TIMARU CLIMBERS MISSING

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23739, 10 September 1942, Page 6

TIMARU CLIMBERS MISSING

SEARCH IN TEKAPO DISTRICT FOOD FOUND IN WATERFALL HUT Search parties combed the Cass Valley region yesterday, and on Tuesday, in an effort to find two residents of Timaru, Messrs A. D. Jackson and F. Tozer, who are several days overdue in returning from a climbing trip about 20 miles north-west of Lake Tekapo. Mr Tozer was expected to return to Tekapo on Friday, and Mr Jackson on Saturday or Sunday. Yesterday,' a search party of 15 men left Tekapo under the direction of Constable A. Mackintosh of Fairlie. Messrs L. K. Murray and P. W. Young, of the South Canterbury Alpine Club, were members of the party. The search was organised from Glenmore Station, which lies to the north-west of Tekapo, and extends over part of the Cass Valley region. It was thought yesterday that the missing men might be somewhere in the region between the Waterfall Hut and the Tin Hut in the Cass Valley. Gear and foodstuffs, left in the Waterfair Hut by the missing men, were found on Tuesday. The quantity of food remaining appeared to indicate that the men had been absent for more than a week. A party of deerstalkers in the country higher up had seen no trace of the missing men. Messrs Tozer and Jackson left Tekapo a fortnight ago, and no apprehension as to their welfare wafclqteused. until Tozer *f®Jfed tq tetUth.,,^lfiF-Fri-day as expected! It was then'l thought that they had extended their trip by a few days. However, when they did not return during the week-end, there were doubts as to their safety. On Tuesday, Messrs F. W. Chapman, of Timaru, and C. L. Mahan, of Lake Tekapo, searched for the men up the Cass Valley, where the road was negotiable by car for some distance. A party of soldiers, under Coloned Beattie, and men from the Public Works camp also helped in the search. The Cass Valley region includes the Cass and Jolie rivers towards the Liebig range, which lies south of the Murchison. Difficulties confronting the searchers included deciding the most likely route the climbers might have taken, as there are numerous possible climbs in the area. The country is described as very rugged, with peaks rising to 8000 feet. Although much of the area has been traversed by musterers, many alpinists are not familiar with it. Mr Jackson is well known as a member of the teaching staff of the Timaru Boys’ High School. Mr Tozer, who is a student at Canterbury University College, is a son of Mr and Mrs G. V. Tozer, of Hewling street. Timaru. Latest news from Tekapo indicates that no word has been received of the missing men. The search party is not expected back until to-night or tomorrow morning. The weather yesterday was fine with mist on the tops of the mountains.