THE MISSING CLIMBER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22025, 7 August 1933, Page 8

THE MISSING CLIMBER

RUSSELL’S BODY FOUND UNDER 7FT OF SNOW (Per United Press AssPciation.) CHRISTCHURCH, August 6. The body of Samuel Edgar Russell, the Christchurch Training College student who was lost on Avalanche Peak, Arthur’s Pass, on July 30, was found by a party of searchers early this morning. The body was lying under seven feet of snow. It is thought that death was almost instantaneous. A large party of climbers was able to commence a search on Saturday. Leaving the township at Arthur’s Pass early in the morning they carried out a careful search over the enow slide which enveloped Russell, covering an area 150 yards long and 90 yards wide, but no trace of the body was found, the party returning at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. The search was continued this morning and the body was found after half an hour. No difficulty was experienced in bringing the body back to Arthur’s Pass, where it was put on to the train to Christchurch.

It is understood that the body will be taken for burial to Dunedin, where Mr Russell’s parents live. The search party will return from the pass at 8 o’clock this evening. No details are yet available as to how or where the body was discovered.

MOUNTAINEERING TRAGEDIES , INSTRUCTIONS TO POLICE. (Per United Press Association.! CHRISTCHURCH, August 5. The police throughout New Zealand have received definite instructions from the Department of Justice concerning mountaineering tragedies. The instructions state that as in most cases death while mountaineering has been due to neglect of some recognised precaution or want of experience by a party on some point material to the mishap, it Is advantageous that' the knowledge and experience of experts in mountaineering should be available to the police. When the facts relative to an accident are ascertained by the police they are to confer with one or more experts, who will probably be able to suggest profitable lines of inquiry. Coroners have also been invited to consider calling an expert to give evidence at an inquiry so that hia knowledge and experience shall be at the service of future climbers.

The following such experts are named in a departmental memorandum; —Dunedin, Eric Giller; Christchurch, J. E. Mannering; Taranaki, L. O. Hooker; Auckland, W. Laird Thompson; Wellington, Arthur Pi Harper. The coroners are requested to give the police every facility ior carrying out these instructions.