THE MISSING CLIMBERS

Hokitika Guardian, 31 August 1931, Page 6

THE MISSING CLIMBERS

RACE AGAINST TIME URGENT SEARCH IN PROGRESS. FEARS FOR SAFETY. % (By Telegraph—Per Press Association) WELLINGTON, August 31. The Chateau rescue parties are racing against time to find a. clue as to th e whereabouts of the eight persons (five men and three girls) who are still missing, as it is feared they could not spend another night in the open. They have now been out fifty-five hours and as they only had food for one meal, there condition must be desperate. It is believed they are in the bush and are trying to make their way out to some settlement. Whether they can do this in their exhausted condition and in sodden, heavy clothing, is considered very problematical. The search parties are faced with a task more difficult than searching for a needle in a haystack. The bush •is so thick that the parties aiA carrying slashers to cut their way through the undergrowth. Their progress is necessarily slow but every nerve is being strained in order to locate the •party before nightfall. Parties are working in every headland on the western face of the mountain. The latest recruits alre polioe and Public Works Department men from Taumarunui, who are working up from Taupo road.

Advice has been received that an air force ’plane comes from Auckland to Taupo. The ’plane will carry out a search from there lif the weather permits. ANOTHER REPORT. IRAIITmi, August 31. In addition to G. Blyth, four others came over from Ohakune and made a search there. The missing are known to have sheltered in the bush and it is expected will be safe. Tli difficulties are accentuated by a dense fog and snow. They had enough provisions for two meals and a small supply of whisky. SEARCH CONTINUING. WELLINGTON, August 31. The Secretary to the, General Post Office (Mr> McNamara) has received fitrther information relative to the Chateau mountaineering party, indicating that eight missing members have not yet been located. It is stated that the search is now confined to a small area and it is hoped to have definite news of the missing members of the party early in the afternoon. m an wo w W :

A FURTHER REPORT. , THE CHATEAU, August 31. Six of the missing party are found and five of them are now safe in bed 1 at the Chateau. They are : Eva Elliot, Gwen Watkins, 'Moya Withers, Graham -Bell, and Stewart McDiarmid. Allan Flynn wa s also found but collapsed when being brought in. All bear signs of a terrible experience but are expected to recover. Apparently the party in coming down Ruapehu on Saturday afternoon voi t, too far to the west and entered \S 1 akapapi.ti Gorge in mistake for Wliakapapa Valley down to the Chute ru. Coming on a large flat in this valley, which is rarely visited by trampers, they split into three parties, thinking that they had reached the scoria and were dropping down to the Chateau. The searchers who found cne of these parties yesterday afternoon were: —D. McPherson (Conservator of State Forests), J. Malcolm (Tararua Tramping Club), J. L. Deem (Ruapehu Ski Club). They left the ChatPau at 11 a.m. yesterday, and went via Silicia springs and picked up tracks of the party at the branch of Whakapapiti. They fellow--ed this for some distance and shortly after 2 p.m. picked up six members, not far above the bush e‘dge. The task qf getting back through the deep snow and matted! stunted bush was one that took 15 hours. About a quarter of a mile from Tokaanu road Dean and McDiarmid went ahead and reached a cottage where they rang through to the Chateau. At this time Flynn bad dropped out unnoticed from the exhausted party. The remainder of the party heard shouting as they came to the edge of the bush and were met by the party summoned' by ’phone from the Chateau and arrived here at 5 a.m. all cold, hungry and exhausted, but rallied aftei attention. They were not badly frostbitten. A large party left shortly afterwards to pick up Flynn and scour Whakapapiti Valley for the other two parties. LATEST MESSAGE. CHATEAU, (Tongariro), Aug. 31. At 1.45 p.m. none of the search parties had returned but it was expected they would arrive at the Chateau some time after two o’clock. There is no new s yet of the missing.