EGMONT TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 5 August 1930, Page 5

EGMONT TRAGEDY

A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE, t (By Telegraph—Per Press Association | NEW PLYMOUTH, August 4. The young man, Lance Gibson ,wlio lost his life last night on Mount Egmont, was a printer, of Stratford. He was one of the rescue party when Walter Hall, who is a teacher at Stratford District High School , was injured when returning with a friend from Humphries Castle, near North Egmont Hostelry, on Saturday afternoon, to the Stratford Mountain House. It was while glissading down the ice slope, that Hall somersaulted, and was transfixed through the chest with the point of his ice axe.

Messrs A. Haldane (who is in charge at Stratford House) with the deceased Gibson, and Mr W. Heggitt, set ou€ with a stretcher to rescue Hall.

While they were” endeavouring to obtain further assistance' from Egmont House, they were lost, and they had to spend the night in the snow at an altitude of 4500 feet, v Early this morning Gibson, who was only scantily clothed died from exposure.

Many, relief parties were despatched and great difficulty was experienced in retrieving ’ his body, which was brought to.;, North Egmoiit at 5.16 o’clock this evening.

A rescue j party that set out last night from North Eghumt reached Hall, and the party of ten others, just in time, as they were all nearly asleep in the snow, and they would have perished in a few hour’s time.

They,.were, discovered shortly aftep midnight; and the whole . party reached North Egmont at five o’clock this morning in an exhausted condition, after a perilous journey across the preciitous ice slope's. ',■*■' • Hall is expected to recover.