JUDGMENT AT FAULT ?

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 102, 3 May 1933, Page 7

JUDGMENT AT FAULT ?

"ONE ERROR AFTER ANOTHER" EXPERT'S CRITICISM. Severe criticism of the judgment of the party of four trampers who were missing in the Tararua ranges for a fortnight has been passed by the president of the Federated ' Mountain Clube of New Zealand, Air. F. W. Yosseler, in a letter to the Wellington "Evening Post." After pointing out tliat, after the party was six days-overdue, between 150 and 200 persons became actively associated with the searcli, Mr. Vosseler says: "Many have responded to tliia work with actual loss in wages as well as incurring cost and considerable inconvenience. At least two searchers arc suffering in consequence—one in hospital. "Those best able to judge recognise that the lost party committed one error of judgment after the other, and did not display that degree of experience one should have before attempting such a journey. It was quite realised by the organisers of the search, mainly on account of the lapse of time, that, barring serious accident, the lcsst party had most likely selected the very worst route they could have done and had elected to come down the Waiohine-iti. For this reason a party of searchers were constantly at Sayers' Hut on Totara Flats to render help in the likely event of the missing people reaching there. This party no doubt kept a fire going most of the time in the hut. "Indeed, with five or six other parties searching the locality, it is very difficult to understand how the missing people were able to escape detection. It appears from accounts that they were able to get fires going, and it would seem that they had overlooked the fact that a big smoke by day and a good blaze by night is a valuable asset to searchers. It is quite possible that some of the searchers still out may have come upon camps of the missing people, and why they left no directions thera as to the time they were vacating it, or.- what their intentions were, is beyond comprehension. "When first in difficulty at Broken Axe pinnacles it is hard to understand why they did not seek shelter on the leeward side of the range. Had they, by intelligent use of the compasses and maps, sought a route down the Manga terera, or better still a route to the Waingawa (which is one of the easiest rivers in New Zealand to negotiate, and which fact should have been known to them), they would have saved themselves considerable suffering and others anxiety, time, and expense. • In other quarters there is criticism of the trampers' assertion, e tp j.- How lost," and the question * many days overdue must P fore it is considered as lost. , ,