Survivor’s Story Of Triple Tragedy In Alpine Slide

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23314, 25 July 1950, Page 6

Survivor’s Story Of Triple Tragedy In Alpine Slide

(P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, July 24. None of the three victims who perished when swept down the mountainside in the Torlesse Range on Saturday had reached the age of 21. Mr. M. E. Green, of Lyttelton, and Mr. N. Cherry, of Christchurch, were each aged 20 and Mr. W. R. Allen, of Christchurch, was 19. The onlv survivor of the climbing party, Mr. Clive Corbishley, aged 20, of Lyttelton, related at Springfield the storv of the tragedy and his escape. He said the party set out to climb Mount Torlesse, _ following the main ridge from the Kowhai River About half-way along the ridge they ran into a fierce "gale and they roped themselves together. Eventually they decided to turn back and, encountering a cornice of wind-blown snow, they decided to come down off the ridge to bypass it. .Moving: Acre of Snow When the party was moving past the cornice with Mr. Corbishley in the lead he heard one of his comrades cail out, "Look out, we are moving." When lie glanced upward Mr. Corbishley saw a sheet of snow, which he estimated to be over an acre, advancing on them. He attempted to run out of its path, but was caught and swept off his feet. Then he was pushed downwards and felt considerably pressure being exerted on him. Later he remembered being forced upwards, and finally found himself in a kneeling position looking up toward the peak, with snow up to his chin and only his left arm protruding, ft took him an hour to free himself, and then he looked round tor his comrades, but they were nowhere to be seen. The rope by which he had been attached to them seemed to go deeper down into the snowy mass. Half an hour's walk away from the scene of the accident. Miss Shirley Walsh, aged 20. of Christchurch, Mr. Corbishley’s fiancee, was awaiting the party, She gave Mr. Corbishley ton and they pushed on to give news of the accident, reaching the main West Coast road about (1.46 p.m.. three and and a half hours after the accident. Thirty Join Search A search party from stations in the district early yesterday dug out one body, that of Mr. Green, from under 6ft. of snow, and brought it out to the station. The party had scarcely returned when climbers and police from Christchurch arrived at the foot of the pass to help. During Saturday night the police at Christchurch had alerted the Mountain Rescue and Search Organisation, and a number of highly-experienced mountaineers were on the scene yesterday morning. The recovery parties numbered about 30. and the first group of about 17 set out from a roadman’s hut at the foot of Porter’s Pass shortly after daybreak, with shovels, ice axes and stretchers.

The remaining bodies were found at depths varying from 6ft. to 10ft. and all were found within a radius of 12ft. The journey out with the bodies was difficult, as the stretchers had to be roped down over a waterfall and then carried over some snow slopes in which the climbers were up to their waists. There was then a journey of four or five miles along the valley floor. The parties, which reached the main road shortly after 2 p.m., took three to four hours to cover the distance. Rain was falling and there was a thick mist.

A light truck was run in as far as possible to meet the stretcher-bearers, and on this the bodies were taken to Springfield.