A TRYING EXPERIENCE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 90, 10 January 1920, Page 8

A TRYING EXPERIENCE

MISSING MOUNTAIN PARTY THREE NIGHTS WITHOUT SHELTER STORY OF THEIR RESCUE (Special Correspondent.) Grcytoivn, Jnnuary 9. Miss Louise. Mack and Mr. and Miss Knox of Otnki, who have just made a trin over Mount JJector from Otnki, and about whose safety in the Tararuas fears were entertained, were unfortunate in meeting with bad weather. They left the Forks on Sunday morning, but throiiL'h stress of weather mads littleheadway. Eventually they went down Mount Hector below the snow-line in order to ranli the bush for shelter. They silent three nights without cover, but at fi li.m. cn Wednesday they readied Mount A'.tiha hut. Food had become very low in the .meantime, but the party were fortunate in seeurine a little food at the Mount Aloha hut. and a Rood meal was made. Messrs. M'lntosh and Webster reached Mount Aloha on Thursday morning, and brought tile party to Greytown. Miss Mack suffered from mountain _ sickness, and this caused delay. Mr. Knox says there was no fear of being lost, as tho track was followed finite easily. Miss Mack expresses herself ns well iileased with tho trip, but regrets not settins a full view of the surrounding country. She says she is determined to make the trip again later on in the seasou. The party left Greytown in a motorcar about midday to-day for Otnki, whence lliev will travel via Horokiwl fiorsrs. Miss Mack and Miss Knox are the first ladies to make the through trip from Otaki to Greytown via tho Mount Hector track LUCK ALTTHE WAY FOJM'IIXATB DISCOVERY OF FOOD. The "Wairarapa Daily Times" gives tile followinir account of the rescue of the inissins party;— "The nartv left the Otaki side of the rannes on Friday last, but it was. not until Sunday morning that the real j?nrnev was begun from the hut on the ridge not far from the Forks. Some comment has been made on the fact that it was left I ill Tuesday last before any real effort was made to send out search parties. but it will be admitted that when these were arranged for no time was lost in carrvincr out the work of rescue. "Constable M'Mosh and Mr/A. L. Web'ter left Greytown on Wednesday last, rested in the Tauherenikau Valley that niirht. and were astir at 4 the next morniim. and on their way to the Alpha lmt. The relief of the searchers roitjr be'imagined when 'they found the missing people iif. the hut at 8 o'clock the same mornimr. o'f'he mountaineering party had had luck all the wuy along. Leaving the Otaki side they almost at once got into an atmosphere of fog and rain, but. they struggled ou in the hope of a speedy ininrovement. For three days and nights thev wandered helplessly in the open, sleeninz in whatever shelter they could find. Their food became exhausted, and tliev were in almost'hopeless plight when lliev reached the Mount Alpha hut at six o'clock on Wednesday evening, llic , arrival.of the Greytown rescuers on Thursday morning naturally brought to them sreat relief. "Miss Louise Mack suffered a good deal from the Driyations. and was in all exhausted condition when she reached the hut. She was also suffering from mountain sickness. Mr. Knox and his daughter had gone through the experience with littlfc ill effects." Mr. Knox stated to-the Greytown correspondent of the Wairarapft "Daily Times" that there was 110 question ot anv 'imc iis to their being lost, the delay being caused by the inclement weather. So bad wns it that on the eastern slones of Mount Alpha they deserted the ridge and descended into the bush in tho valley for shelter from llio blasts. Oil Thursday morning, as they were preparing to start for Greytown, Mr V. L. Webster and Confable M'lntcsii, the search party from Greytown, rode up and found them. WITH THE WELLINGTON PARTY NIGHT CLIMB TO HUTT FORKS. The news that Miss Louise Mack, the lecturer and journalist, with Mr. Knox and Miss Knox, of Otaki, were missing on the 'J'urarua ranges, roused a number ot Wellington climbers- to action. Tho party consisted of three wen from Wellington (including Messrs. Fred. Vosseler and J. Bennington), three from Pcloue, and three from tho. Upper Hutt. Tiiis party set out from tho Hutlat 2 p.m. on Thursday, and reaching Kaitol;c, cut into the mountains, resolving lo follow the main ridge of the Tarawa northward. Before leaving Kaitoko they arranged with the slationniaster that if the news should come through that tho mining people had been rescued or had imned up, the same would he communicated to Mr. George Phillips, a farmer in tho locality, and io the Superintendent of l'olice at Wellington. It was fortunate.they did so, lor after a tiring right climb through rough country, they were cheered by the arrival of Mr. Phillips (who came upon them at 1.30 a.m. yesterday) with the news that the missing people had been found at the Alpha luil sate and .sound. .So all they had lo -do was lo retrace their steps from the Hutt Forks to Kaitoke—not at oil a pleasant journey under thp circumstances. Mr- Phillips had received tho news of the rescue at 10 p.m., and had made excellent, tiuio in reaching tho would-be rescuers. Mr: Vosse'.or, who knows the Tararuas well, cmphar-ised in the course of a conversation with i>. Dominion reporter, that, it was dangerous for anyone to attempt to cross the Tararuas, even at this time , of vcar, unless they were obsolutely pl\y- I sically fit. Mr. Knox was a fine sturdy j stamp of farmer, and his daughter was a girl with a country training, but it was unwise for Miss Mack to have attempled the journey. Had Mr. Knox ! and his daughter been alone, they could 1 have crossed by spending one night only in the mountains, but. having to support Miss .Mack practically the whole way, it meant Ihrec nights in the open. Physical fitness was a first essential to sue.h a climb, and if people attempted it, who were not fit tho Tarnruas would yet provide the 'cene of <i tragedy. No food was kept at Ihe Alpha hut barring a litfU. "jrlaxo." It. was intended to provision the hut for such emergencies ns this, but it was difficult to devise means of preventing such stores be:ng stolen.