REPORTED MISSING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20287, 21 December 1927, Page 10

REPORTED MISSING.

NO CAUSE FOR ALARM. WEATHER DELAYS STUDENT WALKERS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) QUEENSTOWN, December 20. Colin CTawshaw and K. P. Torapkin, tho two dental students who were reported at the week-end to oc missing, arrived in Queenstown last night, having come via Lurnsden and Kingston. In an interview they said they wore surprised to hear at Gkido House on Saturday night that anxiety had been felt regarding their safely and whereabouts. Their story in brief is that bad weather delayed them in the first instance 'n their negotiation of the Grave Talbot Pass, and that when they reached the other side of the pass they failed to locate the route loading down into the Esperance and Uleddan valley. In consequence they were compelled to return to the Horner Hut, and from there retrace their steps to th e Hcwdcn. They then followed the trail to the Eglinton and over the Dorc Pass to Glade House. Glade House was reached on Saturday morning, and it was while resting there that one of the search parties arrived in readiness to set off and look for them.

Crawshaw and Tompkin came down Lake Te Anau on Sunday, the steamer having been hold up on the previous evening owing to rough weather. Lumsden was made by car in the evening. They say that tho dense fog which settled down frequently on the country during their tramp and the inclemency of the weather delayed them considerably. They spent a couple of nights in the open, but they were quite comfortable in their sleeping bags. They also had ample food supplies.

Fortunately they left in the visitors’ book at the Horner , Hut brief note of their fruitless attempts to cross over the Grave Talbot Pass down into the Espcrance, and also mentioned their intention of making for Glade House via the Eglinton and Dore Pass. This should give the search parties working from the Wakatipu end a good idea of the real position, and it is expected that they may return here to-night u- to-morrow. Tompkin left for Dunedin this morning, but Crawshaw is awaiting the return of the search parties to Queenstown.