A GRUESOME FIND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 339, 15 March 1910, Page 3

A GRUESOME FIND.

SKELETON UX MOUNT EG.MOXT. A SUNDAY CLIMBER'S EXPERIENCE Just about five years ago a young man named King, who made the ascent of Mount Eguiont from the North Egmount Mountain House, doing so against the advice of the then custodian, Mr Morris, lost this way on the mountain, doubtless on account of his deviation from the regular track, and, although search parties scoured the mountain side for days afterwards no trace of the unfortunate man could be formed, for snow had commenced •falling. Reluctantly the searchers gave up tho quest, and left flie finding of the body to chance and to time, the opinion "being expressed that when the. summer came the melting of the snQws would leave the hotly bare in some nook near the main track. But summer, &.?• ter summer went by, and no tra.ee was found, although Mr. J ; n nearly everyone of about fifty subsequent ascents as guide, always kept the matter in mind. On Sunday last, however, one of a large party from New Plymouth, on returning from the summit, diverged from the usual route, and >yaa considerably startled when he stumbled aciijjss a human skeleton, in a good state of ?FeStr; T : tion ' a few fragi ments of clothing lying" Woiw>d, as a pair of legging*, The finder wag" Mr. G. Trotter, a Waflganui railway employee, who had made t-itf trip to the Mountain House with a pstTty «« local railway employees and others, an* was accompanied in his climb to thi« summit by Messra G. Knight and W. Hughes. Upon his return journey, made in the afternoon, the party straggled, and Trotter was left a little behind. It was when Bearing the top of the scoria that foe made his uncanny discovery, the thing making the greater impression him from the fact that he was alone at the time. Upon reaching the house he reported the matter to the custodian, Mr. Ryan, and described as well as he could the whereabouts of the remains. It was too late then to set out for the scene, but Mr. Ryan intended going yesterday. However, it came on to rain during the night, and all day yesterday the mountain was enveloped in cloud, so that Mr. Ryan , had to put off his journey until to-day. Yesterday he telephoned news of the , discovery to the Inglewood police, i The general opinion is that the re- , mains are those of the young man nam- , ed King, who was lost on the mountain . in May, 1905. In the "News" of May i 18th, 1905, appeared the following:— I, "Grave fears are entertained for the . I safety of a young man named King, who has been missing since ten o'clock ! on Monday morning, when he set off from the Mountain House to climb Mount Egmont. King is- about 27 years of age, and has not been long out from England. He had lately been working oh a farm in the Manaia district, and owing to poor health he was advised to take a sojourn at the Mountain House, and arrived there on Friday. "As he did not return from his outing by Monday evening, Mr. Morris became anxious, and made an unsuccessful search, but owing to darkness setting in had to return after proceeding some distance beyond Humphries' CaStle. Mr. Morris sent word, to the Inglewood po- ! lice, and early ion Tuesday morning •Constable Bnddy went out to join in the vigorous search instituted. Mr. Carrington, of the Lands and SurveyDepartment, who is well conversant with the ground', proceeded to the mountain on Tuesday afternoon. Up till a late hour last night no further information had come to hand, so that presumably the search has been fruitless so far. It appears that King made the ascent against the advice of Mr. Morris, who* urged him not to venture on the ex- ■ pedition in sueh bad weather. ; The ' weather has been very unfavore'' ■ these last two or three days, and unless 1 King succeeded in descending the mountain at some other point and found ; friendly shelter, it is feared he must : i have perished." 1 On the Tuesday following it was ' announced that the search had been 1 abandoned, and all hope of finding him 1 had heen given up.