TRYING ORDEAL

Hokitika Guardian, 28 November 1932, Page 7

TRYING ORDEAL

WOMEN’ PLIGHT.

ON 1000 MILE TRIP

SYDNEY, November The .story of the rescue by Mr William Hatfield, Australian author and journalist, of two women who were in distress after a trying ordeal on their 1000 miles journey from Darwin to Alice Springs is! told in the Sydney “Sun.”

Miss Myra Worgan (daughter of a Northern Territory mining warden, who was drowned recently), and Mrs Hall, of Darwin, engaged Mr Ware to drive them from Darwin to Alice Springs, where they intended, to take the train south. They took a native houseboy. They deviated 47 miles from the road to an isolated buffalo camp, and retraced their tracks. Then the raidiator leaked and they had tire trouble. Leaving Daly Waters on a Friday last month, the driver showed symptoms of voilent gastric fever. The party, carrying only a small water bag and vacuum flask, reached McGory’s B'ore, to find the troughs dry. Miss Worgan, who wAs the lightest weight, climbed to the top of the windmill tank, and, with difficulty, replenished the water bag and emptied a petrol tin into the tank, and filled the tin with water. They were 20 • miles to the next bore, Milner's, and then the car brokb down completely, The tires were flat and the pump broken, and the driver, through increasing illness, was unable to make repairs. They camped on the roadside a day and a night. The. water in the petro l tin was undrinkable, and. their stores were short. They had then only sweet biscuits and tinned foods. The women sent the black boy on to fill the waterbag with a note to give to the first white man he met.

TRAVELLER PASSED BY. After three hours the native returned from Milner’s Bore, where he found a white woman, Mrs McCarthy, alone. He brought water and a note saying that if possible they should walk the distance. The native had fto idea of the mileage, and the women could only judge the distance by his time, and double it in their case. Leaving the driver to the care’ of the native, the women walked nearly ten miles, arriving at dusk. They remained two days, awaiting passing help, and frantically anxious lest Ware should die or wander.

On the Sunday afternoon, Mr HatfielcT, hurryng across the continent from Mt Isa to Kimberley per motor-car, passed to the northward without hearing the shrieking and whistling of the three women. Mr Hatfield had expected the house to be untenanted, as it was the last time he passed.

NATIVE WENT BUSH. Ten miles further on Mr Hatfield stopped at the stationary car, beside which he* saw’ ' Ware, under nets. Frightened at finding himself in the strang tribal territory, the native had gone bush, leaving Ware alone and ill for tw’o days, w'ith no supplies except a tin of sardines and a bottle of olives, which were untouched.

Ware’s first words were, “Where are the women ?” and he then collapsed thinking they had left the road and perished. Leaving supplies, Mr Hatfield immediately returned 'to Milner’s bore and found the women safe. He went back to the sick man late that night, and brought him back to Mrs McCarthey, in whose care he soon became appreciably better. iMr Hatfield kindly abandoned his plans, dumped all his camping gear and brought the women on a special trip COO miles south at Alice Springs. They arrived on the Wednesday night, beating the mailman’s time by a day'. Mr Hatfield's plans are uncertain. Having left his gear and a month’s stores at Milner’s, he cannot take a diagonal track through The Granites, Tanami and Hall’s Creek to the Kimberleys, as he wished. He may have to abandon his north-west project. Mrs McCarthy took care of Ware pending transport to take him to Darwin Hospital.