ANOTHER PARTY SETS OUT

Taranaki Daily News, 5 August 1930, Page 11

ANOTHER PARTY SETS OUT

FURTHER PARTIES ORGANISED, FEARFUL JOURNEY THROUGH BUSH Before Mr. Haldane reached North Egmont, however, some Stratford men had grown concerned over the nonappearance of Haldane’s party, and at 8 o’clock Messrs. Rowe, Addis and Carter set out from North Egmont for the Stratford house, via the usual Humphries’ Castle route in the hope of finding the missing men. On reaching the snow Mr. Carter found himself unable to proceed and had to return to the hostel. The other two pushed ahead over the dangerous ice slope to the cast of Humphries’ Castle, and on round the treacherous bluffs, keeping a sharp lookout for any errant footmarks leading to right or left. Fortune and careful observation favoured them, for in the neighbourhood of the Maketawa Gorge [they saw the marks of three men leading off down the slope. Following these [they eventually came upon the dead, body of Lance Gibson. Meanwhile, of course, Messrs, Haldane ahi Heggitt had arrived at the hostcj via the%ld survey track. Weary with the fatigue of the arduous rescue of Hall and the Dawson Falls party Mr. Rupert Larsen was endeavouring to snatch an hour or two’s sleep, but with the news of Gibson’s death from Mr. Haldane all hope of this vanished. He communicated at once by telephone with Air. W. D. Armit, Commissioner of Crown Lands in New Plymouth and acting-chairman of the Egmont Park Board. Mr. Armit immediately set about organising another search party, and Messrs. A. V. Adams, H. W. Richard, H. J. Anthony, H. W. Brown, G. Drader, C. Lobb arid 11. F. Olson left by car at once for North Egmont. At 11 o’clock this party, augmented by Messrs. R, W. and 11. Larsen and Mr. N. Gibson, a brother of the deceased, set out from North Egmont to : find the body and bring it in. From the description of the location given by Mr. Haldane Air. Larsen, who is an expert bushman, decided the shortest and best way to reach the body was to go by way of Blundell’s Track, thence over a series of three ridges to the Maketawa Gorge. This was done. The Ngatoro Gorge, Cedar Valle., and Ngatoronui Gorge were crossed in turn, the men cutting their way through with axes and slashers. By the combination of Mr. Larsen’s fine judgment and a rather remarkable coincidence the relief party emerged into the Maketawa Gorge just as Messrs. Rowe and Addis, having discovered Gibson’s body, were descending the scoria bed of the gorge. Communication was established, and Messrs. Rowe and Addis returned to the hostel along the trail that the Larsen relief party had blazed. RECOVERY OF THE BODY. The relief party broke up temporarily, Messrs. Brown, Lobb, Drader and Olson remaining behind with the stretcher and taking the advantage of the opportunity for a rest in preparation for their arduous task. Messrs. Larsen, Anthony, Gibson, Richard and Adams ascended the half mile to. the body, roped it up in a blanket, and slid and glissaded with it down to . the four men the} had left behind. It was the only possible way of recovering it. Some consideration was given to a suggestion that the best way out of the reserve would be to cut a way through the bush down the mountain side to Durham Road, but this was abandoned in favour of a return along the blazed trail to Blundell’s track and the hostelry. The difficulties were enormous, for there were precipitous ridges and gullies to traverse, and the going through the bush was exceedingly arduous. However, the men took up their burden and the gruelling journey began. No praise could be too great for the exhausting work of the members of this relief -party. It was soon found that unless some means could be found for sccuri ig quicker progress it would be eigiit or nine o’clock last night before the hostel [would be reached. Mr, Larsen decided the best way would be to set about cutting the track he had blazed on the out- : ward journey, and Messrs. Anthony and ' Olson immediately set out for North Egmont to obtain axes. Mr Larsen also returned for axes.

During the absence of this relief party other searchers had been steadily arj riving at the hostel and two further relief parties were dispatched during the day. At 12.36 Mr. Hal Larsen led out Alessrs. J. Pettigrew, R. V. Kay, J. Peters, C. Coldrick, F. Coldrick, O. Peters, V. Arthur, P. Aitken, P. Thomson (Mayor of Stratford), J. W. Patterson, W. Pettigrew and Warwick. Then at 3.15 the last party, comprising 13 men mostly from Stratford, set out under the leadership of Air. A. Lambert, armed with electric torches and spare batteries. The 12.30 party picked up the original relief party in Cedar Valley. The work of cutting a track through the bush was attacked from both ends, and altogether nearly two miles of track was cut. This made the going much quicker than had been anticipated, and the combined parties reached the house with the body at 5.15 p-m. The body was immediately sent to Stratford and the men, wet to the skin and for the most part worn out with fatigue, returned. home as quickly as possible.