SEVEN CLIMBERS STILL MISSING

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 288, 1 September 1931, Page 10

SEVEN CLIMBERS STILL MISSING

Final Determined Search Being Made ONE MAN FOUND WANDERING IN SNOW Rescuers’ Desperate Struggle Out of Gorge VOLUNTEERS START ON NIGHT-LONG SEARCH Dominion Special Service. The Chateau, August 31. Desperate efforts are being made to find the remaining seven climbers —four men and three girls—who are still missing after having been held up on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu by a blizzard on Saturday afternoon. It is doubtful whether the party will be able to survive a third night in the open. They have had no food since Saturday night. One of the eight missing climbers, Bruce Spooner, was found this morning on the snow above the Whakapapaiti Gorge. He was hi an exhausted state. Acting on information given by Spooner, a party is leaving The Chateau at 10 o’clock to-night, hoping to reach the missing alpinists. This party is carrying kerosene, fuel, food, and restoratives, and if they are able to locate the party they will make them as comfortable as possible if it is impracticable to bring them out until daylight. This party is travelling from the Silica Springs down the Whakapapaiti Valley to a point about three hours’ journey away described by Spooner where he left the party yesterday. The actual spot where the party was left was in some short alpine scrub above the snoy level. Spooner said that when the party stopped there Harris and Stanton went off for help. Last night Spooner also went off for assistance, leaving the three girls, Misses Rennie, Morris and Brockett, with Graham and Addis. Two of the girls were in a bad way. One had a frostbitten arm and the other was suffering from concussion, having been struck on the head by a boot when descending the ice slope. In view of the girls’ condition it is considered possible that the missing party has not moved very far from this spot since yesterday. ISO TAKE PART IN SEARCH: COUNTRYSIDE’S AID The Chateau, August 31. Squadron-Leader Isitt flew from Auckland to Taupo to-day. He will participate in the search to-morrow, and will drop flares to guide the search parties.

Two parties. have gone out this evening and cars are patrolling the road all night. Other parties, comprising 150 volunteers from Taumarunul, Public Works Department men from Ohakune, prisoners from Waikune Prison, and settlers, will leave from 3.30 a.m. onward. Two large parties who had been out all day returned at 11 p.m. with nothing to report. Among them was Mr. F. P. Brockett, the father of one of the missing girls.

DAZED CONDITION Finding of Mr. Spooner FATE OF OTHERS Girls Said to be Injured Dominion Special Service. The Chateau, August 31. Mr. Bruce Spooner was brought into The Chateau at six o’clock this evening. He was found by a party consisting of Messrs. R. Murie, Ruapehu Ski Club; R. Marks, Taumarunul; A. Webb, Ohakune, and E. Bateman and L. Young, of The Chateau staff, at 11.30 a.m. in the bush near the Whakapapaiti stream. He was wandering about in a dazed state when found, but revived when given attention. Mr. Spooner was able to give little

DISPLAY OF GRIT Rescued Girls’ Ordeal AFFECTING REUNIONS Heroism of Searchers Dominion Special Service. The Chateau, August 31. Hot baths and hot water bags were ordered for the seven missing climbers who came off the mountain to-day. Although they had spent two nights in the open, with no shelter, with their clothes dripping wet, and with no food, they arrived at The Chateau smiling and with jests on their lips. Naturally, they were forced smiles and witticisms, and the plight of their comrades still out on the mountain made a cruel impression on them all.

