TWO MISSING

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24540, 24 March 1943, Page 2

TWO MISSING

MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS MEMBERS OF AIR FORCE (0.C.) CHRISTCHURCH. Tuesday ( No trace had been found late this evening of Sergeant William Patrick < Morton and Leading-Aircraftman Will- i fred Frank Wallis, reported missing ( while climbing in the Malte Bruit < region. Tho two climbers left the Her- ; mitage, Mount Cook, last Wednesday for the Malte Brim hut and when they failed to return on Sunday as arranged a party set out to look for them. 1 Footprints, presumably those of Ser- ] geant Morton and Leading-Aircraftman Wallis, were found by a search party ; high up on the Malte Brun Peak today. The footprints were discovered at : an altitude of 8000 feet. Bad weather = conditions caused the searchers to de- . scend before going further. Rain and Fog < Heavy rain, accompanied by fog, set in throughout the Hermitage area today, and it is feared that this will curtail activities to-morrow. Rain began 1 about mid-day on Saturday, and it is possible that the climbers were caught - on tho Malte Brun Peak when the storm began. A search party from the Hermitage and another Air Force party which are combing the area did not have any success in their search for the missing men to-day. Officials of the South Canterbury section of the New 3!iealand Alpine Club were in communication with the Mount Cook Tourist Company, and also the Air Force search party to-day, when the leader of the Air Force party said he considered men wero available to conduct a preliminary search. Acting on instructions from Inspector M. Flanagan, of the Timaru police station, a party of mountaineers from the South Canterbury Alpine Club left to-day to take part in the search. Precipitous Heights Sergeant Morton is 24. His father is Mr. W. A. B. Morton, of 4 Grafton I-toad, Auckland. Leading-Aircraftman Wallis is 27 and his father is Mr. F. L. i Wallis, of Christchurch. Mount Malte Brun, rising to a height of 10,421 feet, is the main peak in the range of that name, and tho actual mountain is about eight miles northcast of Mount Cook. The Malte Brim range is a chain of rugged mountains separating the Tasman and Murchison valleys. It is well known for many difficult and precipitous heights which abound in the area. I !