RUAPEHU TRAGEDY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 537, 22 May 1933, Page 5

RUAPEHU TRAGEDY

(Press Assn. —

fiODY RECOVERED . arduous experiences of paRty from chateau raft of motor tubes

By Telegrapli — Copyright).

Wellington, Sunday. After a particularly ardhous task, the body of John Wall, who fell into Jhe crater on Mt. Ruapehti on Friday afternoon, was hrought to the Chateau Tongariro on Sunday evening. A party of 16 set out. from the Chateau to recover the body on Saturday. On reaehing the stimmit they found that direct descent to the spot where the body was lying was impraqticable on acconnt of overhanging rotten ice. Fiye naembei's of the party, Mr. Claude Taylor, chief guide, Mr. -R. Cobbe, manager of the .Chateaq, Mr. Clark, engineer of the Public Works Department,. Mt.. Stevens a memjber of the Tonrist Department and Mr. T. Jack of the Chateau staff, descended 200 feet by means 6f rdpes .on the other side of the crater. Mr. Cobbe and Mr. Taylor edged a way round the lake in the crater on a narrow ledge, sometimes having mud to the waist, and -eventually reached the body. 1 Here and there it was overhung - with rotten ice, and the men were unable to speak in case the vibration of the voice brought down a mass oi ice on top of them. ' The two men carried with them a number of motor tubes; inflating these they made a raft. and floated the body a quarter of a mile round the end of the lake to the spot where the other three men waited. Fifteen hours from the time they had set out from the Chateau they had brought tha bodywithin 50 feet of the top of the crater, where it was left for the night. Another party went out on Sunday to bring the body in to the Chateau, and after a difficult time they arrived back at the Chateau with the body at 5.30 on Sunday evening.