SEARCH CONTINUED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 252, 5 August 1933, Page 3

SEARCH CONTINUED

THE LOST MOUNTAINEER. FIFTY MEN AT WORK. (Special to the "Guardian.") ARTHUR'S PASS, August 4. To-morrow 30 searchers will scour the snowslide on Ayalanche Peak which u believed to contain the body of Samuel Edgar Russell, the Training College student who wais lost- there on Sunday last. The weather at the Pass to-night is clear with a hard frost, and conditions on the peak in the morning should be favourable to the search. Eight parties, of from three to five climbers each, and totalling 31 in all, will leave Arthur's Pass at 6 a.m. and should arrive at the slide by 9 a.m. At least 15 more will leave the Pass at 9 a.m. and should arrive at noon. The members of this last party are from the Canterbury Mountaineering Club and will be under Mr Stuart Meares. They arrived here late tonight. Operations will be under the control of Mr Alf Brustad. The early parties will collect the shovels, food and steel rods at the bush line cache 4000 feet up, and carry them to the scene of the fatality, at 5400 feet. A trench will then be dug along the foot of the slide and probing operations will be commenced with the rods. A cookhouse will also be made in the snow. The excavators . in the trench will work upwards, filling in the old trench as they proceed. An expedition carried gear up Avalanche Peak to the bush line this afternoon, but hopes of breaking a track through to the slide did not material- * ise ' •' i- i. i Under Mr Brustad, six men climbed to 4500 feet and then turned back, partly because the going was in soft snow and partly because time was getting short. An icy south-west wind lashed the snow across the ridge up which the climb was made, making conditions anything but pleasant. It is hoped that to-morrow the weather and snow conditions on the peak will have improved. HEAVY COST OF SEARCHING. AN ART UNION PROPOSED. WELLINGTON, August 4. The heavy expenditure involved in conducting searches for lost trampers or persons who meet with accidents in alpine country was emphasised by a deputation from the Federated Mountain Clubs which asked the Minister for "Internal Affairs for permission to take part in an art union for the establishment of a search fund. At the conclusion of the conference, the Minister said he could make no promises, but he thought a case for consideration had been made out. Later the Minister brought up the question of the control of trampers, and suggested that trampers disregarding warning notices might be made liable for damages or for part of the search fund. The whole question of • searching would hayo to be controlled. Mr A. P. Harper said that contributions would be made only to properlyorganised and properly-equipped search parties. PROCEDURE AT INQUESTS. WELLINGTON, August 4. A statement that the Justice Department had already communicated with coroners in reference to certain

aspects of inquests arising out of mountaineering fatalities was made by the Hon. J. 13. Cobbe, replying to a deputation from the Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand, which requested that coroners be asked to give every facility to the Federation being represented at such inquests. Mr Harper (president of the Federation) said that the only way to prevent accidents was to point out how they could be avoided. He suggested that it be pointed out to coroners that the Federation be represented so that all the facts might be elicited. In some cases the coroner was not concerned with Avhat led to the fatality as long as he knew what had caused it. The Minister read a memorandum which stated that a communication bad been forwarded to coroners drawing their attention to instructions which have been issued to the police in regard to mountaineering accidents and requesting them to afford every facility and enable the police to give effect to the'instructions. :