DEATH GLISSADE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16339, 13 May 1927, Page 7

DEATH GLISSADE

EGMONT CLAIMS A VICTIM SOO.-FOOT SLIDE ONE MAN DEAD, ONE MISSING, TWO INJURED. f P“t Press Association.) NEW PLYMOUTH, this day. A mountaineering holiday in glorioas autumn weather on the slopes of Alt. Egmont terminated suddenly in a distressing tragedy on Wednesday afternoon (as announced in our third edition yesterday), a slip by one man near the j top of the mountain starting a party oi three men and a hoy in a terrible death glissade over 800 ft of ice and snow. The party comprised three masters and a pupil of the Wanganui Collegiate School. One of the masters was killed outright through striking a rock during the terrific descent, while another is still missing, search parties having failed to locate him. The third master and the boy are lying in a private hospital in Hawora suffering from severe shock and exposure. ( The members of theiparty were : Killed: Fenton Latham, 50. language master at Wanganui College, a married man with two children.

Missing

Noel Baines, 35. a master

Injured: l’ereival Taylor, 35, music master and organist; Dennis Allen, 16. a pupil at the college. An organised search party scoured the mountain in the vicinity of the mishap throughout yesterday, but found no trace of the missing man. The searching operations ceased at dusk yesterday, and will be continued this morning by a fresh party. Neither Taylor nor Allen is yet able to give a full account of what occurred, the doctor who attended them having ordered absolute quietness, it is understood that they,may be taken to the Hawera hospital this evening. The party of four left the Dawson Falls hostel at 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday. As they had not returned by the evening alarm was felt, arid Messrs. Murphy and White, who are permanently stationed at the hostel, left to search, they returned unsuccessful at 11 p.m., and found that Allen had reached the hostel, having missed the proper track and wandered down the Kapuni river. He thus missed the searchers. A second party, organised by Constable J. O’Donoghue, set oat immediately. At 2.50 a.m. they found Latham, with Taylor lying injured across the dead man’s body.’ SLIPFED ON THE ICE.

From the details ascertained from the Dawson Falls guide, Mr. Murphy, it appears that the party had climbed the mountain and slipped on the ice on the descent about half-way between the summit and Fantham’s Peak. They were roped together and were all apparently hurled down the central couloir directly above Fantham’s' Peak, missing the rugged Kapuni Gorge to the left. They were found about 1500 ft from the top. Latham was dead, having received terrible injuries to the head. FELL ROPED TOGETHER.

J The meagre details that have been : ascertained by Mr. Murphy show that the party slid 350 ft and then came to rest. The boy cut himself free at that | stage. The struggles of the others, none of whom probably was fully conscious at 'that time, caused them to slide a further 450 ft. How Baines then became separated from the others is not known. Allen, as stated, set out for the hostel with the object of securing assistance. From enquiries made this evening it appears that the party carried at least two ice axes borrowed from the hostel. They apparently used steps cut in the ice by a previous party, and the theory is that one of these collapsed, starting the party on the slide. Latham, it seems, was the leading man on the rope, while Allen was last. Latham fell, striking his head in the first fall and dragging the others with him. Taylor was unconscious and in a critical condition when found, having suffered severely through long exposure in ice and snow at an altitude of 7000 ft. The scene of the accident is considered to be near the safest lino of descent on the south side of the mountain.

; SEARCH FOR FOURTH MAN ELTHAM, last night. The missing man, Baines, is reported to have, no relatives in New Zealand.The recovered body lies at Kaponga; awaiting assured identification. The deceased’s head is much mulitated. The guide, Air. Murphy, said to an Argus reporter. “I searched every inch of Fantham’s Peak arid found no sign of .the fourth mountaineer.” Air. Alurphy ! considers there is every probability he is alive and is in the dense bush at the base of the mountain. The search is being continued to-morrow.