STILL NO WORD

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 518, 29 April 1933, Page 5

STILL NO WORD

(Press Assn.-

MISSING TFJAMPERS INTENSIViE SEARCH YIELDS NO TANGIBLE RESULTS , FEARS FOR SAFETY G'ROWING

— By Telegraph — Copyright).

Masterton, Friday. There is still no word -of the missing party of four trampers, and the feeling is igrowing that the1 worst has happened. If member-s of the party were still alive and were bivouacked on ■account of the weather, it is consiidered that they would have taken advantage of the ftne weather experienced yesterday and would either have found their own way out or would have come acros-s -one o-f th'e many parties of searchers. who are now in tajl parts of the ranges. The party, which set out from Levin on a tramp'ing tour a week ago last Saturday, consists of Miss- M. Wil-Ji-ams of Wanganui; Dr. W. B. Sutch, of Palmerston North; Mr. E. Hill, of Aokautere, near Palmerston North; land Mr. A. H. O'Keefe, of Wellington. ' Parties returning all report having thoroughly and systematically combed the country, but without success. Mr. W. Aitken, who has b©en in -charge of the base camp at Mitre Flats, has returned -and states tba,t it is unneces- ' sary to send further men up there as the country in the vlicinity of Mitre has been thoroughly scoured. All part-ie-s in this area will return on Sunday and no further parties will be sent out. A base camp will he main•tained, however, probably by several relief workers, under a police constable. The search is now concentratsd on the Waliohine-iti Valley. Twenty Wellington trampers are working in from Holdsworth, a Masterton party is going over from Mitre -and a Palmerston North piarty is working across from Levin. These parties should all converge at Waiohine- iti. This area i3 one of the roughest sections; of the Tararuas, being very brolcen and covered with dense hush' and undergrowth, and if the missing party found itself there it would have the- greatest difficulty lin getting out. A further ia,eroplane survey was made from Masterton yesterday afternoon. Mr. A. V. Jury, with Mr. J. Cane as observei*, flew over Mount Hector and up' to Mount Bruce, flying deep into the ranges, hut saw no sign of the smoke which was seen 1 in the high country near Greytown during the previous fllight. The plane was in the air two hours, and if the weather improves; it will make a further survey thi3 afternoon. Mr. F. C. Brockett's party has returned after investigating the report that the smoke of a signal fire had been seen lin from Mount Bruce. A thorough search' was made, but nothing was discove-red, and Mr. Brockett is of opinion that it was a mist curling up from the bush, and not smoke, which was seen.