"ACCIDENTAL DEATH"

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16376, 25 June 1927, Page 5

"ACCIDENTAL DEATH"

THE MT. EGMONT FATALITY INQUEST ON VICTIMS (Per Press Association.) HAWERA, this day. An inquest, concerning the death of F. H. Latham and Noel Arthur Raines, on Mount Egmonl early in May, was held before Mr. A. E. Anderson, J.P., of Kaponga, acting-Coroner, and a 'jury. Mr. W. A. Izard appeared for the relatives of the deceased. • William Dennis Allen related how ,he and the other members of the "party had set out to make the ascent. It had been hoped to return to Dawson Falls the same evening. The party had travelled light, taking ' only one knapsack. They found steps mallo by a previous party, and had no great difficulty- in following them, everything being in order, but Haines 1 vas Out of training. They reached the summit without mishap and after a

■ snell,, of -20 minutes commenced the .descent. None of the party fell nerI < ous about coming down, although j they realised it would be harder. Tay- ' lor* the first to do down, was follow - ed by Baines, Allen, and Latham in j that "order. After descending for • about 40 minutes the accident occurred,•. Baines missing his footing. "We.were able* to hold his weight, I but Taylor. fSe U over, backwards," said j witness,' who described how the party ! slipped until it reached a bump on a [ lodge, down which they slid. The j snow was quite hard. As soon as the ! party stopped witness got up and cut j the rope which was round his body. : The rope was somewhat twisted round , the other three. All were practically j unconscious although none lay per- ' fc-cTly still. Latham, who was groan- ! ing, had a big wound in the forehead, t Witness got,no reply from him. Tnyj ior raised himself on his elbow and ! tried without success to say somei thing. Baines was lying with his head ! down the, slope. Witness picked him | up and turned his head so that he lay j with his head up the hill. WENT FOR HELP Witness said he realised that he ! could do nothing, so started off for ; the Mountain House, following <:he steps in the ice for some distance and sliding tho rest. He crossed the plateau between Fantham's Peak and Main Peak, and commenced going down a ridge from tho former By this time the mist had come up near Fantham's Peak, and he could not find the track. He crossed from one

ridge to the other, but by the time he reached where the scrub was up to his shoulders he had not found the track. It was then dark. He managed to make his way down Kapuni gorge, which he located by the sound of the water. He travelled along the liver. He then followed the track to the Mountain House, reaching -.he latter about 7.45 o'clock, too late to give Murphy directions as he had alreadv started for the summit. Ho did not think Latham was dead when he left for the hostel. } SEARCH FOR MISSING MEN James Patrick Murphy, custodian of the hostel, said he had informed j Latham of the state of the ice and snow, and told him that if it were ' hard not to attempt to climp the peakbut to stop at Fantham's. Latham ' agreed and next morning tho party left. The weather was fine until 1 j 3 'clock, when a mist arrived. As the j party did not Teturn by 6 o'clock he and his assistant set out for the summit, finding blood mark." on the snow, but no trace of the missing men. A I search party was soon out and found at 3 p.m. tho body of Latham 200 feet above Fantham's Peak. There was no sign of Baines. Six hundred feet up he found traces of the first slide. Taylor and Latham were roped together. Baines crawled from the loop of the rope. On Friday morning Baines was found down Puniho Gorge. . To Mr. Henry witness said there were plenty of ice axes at the hostel,

] but on tho'dny of the accident he lent ' two to a party. To 9? juryman he said he had no authority to prohibit eliming in bad "i weather." Latham must have- lost his axe, or ho would have been able to pull the party up. j Dr. Sinclair gave evidence of find- ■ jng the bodies. In his^ opinion, Balnea j bled to death. I Evidence .was also given by James Edwin Bannister and Constable. O 'Donoghue. A verdict of accidental death, no blame being attachable to anyone, was returned, the searchers also being commended.