BODY FOUND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 184, 7 August 1933, Page 9

BODY FOUND.

STUDENT CLIMBER.

BURIED DEEPLY IN SNOW.

SEARCH HEAR ARTHUR'S

PASS.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

CHRISTCHURCH, this day.

The body of Mr. Samuel Edgar Russell, age'd 23, the Christchurch Training College student who -was lost on Avalanche Peak, Arthur's Pass, last Sunday, was found by a party of searchers early yesterday. The boity was lying under 7ft of snow. It is thought that dcatli was almost instantaneous.

An inquest was opened yesterday evening before the coroner, Mr. E. D, Mosley.

Dr. B. Wyn Irwin, a friend of the dead man,'and a member of the fateful search party, said death was due to suffocation and shock.

"From the position of the body when found, I do not consider that Russell made any movement which could have beeji seen by the searchers at the time, nor could lie have been located by any means other than 'by an organised party digging over tlio whole locality," said witness. "As an cxpcriencc<l climber, I consider'that lie was adequately clad."

The inquest was adjourned till next week.

A largo .party of climbers made careful search on Saturday over the snow slide which had enveloped Mr. Russell, covering an area of loOj-ds long and 90yds wide, but no trace of the body was found. The party returned at four o'clock in the afternoon.

The search was continued yesterday, and the body was found after half an hour. No difficulty was experienced in bringing the body back to Arthur's Pass. It is understood that the burial will take place at Dunedin.

Mr. Russell, whose home was in Dunedin but who was studying in Christchurch, was a member of a climbing party of Canterbury College students and members.of tho Otago University debating team, which attempted to climb Avalanche Peak on Sunday, July 31. Only IS of the party climbed higher than tho busliline. Shortly after leaving the busliline, several members of the party were caught in a 4ft deep snow slide, which broke without warning, crashing 200 ft. Two members of tho party were slightly injured. At the time it was not known whether Mr. Russell was among this section of the party, 'but later it was established that he was lost in the snow slide.