The three girls. Moya and Gweneth Watkins and Eva Ellett, were given nourishing drinks and hot baths. They were grateful for the hundred and one little comfort? and luxuries bestowed on them, but as soon as they got to bed they broke down and wept. Those who brought them in from the mountain speak in glowing praise of the tone and spirit of the rescued party. The girls showed considerable powers of endurance, and the men who helped them through the bush for 13 hours record with admiration their pluck in scrambling on with a minimum of assistance. Declin’ng to be carried, they forced themselves along with their hands resting on the men’s shoulders. Sometimes they had to be pushed or lifted over fallen tree trunks. Their hands and faces being torn with treacherous bush lawyer, their heads reeling with dizziness, and their bodies numb with cold, they seemed to have lost count of time, and when a faint whistle sounded every now and then from the direction of the railway several miles below them, one girl remarked that they were losing their train. It was taken as a joke by the searchers until it was realised that the girls’ sole occupation of mind was the anxiety they were giving their relatives. Parents Arrive. The parents of several of the missing and rescued climbers have arrived from Auckland. Brothers and sisters threw themselves in each other’s arms as rescued men and girls stumbled out of cars. In some cases these reunions were of a hea trending character. One young man who was brought in with his hands and feet bleached white with constant exposure to water and snow shook his father by the hand with the remark, “Well, dad, this is terribly embarrassing.” A university student who was greeted with congratulations and handshakes appeared to be chiefly concerned because he was not allowed to step straight into the train. He was quite exercised in mind at what another day at The Chateau would cost him. Heroic Searchers. There have been many deeds of heroism and attention to duty among the searchers. Two members of The Chateau staff, Messrs. L. Young and A. Webb, left with a second search party at 3 a.m. on Sunday, and, after being out all day and night, volunteered for another search party to-day. They have had scarcely any sleep since Friday. Mr. W. S. Rennie, secretary of the Ruapehu Ski Club, who lias directed the search operations from The Chateau, has not been to bed since Friday night. The manager of The Chateau, Mr. 11. Cobbe, has been similarly active, with only au odd moment’s sleep. All active members of the Ruapehu Ski Club, the Taranaki Alpine Club, and the Tararua Tramping Club have been out with search parties. As they come in they have taken a few hours’ sleep, eaten a stout meal, and donned waterproof jackets and nailed boots again. Mr. 11. Syme, who led the first search party out on Saturday night while suffering from influenza, is laid up with a relapse. ‘ A searcher who returned to-day in a state of great fatigue fainted while taking a bath. Everyone is beginning to feel the strain.

STILL MISSING Names of Lost Students The names of those still missing are: HARRIS, of St Heliers Bay; WARWICK STANTON, aged 19, son of J. Stanton, city solicitor, Auckland ; HAROLD ADDIS, master at Nelson College, whose parents live at Ponsonby; JOCK GRAHAM, aged 24, son of W. H. Graham, Esplanade Road, Mount Eden, Auckland, who was secretary and organiser of the party; MISS ESME BROCKETT, aged 17, daughter of Mr. F. C. Brockett, of the Department of Agriculture, Masterton; MISS JULIA RENNIE, aged 18, daughter of Mr. D. Rennie, farmer, Helensville; MISS FITZIE MORRIS, aged 18, daughter of Mr. G. N. Morris, S.M., Whangarei.

information regarding the members of the party—four men and three girls—who are still missing. He stated he had left a party of two men and three girls last night to go for help, and had been wandering about alone all night. All the members of the party were alive when he left them. One girl was .suffering from frost-bite, however, and another from concussion. He left them up above the snow level. Messrs. Murle, Young and Webb pushed on to try and locate the further members of the party, leaving Mr. Marks and Mr. Bateman to get Mr. Spoonet into shelter. They travelled through the country where Mr. Spooner stated he had left the party without finding any signs of them. Returning, they waded for four hours through the icy waters of the Whakapapaiti stream.

