A SNOWSTORM ADVENTURE

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5104, 15 August 1895, Page 3

A SNOWSTORM ADVENTURE

FIVE YOUNG MEN LOST ox THE TARARUA RANGES.

THREE STILL MISSING,

From Our Oicn Correspondent, Giievtow.v, Thursday,

Yesterday morning by the 1 1 a.m. train Messrs Job Salisbury and William Smith arrived in Greytown from Woodside after being lost in the ranges for two days and two nights. The former kindly furnished mp with thu following information :~^ It appeal's that provisions having run short at the camp where they had boon , bnshfalling in the ranges at the back of Dalelickl, Jlr Percy Hawke, tho " boss," left for Greytown last Saturday for tho purpose of getting stores, and not returning five men—Job Salisbury, W. Smith, Ted Hobman, Arthur Hobman, and George Loader, accordingly left camp early on Monday morning on ut shooting expedition and struck into the back ranges. When some miles away from camp a snowstorm mine on and linding thoy were olf the track, they mado in the direction of the ranges in the Wit-ioliino Valley, airiving on oho of the totara Huts just before dusk. Here, luckily, they found an old tend, and after making a fire outside, stayed tlie night' under' thjs tyro shfiltef. It' snowed hcayily all through th'tj night, aud what they;

passed through was anything but pleasant. At day-break next morning (Tuesday) tho weather was as bad as ever, snowing hard with a thick fog. They all niado a start to reach the enrap; their path lay through snow up to their middle What with the fog and blinding snow and the roughnoss of tliDCOuntry, tlieparty began to feel exhausted,

At last they were almost giving up in depair, finding l they were lose, when Job Salisbury saw ut stream in tho distance, Thoy soon reached this, and Salisbury encouraged his mates to follow it,astheironlymcans of escape. Two of the number acted on this advice, but the two Hobmans did not like tho idea of the river,aud could not be persuaded to follow its course.

Here the party split up, and the two Hobmans were last seen striking in the direction of the camp. The other three waded through the river for about live or six miles, It was now getting dusk and Smith and George Loader were beginning to give up, when Salisbury saw wluu appeared to be a dry spur on a ridge in (he distance, and tried to cheer his two comrades, telling them that on the other side of the ridge there must be a settlement,

i About half a mile from the ridge, ' Loader fairly broke down and sat down under the shelter of a small piece of scrub and covered his faco with his bauds. In vain his companions endeavoured to get him to press forward, but could get no answer from him. It was impossible for the other two to carry him as they wercso benumbed and weak that they could scarcely move along themselves, Salisbury having at times to assist Smith. To save themselves, they had to abandon Loader, and just managed to crawl up the ridge and over the other side when darkset in.

| Here Smith gave in and Salisbury got him under the shelter of a log, j took Smith's and his own coat off, and under the shelter of this lug they passed a most awful night, Salisbury having to continually pinch his mate all through the night to keep him from sleeping. At daybreak I hey rubbed their feet and bauds, and after some time they were able to move a little, and managed fo crawl and walk to a settler's hoiisi somewhere in the neighbourhood of Woodside. They gave the settler all particulars of their ad venture, and then managed (o walk or crawl to the Woodside railway station. They were in a most pitiable state, and reached Grey town as above stated. Both men are confined to bed, and are under the care of Dr. McCarthv.

Information was given to a few residents, as the constable is away in Wellington, and Messrs Lloyd and Boilings left yesterday afternoon in search of the other three, but daikness coining on, had to abandon the search until this morning, when others intend going out.