LOST IN BUSH

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 250, 18 July 1931, Page 6

LOST IN BUSH

Old Miner’s Experience

HELPLESS WHEN FOUND

Dominion Special Service.

Nelson, July 17.

Without leaving a message or stating where..he was going, Mr. John Wilson, an old! miner, aged about 64 years, left the boarding-house at which he was staying on Tuesday morning and did not return., Concern was felt regarding the man’s safety, and friends made a* search in the evening in the Maitai Valley, where Mr. Wilson had been seen. 'As he did not return that night. Constable Jackson, accompanied by Mr. Alfred Holmwood and Messrs. Ron Busch and Richard Sowman, who were on a shooting expedition in the valley, set out on a search the following morning. When the party was about two miles up the Maungatapu saddle track they noticed footmarks into the bush. These were followed, and by chance the missing man was found at the base of a tree in a semi-conscious and helpless condition. After spending a night lost in the bush and with nothing to eat since Tuesday morning, Mr. Wilson was suffering severe cramp and had to be carried down to the nearest farmhouse, where a cart was commisisoned to convey him to town. It is thought that Mr. Wilson’s mind was set on finding gold when he went to the Maitai. _ He. is reported to be recovering, but is still weak.