STALKERS FOUND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 June 1938, Page 8

STALKERS FOUND

BOTH MEN EXHAUSTED ORDEAL IN THE BUSH LOST IN TARARUA RANGES (By Telegraph—Press Association. ) PALMERSTON N„ June 20. Walking painfully and very exhausted, the two young Palmerston North men, Mi- Arthur Regan, aged 20, and Mr Hugh Irwin Bowler, aged 22, who had been missing in the Tararua Ranges since Saturday evening, were found near the Tiritea Stream at about 11 a.m. today by members of a search party who had picked up their tracks. The two men had set out on a deerstalking expedition and were very weak and tired when discovered in the bush after two nights of exposure to the weather as well as a gruelling two days spent in scrambling in thick under growth and up and down the stream in their efforts to find a way out. It was shortly after 5 o’clock tonight before the men were escorted from the bush down to the headquarters of the searchers, who then took them in a car to their homes. One of Mr Bowler’s feet was badly bruised. He was given medical attention. Mr Regan’s feet were also affected, but not so badly. Mr Bowler is a member of the staff of the Department of Agriculture at Palmerston North, and Mr Regan is in the Public Trust Office. It appears that when fog enveloped the hills early on Saturday afternoon the two men became lost. “We meant to keep to the edge of the bush,” said Mr Regan. “Somehow we lost our way, and we didn’t know where we were. We tramped for what seemed like hours until we struck a stream which we decided to follow, hoping that it would Soon bring us to open country. I think we must have walked miles, but at dusk we felt completely lost. Just before dusk Bowler shot a deer. We went up to it and skinned it. All oux- matches were wet. We had been wading in the stream as we followed it down and as well it rained. We could not light a fire, so we cut the deer open and put our feet inside it to try to warm them. We were very cold. We didn’t have much sleep that night, but pulled the skin over us and this kept out a bit of the cold.” They set off on Sunday morning soon after daylight and decided to follow the stream further until their way was blocked by high walls of rock on either side, with a waterfall in front of them. “At times we were wading up to our waists in water,” said Mr Regan. “Twice I went into freezing water up to my neck, and so did Bowler. Our bodies were numb, and we couldn’t feel anything with oifi- feet, and we just groped and splashed our way on as best we could. We turned back to get to where we spent the first night. “When we left the stream Bowler shot another deer, which we skinned and, after making a sort of bed of ferns, we put our feet inside its stomach for warmth. It did not rain very much that day, but it was foggy and damp. Bowler’s watch stopped when he went under in the stream, but I think it would be about 3 o’clock this morning when it started to rain heavily. The skin kept us fairly dry, but we were as cold as ice. We stuck it out till daylight and then we went up the stream till we were finally found by Mr Christensen. On Sunday night we ate some raw venison, and some liver, but we couldn’t eat much of that.” \