NO NEWS AT NOON

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 3 September 1931, Page 6

NO NEWS AT NOON

FATE OF WARWICK STANTON FIVE HUNDRED SEARCHERS COMBING WIDE AREA BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS SNOjW FALLING AT CHATEAU. Wh,en thq “Star” telephoned the Chateau at noon to,-day no word had been received concerning Warwick Stanton, the only one of the missing mountaineers not accounted for. Parties totalling approximately 500 searchers were engaged in combing a very wide area. Conditions on the mountain were bad, with intermittent falls of snow at the Chateau.

I A base camp has been established j two and a-half miles from Petersen’s Mill, and a party of 50, which camped out in the bush last night, was operating frprn there. Mr J. Blythe, of Ohakune, had the leadership of a further picked party of 20 which was working in from the Ohakiine side of the mountain. TAUMARUNUI CONTINGENT

TWO HUNDRED MEN. DEPARTURE AT MIDNIGHT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) TAUMARANUI, Sept. 3. The anticipation that bushmen . searching the Malea.to.ti Stream would (locate Warwick ' Station yesterday not I being realised, a. party’ of 200 men was oi-ganiisedl speedily at Taumxi.ra.nuT last night .and proceeded to the National .Park by an express train at 2 o’cilook ibis morning. party split up, half getting ofiTat the National Park to pro- < (>o<l up the Mahiiia Stream to the base of Hariliangotahi, the others going in at the Ma.ka.inte stream near P'eterson’s mill at Pfofeaka. Both parties will comb the whole of the area, and will probably meet fit the head waters of the Mahuia. DIMINISHED HOPES FEARS FOR LOST MAN. V VIGOROUS SEARCH CONTINUES. THE CHATEAU, Sept. 2. Search parties totalling .100 men combed the Makatote Gorge up to the i oxks njne miles from the railway line to-day iu search of Warwick Stanton, the only unrescued member of the > O-arty of 14 on Mount Ruapehu, but | without success. Fifty men are yei maining in the bush all night. Elaborate arrangements have been made to continue the search to-morrow. All men between Taumarunui and Oliakune willing to join in the search ' nave been asked to assemble at the Makatote viaduct at dawn to-morrow, with them food and a change of clothing. Arrangements have been made tor the Auckland express, which reaches National Park at 3.45, to pick ii[) the men from Ohakiine and drop them fit Makatote. A goods train will bring further men from Ohakiine. Every sawmill in the area has proifiised men, and at least 300 searchers are assured. A portion of the Chateau staff is going down by the Auckland express and will establish a base camp and field kitchen at Petersen’s mill.

The chances now appear to lie against Stanton being found alive. He has been out 122 hours and was in a state of collapse when left by Harold Addis at 3.30 p.m. on Monday. Up to that time lie had been the"fittest member of the party. Nervous power, however, appears to have been his driving force, and not physical strength, and it appears his nerves must have broken down at this time. His collapse may have been only temportry, • and he may have recovered after a .spell. Hope of this is held out in view of the remarkably fit condition of the other member's of the party.

The Makatote. Gorge, where the searchers concentrated, is the wildest •section of National Park. Rocliv walls rl . s< l sheer from the stream to a'height or 150 to 200 feet in places and it is impossible to get down to the stream. Ihe party which found Addis heard mm crying- out from the opposite bank and tried unsuccessfully for one and a half hours to get across to him. Eventually they had to go two miles ! further upstream before they could cross. The hush is so dense and lawyer’’ and undergrowth so matted that it is impossible to move through it only by cutting a path with slashers.' The difficulties facing the searchers may well be imagined, then, especially if Stanton is too weak to answer their calls. Tf he is dead it may ho weeks before the body is found. RECOVERY FROM ORDEAL R ESCIJ ED MEMBERS. RETURNING TO HOMES. THE CHATEAU, Sept. 2. The, rescued members of the party have made an excellent recovery and some have, already returned to their homes. MeDiarmid and Flynn went last night and Miss Ellett this morning. Spooner and Addis are going tonight, and to-morrow Miss Brockett and the Misses Watkins will return home. Graham, Harris and Misses Morris and Rennie are still in bed. Ml'. Bell has completely recovered and joined the search parties yesterday. He is remaining at the Chateau until Stanton is found).