HURT ON EGMONT

Taranaki Daily News, 4 August 1930, Page 11

HURT ON EGMONT

MAN FALLS ON ICE AXE A LUNG POSSIBLY PIERCED ALL NIGHT RESCUE EFFORT TEACHER AT STRATFORD As the result of what is believed to have been a slip on the ice, Walter J. Hall, a master on the staff of the Stratford Technical High School, fell on the point of his ice axe in the vicinity of Warwick Castle (5000 ft near the ascent track from the Stratford house, on Mt. Egmont yesterday afternoon. It was reported late last night that the steel point had pierced the lung. „ Dr. Doris Gordon received a ’phone call from the Stratford house about -4 p.in. and left immediately after arranging with' Dr. Gordon to proceed to North Egmont in case the injured man was taken there. Thus whether he was removed to Stratford or. North Egmont medical attention would be awaiting him. It was not believed that it would be possible for a return to be made to the Stratford house owing to the extremely narrow defile through the Manganui Gorge. The track permits only single file traffic and it • was thought it would .be impossible to . convey stretcher by that route. A relief party of seven, including Messrs A. Haldane and W. Pettigrew, left the Stratford house for the scene of the accident..about .4 p.m. The first -intimation North Egmont received of the accident was a ring from Miss M. Haldane, Stratford house, at 6.45 p.m. This was unfortunate for by that time a large party of experienced Hawera, New Ply-mouth and Stratford alpinists, who had spent, the week-end at North Egmont, , had left for their homes, and Mr. R. Larsen was forced to <mt into telephonic communication with° Mr. L. Lovell at his New Plymouth residence. Mr. Lovell received the call just as he arrived home from North Egmont., A strong party left New Plymouth almost immediately and shortly after arrival seven men, Messrs R. and 11. Larsen, L. Lovell, K. Tompkins, W. Groombridge, C. Deem and A. Lambert left for Warwick Castle, hoping to meet the Stratford relief party with the injured man well on its way. Everything possible was ready for the arrival of the party at North Egmont late last evening. It was not expected that they would reach t-he houses before 2.30 this, morning, and until that hour further details of the accident were not known.

’Warwick Caetle, a stately, mass of grey rock to which the Maori gave the name Tahuna a Tutawa, is on tile east side of Egmont- with its crest 5376 feet above sea level. Around it are wide mossy and turfed ri lges now deeply covered. with snow.. A short distance south the' Stratford track to the summit runs alongside Ngarara to join the East Ridge above the Policeman. . Near the foot of Warwick Castle is the Dawson Falls-North Egmont track and along the ridge north of the castle is the disused Surrey Road track to the summit. The

original track round the mountain crossed ; t jirt above the castle. The relief party last night had to descend o.cr 26-uO feet with the injured man along about four miles of track, the most difficult part being the famous ridge from North Egmont house to Humphries Castle.