THE FATAL HOBART WALK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12399, 12 October 1903, Page 6

THE FATAL HOBART WALK.

—— — —«»—. i. .—.,—, .1 :' ' - T >: TWO DEATHS FROM EXPOSURE. ,; The Hobart correspondent of tho Launcesto| Daily Telegraph gives tho following interest , ing details of the recent fatal go-as-yoi| ,>- . pleas© walk from Hobart to the pinnacle of ■"■ i Mount Wellington and back. The weather \ was very severe, aad the rough orack w«;:', " made more difficult by snow, while manj of the competitors, being clad merely jn'- , ■■ their singlets, light knickers and swid shoos, '■:■ '> suffered very severely from the cold. Several . of the competitors fainted, and two—Mark , J Richards, a Sandford farmer, aged 22 yew and a youth named Radford—(died. Hot,!' of them, it appeared subsequently, suffered '" I from heart disease. ' / t One of the competitors, Arthur S. D'Em- I den, thus describes how Richards died > \ ■ When. I left tho pinnacle, accompanying Richards, he was walking all right, leaning : on my shoulder. . We got along the top "-■ of the mountain all right to the- beginning of ' ' the new track, but on going down the steep part of the track Richards said, ' I am going to faint.' I tried to cheer him up, mi got him a little farther down the track, when he fainted. I rubbed his chest, arms J and legs till he came round again, and- then f 1 stood him on the rock and got him acres , \ my shoulders, but found him too heavy, ">'! and I nearly fell with him two or three j times. I should say he weighed about 12 \ M stone 'u * put him down* and ho tried to f walk, but before going many yara\l"(J*faint< J . again. x managed to bring him round again, and as soon as he« regained conscious- " . ness I started to slide him down the snow, : but we had not gone far when lie fell back ; 1 against me, and did not regain conscious- ; n 'f S !'u i 1 got him down to within 300yda of the level track to the springs, when I saw two boys coming up. I called out to v » the nearest one to assist me, and asked the ."'■■■ i second one to go back to. the' Springs for |M help. The boy got hold of Richards bv the '1 legs and I held him up behind, and lifted nun over the rocks on to the track. We were going well until the boy, slipped about bit off the track about 50yds from tho level track,.and about a mile and a-half from the : Springs. I tried to lift him on to the track again, but could not. Then the bey start* K»r the Springs for help, and left me with Kiohards. I again tried to lift him up, out failed and caught cramp in the thighs and back. 1 got his head up hill and rested it ' between my knees. As I sat on the snow \ bank I nibbed his chest as well as I could, : : tali I got so stiff that I could not move. , I As it was then getting late I knew that the •' j judges must be coming down, from the pin- ' nacle shortly, and I started, to-aliout for I «? P ,t lll H I could not cl 'y out any longer. \ Shortly after the judges arrived from the ! Pinnacle and relieved me. I was .sitting in ''■ the same position in the snow with Richard?, ■' • ; with only my running attire on. for about ualf-am-hour before assistance arrived." • -'•'< , 1 1 lien , came inquiries as to the youth Radtorci, who had not, turned up. It was known that he had not returned from the mountain. ' A^ search party was organised and left by ' cao for 11 era Tree, where the party were '■■■■■■'] joined by Constable Hussey and "Slew Brown and Reid. I*- was about midnight , , when they divided into various small parties. \ I hey set forth on foot alone- different trackbeing as well lighted as was possible with the ', lamps, etc., at their disposal. For two ■ hours the task was continued without avail, * i ana at that time, as it was blowing and snow- ~ ; ing, it was resolved to recommence at day break. There, is a shelter-shed at the V ' springs, and Constable Gadd's cottage, and ::' me_ party made themselves as comfortable is they could for the few hours that elapsed before daylight, lying around a rousing fire. J- he mam expedition worked up the hill, along and across the various tracks. - Messrs. lMchoils and Giblib went un a good distance ■'■ I, • towards the pinnacle, and when there heard a horn blow from below, which they took TO be the signal that the poor young fellow, ' or ins body, had been found. They went ' rack and saw the body.