ROUGH COUNTRY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 May 1942, Page 3

ROUGH COUNTRY

TRAVERSED BY POLICEMEN AND SOLDIERS BRINGING IN BODIES FROM WRECKED PLANE. RETURN DELAYED BY BAD WEATHER. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day. Impeded at every step by very dirty weather and compelled to negotiate many steep rock faces in bad country —some of the roughest in Marlborough —the party of searchers vzho reached the wreck of the Lockheed air liner on Mount Richmond on Wednesday afternoon, had still failed to reach their road base by 9 o’clock last njght. It is not now expected that they will complete their journey till this afternoon. They have faced atrocious conditions, it is reported, and, burdened with the five bodies of the victims on stretchers, they have found the going down hill harder than the climb up the mountain. The party consists of police constables and about 16 soldiers. They have been having a very arduous time and will be exhausted when they reach their destination. The distance they have to travel back is estimated to be nine miles, and last night they were reported to be about two miles from their road base. The expedition has encountered very bad weather, which was reported to be getting worse last night. From theii’ destination it is 18 miles by road to Blenheim. TASK UNCOMPLETED AFTER ANOTHER ARDUOUS DAY. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) BLENHEIM, This Day. Overtaken by darkness and heavy rain last night, the Mt. Richmond party was again compelled to come out from the hills without the bodies of the victims of the air liner crash. The men reached the road at about 9 o’clock, aftex' another arduous day and spent the night at Langley Dale. The bodies had to be left still several hours’ journey from the road. It is hoped to complete the task today, however. A downpour’ continued throughout the night. The stream in the valley is in high flood. If the weather improves the expedition may set out again today. It ■is stated that nothing in the wrecked plane is salvagable. The fire made, a clean sweep of mail and freight. The force of the impact was so great that parts of the plane were scattered over an area of 200 yards.