MOUNTAIN CRASH

Hokitika Guardian, 14 February 1939, Page 2

MOUNTAIN CRASH

SIR G. JULIUS’ SON. KILLED WITH COMPANION. SYDNEY, February 6. The son of New Zealand-born Sir George Julius, Mr Roderick Julius, aged 33, was one of two men who lost their lives when their small Taylor Cub aeroplane crashed in a fog in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Mr Julius’ companion was Mr Clarence Edward Stumbles, aged 32, publicity manager and director of a chain of cinema theatres. The crash occurred on Saturday afternoon. but it was not seen or heard and the tragedy was not discovered until Monday afternoon. The delay was due to the inaccessibility of the scene of the crash, a ridge, known as Narrow Neck, about throe miles from Katoomba and overlooking the Megalong Valley. A farmer in the Megalong Valley, Mr Jack Kirby, and his son William were sitting on their verandah late on Sunday afternoon when their attention was attracted to a shining object on the rooks west o,f the Narrow Neck—a huge projection. They thought it. was strange, but did not take further notice of it at the time. When they saw the same shining object on Monday morning, their curiosity was aroused.

TWO FLTERS DEAD TN WRECK

The two men organised a party to proceed to the spot, and at 1.30 p.m. a party comprising Messrs Jack McCarthy and Robert, William and Frank Kirby set out to scale the rugged cliff. After two hours of strenuous climbing the searchers reached the spot near enough to recognise the wreckage of an aeroplane. Mr McCarthy returned to Megalong Valley t.o notify the police and the. Kirby brothers began to climb down the almost perpendicular side of the cliff to the machine. They eventually reached it and discovered that the two occupants were dead. In the meantime the Katoomba police had been informed by Mr McCarthy and organised a party which joined the Kirbys in the Megalong Valley. They could not proceed hv vehicles nearer than three and si-half miles from the scene, hut they went on foot with ropes, tackle and stretchers. They found the elimb from the path at the bottom of the Megalong Valley to Narrow Neck extremely difficult. Rain, which had lasted three or four days, loosened their foothold, and they had to fight a way. through dense scrub, which covered huge boulders They often slipped and most .of them received minor injuries. Loosened rocks hounded down the side of the mountain;‘and the members of the party had narrow escapes. Sometimes the going was so had that one member climbed ahead and helped the others by "means of ropes. They Found that the aeroplane had crashed loss than 100 ft. from the summit of the mountain, which is about 1000 ft. above the valley. The nose of the machine had struck a narrow ledge and the tail was supended on a high tree. A man’s weight would have disturbed the wreckage. The party climbed above the ledge to a broader one about 20ft. higher. They saw the two bodies in the aeroplane.

PROBABLY KILLED OUTRIGHT. The ill-fated fliers were seated side by side in the tiny cabin, one had his head resting on his hands, and the other had one hand on the wind-screen and one leg protruding as if he had made a last effort to pull himself free. They were both badly injured about the head, and it was thought that, if not killed outright, they died shortly afterward.

Mr Julius was managing director of Julius and Gardiner Proprietary,' Limited, manufacturers’ representatives and ageivts in Australia for Cub Aircraft. He was a pilot of considerable experience, with hundreds of flying hours to his credit. Last September Mr Julius, with Mr J. Clancy, made a flight round Australia in a Taylor Cub. The flight of 8000 miles was made in hops of 250 miles, and the. only misadventure occurred at Roeburne (Western Australia), where a forced landing was made owing to engine trouble.