GALE CARRIES HUT AWAY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 68, Issue 146, 2 April 1948, Page 2

GALE CARRIES HUT AWAY

Forest Officer Injured ACCIDENT AT MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT (P.A.) NELSON,. April 1. While Mr William McKechie, of the State Forest Service, was on duty in the fire look-out hut on Gordon’s Knob early on Sunday morning a storm blew the hut to pieces. Only the foundation and floor were left. Mr McKechie, with a broken arm and lacerations, managed to crawl back to the remains of the hut where he lay all night in lashing rain till he was rescued at daylight and carried out on a stretcher-

The hut is at a height of 3400 feet and commands an extensive view of the Golden Downs State forest. ‘ Mr McKechie was talking on the telephone to the Golden Downs tele* phonist (Mr E. H. Haines) at 12.15 a.m. on Sunday when he was knocked unconscious. The gale carried him some yards;. Bits of the hut were scattered over a wide area and some have still not been found.

Realising that something had gone wrong at the look out, a party went from Golden Downs to Mr McKechie’s help. While they were driving across the-, fiats to the foot of Gordon’s Knob the car was whirled around by the wind. The car would not go any further and the men were unable to continue on foot.

Later in the morning when the storm had eased off two parties set out again for the look-out, approaching it from different directions. A field telephone was taken and connected with the line where it was s.till standing. A message was sent to the Nelson Public Hospital for an ambulance, doctor, and stretcher. The journey down the mountain took one and a half hours.