BACK-BLOCKS HEROISM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15664, 18 July 1914, Page 10

BACK-BLOCKS HEROISM.

AIDING AN INJURED COMRADE. (BY TELEQRAr-H.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.] New Plymouth, Friday. A story of back-blocks heroism was told to a reporter to-day. At mid-day on Tuesday last, a man named Mehroten was injured by a falling tree, some 30 miles up the Mokau River. His comrades cut a track to the bank of the river, and obtained a launch IS milss down stream. At daylight on Thursday a medical man from New Plymouth arrived, and tho injured man was placed on a steamer for New Plymouth. Owing to the lack of water on the bar, the boat had put back to • the wharf. Sampson, one of the men, then obtained a buggy, and with a companion named Dean, left the wharf at six o'clock on Thursday evening for Uruti. Sampson had to walk beside the horses most of the way, as the night was dark and the road axlo-deop in mud. He fell down several times, and it took ten hours to cover the 25 miles to Uruti, where a car was obtained, and the injured man brought to the New Plymouth Hospital to-day, where his leg had to bo amputated. Questioned about the journey, Sampwho was bespattered with mud, said: " We just want to • impress tho public with what a man injured in the back blocks has to face. The horses could not trot an inch of the way and this road is the only outlet for many of the settlers." The doctor who attended tho case said that he had never seen the road over Mount Messenger in such a bad state.