TASMAN GLACIER TRAGEDY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19972, 5 July 1930, Page 19

TASMAN GLACIER TRAGEDY.

TO THB EUITOB OT THE PEEbS .Sir—l should have been very much surprised indeed had no one instantly challenged the lightning theory ■ expounded by Mr Mannering regarding the Tasman Glacier tragedy. 1 take it that the. object in opening up the painful details of the d««»ter guijauco and safety. »*• * ra !£' £ liiriaru, definitely states that the victinTs died of exposure. Mr Mannering states that he searched foity-one columns of the "Alpine jna could not find a parai el case where a whole party had pc»shed so suddenly from mere exposure. A p h /™ f medacal man backs his Btatement by say nig that it was ridicuous that faye healthy young people could die by exposure within two hours. So much toi their knowledge. , Now, Sir, i crave a little of your space. * I have a book written by the Rev. W. M. Thomson, D.D . th rty years missionary in Syria and Palestine On page 224 he writes of a cold wind. "Th* plain of Ijon,has lately been rendered famous'by a most extraordmaiy storm. It was on December 28th (1859). Somo friends of mine from Hasbeiya were coming down the hill by Kelp Keely, when one of. them called then attention'to tall columns of mist over the marsh of the Hulch. They came this way very rapidly, and soon brolce upon them with awful fury. Those of the party who were from Khyom on the east side of the plain fled homeward. My friends from H— were driven before the blast to Khureibeh, and with difficulty escaped it:- Those who attempted to reach Khyam perished in the plain, although it is not more than two miles wide, and in full view of their houses. Thus ten men died in a few minutes, from the mere chill of this wonderful wind. There was no frost, no snow, and not much rain, but the. wind was perfectly awful, driving *nd upheaving everything before it. Not only were these men chilled to death almost instantly, but eighty-five head of "cattle also perished before they could be brought to the village. People often perish in snowstorms on the mountains, but it was never known before that, a mere wind could chill people to death. It did much mischief on the hills of Naphtali, and over on the Janlan several people perished by .it,.and .many, cattle. . I examined into the accuracy of these facts on the ground, and know them to be true. My Hasbany friend, who is a sort of travel-

ling merchant, sold the slirouds of the victims, and saw nine of them buried the next morning. I have often felt the extreme power of these winds to cool down the vital heat of the body but never encountered anything like this." I have written this for your readers and for the edification of Messrs Manncring and Co.—Yours, etc., GEORGIS WHITE. July 4th, 1930.