FATALITY ON MOUNT EGMONT

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3638, 14 May 1927, Page 3

FATALITY ON MOUNT EGMONT

W|ANGANUI MAN KILLED. SLIP ON TREACHEROUS ICE. Wanganui, Yesterday. Consternation was expressed in Wanganui when it become known that three masters and a pupil of the Wanganui Collegiate School had met with a mishap while climbing Mount Egmont and that a terrible death glissade over 800 feet of ice and snow had ended fatally for at least one of the. four concerned. Messrs F. Latham, N. Baines and P. Taylor, and Master Dennis Allen set out to climb Mt. Eginont at 8.30 on Wednesday morning. They failed to return to the Dawson Falls mountain house in the evening, and becoming alarmed, Guide W. P. Murphy (custodian) and a companion left at six o’clock and returned at eleven, missing on the way Dennis Allen, who had returned to the accommodation house and had given the alarm. It appears that the climbers ascended the mountain in safety and on the return trip met disaster when making the descent to Fantham’s Peak. They had covered a considerable portion of the journey, when, owing to insecure foothold on the ice, they slipped, falling three hundred and fifty feet. Then Allen managed to cut himself adrift, and three others plunging down the slope a further four hundred and fifty feet. The night was bitterly cold, but a fog made the search more difficult. Shortly before 3 a.m. Mr. Taylor was found lying unconscious across the dead body of his companion, Mr. Latham. Baines was missing but traces found indicated that he had crawled in the direction of Opunakc. The body of the late Mr. Latham was brought down. Mr. Taylor was removed' to the mountain house on a stretcher, arriving there at 10.30 a.m. to-day after an arduous and dangerous trip. He was speechless with the cold and showing signs of exhaustion, and he and Dennis Allen were removed to a private hospital. A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. Dennis Allen walked back to the hostel, -a distance of 3J miles, following the Kapuni steam, and it was his arrival that first gave warning to those at the hostel that anything really serious had happened. ’ The boy Allen had a wonderful escape. He must have followed the Kapuni river bed from high up the mountain side, down to Wilkie’s pools, and thence to the Hostel. In making such a trip in the dark he displayed great courage. The late Mr. Fenton Latham was well-known to many and a most popular master at, the Collegiate School. A man of about 50 years of age, he joined the Collegiate School in May 1912, having obtained his M.A. degree at Oxford earlier in his career. He has a son of 20 years of age studying at a university and a younger daughter. Together with his wife jand family he resided at the Collegiate School. Mr. Noel Baines, who is missing, obtained his B.A. degree at Oxford. He joined the Collegiate School staff in September, 1923. He is about 35 years of age and single. Mr. Percival Taylor, who is suffering from shock, obtained his B.A. degree at Oxford. He joined the school staff in September; 1923. His duties are those of music master and organist. He is about 35 years of age and single. Master Dennis Allen, who descended the mountain late on Wednesday evening and gave the alarm at the Mountain House, is a son of Mr. Allen, second master. He is 16 years of age. BAINES’S BODY FOUND. FELL OVER BANK IN ATTEMP- " TING TO ESCAPE. Yesterday. The lifeless body of Baines was found by a party of searchers this morning, shortly after eleven o’clock. It was found approximately half a mile from the spot where Latham’s body was found. A relief party is being organised to convey the body to the Mountain House. Baines had apparently cruwled on his hands and knees for some distance and then fallen over a bank for about 20 feet.. An authentic description of the tragic slide and subsequent events reveals the heroism of the boy, Dennis Allen, his conduct being described as magnificent. It has now been established that the party started to slide when about 700 feet from the top of the mountain. They slipped 500 feet and came to rest on a ledge. Allen was the only one conscious, the others all being badly hurt. Allen tried to get an answer from the other men, but meeting with no response even after turning Baines' head up, he decided to go for help. Owing to the course he took and the subsequent final position of the bodies, it is evident the other three did not slip another 400 feet for at least 25 minutes after Allen had left. Alien eventually reached the Mountain House aUnost in a state ' of collapse after a terrible journey down the Kapuni Gorge, and his first thought was for the other men. Allen’s condition is now satisfactory, but Taylor's condition is very low. He is suffering extremely from exposure. The funeral of Mr. Latham will take place at Wanganui to-morrow.