A ROUGH NIGHT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 13, 28 December 1911, Page 5

A ROUGH NIGHT.

Therb is another incident to relate adding to the list of people who have gone through the experience of he:ng lost on the slopes of Mount Egmont and having to spend an unpleasant time searching for the way home to the Mountain House and being unable to find it. On Sunday morning Hr. Blackley and Miss Pridham, of New Plymouth, who were staying at Dawson’s Falls house, went out into the forest photographing, the weather then being fine. They wore, expected to return early in the afternoon, but at six o’clock they wore still raicsing, rain had set in, and the weather was bitterly cold. Mr. Graham, the caretaker of the house, then took a lantern and went in search—fruitless it proved—of the missing ones. He cooeyed, but got no -reply, though it was said that the lost people heard mm hut could not make themselves heard, in reply, because of the wind being against them. Returning to the house Mr. Graham made arrangements for search parties to set out at daybreak, the following morning. During the night the weather was dreadful. There were loud peals of thunder, vivid flashes of lightning and a heavy downpour of rain. Shortly after three on Monday morning five search parties set out to look for the lost ones, one party going to Fantham’s Peak. Eventually. Dr. Blackley and Miss Pridham were discovered by the party that was witm Mr. Graham. This was at about five o’clock. They were in the vicinity of Hastie’s Hill, about two miles from the house. They had been moving about all night, and at daylight had got on to the track again, but were so confused as to the direction that they did not know which way to go. The sudden change of weather was the cause of their being lost, the rain came on so suddenly, and it quickly grew so dark in the forest that trey lost their way almost immediately. As may be expected, they were much xhausted after the night’s exposure, but were well taken care of on reaching the house, and the last we. heard of them was that they were not much the worse for their adventure. . “Eltham Argus.”