A MOUNTAIN TRAGEDY

Levin Daily Chronicle, 8 June 1918, Page 1

A MOUNTAIN TRAGEDY

Two Men Killed

Late i>u Monday afternoon an accident occurred on the New Plymouth side of Mount Egmont, resulting in the (lentil of Mi' Arthur Ambury, juiir., and a young fellow named Gourlay, employed in the Government offices in New Plymouth. .V party were ascending the mountain when Gourlay, anil another, named McDomtld (employed in the Slate Fire Oiik'ei, got into difficulties. Ambury, \\ iio was an experienced mountaineer, WwJil to their assistance. They all rvii.-dieu down the mountain side, Ambury and tiormli y going over the cliff at iiuij!|)iirey "s Castle. McDonald, it is .said, struck a piece of ice. and this broke his fall uud saved his life. He was subsequently tarried by comrades to the mountain house and attended by .Dr. Wade. .Search parlies were at. once organised. including a. party .from Dawson's Fails under Guide Murphy,. who made a record trip of two hours from Dawson's Falls house to Humphrey's Castle. The parties were out for several hours n.nd returned at ail early hour this morning with tlic sad news that they had discovered the bodies, whi»h it was found impossible to remove to the house, and they are to be brought down Iliis morning. The late Mr Arthur Ambury, who was married, was the son of Mr Arthur Ambury, of Ambury Bros., and was held in high esteem iu the town. Gourlay was about 19 years of age, and it is understood his people reside in Christchureh. THE BODIES RECOVERED. NEW PLYMOUTH, Last Night. (Search parties under Guide Muipliy, with New Plymouth police, went out 'early this morning to recover the bodies tit' Messrs Ambury and Gourlay, the victims of yesterday's fatality at Mt. Egmont. They reached the place where the men fell, about ten o'clock. The bodies were fearfully mutilated and death must have been instantaneous. Guide Murpliy strapped the bodies in canvas sheets and the others hauled them up the cliff by ropes. The ta»V of conveying the bodies back to the mountain house was very difficult owing to the dead weight and slippery nature of the surface. About 20 men assited in relays, and returned to the 1 mountain house about I.iSO p.m. The bodies were brought to New Plymouth in a motor lorry, arriving about 5.30. Mr Ambury was married and aged P>7 years. He leaves a widow and four young children. ATTEMPT TO SAVE GOURLAY. From later accounts gathered of the accident on the northern slopes of Mt. l-jg.iiont mi Monday afternoon, in which A.i.jsrs Arthur H. Ambury and W. E. Gourlay lost their lives, it appears (fays the "Taranaki News") that Ambury's death was the outcome of what i can" only tie termed a most heroic attempt to save Gourlay in his slide down the i«e. it seems that a party of throe young m, n—AV. 1.0. Gourlay, R. B. Macdonald, and N. Fookes —left the old Mountain House at (i.-'SO on Monday morning tc an-end the mountain. They found the climbing very heavy, having to cut steps iii the ice for a considerable portion of the way. They reached the sumit!ii, hoe, ever.' at 12,'i0 p.m.. and commenced the descent at .12.45. Oil the way down they began to glissade, and during the process Macdonald lost his foothold and slid for some distance,, but eveii.tr.allv, with the aid of his alpenstock, iie "checked his descent on coming ; into contact with a big block of ice. Fookes made a plucky attempt to reach Macdonald, and succeeded in doing so. 'He found him somewhat dazed and more or less- helpless. He bound Macdonald to himself with a pair of puttees. and managed, with difficulty, to "*ei him back on to the track. Tie then proceeded lo assist his comrade in the fiulher descent of the mountain. After going some distance, at about, the 7000 feet mark they saw another party below them, to whom they signalled for help. The party included Messrs C. ! Bottrill, Mackay, and Arthur Ambury, ; and the latter's wife. Mr Ambury returned with his wife to a place of safety and then proceeded to give assistance to the men who were in difficulty. By this time Gourlay had bean left 'some "distance behind. Fookes then left Macdonald and went, back to assist , GourUiv, while Bottrill and Mackay ascended" to where Macdonald was, and assisted him further down the mountain side. Air,bury went on to join Fookes, who had reached Gourlay and was helpin" him down. Tke two had come some distance when a shout from a member of the pnrtv gave a warning, and Gour-i-iv. who was directly above Ambury, v.m- --ecu to have lost, his footing, and lo lie sliding down the ice with e.onsidci: t'le momentum. A BUAVJ4 ACT. JI was here that Mr Ambury showed 'is heroism. Taking a chance which he must have known would be a very remote one of saving the falling man,, lie stuck his 'alpenstock fast iii the, icc, took a iirm hold with his feet, and endeavoured to catch the body of Gourlay and check his descent. The impact, however, was such that Ambury was utifooted, his alpenstock broken, and the two men slid, it is estimated, a distance of about 1200 ft., and linally went ~\er into a gully about 50ft deep, somewhat. to the left of Humphrey's Castle, looking from above.