LOST IN THE BUSH.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1676, 13 April 1904, Page 23

LOST IN THE BUSH.

THE SEARCH FOR MR, J. C. ANDREW. TRACE OF THE MISSING MAN. AN ABANDONED BED OF FERNS. FITE SHOTS HEARD ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT. (From Our Special Reporter.) MARTINBOROUGH, April 10. Tho search for Mr J. C. Andrew, the Wellington solicitor, who has been missing since Tuesday tin the bush at the head of the Turangauui river, is being vigorously continued. Mr Hugh Morrison. brother-in-law of the missing man, h working day an,d nigh t getting search parties together. Mr Andrew, in company with Mr James Wilson, of Kirk, Atkinson and Wilsoti, solicitors, and Mr W. E. Hughes, patent agent, both of Wellington. were driven from Mart inborough last Thursday week to a Maori camp known as London, about- .twenty-five miles distant in the hills to the southeast. From there their baggage was packed ten miles up the Turangauui creek. Last Tuesday morning Andrew left his two companions, saying lie would not be back until night, b’.at advising that if he did not retprn, t-liey need not be anxious, as he might cam]) out until the following morning. Tuesday night passed, and he did not return, and there was still no sign of him on Wednesday morning. At din-ner-time anxiety grew upon the two who were waiting, and they commenced a search. That night the anxiety had heightened. Help was sought, and a small relief party of settlers at once went out. On Thursday more men joined those searching; there were still more on Friday, and oil Saturday there wore about forty M-V (fifty men out. The McDougall brothers are in charge of one !party, Mr Wilson in charge of another)' and Mi* W. C. Buchanan, M.H.R., in charge of a third. Mr Buchanan’s party, twenty strong, went out this morning, and will join with the McDougall party. Tents have been taken, and provisions and a cook. In addition, all the Maoris in the vicinity are out. Dr Kendall, of Wellington, a personal friend of Mr Andrew, arrived from the city on Saturday night with Andrew’s dog, and went straight on to join the searchers. Nearly all the men who are out know the country thoroughly. Urgent telegrams have been sent to Masterto-n, Carterton, Greyt.own and Featherstpn for bushmen, and ten -shillings a day are being paid for the services of all men engaged. A drag load of provisions’ left Martinborough this morning for the use of the searchers. A squad of Artillerymen arrived by special train yesterday at Feat-heist on,

] oncl were met by the. Premier. They J went on to the place where search is ! being made for Mr Andrew, by way of | Kahautara. The artillerymen are to i continue the search assiduously, and i may also be employed for other work. I Dr Andrew, of Notion, a brother of i tho missing man, arrived at Featherston early this morning by special train, and took out another party of bushmen. Mr "W. Andrew, another brother, arrived at Martinborough from Kimbolt-on before daylight this morn- | ing. | Information was brought- to Martinborough on Saturday that- a search party had found a bed made of ferns on the range about twenty miles from the township; hut although it is thought likely to have been made bv Mr Andrew, there is nothing to give certainty of this. There had been no fire lighted, and there were no empty cartridge cases. If the bed was slept on by the missing man, it is evident that he ran out of matches, or that they were useless by being water-soaked; otherwise, he would have lighted a fire, i The weather during the week has been very bad —cold, with incessant heavy rain. A thick fog has been lying close oil the ranges, but it cleared up on Friday night, and the weather has been fine and warpi since. { , The arrangement made when Mr Andrew left his mates on Tuesday was that in the event of one being bushed, he was to fire- a rifle five- time®. On Wednesday night a party of deer-stalkers heard the signal, but, of course, attached no imI portance to it. Mr Andrew is an excep- | tionallv hardy man in -bush and rough 1 country, and "has had a lo t of experience in both. He is an enthusiastic sportsman but this was his first experience m deer-stalking and the locality is strange to him. He 'is about thirty-six years of age. It is generally believed that lie has'fallen somewhere and hurt himself, but men who know him best hold.fo tho opinion that he lost, his way in the-jfog, and will turn up or be found. >f , -■ The fog was so dense on WedirediTay, Thursday 0 and Friday that searchers'who know the country thoroughly found themselves going in a direction exactly opposite to that intended. It- was impossible to see twenty yards ahead. Mr Morrison speaks gratefully of the kindness of the Premier and the settlers. Later. Up till nightfall no news had been received from the search parties. All day bodies, of lnen from all over the Wairarapa have . been passing through the township on their way to the hush, and more will arrive during | the night. ~ _ . j Probably over one hundred men; will j be out to-morrow, and malny mo-re. will ■ be brought from far up north. ;!%> exS penso is being spared. A reward of £lO ! will be paid to the man who finds.; Mr Andrew. ' > • ,jn • - On the caaaioe that- the missing - man has reached the coast, and is'at White, Rock camp, a horseman was sent away there this morning.