LEADER’S STORY Night on Snow-Slope SHRIEKING BLIZZARD Landmarks Blotted Out Dominion Special Service. The Chateau, August 31. In his warm bed at The Chateau after several hours’ sleep, Mr. Graham Bell, the leader of the party, consented to be interviewed. “We arrived at the top at about 12.30 on Saturday, and had lunch,” said Mr. Bell. “We then went up to the peak. The weather then was good. The wind had been veering round from the soutn, and at the time I think it was north-west. Clouds had blown up, but there was nothing to suggest that bad weather was coming. The conditions were the usual mountain conditions. “We went round the inside of the crater rim and climbed on to the ridge under the peak. When we were about 30 feet from the summit we quit, as it meant a good deal of heavy step-cutting to get from this point to the top. Amazingly Sudden. “We commenced to descend at 2.15 p.m., but had hardly left the summit ridge when snow started, Mr. Beil continued. “It was amazingly sudden. It just got thick, went cold,, and in no time there was a shrieking blizzard raging. We went round to where we had had lunch, and picked up our rucksacks. Some of the party had not climbed to the peak with us, and we joined them on the crater rim. All 14 then roped up. “The blizzard was so thick that I could only just see the last man on the rope. My goggles froze over repeatedly, and finally I took them off. So far as I could judge, the wind had swung farther round towards the north-east. We could see no landmarks. I knew the general bearings down the glacier, but set a compass bearing. “So far as I can make out the wind must have been pushing us over all the time, and although I was on the right direction my actual course was too far to the left. The result was, we came out at the bottom too far to the left, although we. did not know this till next day. Impossible Snow Slope. “We got down off the glacier safely and into a gully, which we took to be the gully below the peak ridge, and worked down this gully to as low as 6000 feet. We then struck a very steep snow slope of 100 to 120 feet. The surface was frozen and was so icy that I was afraid to take the party down. If we could have got down this slope we would have been safe. I decided it was too risky in the dark. “It was now 8 o’clock,” said Mr. Bell. “The only way I could see was to go back up the gully to the level of the glacier, about 7000 feet. All landmarks were obscured by drifting snow and low visibility. We climbed about slowly, looking for a place to go down, but everywhere found the same glassy surface. We hunted until midnight, moving about chiefly to keep warm. Nothing further was left at this hour but to wait until daylight.” , The Night Watches. “We got on to the sheltered side of a large boulder, excavated a hole with our ice-axes, aud built up walls of snow about it. The men took turns all night at excavating the hole and building up the walls, while the girls huddled up and at intervals got up and stamped and clapped. Under the conditions we were really fairly favourably situated. We had two tins of sardines, half a loaf of bread, half a pound of butter, one pound of cheese, nnd some oranges, as well ns some brandy and a little whisky; we rationed this out during the night in small quantities. We made the girls get up and exercise every time they showed signs of dozing. “In the morning it was still snowing. One or two of us looked for a way down, and at last we found a chute which we had looked at the previous night. There was now two to four inches of soft snow in it, so at 7 a.m., when the snow ceased falling, we were able to glissade down it in parties of two or three. “We then found ourselves in one of the streams leading from the foot of the glacier, but which stream we did not know. We continued down into the valley. being able to glissade all the way. This valley was Whakapapaiti, bjit we thought it was Whakapapanui. Party Splits Up. “When we got fairly well down the party began to spread out,” said Mr. Bell. “Stanton and four others got ahead. When we got to about the level of the lower scoria field I cheeked up the party and saw that some bad gone out to the sides, although some were ahead. The conditions were easy now, and there was no snow. Three others went ahead, and I didn’t attempt to stop them, as I wasn’t at all concerned, thinking the valley was Whakapapanui. and that we would soon turn to the right down Scoria Flat to the Chateau. Error Realised. “When we were about half-way down we realised we were in the wrong valley. We continued right down to the bush at the end of the valley, and attempted to go through it to the Tokaanu road. We found the work of breaking a track through too exhausting, however, and desisted after penetrating half a mile. “The weather was clearing slightly then, so we decided the best thing was to gp back to the snow level, as the clouds were lifting, and we might be able to pick up the peaks. We were half-way up the valley when Messrs. Macpherson. Malcolm. and Deem picked us up.” Mr. Bell is confident of the safety of the members of the party who separated from him. and thinks they are in the bush between Whakapapaiti and Whakapapanui. That they were not exhausted, he pointed out, was indicated by the way they went ahead of the remainder of the party. lie considered they could spend last night in the bush, even though they had no food. It was between 9 a.m. nnd 10 a.m. yesterday when the parties separated. ALPINE TRAGEDIES Toll of Climbers New Zealand’s worst alpine disaster occurred on January 19, 1930, when four women and a guide lost their lives at Mount Cook. The party was caught by a blizzard on the Tasman Glacier between the Malte Brun Hut anil Ball Hutt. ■ The bodies were found buddled together, and death was due to exposure. It was established at the inquest that some of the victims had been insufficiently clad. Another tragedy at Mount Cook was in 1913, when Captain King and Guides Darby nnd Thompson lost their lives. They were descending Mount Cook at an altitude of 10,000 feet, when they were caught in an avalanche. Some years ago a well-known Auckland climber, Mr. IT. Holl, lost his life in the National Park. Uc was drowned in a swollen stream. Mount Egmont has always proved treacherous for alpinists, and has claimed a number of victims in the past. The most recent tragedy occurred "some years ago when two masters from Wanganui College lost, their lives on the mountain. There were two cases where young alpine climbers lost their lives when crossing streams on the West Coast last year. One occurred at the Whitcotnbe Pass between the Hokitika and Rnknin Rivers, nnd the other in the Matakitaki River near Mount Aspiring, which flows into Lake Wanaka.

