SINGLE DATE FOR FOOD

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 2 September 1931, Page 5

SINGLE DATE FOR FOOD

ONLY A FEW HOURS SLEEP GIRLS’ SEVERE ORDEAL MISS RENNIE’S STORY. (Bv Telegraph —Press Association.) THE CHATEAU, Sept. 2. Before going to creep Miss Rennie told the story of the party’s experience. “Although I have eaten only one date since Saturday night and have not had more than a few hours sleep, I feel I could easily ,pu,t up with another three nights on the mountain if necessary, M she said. “What may be strange is tJie fact that, after the (first d‘aT, wo did not feel at all hungry. Th‘is was due to the effect of the braejn cv a ,ir for wo were at an altitude or 7000 feet most of the time.” 'Asked how they kept warm Mies Rennie said they i stamped tlieir feet and hands, and ruibhed each others backs whenever they felt cold, hut- the fact that they were wearing thick alpine clothing kept, them' comparatively warm. If it were not for that they would have died _ from cold. “The first night I-did not get a wink of sleep,” Lshe continued.. “On the second night 1 slept only one hour. I was scared that iif I went to sleep I would get frostbitten. Luckily, we got quite n lot of sleep on the third night. The first night was the worst. “On Sundav morning when we tried! •--> find the Chateau I thought I would die, but I backed up and followed the boys down to the bush. SHELTER! FROM SNOW. “We sheltered on Sunday night in some hush, wits*, snow falling round ns. ! t .got so cold that we had to move i a. more sheltered place. Our last camping place was infinitely better. “Jock Graham was marvellous. When Harris was too weak to do anything. Jock kept us warm iby cutting grass and sticks' and making a roqf for ns. “What I cannot understand is that at no time did we ever see a single cars on, nor did we hear any shouting. During the whole four days we saw absolutely no sign of life. We did not even know our direction until we saw t-lie sun rise this morning. We had one map, but had to guessi where we were.

“Hie most dreadful time was when wo were coming down from the glacier. T simply closed my eyes and stumbled on anywhere. It was marvellous to watch Mr Bell cutting steps down the ice slopes' in the blizzard.” -~he .said they had tried hard to> light a. fire. They had a few wax matches, but they were soaking wet. From the start they never once obtained any dry kindling wood.

Speaking of Stanton, who alone is missing, the girls said he was the fittest member of the party. In fact he used to walk ahead so fast that it was hard to catch up with him.

SIGNAL TO* PLANE. The highest praise for the pluck shown by the girls, all through the ordeal was given by Graham, who, when Stanton and Addis, went ahead, stayed behind to look after the girls. “When we saw the plane fly over this morning it gave us new heart,’' said Graham. ‘ ‘Miss Morris and 1 left the little bivomac early, to go in search ■of help. We signalled frantically to the .plane. After we had walked for about an hour we saw the smoke of a bushman’is fire and followed the trail as fast as we could. We tied a hand- ' chief to a tree and, with the directions we gave them, the tnishmen had no trouble in finding the others. “The girls were wonderfully plucky, especially Miss Morris. On the first night she got a bad kick on the head when she fell down a hole with two others on top of her. She was dazed for a time, but tramped gamely on. She was one of the fittest in the end. It wa.s a relief to the party to see fine weather this morning.” Every other morning it was too misty for them to see where they were making for, and it turned* out they had gone helplessly astray.