RUAPEHU TRAGEDY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 170, 19 June 1936, Page 18

RUAPEHU TRAGEDY.

Per Press Association. TAUMARUNUI, June 18. At the adjourned inquest before the Coroner, Mr A. S. Laird, concerning the death of James Alexander Gordon, solicitor, on Mount Ruapehu, D. Bayfield, manager of the Chateau Tongariro, stated that a notice posted up gave hints to mountain climbers. Deceased and his party gave notice of their intention of climbing. Chief Guide Carl Risberg, recalled, said that he experimented two days after the accident with sliding on a similar graded slope and found that ice axes would not hold or make the sligliest impression in the ice. Even with crampons and a rope they could not hold a 13-stone man from sliding down. W. S. Rennie, late secretary of the Ruapehu Ski Club, said that the Tourist Department had repeatedly been approached to have more equipment at the huts and have the lints connected by telephone to the Chateau.. The club had offered assistance to erect a telephone line, but there had been no response from the department.

The verdict was that deceased was accidentally killed, and died from internal injuries, shock and exposure. The Coroner highly commended the work of Messrs A. Sandel, J. Bryan and Guide Risberg in the recovery of the deceased’s body.