FOUND BY DOG

Hokitika Guardian, 11 September 1933, Page 7

FOUND BY DOG

LOST MAN TRACKED NIGHT SEARCH IN BUSH SYDNEY, September 2. Showing great sagacity, ;l Sydney police Alsatian dog used last week to search for a young man who had become lost in French’s Forest led the ipolice to a cave, where the lost man was sleeping.

The man was Mr C. W. Harris, aged 25, manager of a service station at Manly. When interviewed the day after his adventure lie described tire dog’s work as marvellous. “I cannot speak too highly of the dog and the police,” lie said. “It was remarkable that 1 was found in the dense scrub and in the pitch darkness. The dog seemed almost human and was a credit to its framer.” Mr Harris left home on a rabbit shooting expedition in French’s Forest. Ad day lie tramped through French’s Forest without taking not-* of the time or the direction in which lie was walking. Darkness came on and he was still in the thick scrub. As night fell Mr Harris realised that he was lost. He soon became numb with cold, being clad only in shirt and trousers. He gathered dry leaves and tried to start a fire by firing bullets into the leaves, as he was without matches. Suddenly he hit upon an idea.

“I went into a small cave,” said Mr Harris. “I. took the lead out of a dozen or so cartridges and poured the powder down the barrel of the rifle, after having first placed one of the blank cartridges Jn the breech. .1 poured more powder on some dry 'leaves and fired at them. The fire started successfully, and I gathered wood and built it up in the cave. I then lay down and about midnight I dozed off.” When Mr Harris did not return at nightfall his friends feared that he had met with an accident in the bush and sought the help of the Manly police. When lie had not returned at 2 a.m. Inspector Moodie, of Manly organised a search party, consisting of Sergeant Constable, and four constables including Constable Denholm, with his Alsatian police dog Tess. The dog was given a scent from a coat belonging to Mr .Harris, and she was put on the trail at the spot where he had left his car. The police were equipped with hurricane lamps. The ’darkness and the roughness'of t, he bush country were not obstacles to the dog) She followed Mr Harris’ -wandering trail, but was sometimes baffled for a moment where he had recrossed his path. She then followed the more recent trail. The police were set a difficult- iob in following the dog. Several of them suffered falls and bruises in the darkness, and Constable Denholm’s trousers were badly torn.

About! 4 a', in. the dog took the police to the neighbourhood of the cave in which Harris was sleeping. His sleep had prevented hinufrom Hearing their snouts, His fire had burned low and was not visible from a distance. Suddenly the dog broke away from the police and ran into the cave. She woke Mr Harris by licking his face. The police were waiting some distance away wondering what was the matter, when the dog reappeared ; followed by Mr Harris.