LOST IN TARARUAS.

Shannon News, 29 April 1924, Page 3

LOST IN TARARUAS.

MISSING MEN FOUND, BUT A SEARCHER LOST. A TRAGEDY FEARED. The two men named Esoott, father and son, vvho on Tuesday last left Eketauuna lor Mangahao were dis covered by a party from’ the latter place on Saturday morniing in the busli within a short distance of the Mangahao hydro-electric works camp There i s however, unfortunately! every reason to believe that one cl the search party Mr G. Dunnage lost his life whilst attempting to bring the news of the discovery of the men io Mangahao. SEVEN PARTIES OUT. In all seven parties left Mangahao on Anzac Day and Saturday to take up the search in the broken precipitous country which lies between Mangahao and Eketahuna, a distance in all of about 12 miles. Of these one party consisting of Messrs Hobbs! Gilt and Greenfell, set out to travel right through to Eketahuna by picking up the old track which had been cult same yea rs previously from below the lower Mangahao Gorge. Another party consisting of Messrs Ewer, Albertson, Hancock and Esooctt, another son of the missing roan, arrived at Mangahao on Sunday, having followed the same route as the missing men and having picked up their tracks in several places only to lose them again in the , broken country. MISSING MEN FOUND.

On Saturday morning one of tire search parties from Mangahao consisting of Messrs Hudson and G. Dunnage met the missing men on a spur leading to the Mangahao river. Despite the bad weather which had obtained for some time during the period which they had spent in the hush, the men were apparently none the worse for their experience. They had been delayed by fogs and bad weather and had taken shelter and conserved their food supplies. On the previous day they had distinctly heard the whistle which was being blown every half-hour at the Mangahao Works, but owing to the fog had been Unwilling to risk travelling. They had spent‘two days without fire owing to their matches having got wet and had very little food during the latter part of the trip, having started with only two days’, rations. • After meeting the search party on the ridge, a direct route was followed to the Mangahao river to a point about half an hour’s walk from the works, a halt being made here to boil the billy. ANOTHER MAN LOST. It was then arranged that Mr Dunnage should go ahead to inform the Engineer in Charge at Mangahao of the missing men having been discovered, so that telegrams calling off the search could he sent. Dunnage took a direction following the river, which at the time was clear and of normal height and was the shortest route to the camp. He failed to reach Mangahao,: and there is every reason to.believe that hurrying back to the camp he was drowned in one of the gorges. NEW SEARCH ORGANISED.

As soon as it was reported that Dunnage was missing, Mr Cocks, of the Mangahao staff, set off down the river searching as far as the Lower Gorge, continuing the search throughout the night. Messrs Johnstone and Hudson, engineers ,a.t the works, arranged a party and until midnight searched the river with lanterns, but Without success. Owing to the heavy rain and rising river the party had considerable difficulty ip making their way back to oa.mp. On Sunday a party of from 25 to 30 men carried out a systematic search of the river bank.

The missing man was a strong swimmer and it is thought that he must have attempted to cross one of the deep gorges and been injured on the rocks a.nd boulders with which the bed of the stream is obstructed. He is a son of a well-known surveyor, Mr yV. H. Dunnage, of Kati Kati, Bay of Plenty, and had been employed at Mahgahao for some time. SEARCH PARTY STILL OUT. Messrs Hobbs, Gill, and Greenfell, who on Friday essayed to cross to Eketahuna in search ■ of the Escotts, have not yet been reported from the latter place, inquiries this morning revealing the fact that so far nothing had been heard of them, and some anxiety is felt for their safety. Mr Escott, who is a farmer at Eketahuna., and .an experienced bushman, had set out to blaze a track to Mangahao to enable visitors from the Wairarapa tp visit the works by that route; Mr Escott, senr., is a naan of 50, his son being only 15 years of age. They returned to Eketahuna today. '