TWO MEN MISSING.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 423, 14 June 1922, Page 5

TWO MEN MISSING.

ON TARARL'A RANGE. SEARCH. PARTIES OUT. | Two young men—Allan A. Bollons, aged 21, of the Telegraph Engineers, ond E. J. Kinie, aged 23. of the Post and 'Telegraph workshops, Wellington, who set out to cross the Tararuas, are missing. The former is a son of Captain Bollons, of the Government steamer Tutanekai, and of Mrs Bollons, of 24 Norton terrace, Kilbirnie, and the latter is the sou of Mr Kime, headmaster of the. Rongotea State School. They intended to cross the Tararuas io Otaki, via the Mount Hector track, and as they have not been heard oi for several days there is grave apprehension as to their safety. They were last seen on Thursday, at Woodside, at about 11.30 a.m. Yesterday a Wellington party, under Messrs Vosseler and Wilson, set out in search of the missing men and expected to reach Mount Alpha at an early hour this morning. The track to Mount Alpha was recently cleared, but snow will be encountered by the parly, which numbers .seven. The party (says the Wairarapa Age's travelling reporter) would not commence climbing until between 0 and 7 o'clock, and would only make slow headway until the moon rose. A party from Otaki also left yesterday to join in the search, and expected to junction with the Wellington party at Mount Alpha. The hutments ai Mount Alpha and I lie Tauhereiiikaii Valley both contain provisions, and if the missing men are housed at either of these places through accident they will be in comparative comfort. The nights have been extremely cold of late, and a heavy fog lias hung over the hills, which would have made climbing extremely difficult and dangerous. Word is expected' to reach Ureytown some time today from the searchers. Messrs Vosseler and Wilson are expert climbers, the latter being leader of the party that searched the track on the occasion oi a recent fatality. If the missing men are not located on the track the slopes of the hills will bo asoured and a move made in the direction of Kaitoke.