STILL NO WORD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 98, 28 April 1933, Page 8

STILL NO WORD.

MISSING TRAMPERS. HAS WORST HAPPENED? SEARCHERS ALL OVER RANGES. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") MASTERTON, this day. There is still no word of the missing party of four trampers, and the feeling is growing that the worst has happened. If members of the party were still alive and were bivouacked on account of the weather, it is considered that they would have taken advantage of the fine weather experienced yesterday and would either have found their own way out or would have come across one of the many parties of searchers who are now in all parts of the ranges. The . party, which set out from Levin on a tramping tour a week ago last Saturday, consists of Miss M. Williams, of Wanganui; Dr. W. B. Sutch, of Palmerston North; Mr. E. Hill, of Aokautere, near Palmerston North;' and Mr. A. H. O'Keefe, of Wellington. Parties returning all report having thoroughly and systematically combed the country, but without success. Mr. W. Aitken, who has been in charge of the base camp at Mitre Flats, lias returned and states that it is unnecessary to send further men up there as the country in the vicinity of Mitre has been thoroughly scoured. All parties in this area will return on Sunday and no further parties will be sent out. A base camp will be maintained, however, probably by several relief workers under a police constable. The search is now concentrated on the Waiohine-iti Valley. Twenty Wellington trampers are working in from Holdsworth, a Masterton party is going over from Mitre and a Palmerston North party V- working across from Levin. These parties should all converge at Waiohi*2-iti. This area is one of the roughest sections of the Tararuas, being very broken and covered with dense bush and undergrowth, and if the missing party found itself there it would have the greatest difficulty in getting out. A further aeroplane survey was made from Masterton yesterday afternoon. Mr. A. V. Jury, with Mr. J. Cane as observer,' flew over Mount Hector and up to Mount Bruce, flying deep into the ranges, but saw no sign of the missing party. There was also no sign of the smoke which was seen in the high country near Greytown during the previous flight. The plane was in the air two hours, and if the weather improves it will make a further survey this afternoon.. Mr. P. C. Brockett's. party las returned after investigating the report that the smoke of a signal fire had been seen in from Mount Bruce. A thorough search was made, but nothing was discovered, Mr. Brockett is of opinion that it was a mist curling up from the bush, and not smoke, which was seen.