THE ALPINE DISASTER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16486, 27 February 1914, Page 7

THE ALPINE DISASTER.

MOUNT COOK TRAGEDY. RICHMOND’S BODY FOUND. AN ENORMOUS AVALANCHE. News was received in Christchurch yesterday morning that the body of one of the guides lost on Mount Cook in the disaster to Mr King’s climbing party on Friday had- been recovered. The message came to the Hon R. H. Rhodes, Minister for Tourist and Health Resorts, from Mr B. M. Wilson, general manager of the Tourist Department, from the Hermitage, timed 9.35 a.m., as follows: “ Chief Guide Graham just returned to Hermitage. Found body of Guide Richmond, but no sign oi others. Party had been overwhelmed by avalanche falling on to Linda Glacier from top of ditiding range north of Dampier and sweeping the valley for about a mile. Richmond’s watch was smashed at ten minutes to ■ five, which was about the time they were expected to be in the vicinity. “ Graham does not consider any chance finding bodies of King and Thomson. Richmond’s body is oeing brought down by guides to reach here Saturday night. “B. M. WILSON.” “The rope must have been severed, said a gentleman who is acquainted with alpine climbing. He explained that the three climbers must have been coming down towards the Linda Glacier obliquely, Richmond ahead, cutting steps, King next and Thomson last. There couid have been no warning of the avalanche, which would fail like a shot out of a gun. It was not conceivable that the party saw the danger and cut the rope. There would be no time for that, and the rope must have been severed by contact with the ice. A photograph on which may be traced the exact spot of the fatality hangs in the Tourist Department. At the place where the three men were coming down to the Linda Glacier, 'the route narrows between the top of the dividing range just north of Mount Dampier arid a jutting peak of Mount Cook. There is a heavy ice and snowcap just at the top of the dividing range, and it can be readily seen that it is almost overhanging and would precipitate millions of tons of ice if it fell. This is the cap that presumably overwhelmed the climbers. It is probable that Richmond’s body will be brought on to Willowbridge, arriving some time on Monday. HOW THE BODY WAS DISCOVERED. SEARCH ALMOST ABANDONED. The Hon H. R. Rhodes received the following telegram from Mr Wilson at 1 p.m. yesterday:— , “ The rescue party had a very hard timo, and are renting to-day at Ball Hutt, where Chief-Guide Graham returns to-night with Mr Frind and three Austrian climbers u r ho have volunteered their assistance. The country was 60 rough and broken that it was only possible to get the body out by each man taking turns to carry it a few steps at a time. The body was fearfully mutilated and barely recognisable. The party had almqst decided to abandon the search whon Graham saw a boot sticking out of the 6Uow, and so discovered - the body. They then tried hard to find the others. ' “ The avalanche appeared to have been an enormous one: . practically the wholo ice-face fell, directly on to the men. The actual spot has always been looked upon as quite safe, though there was a dangerous one further on. This is the first fatal accident in ‘tho Southern Alps, which have been climbed for many years. The accident was in no way due to' carelessness, but was simply a calamity cf Nature.” Mr Wilson has arranged with the Coroner and tho police that an . inquest shall be held. CABLEGRAM FROM ENGLAND. The High Commissioner has cabled that ho had seen Mr King’s brother, wßn desired further news. As has been announced, this was sunplied on receipt of tho news of the finding of Guide Richmond’s bedy. * THE MINISTER’S THANKS. The Hoh R. H. Rhodes has telegraphed the thanks of the Government to the search parties for the splendid work .they have done under such trying circumstances. Summaries of the messages received by the Hon R. H. Rhodes from Mount Ccok in regard to the alpine disaster have been cabled to the High Commissioner in Loudon. The Hon T. Mackenzie has been requested _ to convey the information to the Alpine Club. The High Commissioner has also been requested to convey the New Zealand Government’s sympathy to the relatives of Mr S. L. King. THE AVALANCHES OF AORANGI. In his book “ My Climbing Adventures in Four Continents,” recently published in London, Mr Samuel Turner, F.R.G.S., of New Zealand, who is at present with one of the search parties at Mount Cook, describes his first traverse of Mount Cook in company with Messrs Fyfe, R-oss and Graham. He says that in climbing somo rocks above the bivouac he waited for some time to get a snapshot of Mount Cook, and while waiting for the clouds to lift he took out his watch and made a stroke with a pencil on some paper for every separate avalanche he could hear. In the first five minutes there were sixteen, and in the second five ■minutes fourteen. “ It was by moonlight,” Mr Turner says, “wo intended to get over the Glacier Dome and the Grand Plateau. We left camp at 11.15 p.m., quickly climbing up the ridge and over Glacier Dome, some 8000 feet above sea level. We then descended to the snow plateau, which is a huge basin about three miles long and nearly two miles wide. . . We began to ascend steep slopes, dangerously npar ice seraos (huge 'blocks of broken ice) from Mount Cook’s rocky ridge, which were crack-'' ing all the time we were near them. Both Graham and I repeatedly looked up, expecting an avalanche, and while we paused, for Fyfe to take his turn at leading, and to be freshly roped, we saw a huge serac, hundreds of tons in weight, crunch its way down into an enormous bergsehrund, a huge crack near the rocks, the rocks slanting under the ice. It rocked from one side to the other on its way down, and buried its whole length. The ice all round seemed to shiver. It set ris on the move up the slope, as wo were too near a wall of ice with seraos cracking, ready to break off.”