FATAL SLIP ON GLACIER

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22345, 8 March 1938, Page 12

FATAL SLIP ON GLACIER

^ — Guide Criticises Route Taken "WEATHER UNSUITABLE FOR CLIMBING" (TBESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) TIMARU, March 7. On the day that Patrick Carroll, of Greymouth, and Guide Ronald Gunn, of the Fox glacier, slipped on the Rudolf glacier on their way from the Hermitage to the Franz Josef glacier by Graham's Saddle, A. R. Bowie, chief guide at the Hermitage, was out on the Tasman glacier. He said at the opening of the inquest into Carroll's death at Fairlie today that the weather had been bad that day and was obviously breaking. It should have been apparent to any experienced mountaineer that the weather was going to break, and the day was definitely unsuitable for an attempt to cross Graham's Saddle. He added that the climbers had started off on the wrong track right from the de la Beche hut, and had missed the correct track, which would have been obvious to an experienced mountaineer, even if he had not been in the district before. Carroll, Gunn, and the Rev. Dr. Walsh, of Wellington, set out on February 7 from Weheka to cross the Alps by the Copland Pass. They reached the Hermitage two and a half days later, and on February 10 Carroll and Gunn started on the return journey over Graham's Saddle. They reached the de la Beche hut the same day, and stayed the night there. Next morning they left to cross the divide to the Aimer hut, on the Franz Josef glacier. They were soon caught in fog and lost their way. Both Unconscious While steps were being cut in an ice face on the Rudolf glacier, Carroll slipped. Gunn anchored with his axe and saved Carroll after he had fallen 40 feet. Carroll lost his axe, but Gunn retrieved it for him; and when he was handing it back he slipped. Eoth men fell to an ice ledge 40 feet below. They were unconscious for some time, and .Carroll had a broken arm which bled profusely. The night was ccld. and the men stayed in the schrund until about noon on Saturday, February 12, when Carroll died. Gunn was weak from loss of blood and was suffering from frost-bitten feet. He eventually got out of the schrund on Monday morning about 5 o'clock, and dragging himself over the ice reached the de la Beche hut late in the afternoon.

It was not until the Friday that Gunn was found by relief parties at the de la Beche hut, and Carroll's body was recovered on the Sunday. Bowie was leader of a party which found the body of Carroll on the Upper Ranfurly glacier more than a week after the tragedy occurred.

Bowie, in evidence, described setting out on the search for Carroll's body, Gunn having told where he thought it was to be found. Witness found the body whioh had been covered by a small avalanche to a depth of four or five feet. The body was located through a rope attached to it which trailed out into the snow. The body, which had a broken right forearm supported in a sling, was lying in the bergschrund. The climbers had evidently slipped on the snow slope above this. Weather Becomes Worse Witness said that on the day of the accident he had been out on the Tasman glacier, and the weather had been bad and was obviously breaking, making conditions unsuitable for climbing. The day was unsuitable for an attempt to cross Gfaham's Saddle, and the weather became rougher at daylight, when Gunn and Carroll must have started. The weather had not actually broken, but to any experienced mountaineer it should have been apparent that .the weather was going to break in an hour or so. The climbers had started off on the wrong track right from the hut, ' which seemed to be a fault of their 1 inexperience, because there was some visibility when they started. To an experienced mountaineer the route should have been obvious. An experienced man, even if he had not been in the district before, would not have taken the wrong route, which could bedescribed as obvious to an experienced climber. Gunn had said that the weather broke at 11 a.m., but witness considered it was an hour earlier, as he had been near the de la Beche Hut at the time. Both men appeared to have ample food and equipment. The Coroner (Mr H. Morgan, S.M.): Was Guide Gunn experienced? Witness: I don't know; probably inexperienced. He added that after the accident Gunn put up a stout effort. The way he looked after Carroll and made his way back to the hut without an axe could only be so described. Witness said Gunn had turned to the right too soon, and this threw him well off his course. The evidence of Gunn will be heard at Timaru on Wednesday.