TWO YOUTHS LOST ON TARARUA RANGES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3628, 21 April 1927, Page 3

TWO YOUTHS LOST ON TARARUA RANGES.

ANXIETY FELT FOR SAFETY.

. MISSING SIX DAYS: Wellington, Last Night. Desmond Scanlon, champion runner of St. Patrick’s College and son of Mr. .T. C. Scanlon, ex Chief Gaoler, and Roy Diederich, the ’Varsity wing forward and a nephew of Mr. Scanlon, senr., have not yet returned from an attempt to cross the Taravua Ranges on Thursday last. They left Levin on Thursday night hoping to! reach iCarterton or Mastcrton on Monday morning and back to Wellington the same night. Their continued absence is occasioning anxiety. The crossing on the track chosen by the two young men takes four days under good conditions and parties usually equip themselves for 6 days. The distance from Levin to Masterton or Carterton is about 60 miles. The track is over very difficult country and not well-defined, and trnmpers might easily wander into one of the numerous by-paths and become lost. In wet weather it is possible for them to be cut off by flooded rivers. The two took food for four days. They bad no compass, but carried an electric torch. Search parties are out looking for them.. SEARCH PARTIES OUT. Masterton, Last Night. Parties of experienced buslnnen and trampers leave early in the morning to search for Scanlon and Diederich, who are overdue on their trip across the Ranges from Levin to Masterton. Excepting accidents the most likely cause of their absence is bad weather as it has been raining and foggy on the ranges for two days.