MISSING

Hokitika Guardian, 31 August 1931, Page 5

MISSING

ON MT. RUAPEHU x - LOST IN BLIZZARD * NINE CLIMBERS UNACCOUNTED FOR. FIVE SAFE SO FAR. (By Telegraph—l J er I'ress Association , AUCKLAND, August 30. There are the gravest ve.r ielt this evening tnat a terrible alpine tragedy has occurred on Mount pi' Ruapenu. Fourteen members of the Auckland University Fieid Ciub, all being joun 0 men ana women, have been' lost on the mountain. _-.'ine party left the Chateau, National Park at live o’clock yesterday morning with the intention ot uimuing •Mount Ruapehu and of returning last night. i However, a “Herald” reporter, telephoning from the, Chateau at five ' o’clock this (Sunday) afternoon, reports that there is‘no Pews of the climbers. A lew hours after the party left the Chateau, snow commenced to fall. Last night a blizzard' swept..tlie.. * mountain, and if the party was still : above the snow line, there is little likelihood of their being alivfe. When the. party did not return, a search, party left the Chateau at 11 o’clock last night, and they scoured the mountain all night. Another party left the Chateau at three o’clock this morning to. search in a different direction. , No trace of the missing party was discovered, but at 6.30 o’clock this motning, when the members of one of the search parties were breakfasting in the Salt Memorial Hut, a man s shout was• heard by all present. Iso tiace however, of anyone was found. ( Seven further parties left the Chateau to-day, a n d other parties set out also from Ohakune, Kairiori, Horopito and Waikune prison camp. . About 100 men, were combing the „ / mountain to-day. Stretchers, hot-water bags, first-aid " equipment and a supply of food were ‘ sent to various points on the mountain. All the members of the missing party were well equipped with clothing, ropes,’and pick axes, and they al?o had' a compass and an aneriod barometer. They had sufficient food for Saturday’s night’s meal.

THE MISSING. The missing arei~~ : / r '*k Bruce Spooner, aged 20 ■ years, of Pukenui Koad. Epsom, Mr Harris, of St, Heller's Bay, Auckland. m Warwick Stanton, aged. 19 years, - of Mr J. Stanton, i city solicitor, of Auckland. i Alan Flynn, aged 19 years, of Epsom, son of Captain J. Flynn, of the Union Steam Ship Company. - Harold Addis, Master 'at - Nelson College. Jock Graham, aged 24 years; of Auckland. Miss Esme Brockett, aged 17 years, daughter of Mr F. C.. Brockett, of tne t~ Department of Agriculture, Masterton. Miss Julia Rennie, aged 18 years, daughter of Mr D. Rennie, farmer of Helens ville. 1 Miss Fitzie Morris, aged 18 years, daughter of Mr G. N. Norris, S.M., of Whangarei. THE SAVED. ' FIVE MEMBERS REPORTED SAFE. WELLINGTON, August 31. Five members are reported safe. Graham Bell, Lecturer in engineering at the Auckland University College, who was the leader of..the party. Miss Moya Watkins, aged 18. years, daughter of Mr H. H. Watkins, Engineer to the Auckland Drainage Board. Miss Gweneth Watkins, aged 19 years, sister of Miss Moya Watkins. Stewart Mac Diarmid, aged 17 years, son of Mr C. L. Mac Diarmid, solicitor, of Hamilton. ( Miss Eva Ellet, aged 23 years of Helensville. ' There is no news of the others.

THE LEADER’S STORY. A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. , AUCKLAND, August 31. News from Chateau Tongariro states that in addition to the five who are safe, Alan Flynn is believed to be sale. The five who returned know where he is, and a party left the Chateau this morning to find him. Graham Bell on reaching the Cnif- ! teau was incapable of giving a complete story. He said the experience was terrible. They were caught in the blizzard on Saturday afternoon, high

up oii the slopes and began to struggle down, and' at a height of six or seven Q thousand feet they tried to shelter behind the rocks. They had little food or stimulant. The girls showed wonderful pluck. News of the missing eight may be received late in the afternoon. SIXTH ONE SAVED. WELLINGTON, August 31. Flynn is safe at the .Chateau. *■ The search for the others who are pissing is proceeding.

SURVIVORS’ ACCOUNT. OVERWHELMED BY BLIZZARD. THE CHATEAU, August 31. From hasty accounts given hv Bell and Mac Diarmid it appears that when the party commenced descending Ruapehu and while they were within only thirty feet of the summit, the wind suddenly changed from north west to north east and a blizzard broke upon them. They continued to descend through a howling gale and driving sleet. Visibility was so bad that the leader, Bell, could barely see past the man on the : enu of the rope sixty ,feet away. >, A compass used by Bell was repeatedly frosted over, as did the goggles of the members of the party.

Although they were, unaware of it, the wind was gradually driving them away from Whakapapa Valley, into Whakapapiti. They did not realise their mistake until they reached what they believed to be Scoria Flat,

Bell there left some members to travel on ahead, thinking they were only an hour’s journey from the Chateau. This is how the party became separated. After discovering they were off the track, Bell’s party got on a rocky ridge and found they could not get off it before nightfall, and they decided to shelter behind a high rock for the night. The men erected a oreakwind and kept the girls moving so as their blood would keep circulating. This was at a height of seven thousand feet- and it was impossible to get a. lire going. They managed to pull through the, night hut in the morning Bell found'that the snow had covered all the rocky prominences, and he could pick out no landmarks. However, they continued to try and make their way down the valley and were going to when they wore met Ip MacPherson’s search party. Flynn was brought into the Chateau at 9.45 a.in. He was found moving about dazedly in the hush and was able to give no account of how he dropped out. He states he must have fallen asleep. Still cheerful, although almost dropping with exhaustion, he replied to an expression of sympathy with a gun and remarked—“My worry is that I'll have no pay another day’s board/’