YOUNG MAN'S DEATH

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22491, 27 August 1938, Page 11

YOUNG MAN'S DEATH

Collapse on Tramp In Ranges

CORONER'S FINDING AT

INQUEST

[THE PRESS Special Service.]

"WELLINGTON. August 26.

The opinion that the presence of an army of doctors could not have prevented the death of Arthur Fredric, an insurance clerk, aged 22, in the Tararua Ranges, was expressed by Dr. P. P. Lynch, at an inquest .held before the Coroner, Mr E. Gilbertson, today. Members of a party of the Victoria University College Tramping Club who took part in the trip during which Fredric collapsed described the weather which prevailed in the ranges and the circumstances of his death.

Arthur Alfred Ernest Fredric, the father of the dead man. said that three weeks before the trip Fredric had had influenza, but he appeared to be in perfect physical condition when he left. , . ~ Paul Sydney Powell, a clerk, said that he was the leader of a party of six trampers, who left Wellington by motor-lorry on August 13 for the commencement of the Marchant Track in the Tararua Ranges. He personally selected the members of the party for this trip and as far as he knew they were all experienced trampers and knew the conditions. Before leaving he made certain that every member of the party was properly equipped. They had more ttian sufficient food. The trip was nothing more than an ordinary tramping trip and they did not endeavour to break any records. Fredric appeared to be absolutely, fit when they left the lorry at Pakuratahi about 9.45 a.m.. he continued, and with Fredric leading they went to Dobson's bivouac, taking their time and not straining themselves. They reached Dobson's about 11.45 a.m. and while having a meal Fredric cut himself on the knee by dropping his sheath knife on it. The wound bled a little and using first-aid equipment they stopped the bleeding with iodine, cotton wool, and sticking plaster. The Alpha Hut .was reached about 6.50 p.m. and they had a hot meal of stew and soup. At 7.45 a.m. the next day they left for Otaki Forks. The weather was not of the best but was sufficiently good to justify their going on. On reaching the summit of Mount Alpha the weather still seemed reasonably good and from Alpha they went on to Mount Aston. This place was considered to be one of the windiest spots in the Tararuas and as the wind here was not strong they descended.

Compass Waterlogged

Between Mounts Aston and Atkinson the wind became very strong, visibility dropped to almost zero, and sleety rain commenced. After passing Mount Atkinson they found that one of the compasses had become waterlogged and they retraced their steps to Mount Atkinson to get correct bearings. They then went into the South Bee Hive and this they found to be iced over. There they decided to turn back. It was then 1.10 p.m. and they were about three and a haf miles from the Alpha Hut. By then the cold was intense.

They started back at a pace'that suited everybody so that the party would not get scattered. The wind was a strong side wind. It did not come consistently from one direction and was diverted by different ridges. On leaving the Alpha Hut in the morning Fredric had been wearing a balaclava, a windproof coat and short trousers. At Mount Alpha the witness had advised him to put on long trousers, but he did not do so until after passing Mount Atkinson the first time when the weather became bad. At no time did he complain that his legs were frozen. The witness thought that the fact that he was not wearing long trousers might have had an adverse effect on his condition. Fredric, at the time of turning back, said that he was not feeling too well but as they were all in the same condition they thought he was only a little worse than themselves. When climbing up the Alpha Saddle Fredric showed definite symptoms of distress and they stopped frequently. Then Wright and Steele commenced to help Fredric. By the time they reached the summit of Mount Alpha, Collin, Butchers and the witness were some distance ahead of the other three.. The wind and rain had softened the snow and as the witness had been breaking the trail all the way back he was in, a distressed condition himself. They waited on the summit of Alpha for a short time and then, marking the trail with Condy's crystals, they went on. When they had almost reached the bush line above the Alpha Hut they heard Wright and Steele calling out from about 300 or 400 yards behind. Fredric's Death The witness took Butchers' pack from him and Butchers went back to the others. He helped Collin down to the hut. The others were about 10 minutes behind and when Fredric was brought in he appeared to be dead. They applied artificial respiration for about an hour. On leaving the hut in the morning they left the body there.

Fredric was never at any time alone, the witness said to Senior-Sergeant O'Neill. The witness had actually done the crossing when the weather #as worse. Fredric seemed to be a very fit tramper. Cedric Joseph Wright, a dental student, gave corroborative evidence. Nothing was lacking in their equipment. He did not think that the fact that Fredric wore short trousers would affect him. He put on long trousers as soon as he felt cold.

Dr. Lynch described a postmortem examination which he had made. The diseased condition of the heart was such that it might have caused death at any time quite apart from any question of effort or strain. "I can honestly say," said Dr. Lynch, "that I don't think anybody could have behaved any differently or that there was anything further they could have done that would have made any difference. If you had had an army of doctors there they could have done nothing." Constable J. J. McCarthy described the recovery of the body by a party of police and trampers. Fredric had apparently shown no signs of being in anything but a good state of health, said Mr Gilbertson, and he was satisfied that everything had been done that was possible at the time.

A verdict was returned that Fredric died near the Alpha Hut in the Tararua Ranges on August 14 from heart disease.