SEARCHERS’ TRIALS Night of Hardships GIRLS FEAR SNOW Five Miles in Thirteen Hours Dominion Special Service. The Chateau, August 31. The finding of Mr. Graham Bell and his five companions. Miss Moya Watkins. Miss Gweneth Watkins, Miss Eva Ellett, Mr. S. Mac Diarmid. end Mr. A. Flynn. ’S described to-day by Mr. J. S. L. Deem, city engineer, of Wanganui, who brought in the six missing climbers. With Messrs D. MacPherson and J. Malcolm he left the Chateau at 11 a m. on Sunday, and followed the track to the Silica Springs. “We bore well up on the snowline m the valley of the Whukapanaiti." said Mr. Deem. “It was snowing hard, with a fog that obscured the ground in front of us. Then we saw footprints almost obliterated by fresh snow. They were pointing downhill, and by following them we picked up Mr. Bell and five others just at the edge of the bush. It was then about 3 p.m. They were pretty well in a state of collapse. We gave them hot tea. which we carried in thermos flasks, some whisky and food, and they revived splendidly. “They told us they tried to make their way down through the bush, but the undergrowth was too dense, and they had no stre--*’h to force their wav through it,” said Mr. Deem. “They were just coming out of the bush when w.e met them. Even we ourselves had little idea where we were, but the fog fortunately lifted. Bush Absolute Jungle. “We suggested returning to the snowline and cutting across to the Chateau, but the girls had had euomih snow to last them a lifetime, and we agreed to keep to the lower level. The bush was an absolute jungle. It was the worst bush I have ever seen, and soaked with rain and snow. Everybody was wet through to the skin and shivering with cold. “We plugged on our way through the bush until 11 p.m., when some of the party could carry on no further. Although we had dampproof matchboxes, the undergrowth was too wet to burn.” “We decided that the best thing to do would be for me to go on with the fittest of the boys, and we picked on Mac Diarmid,” said Mr. Dillon. “It was useless tackling the bush, so Mac Diarmid and I took to the creek and waded down about a mile and a half to the Tokaanu Road. We were sometimes waist-deep in water, and could hardly stand up in the rapids, but the only thing to do was to go for it without any ‘beg pardons.’ Mac Diarmid was remarkably fit considering we had been without food for so long. We found the road bridge at 1 a.m. and got to Mr. J. Cullen’s house, which was empty. I made Mac Diarmid go to bed while I telephoned to The Chateau for more help. “A large party arrived from The Chateau at 2 p.m., and I guided the fellows through the bush, picking up Mr. MacPherson, Mr. Malcolm, and the girls at 3.30 a.m, We assisted them down to Mr. Cullen’s place, where a car was waiting with a doctor.” Five Miles in Tiiirteen Hours. Mr. MacPherson said it took 13 hours to travel through about five miles of bush. He has had considerable bush experience, but the beech forests round National Park were some of the most difficult forests to negotiate. The girls were much averse to tackling it They had already attempted to penetrate it, and becoming frightened as the bush became denser and darker they had retraced their steps and were leaving the bush as the search party came up. Two of the girls were surprisingly fit when they were rested, and scarcely had to be assisted. Miss Moya Watkins was “all out” when the , searchers arrived, giving the men some anxious moments. She declined to be carried, however, and tumbled and fell over rocks, and practically crawled on her hands and knees through the bush in the darkness. Considering what they had all been through their performance was splendid. l The separation of Alan Flynn from Mr. Graham Bell’s party in the Whakapapaiti gorge and his subsequent discovery roaming over the mountains gave added work and anxiety to the searchers. Flynn was in a very exhausted condition when six members of his party stopped on the edge of the bush. When the rescuers found them he was given food and hot tea; he then fell adeep on the rocks. Everyone was fatigued and little notice was taken of him. Mr. Deem went on ahead with MacDiarmid to Mr. Cullen’s house, and Messrs. MacPherson and Malcolm, who stayed behind with Mr-. Bell and the three girls, busied themselves cutting a track through the bush to make the path easier. When Mr. Deem returned with another party of helpers it was discovered that Flynn was missing. As the girls were urgently in need of attention the whole party made its way down to Mr. Cullen’s house without waiting to look for Flynn, and nt 4.30 a.m. Mr. Deem, accompanied by two others, returned to search for him. Wandering the Hills. No trace of him was found near’the spot where he had fallen asleep, so the three men made a search of the neighbouring gullies and ridges. As soon, as it was daylight, three hours later, he was seen wandering about the hills in a slightly dazed condition about a mile further up the mountain. He had apparently followed Messrs. Deem and McDiarmid, failed to catch up with them, and had fallen asleep again. On waking, he must have stumbled on aimlessly, walking round in a circle. lie was given more food and stimulants, and recovered quickly. From that point on he made superhuman efforts, accompanying Mr. Deem on his second journey down the creek to Mr. Cullen’s house. He was conveyed by car to The Chateau at 10.30 a.m. today. LEADERSHIP PRAISED Mr. Graham Bell’s Skill FORBIDDING SPOT Dominion Special Service. The Chateau, August 31. A description of how the missing climbers lost their way makes a graphic story, and the leader of the party, Mr. Graham Bell, is given great credit by experienced climbers for the expert manner in which lie piloted his companions off the glacier, when one slip meant certain death. That the party subsequently divided nnd wandered about the mountain side in the fog is not held to his discredit. It. is now clear that instead of coining straight down the glacier they lost their bearings in the dense fall of snow, nnd went over the western side of the glacier, descending the dangerous precipice that is the source of the Whakapapaiti stream. “It would be difficult to imagine n more forbidding place in the day time, but I dread to picture them coming down the sides of that rocky basin in n snowstorm.” said Professor Worley, of Auckland University College, who knows every inch of this mountain region. “In my opinion Mr. Bel] performed a fine mountaineering fent in taking his party safely down such a place. The basin is a'mass'of precipices, ledges, ravines, and waterfalls, and it would be quite impossible for the party to have made the descent without Hie' ropes they had witli them. They only accomplished it without accident by Mr. Bell’s action in anchoring the whole party with ropes and making his companions move a step forward one at a t’me. It was absolutely the right thing to do in the circumstances."

