TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 26 March 1913, Page 5

TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.

OF AN ALPINE PAETY. LOST ON MOUNT HUAPEHU. SEVERAL DAYS IN THE SNOW, A GIRL CLIMBER'S HEROISM. ONE OF . THE PARTY STILL MISSING, . (Btfx.Telerfrili)h. —Pr'gdi Association.) fAttfAPE, Last Night. An alpine "party had a terrible experience on Mount Jluaprhu, One of the party left Ohakunc on Saturday afternoon, and spent the night in the mountain ihut in company with other members of the party, who had met there, 'Hie ascent to the summit commenced on Sunday morning, but one of the party, named Gingham, aged 21, became exhausted and could go no frrther /'

Miss MarceMa Coat?s (an experienced alpine climber) and Messrs Waters, S. Hubert, WiHourrhby and McIn.ty.re left with the object of taking Bingham back to the hut. .When the main party returned, it was found that they had not reached the hut. Anxiety being felt for their safety, a search party was de-snatched, but found no trace of the missing six. Mclntyre and Willoughby subsesuently found their way alone; Sulphur creek 'and ca.me out safety at Pokoka, stating that they left their companions, Who intended to go through tllie 'bush to the but. The weather wa« bitterly cold, and a snow-storm hampered the search party on Monday, no trace of the missing party being found till to-day, when Waters and S. Hubert came out at Waimarino, about 17 miles north of Ohakune.

ThiPy were badly knocked .aboot., and suffered severely from hunger, fatigue and exposure. Tliey ieit Miss Coated and Bingham yesterday afternoon, til? former deciding to stay with gingham, who is a friend of hers-, . Miss Coatfrs was found later under the Makatoke Yiadtict, having wandered nearly 40 miles, walking and crawling by turns. She was found about twenty miles away from Ohakune, and is in a bad state, suffering from shock, hunger, exposure and bad wounds on the leg-;, feet, and hands. She is in a delirious conditio*, and states that she saw Bingham go over a waterfall yesterday afternoon j about 3 o'clock, and later saw his hat and coat in the stream. She remembered nothing more, and can give 110 lucid account of her experiences. Her story is not fuKy credited, and seal oh parties are still looking for Bingham ; but there i« little, hope for him. All the search parties had returned at 7 o'clock this evening, but another was sent out to look for the missing man. The condition of Waters and S. Hubert is not serious, but Miss Coates in in a very bad way. THE MISSING MAN. WANGANIII, Last Night. Mr W. N. Bingham, who is one of ' the missing party that had such unenviable experiences on Mount Ruapphu, was for twelve mouths in tho employ of Mr A. Doig, a local eh emifit. He passed his final examination recently. Bingham's mother is a widow, .residing at Dannevirke.