TASMAN GLACIER TRAGEDY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19970, 3 July 1930, Page 8

TASMAN GLACIER TRAGEDY.

NEW THEORY ADVANCED. LIGHTNING THE CAUSE OF DEATH. MR G. E. MANNERING'S ARTICLE. That the death of Acting-Guide J. E. E. Blomfleld and the four women whom ho led on to the Tasman Glacier on January 19th, 1030, was caused primarily by a discharge of lightning and not by exposure, is the theory substantiated by Mr Guy E. Mannering, the wellknown New Zealand alpinist, in an article in "The New Zealand Alpine Journal" for 1930, published at Wellington to-day. After thoroughly investigating the circumstances of the disaster and searching the complete illea of "The Alpine Journal" (London), Mr Mannering, au uncle of one of the women killed, has decided definitely that the verdict given at the inquest of "death by exposure" was wrong. Ho has contriouted a similar article to the London journal of May, 1930, by which ho is editorially supported. Further, a medical practitioner of Christchurch who volunteered his opinion to The PEESi immediately after the tragedy, has reaffirmed it strongly in favour of Mr Mannering's theory. Victims Wero Separated.

Mr Mannoring begins his article, "The Disaster on the Taaman Glacier," with a reference to the single previous fatal accident in the Taaman district, that in which Mr S. L. King, with Guides Thomson and Richmond, were overwhelmed by an avalanche on the Linda Glacier (February, 1914). ''This was a mountaineering accident pure and simple. The present disaster is in a totally different class, and happened to a party of walkers out on the open glaeier, where practically no climoing dangers are present." He gives then an account of the trip made by Misses D. H. Brown, H. Keane, M. Monteath, D. M. Smith, and Acting-Guide Blomfield, which ended in the death of all fivo. Guido Hilgendorf "camo upon Blomfield's ruck sack and, about 80 yardß further on, the body of one of the girls lying in a hollow as if sheltering from the wind. Forty yards further on he came to three more bodies, close together, but two of thom lying in water and slushy snow. He stated that all wore dead and alroady stiff." The first relief party from the Ball Hut "went on about 150 yards beyond tho first three bodies and found the body of Acting-Guide Blomfield upon which they attempted resuscitation, but without result." Mr Mannering was one of the party of 15 which, on January 21st, reached tho bodies and after grave difficulties carried them on stretchers back to the Hermitage. "The subsequent medical examination of tho bodies revealed no injuries except a few .imall abrasions, and the knees of the guide alone showed traces of crawling. The medical opinion given was that they died from cold and exposure, and that there was no evidence of anything else whatever. The doctor was unable to give an opinion as to the length of time in which it is usual for a person to perish by exposure." An inquest was held on tho afternoon of Wednesday, January 22nd, the verdict being "death by exposure in an alpine blizzard."

Only Two Hours' Exposure. Since the inquest, Mr Mannering lias ascertained that the watch of his niece, Miss Brown, was stopped by water at 12.49 p.m. Two other watches resisted the wet and showed 0 o'clock and 7.1G o'clock respectively, apparently having run down. It is clear, ho states, from the silent evidence of j Miss Brown's watch that the disaster occurred at about 12.49 p.m. It was evident from Hilgendorf's statement that the storm was not bad a short distance below tho hut until some time after 12 o'clock (noon), and that consequently tho party had fair conditions for tho first hour or so of their walk. This would mean that they were not a long time in the heart of the storm — say, under two hours. Hilgendorf stated that ho found the bodies "already stiff" at 2.30 p.m.; but Mr Mannering thinks he must have found them earlier, since ho waß at the Ball Hut by 3.30 p.m., and could not. possibly have made this distance in an hour under the difficult weather conditions. Hilgendorf had no watch. It had been subsequently revealed that there were three spare, unused cardigan jackets in tho women's rucksacks. Apparently no attempt had been made to put on those warm garmeuts. "My own considered opinion, after alpine experiences extending over 40 years, during which I have been caught in many alpine storms, is that the disaster was caused by lightning," writes Mr Mannering. "I have searched the 41 volumes of 'The Alpine Journal,' which reports alpine fatalities regularly, and much alpine literature besides, and cannot find a parallel case where a whole party has perished so suddenly from mere exposure. The annual death roll of the European Alps is well over 100 deaths per annum. A great many cases are reported, but I can find none (where the period of exposure is known) in which death has occurred under a period of about 12 hours, and then it is usually only one or two members of the party who have succumbed. There are numerous instances of resistance for periods of 24 and 48 hours and even longer, without death resulting." Oases of Exposure Withstood. Mr Mannering quotes from memory four cases of exposure in the Tasman district. Green, Boss, and Kaufmann stood out all night at 10,000 ft on Mount Cook in a bad north-west storm, climbing down next morning. Mr Lowe broke his ankle on the Rudolf Glacier, crawled down to de la Beche bivouac, and existed for 10 days in the open with very little food. He is alive today. Mr James Smith, the roadman at Glentanner, sat out on tho ice at de la Beche Corner with two ill-clad women all night in a north-west storm, and they reached the Malte Brun Hut next morning. Guide V. Williams, with Mr K. Neave and Mr Mannering him self, walked down from Malte Brun to Ball Hut last November in a terrible blizzard when most of the time visi bility did not extend beyond 20 yards. They were covered with icicles, but were not distressed oy the exposure. "Lightning is very varied in its effects upon animal bodies, and frequently takes life without leaving any sign of burning," he continues. "In the present case it has been established that the party was in the centre of a great thunderstorm—severe lightning was observed in their vicinity by parties at the King Memorial Hut (7000 ft

