MISSING TRAMPERS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVII, Issue 124, 23 April 1927, Page 9

MISSING TRAMPERS.

STILL NO TRACE. BIG NUMBErTsEARCHING. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, April 22. No tidings of the two youths* Desmond Scanlon and Roy Diederich—who set out from Levin last Thursday week in an attempt to cross the Tararua Range to the Wairarapa, but have not since been heard of—had been received at a late hour to-night. Those already searching will be supplemented to-morrow by strong parties on the eastern and western sides of the range. It is now estimated that close, on 60 experienced trampers are engaged in the search. \ HELP FROM MASTERTON. PARTIES CONVERGING. ' MASTERTON, April 22. There is no news yet of the search parties having found any trace of Scanlon and Diederich, but the searchers who returned from the top‘of the range to-night state that the parties are converging on the basin lying between Mitre Peak and the Ohau Valley, where experienced bushmen and trampers consider the missing men are located. A consignment of homing pigeons was packed into the lower range today for the quick despatch to Masterton of any news of the missing men. A Eublic subscription has been opened ere to provide the searchers with food.

The Palmerston North police were informed last evening that a party of six left Otaki last night for Otaki Forks and would set out upon their search at daylight. Arrangements had also been made for experienced men to leave the Mangahao Public Works camp tx>day to scour the valleys in the vicinity. Another party would also leave the camp to-morrow morning. Yesterday afternoon strong parties left Wellington to assist in the search of the ranges. Seven members of the Victoria Tramping Club, under Professor E. G. Boyd-Wilson, and three members of the Tararua Tramping Club, left for the Otaki Forks, where they camped last night. This morning the party proceeds up the Ohau River to its headwhters, making a close search in the territory in the vicinity of Mount Crawford. Another party from the Tararua Club left Wellington last evening by “Field’s” Express for Levin to supplement their fellow-club members already searching the upper waters of the Ohau and Mangahao rivers, in the direction of Mount Dundas and Mitre Peak. During the afternoon a further party from the Tararua Tramping Club left for Dalefield, from where they will commence a search along the watershed of the Waiohineiti River. A strong party on the Wairarapa side is already searching the whole of the track area, and also in the direction of. Mitre Peak in the vicinity of the Waingawa River.