EVEREST AVALANCHE

Hokitika Guardian, 29 May 1930, Page 7

EVEREST AVALANCHE

PARTY OVERWHELMED

VETERAN PORTER KILLED

LONDON, May 23

Disaster ended the first attempt of t!m international Jive rest expedition to reach the first terrace on Kinchinjunga and establish camp No. 3, an avalanche killing the porter Ohettan, a veteran of three Everest expeditious, and the 1920 Kinchinjunga expedition. 'lhe remainder of the party of five Europeans: and ciovan porters escaped miraculously. Everyone, after careful study, was satisfied that the route was reasonably safe. The party set out on May 9 on. the fatal journey. It was om inously warm, but previous experience had shown avalanches usually fall in the dense cold of night time.

T R EAI BN DO U S R 0 AR.

Mr Smytho, a member of the party, says: ‘I heard a tremendous roar and was horrified to see an enormous portion of the ice wall immediately oil the actual route breaking away ni'd hundreds cuf thousands, of tons of ice, l'ke a huge tidal wave, sweeping with frightful force across the soinvs’opea below which the ascending party was crawling. The party halted momentarily and then dashed frant’c lly to the left. Next moment a rowing s’ - o vclcud swept' . down, blotting them oR like Insects. It w s the most ghastly sight I ever w’tneissed. The roar increased. The snowc’ouds swept down will incredible veloci'y.; The avalanche narrowly missed the camp.

MAJORITY ESCAPE,

“I started for the scene, fearing the worst, but when the snowclouds settled, they revealed that the majority wore safe owing to a bend in the path. If they had (been ten minutes earlier or later, they would have been engulfed. Even vjtiien two c olics were bruised. I found Chetfca'n’s; hand sticking out of. icebloeks and dug him -out. He .lfjid been crushed and suffocated. • •y;

“The expedition lias decided to abandon the proposed, route in favour of a longer unexplored one. 1 am finishing this despatch ayn id the thunderous roll of avalanches.” \