up the Mount Cook route), from the Bail Hut. and by Guide Hilgendorf as he was coming down from Malt® Brun. His axe was hissing and spluttering to such an extent that he towed it behind him with straps rather than carry it in his hands. The wet condition o! their olothiiig would render them liable to conduction of electric fluids ? more especially as they were walking in water off and on, being in the slushy area of ice."

"Equivalent to Electrocution-' * It seemed contradictory, but damp clothing had been known to save people from shock since "a high frequency current utilises only the surface of n conductor." The following note has been suppLed Mr Mannering by ft leading Professor of Physics in the University of Bristol —"If the flash actually struck any one of them, that one would have been burned or singed, but if it was verv close to them without actually striking anyone, it is quite feasible that the induced effect, in the human body, of the flash would be equivalent to electrocution, giving sudden death If they were all reasonably close together. as in walking, the same flash might ouite well have the snme effert on all of them." Another high authority (Professor Buchanan, of Liverpool) said: "The presence of a storm at the time when death is stated to have occurred. . . will in most cases point to the true cause of death." Professor Ifuchanan said further that "postmortem riaridity comes on early," which was actually the case. Another condition laid down by him was present in ffle case of one of the bodies.

Medical Practitioner's Opinion. Additional evidence in Mr Mannering 's support is givon by a medical practitioner in Christchurch as follows: "If they died of exposure, as the Coroner said, it is certain that the bodies of the four women would have been found huddled together for warmth and shelter. What actually happened is quite obvious from the known facts. They were struggling in the wind, but evidently did not feel the cold excessive since they did not put on all their available clothing. At the time they were in a position on tha ice where they could have put on the extra cardigans quite safely had they wanted to do so. They were perspiring slightly and wet; a solution of salt would be In their clothes, and salt is a good conductor of electricity. They were not struck b3 the full forco of the flash, but they were in the corona of the flash. The current would pass through their clothing to the ice, not charring the bodies but killing them almost instantly. The salt might be a protection from a devastating shock, but not from such a current ar this. "The treatment for shock is the immediate application of warmth. In the bitterly cold wind, standing on slushy ice, and wet through, they were in the worst possible condition to receive the shock. Those who did not die in a few seconds, notably Miss Brown and Blomfleld, were able to shift their positions. Blomfleld, I think, died of exposure following the shock, for he was able to get a good way further on. The medical practitioner who gave evidence at the inquest may not have been aware that doath by lightning was possible without marks on the body."

Proof of Lightning Shock. Tho doctor emphasised that it was ridiculous that five healthy young people could all die by exposure within two hours. Tho fact that all died almost simultaneously, with tho exception of Blomfield, was to him absolute proof that they were struck by lightning. In circumstances where immediate help and treatment could have been given, Blomfield and Miss Brown could possibly have been saved; but under the conditions in which they were found, even these two would nave died. The excitement at the time of the tragedy was by no means conducive to a calm and scientific consideration of the circumstances of their death.

He quoted finally from Professor It. J. M. Buchanan's "Forensic Medicine and Toxicology": "Death is not always immediate. Sometimes the clothes have been torn off the body with scarcely any personal injury. Metallic articles, especially steel, worn or carried about the person, become magnetic and may bo fused (Hilgendorf 's ice-axe hissed and spluttered). The lesions which may be met with after lightning stroke are varied. . . , Not infrequently those killed by lightning are found in the same position that they occupied during life."