A-MYSTERY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 134, 2 March 1920, Page 3

A-MYSTERY

WHAT HAPPENED TO MISS REED ? (Specially Written for 7nn Dominion by . 'S. Turner, F.R.G.S.) Miss Reed was last seen by a party of tourists who were descending the Te Anau sido of M'Kinnon's Pas,?, as Miss Reed was Hearing the ton 'if the Pass. She had started'.out that morning with two other ladies, but about 'halfway up Tho Pass thwi:' two other young ladies (who were lightly clad) turned back because they encountered snow. Miss Reed pushed on, and was about one hour ahead of. the larjjo party who had left the Pompolona hut that morning. Miss Reed'has not been seen since, and nobody has been able to find a trace of her (despite the fact that nine men were searching for teri days) It was concluded that she was dead, and the search party had given up searching. Th-V groat effort was not reported' in Dunedin. It was felt in Dunedin that the Government might do more, and some little agitation was commenced with this object in view. My expedition to climb Mt. Tntoko was due to-leave Wellington the third week in January, so I volunteered to search the precipices which the searchers were ■unable to do, they not being Alpine climbers. As the police had the matter in hand; the Tourist' Department (who had taken a very keen interest in this search) informed the Police Commissioner at Wellington of my offer. He telegraphed to tho Dunedin Superintendent of Police to place any men under my charge that I required. The result was that two of the best athletes in the force (Messrs. Dunford and Hamilton) were selected by me and placed tinder my leadership, the same as Guide Cowling. We left promptly for the Milfor Sound track. -. Before leaving; Miss Reed's people supplied'me with (he most minute information, and- one of Miss Reed's party ehoNved me a riegiiiSve of a photograph taken of the Pass one hour or fn after Mias Reed h'nd been seen for the last time.

On reaching Te Anau we found that a special trip was nrranged across Lake Te Anau-by the Tourist' Department, "so that we could save time. Wo started just before 0 a.m., and tho same day we went on from Glade House to Pompolona hut. The caretaker of the hut said she saw someone (presumably Miss Reed) cross tho Pass alone.

Wo started early the next morning, and soon reached the foot of the precipices of the Pass. The Te Anau hotel proprietor joined in the search, this making five with- myself. Leaving instructions for them to spread out and search through tho bußh at the foot of the precipices, I commenced climbing the precipices and searching the ledges on. each side of'a crack (that had overhanging rocks and scanty hand-holes, but it led to the top of the and enabled me to get on-to likely ledges which Miss Reed would hitvo fallen on if she had fallen over the precipice. In my determination to find Miss Reed my climbing difficulties'were forgotten; hut about half-way up and ebout 500 ft. from the summit I had to look a long tnno to,find a way up, and it was equally as difficult to go down. Finally I appeared on the top of tho crack, and tho reßt of my party had just arrived on the summit by the track. After a rest we searched tho tarns (lakelets) on the summit of the Pars, and as-the'ro- was ono to the bottom of which we could not set, and we had not' grappling irons, it was only the work of about 15 minutes to strip and swim out to the deep parts, dive down and swim round. I could see the bottom quite well. I found tho water very fresh, but it was worth doing because of the general opinion that Miss Reed had tumbled into ono of these tarns, / After lunch, while iny party searched* the top ledges, Lumsden (the constable who had spent days searching with nine men) expressed his opinion that Miis Reed might have fallen ' over the precipices Ixlcw Mount Bniloon.' so I gave these precipices, my personal attention, and climbed down them to the bush. line and up under Mount Balloon, coming out on the shoulder, just above Constable Hamilton, who had been searching the Mount Balloon top of the Pass, and who I startled when I called out to him.

The pack horses came across.die Fats, and as ire had searched every inch ol ground, and had been searching for ten hours, we commenced the descent to' the Quinton hut, deciding to search the Quinton side, the following day. For one hour as we walked down the Pass, Jack M'Gavoc (the foreman of tho track) pointed out to me where the .nino Ken had searched, aud_ this was everywhere except the most inaccessible ledges on the face of the precipices under the pass, which [ undertook to search.

The fog delayed us the following day, but taking Cowling with me I sent the other three men to search at the foot of the precipices. After seal ching every possible ledge wo saw a likely-looking object, but the 6pol was. inaccessible except to an expert climber in, th'e very best of form, so 1 decided to finish this spot on my return from Mount Tntoko. My Tntoko expedition was very successful, because, besides making the first ascent of .Mount Tntoko, wo discovered nhat'is probably the largest waterfall in New Zealand, with a lake on the top of it, also two passes and a snow-field alwut three miles long and three .quarters of a mile wide, and got vrithir. 700 feet of the summit of Mount .i'embroke, etc. , .

On our return I climbed the precipices on tlit) Quinton hut side and inspected the.spot referred 'to, but there was not. a trace of Miss Reed, although we found u IroCea winch some friends of Miss Reed is her brooch. This brooch was on the centre of the track, and on the very summit. The more I Ihink )f Miss Eepd's disappearance tho moic mysterious it seems to be, because rven the photographs taken on tho summit show her descending the' Pass, and I have asked for enlargements of those photographs, as tliey'mirht show if she was oft the.track.

I am not alone in the. opinior that- the most likely thing that has happened to tho young lady is that when she descended and crossed the ciwk which conies down from Mount Balloon, she'failed to pick un the track where it leads into the bush, and. endeavoured to reach -..the Quinton hut byway ot the creek Miss Reed was used to climbing round the hills around Dunedm, being a leading member of the Ramblers' Club in that town, and a good walker in rinigh country. She had no doubt Veen used to finding her way out of very n ugh country by means of a creek bed, and if this is what she tried to gain the Quinton hut by, she would encouter bluffs down the creek, and if she ,attempted to get over the boulders to round tho bluffs she would be in v;-rv. prions danger, because there are piles of boulders which have .fallen tor countless -thousands of ( years from tho precipices all round. These boulders are intermixed with scrub and trees are growing up between them. There are countless holes in these idles of bouldcis, some probably 20 to 30 feet deep .between them, which, whe-i the boulders were covered' with fresh snow.' would bo a death-trap My opinion is that she has fallen down one of these holes.. The creek bed and sides have been properly searched; therefore this is about the only possible plnco where she could be last.

This is the fourth mystery in the same district, and not one of tho bodies has been found.

Quintou M'Kinnon ('the discoverer of Milford Sound track) has never been found, although his boat was.found up. side down on Lake Te Anau.

Professor Mainwaring Brown of the Otago University, walked out 'of tho camp for a casual walk without hat or coat on, arid has never been eeen again. O.nill was lost at the head of the Cleddau looking for a pass to Mil';ord N Sound, and Miss Reed is tho fourth.

In the search for Miss Ilccd great credit is duo to the Tourist Department. Mr. IS. M, Wilson has been very thoughtful and obliging, and the police have done everything possible. The search has been so complete that it makes people think all manner of things, but in any ease, after careful investigation, I am certain thai Miss lioed did nothing foolish, and it must l.a rtmombcred that there is always risk en tlicso trips, and accident) can happen verj simply.