - station at Dliakea, made a fast journey up to the icene of the erash, • Leaving Rangisvahia at 7 p.m. on Friday, they spent the night at the Rangiwahia Ski Club >mt and pushed on at fii'st -light on Saturday morning, reaehing the wreekage , at 1.30 p.m. on Saturday. Two farmers from •near Howlett's Hut, who had pushed o'n ahead of the party of police and trampers from^ the Waipukurau side of tne ranges, arrived-^ at the wreckage shortly after the party from the westem siue. They all carnp3d the night in tne bed of the Oroua RiVer on Saturday, and began the arduous work of bringing out the hocfies early yesterday, the two farmers front the eastern side assisting . in the recovery operations. . By 5 p.m. yesterday the party reported by " walkie-talkie3-' to Superinterident H. J. Joyee, of Palmerston North, who was stationed on the heights above Stewart's Mill (in at the back of Table Flat) that they had covered about ojie-third of the distanee. The men at that stage were thoroughly exhausted- after their . arduous and - hazardous labours, but all were well andfin good heart-. Thev had been kept Well supplied with fooi throughout the operation'by aireraft from Ohakea. Supe" rintendent Joyee immediately. made arrangements for pack horses and a team of reinf orcements to be sent out to iheet the party at first light this morning. The pack horses will be able to travel about three miles beyond Stewart's Mill. It was expeeted, the Superintendent toki "The Times3' last night, tliat the bodies would have been brought out as far as Stewart's Mill by noon todav and that they should be at Rangiwahia by 2 p.m. An inquest will be opened hy the district Coroner, Mr. C. L, ■ Mowlem. today for the purposes oi identification. ' It is undev, stood that - the recovery party took the bodies from the seene of the erash oVer precipitous slopes to oue of the 'maiij. tributaries of the Oroua River and thenee along the bed of the creek in a westerly direetion. The party was led by Constable J. O. Ounn, of Palmerston North, who took part in the recovery operations of victims of the .Kaka crasli on Mount Euapfehu. He was accompanied* by Constable >«L D. AnderSon. ' The party was guided by Mr. F. Heise, president of the Rangiwahia Ski CTub, arfsisted" by Mr. A!. Wood, a well-knoWn resident of Rangiwahia and an experieneed tramper. Both men had extensive local knowledge of the area.