OUR FIRST ALPINE TRAGEDY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1994, 27 February 1914, Page 8

OUR FIRST ALPINE TRAGEDY.

BODY OF GUIDE RICHMOND FOUND. NO SIGN OF THE OTHERS OVERWHELMED BY A HUGE , AVALANCHE (jfiy Tcl.Sfraph.-Press Association.) Chrlstcfturch, Febriiary 26. iliie. body of Guide ItichfflQiHl, olie of tho victims of tho Mount Cook disaster, has been lotm-d. Tlio Hon. It. Heaton Ehodes, Minister hi Charge of Tourist and Health Eesorts, received the following telegram from Mr. D. M. Wilson, general manager of tho .Tourist Department, this morning;—

."Mount Cook Hermitage, "9.35 a.m. "Chief Guide.Grahamhas just returned to the Hermitage. Ho found the body of Guide Kich.momlj but no sign of tijo others. The party had been overwhelmed b\' an avalattche falling on to the Linda Glafiier from the top of tlie dividing range, mrth cf Dampier, awl sweeping tlio valley for about, a mile. Riehjnond's watdi, whieh was smashed, stood at ten minutes to five, whisli Has ftbout .tho time they were espeeted to Ire in the vicinity.

"Guide Graham does jiot consider that there is an,v chance of finding the hadies of Mr. Kiftgand Guide Thompson.

."Guide Eicl;mpn ; d's bddy is being brought down by guides, and. is due to reach here <m Saturday niglit." Mr- Bhodes received a further telegram from Mr. Wilson at 1 p.m.:—

"■'The rescuo party had a very hard time, and are resting to*4a.y at Ball Hut, wjicto Chief Guide (iialiam re* turns to-nigkt, with Mr. Friend and three Austrta.n climbers, who hayo volunteered their assistorice. The eomitrj' was-'so rough aikl broken.tjtot it wis only, possible to got. the body out by fiftclt man taidng turjls'to carry it a few Bieps ''at a time. '"Tho' body'was fearfully mutilated, and barely trcognisabic. , The party "had almost decided 'to abandon.' the search, wh'eti Guide' Graham Sftvr a, boot sticking out- of the sno'wj and so'discovcreet the body. They then i.t'ried hard to find tlie others. , '' ' ,'

'The avalanche appeared to hayobeen an enormous one, Practically, the whole of the ico fate fell directly on to the men.' Tlio actual spot "has always heen looked upon a.s quite, safo, theueh tliero was a dangerous on©-further dji."

Tills is flip first fa.tal accident in the Southern Alps, which have been olinvbcd'fbr many years.' Ho accidpn't vis hi ijo'way duo to carelessness, but w.as simply a calamity, of Nature. Mr" Wilsoi haa arranged fiffi . the cowncr. and'the police for. the. holding of an iiiquest. Ho will leave the Hi?rnHtege- te-niorrow, and will arrive in Wellihgten on'. Sunddy,' ' Tlio'substance of.'the aboye itcl.cgrams has been transmitted by cafclp to tho ,rligh Commissionor by' the Government, with a request'that ho should inform tho British Alpine Club, of which the late Mr. S. L. King was ii prominorit' me'mber; and also that he cbiivev" the sympathy of tho Now Zealand Gote'riiTOsflt to tit. King's relatives.

GUIDE'S PREMONITIONS, Tbo lato Mr. S. L. King, who had had considerable climbing- experience in tho Swiss Alps, came- to New .Zealand a few weeks ago to try and ascend the bigger peaks in the Mount Cook Group,' Ho attempted several of the peaks recently, tho last occasion being on Mount Soften, when ho was accompanied by Guides. Graham and fhorapsoji. Mr. King had a few days' 'spoil, and then decided to attempt the ascent of Mount Cook. .We started from tho old Mount Cook Hermitage. with the guides "Darby" Thompson and "Jook" Richmond at "i a.m. on Saturday. 'I'hcy were expected. back on Sunday afternoon. All the members of tho patty wero in good spirits and sanguine of success.

Some ten or twelve hours later (states the "Lyttelton Times' " account of the disaster) Mr. Turner and Lieutenant Dennistouh, of EUM.S. Pyranws, set out over the sarac route, intending to makean ascent without guides.. They followed tho tracks of Mr. King's party till high up on the Linda P'a.??, uikter the shadow of Slount SilheThorn. Here there were ovid<?Bcos that a great avalanche had descended. A search Was flsado, but the tracks conld not be discovered on tie farther sido o,f the afa* ■lanc'he, and Messrs, Bennistoun and Turner were forced to tho conclusion, that the w!»le party had been swept into one ef tho crevasses, which in this place, and, in fact, ovor the. whote of the route up the side of Mount -SUbenhorn, were extremely niifiseious, Messrs Dennistoon and Turner at once returned to tho Hermitago and report•id what they had seen.

Guide "Darby" Tlipmpson was ij vopy' .well known and estreniely popular, guide. He in seniority only to Guide Peter Graham, and'had been many years ninon.g the Mount Oaok group of peaks," Ho was an oseeptionally good m*untaineer> He Was a native of' tho West. Coast, liniling frp.ni ,tto Ho* three miles froa Hokitika, and belongs to a family of very old settlers in the Hokitika district..

Guide Thompson, strangely enough, seems to have had some premonition of disaster. Hp was dismissing the peril's of mOttntakeoriti.g with a Qiristenureri resident during a recent visit to th'at .city, and ri'e referred to the fact that there had bceu no fatal accidents among the guides in the Meiint Copk 'district. ''All tbo same," he said, "we carry our lives' in oiir haiids. Don't be surprised if yon hear soon that .one of us lias met his Waterloo." :

Guide "Jock" Richmond (whose bedy has been recovered) had been. in the guide service for about three years. Ho was Guide Grahaai's assistant. His ag4 was about twenty-six, but very lit-t)o-is'known'contorting bis aßtecedents, except that he belooged' to WilloW'fefklge. '