MOUNTAIN RISKS Need for Expert Guides Emphasised I . ALPINIST’S WARNING “With the exception of the avalanche which overtook Captain King and two guides on Mount Cook in 1913, I know of any other accident in New Zealand which cannot be traced to some mistake or to something that should not have happened,” said Mr. A. P. Harper, president of the New Zealand . Alpine Club, to a “Dominion” reporter last evening. The British Alpine Club, he said, had taken a careful record of all accidents in Switzerland over many years, and of these it had been found that 97 per cent, should have been avoided, and of the remaining 3 per cent, only i per cent, could be classed as being absolutely unavoidable. In the case of this last accident on Ruapehu, Mr. Harper continued, the party should not have attempted the ascent without proper knowledge of the weather conditions. The experienced man could generally get adequate warning of bad weather, and if conditions were doubtful, he would advise that it was wiser to give up climbing for the day, especially at this time of the year. The inexperienced man, or the visitor, had no way of reading local weather signs; he considered the outlook good enough, and every now and then trouble followed. Quick Weather Changes.

Mr. Harper said that the weather changes in mountainous country were much more violent and rapid than in the low country, and isolated peaks, such as Ruapehu and Egmont, appeared to attract bad weather. Many of the parties were pressed for time, and might have only a day or two for their climbing. For them he had I a lot of sympathy, and the fact that a holiday only came once a year might be regarded as some sort of excuse for persisting in the face of doubtful weather. “If these parties have no knowledge of weather signs they may walk into danger, ignorant that the weather threatens, or they may regard the signs as unpromising, whereas, in fact, a favourable change would be read in the signs almost with certainty by an experienced man,” Mr. Harper added. Licensing of Guides. Mr. Harper said that in September, 1930, the Minister of Tourist Resorts called a conference to discuss the question of guides, and there was a full attendance of representatives of cluhs, park boards, tourist organisations, members of Parliament, and prominent guides. Mr. Harper explained his proposals, and there was a unanimous resolution that it should be illegal for any person to guide for payment without a license, or for anyone to employ such a guide. Last May a sub-committee adopted the licensing proposal, and the Minister gave an assurance that legislation to set up a board to license guides would be introduced this session. At present there is some doubt about the passage of the legislation. The proposed licensing board is to consist of two qualified and two amateur guides, to act on the recommendation of a chief guide. It is proposed to issue licenses in three classes, though guides in the two lower divisions would have the opportunity of accompanying first-class men on the more difficult climbs in order to gain experience. Practically every guide in New Zealand was wholeheartedly behind the club in that proposal, added" Mr. Harper.