BACKBLOCKS HEROISM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 49, 18 July 1914, Page 4

BACKBLOCKS HEROISM.

i AX AIiULuCS .JOI'UNEY. TO TIJJS XJ-:\V PLYMOUTH HOSPITAL. ''U e don t want any praise for our-.-.clvc-. mily <ur the injured man—and curse ('im roads!" These wore thewods n.-ed !,y Kriicst Sampson, popularly, known as "(iil.u"' Sinnpson to a News representative yesterday as a conclusion to a story oi back-block heroism which it u!l: be hard to equal. Sampson—si luiye person wi!h a stature like that ol In; .Biblical iince-tor—J. Dean, and B, \\ ells, had _just seen an injiiKM: comrade into the Xew Plymouth Hospital after a journey Ihi'oiigli the back-blocks mud and bush. They were not anxious lor lunc-iiyM. but tbey were aWnost patlietimljy anv.nii 1 hat the puUia should i;;i!n adequate conception of tha terrible hardship- which the bnek-bloeka flett'eis have to face, and their cryintt need for roads. '"("Jo on." said Sampson, "put me into it. just as I am. Tell them about the mud • all over me, then they may understand what the roada are like. We don't want to be praised, we just want th" people to know." A RUSH ACCIDENT.

On Tuesday last. Henry Harold Mchrten. ,7. Bean, and K. Wells were working in the bush about thirty miles up the Mokau river. Dean and Weils are contractors under Chamber Bros., and Melu-teu is an employee of theirs. Al about I p.m. an accident occurred, Mehrten washing a tree, and if swung round in an unexpected manner and crushed his foot terribly. It wasquite a simple accident, they said. THE JOUKNERY BEtiLWS. Then began the journey for the media Ml aid winch the back-blocks Settfel lias not got within reach of the telephone. One of his mates—Barriman—cut a track for a quarter of a mila through the bush to the bank of the Mokau river. Weils., meanwhile, went to Mahoenui, and telephoned for i» launch to come up the river. The injured man was then carried along eh« tiack to the river bank where" the launch arrived at about 10 o'clock thai night. He bad been attended to aa vve.l us his mates could do it, and Wellsbad given him a little, morphia to deaden the pain. The river was in at dangerous state, and (he launch dared not leave until 1 o'clock on Wednesday morning. It took Mehrten and ni» mates about 15 miles down the river to Mrs. Robinson's home, where they arrived at 3 a.m., and Mrs. Robinson 'mad* the sufferer as 'comfortable as she could. NO BOAT AVAILABLE, .*•'■

ITerc the party waited, hoping to o- e < on a boat which would take them "to Acw ilymoiith. Sampsou, who is a, b.acksiiuth at Mokau, made enquiries, hut was informed that no boat was ; available, and he suggested that they should make the journey by road. It was decided however, to wait for .\tr. \Vylie the snrjjo.ni, who !iad been sent or. Through the whole of Wednesday they ha, to wail, the injured man h* iii(! cared for q,s well as possible by lira,. Uh.mon At about daylight on flmrsday Mr. Wylu, arrived at the Robinsons, fitter an arduous journey, and hj« counseled waiting for a boat." He said that if the boat was not available thev n»i*t go by road, as Mchrtcn mm hi got to the hospital, as soon as possible.

BLOCKED m THE BAR. Captain Berg of the "Wetoro," whicK «as chartered tor New Plymouth, said o did not think he could 'get over tuft lui, out he was going to try. The inured man was put on board, but whett i ads t nv m,cl,L,d t,H ' bar «t m ,; ' , or I : , was 'J 04 c " 10U S h water a, ' ta,n, ' udtoputb^

AX AWi'CL JOURNEY. i There was only one alternative—n '">* Fit and he and Dean took their moto Urut,.. Tlu-y left the whVrfal 1, t °, P-'"- 11 took half ttnhonr £ lake the injured man fairfy comfort;' able, bampson drove, but most of ths time he walked. It was pouring w itH ram, the road was axle deep and mora Iv, f"! d ' C , VO, '-V, , tuni of t,le "heel shootf I Mehrtcn terribly, but he made no com* [Aunt. Ad l,e asked was, -isn't there loom for tho driver?" u,, d id not want bampson to wak. At. lit. Messenger be road was indescribable. Going w, tile slope, .Sampson fell down several tm.es. it Wi , s pitl . h j arki and he c handy see where he was going. Several oi the settlers along the road, metf "horn they did not know, turned oufi and helped them to cross lit. Mcwcn! «er. \ hen they started the down' slope they had to. stop and rest tha horses although they were a fine pair. They had arranged for a ear to meefi then, a I rut, at 11 p.m. on Thw* la)..but tlu.y did not arrive there uik til -UOu.il. yesterday. They had bee* buttling with the mud and rain for ten', .our* and they had covered just 23 mles. N„ wonder Sau,p-on mrses tin* oad.s Ih, pill . ty u>ft UTllt , jn ft m t ' at ?, ";'"•• a,l<l i »-'-'vod at the New 1 ;\7"% , n ,,t: 1M t «•«»•'». At tha b05,,,,. Melntens .eg was amputated, and lie „ i„ u serioll „ coll(litio)li is a single man. aged 21 years. ', HAUK-niXK.'KiS NEEDS. ,i,'i'fin!l'i "■' il ' 1 lm l lso "' «'« mud be-' M>.uund ■,,„„(.. » we )llst t y'Mh, what « J»° U w h2 , njm,l „, the back-blocks ha ß to •i (. Mc'ntcn was ,n|„red on Tuesday afteinoo,,. n„d did not reach New Pl£ »'<"; tl' mil* to-day. but: he was ~„& aB 1 iroiijih. The horse, conld not t ofi ti.e ll ;c;.i!i;:;!, mitli,i,, ; ,o """ tosi^^..ce S 0( ' c,lln " • *'« was full of well-kn', wn • '"" " :K a* one timiS '»»f. i, T: , 'i o n t,, ° c,if «

Mi- "' :V'i- VVMK SAID. r P-lfrom I'ruti l„ ifcY. * " U "' s *2 '« nMlos „,, , , ' ~l u abottf *■<* tW road ov' \„ V"" 1 no ™" n "criiuK <.J, i- '"' ma " waa 1*