TWO MISSING IN ALPS

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28832, 28 February 1959, Page 12

TWO MISSING IN ALPS

Little Hope Held For Survival

(New Zealand Press Association) TIMARU, February 27. ' Little hope is held for the survival of two climbers missing in the Mount Cook region. The men were last seen on the Linda glacier early on the morning of Wednesday, February 18. An intensive search by ground and air was abandoned last night. The climbers, both of whom are believed to be single, are: Roy Beedham, aged about 34, of Brighton, Dunedin, and George Broadbent, aged about 23. of 25 Churchill street, Levin. The two men left the Haast Hut at 5 a.m. on February 18 to attempt to climb Mount Malaspina (about 10,000 ft), at the head of the Linda glacier, near Clarke saddle. Another two-man party —Messrs A. L. Brown (Timaru) and W. Jones (Christchurch)— was returning down the ridge of Mount Silberhorn about 7.30 a.m. the same day and saw Messrs Beedham and Broadbent enter ■ the Linda glacier. Speaking today from Kaikoura, where he is employed in a Bank, Mr. Brown said: “We watched them enter the crevasse area of the Linda, which was breaking up a bit and fairly dangerous. They had left food and bedding at the Haast hut, a few miles to the east, and they had indicated in the book at the hut that they were going to attempt Mount Malaspina. They apparently inintended to return the same day. Weather Worsens

“We saw no further sign of them. The weather deteriorated a bit, but when it started to clear on Friday morning, Jones and I went back to the Linda glacier to look for them*. We could find no trace of them. The weather came down again, sb we returned to the Hermitage and reported that- they were missing.” There was a fairly severe storm in the alps last week-end and it was not until Monday afternoon that an aircraft could take off. It searched the region thoroughly and swept over all huts to which the climbers might have gone. On Tuesday morning searchers on foot went as close to Mount Malaspina as they could. The snow had obliterated all tracks, and, by -concealing crevasses, made the search particularly dangerous. At the Haast hut the climbers had left a jelly to set before starting out The searchers returned to the Hermitage last night, and It was decided to abandon the search.