THE RUAPEHU FATALITY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 284, 31 March 1913, Page 8

THE RUAPEHU FATALITY.

A SURVIVOR'S STORY. TWO NIGHTS ON THE MOUNTAIN. Auckland, Saturday. "It's my first and last attempt afc mountaineering." This was the emphatic statement made by the •young' man Schubert (who w-.i? one of the party that had such a distressing experience on the inhospitable slopes of Ruapehu). At his home p.t Dcvonport to-day Schubert had just been bathing hi 3 feet when a reporter arrived on the scene, and he .held them up for inspection. They , were bndl<- swollen, and must have heen very painful. Schubert talked interest- . inglv of the terrible e\peri."ioe of thee alpine climbers. Bingham, he -aid, was physical]v the weakest of the paity. He was lightly dressed, and on Sund.iv w»» almost perished with cold. was then practicallv in i>. state of collapsß, and he (Schubert) who was the only mun who had a flask. gave him a strong nip at brandv, which pulled him viand again. Till-: OOLl)"WA« FRTOHTfUL. and quite inconceivable to .-ny me living in town. Coats and hats were as stiff as hoards, and limbs and hands were/ numbed. A heavy pall of fog lay over the rugged face of the mountain and obscured the view Tor any great distance. The cold, continued to increase in intensity, and clad as they were in summer clothing, the sufferings of the party werft terrible. No one in the company had the least idea in which direction the camp lay, but death stared them in the face, nn'd the descent had to be made. Gradually, the party, (which comprised young Bingham, Miss Coche, Waters, and "Schubert) worked their way over towards the base of the mountain and camped on a ridge. 'I could haVe sworn it was the site of the camp, because ifchad three pools identical with three pools by the camp," said Schubert, "but I was mistaken. It was now quite dark, and we lit a Are, which was soon burning brightly, and greatly improved matters. Miss Coche was very keen on making .an early start on Monday morning, so at (1 o'clock, while it was still dark, we acrain set out, our. intention being to go on top of the ridge. At this stage, Bingham and Miss Coche decided to remain behind. It was 110 use the rest of , the party doing so. Waters and I set out again, hoping we might obtain assistance. Before leaving I gave Bingham nearly all mv matches, and told him to get a firo going. That was the last I saw of him." V TERRIBLE. .TOURNEY .

Schubert tlien went on to relate what happened during the remainder of that terrible journey down the mountain side. After leaving Miss and Bingham behind, lie and his companion decided to attempt to get to the foot of the big glacier. With the eold penetrating right through them, and with aching limbs, they pushed blindly onward. Often they would slip on a piece of treacherous rock but always managed to regain their footing. Their boots were soon cut to pieces, and afforded but little protection for their weary feet. But. hoping against hope, they stumbled onward. It was over twenty-four hours since either of • them had tasted food, and the pangs of hunger added to their misery. Water was plentiful—ie.v-eold creek water —and they were 'Able to slake their thirst. The fog' had bv tliis time partly lifted, and peering nc - nss country the mountaineers were delight"d to behold a train speeding over the Wnimarino plains far below them. The si<rht filled them with renewed hope. Safety was in sight, but their troubles were not half over. Stiff with the eold and half famished, the two set off down the slope "with as much haste as pos-ible. Not knowing the track, they decided to follow a creek which they knew must lead to level country. The water was up to their knees a great deal of the way. and very cold. That night they lit a 'fjp. After a weary, sleepless night, they again set off early next morning. The bush was '••POMETIITXf! FRIGHTFUL." (to inc. Schubert's own words), and progress was painfully slow. For an hour they pushed their wav through the heavy growth, only to find that they were practically back in the same place they started from. There seemed to lie ,110 end of hush, and both of them thought they would never get out of it alive. Eventually. they managed to get throu'rh it .and they started out. across the plains for Waimarino. A blinding snowstorm came on after they left the mountain, and almost overcame them. Wind, of hujjrieime intensity, was blowing, and it made progress ver" slow. Tt was 2.W o'clock on Tuesday afternoon before Waimarino was reached, and since 4 o'clock on Sunday the distressed wayfarers had not tasted food. A hot bath and some stimulants, followed by a meal provided by the stationmaster. put a different complexion oil matters, however, and thev were shortly afterwards able to leave for Ohakune.