“OUT-BACK” PERILS

Hokitika Guardian, 15 March 1932, Page 8

“OUT-BACK” PERILS

MAN’S TWO-MILE CRAWL. FARM HAND FOUND MUTILATED. 4 SYDNEY, March 12. The perils that still attend travel iu the Australian bush, and pioneering work in the - outback centres, writ amply illustrated this week. After he had wandered about barely able to see arid stand through lack of water, Daniel Richardson, 37, ol Adelaide, was found dead only 300 yards froni the Georgina River, near Boulia, Queensland. He arrived in the district from Adelaide some months back, and during last week, set out on foot io seek work on Marion Down Station, 34 miles from Boulia. When he did not arrive at the station it was feared that he had become lost, and a police search was organised. Richardson was found Tying on his face near trio Georgina River. The condition of his body and clothing told a story of his terrible sufferings. His hands and face were torn and blistered, and his clothes were ragged. For at least two miles back the police traced signs that Richardson, exhausted to the stage where he could no longer walk, had either crawled oi dragged his body through the heavy sand in an effort to find water. He had covered, in this manner, more than a sufficient distance to reach the water, but in that way peculiar to exhausted and lost hush-travellers, lie had travelled in circles. *

Evidence of the originating cause of his cfenth was the discovery of an emp ty waterhag,* about 10 miles back. The bag was full when He left the town, and contained sufficient water then to have seen, him through his journey. bu J a leak had 'emptied it before he had reached half-way. During the week in Ivhich lie started out, the temperature was repeatedly well over 100 degrees lii the shade.

Seeking his mate, Edward Swanson, who had not kept a mealtime rendezvous in a huge wheat farm at Trungley. hear Barmedman, in the Biverina di* trict, Tom West, a farmer, found Swanson’s mangled body in the wreckage cf a cultivator.

Swanson had been working the machine drawn by a team of 10 horses, on West’s farm, and his dinner had been left at. a hut near the paddock where Swanson was working. It was arranged that Swanson and West w uld meet for lunch at this hut. When West found-that' Syvgnspn had not only-failed to keep the rendezvous, but was also missing at dusk, he organised a search. With lanterns, a party searched until 10. p.m., when they found tlm wrecked cultivator up against a fence. In the teeth of,the- machine was found Swanson’s.body, terribly mutilated. Obviously some portion of his clothing had caught in the teeth of the machine dragging him bodily to liis death. The team of horses, trained to the wort of dragging the cultivator, had continued the. pull down the length of the paddock, and stopped at the fence. Swanson would have been long dead by then, for the passage of his body through the machine had wrecked it. The team lyaifj,, obviously been at the fence for hours, and at dusk they had broken clear. They were found, with the wreckage of their harness still o« them, on another portion of the- farm