RUAPEHU SEARCH ENDED

Taranaki Daily News, 22 September 1931, Page 5

RUAPEHU SEARCH ENDED

DISCOVERY OF STANTON reduction made with new map SURVEYOR DOES GOOD WORK. Details of the finding on Sunday of the body of Warwick Stanton, the Auckland student who was lost on Ruapehu, ©how that the discovery was made on the left bank of the northern tributary of the Makatote River. The body was lying face downward, almost concealed from view by a thick tangle of undergrowth. The place where the body was found is identical with the locality described by Mr. H. A. Addis as the spot where he left Mr. Stanton in an exhausted condition on the afternoon of Monday, August 31. The searchers saw no marks to indicate that Mr. Stanton had moved. There were no injuries on the body, and it is abundantly clear that he had never moved from the place where Mr. Addis last eaw him. The discovery was made by a party of surveyors from the Wellington staff of the Lands and Survey Department, directed by Mr. F. H. Waters, chief surveyor, and Mr. W. G. Nelson, who knows the locality intimately, having been engaged on the survey Of the upper Makatoetoe area last year. The others in the party were Mr. H. Davin and Mr. F. L. Stewart, of the Survey staff, and a Horopito bushman, Mr. D. Pannell. WELL ABOVE SNOW LINE. “We found the body just where Mr. Addis said it would be,” eaid Mr. Nelson. “It was lying some distance up the left bank of the "Stream, half a mile above the survey line and five miles from the main road and the railway. We had narrowed down the search, thanks |o information supplied by Mr. Addis, to &n area of bush roughly 30 acres in extent, which we combed thoroughly by beating it through, line abreast. The Remains were in a good state of preservation. They were almost concealed beieatii the low-lying branches of a tree. I have no doubt that earlier search barties passed within a few feet of the body and never saw it because it was lying in a relatively dense piece of bush. It was well above the snow line, although it was obvious that it had been covered by snow at some time.” Mr. Waters expressed the conviction from his examination of the body that Mr.- Stanton had died a very short time after Mr. Addis left him. “There was every appearance that he died peacefully, and I am of the opinion that after he collapsed and was dragged into the shelter of the bushes he stayed there and never recovered. The struggle he had gone through in the bush would have been enough to knock out the strongest man. I should think that he just fell asleep, and did not wake up.” PARTY OUTS WAY OUT. After the examination of the body had been made, Messrs. Waters and Nelson returned to the road to convey the news and arrange for the carrying out 6t the body. The remainder of the party stayed behind, and commenced putting a track wide enough to take a Stretcher party through the thick undergrowth to the base camp, established at jhe work of the river. A remarkable process of deduction led to the discovery of Mr. Stanton’s, body, »nd the credit* for the success of the final search lies with Mr. W. G. Nelson, of the Lande and Survey Department, Wellington, who only last year completed a detailed survey of the locality from which a new map of National Park is to be published. He took a prominent part in the search almost from the start, but soon became dissatisfied with the theory that, because Mr. Stanton was not found where Mr. Addis said he had left him, on the left bank of the northern tributary of the Makatote, the exhausted man had therefore recovered knd wandered away. Mr. Nelson was Convinced that even if he had regained Consciousness he would not have had the strength to move more than a few hundred yards. He held the opinion that the continuance of the search on the southern tributary of the river was profitless. INTERVIEW. WITH JJR. ADDIS. Acting on this assumption, Mr. Nelson jwent to Auckland last week and interviewed Mr. Addis, who last saw Mr. Stanton alive. Mr. Addis reiterated his Jtory and mapped out the course of his ourney after leaving his companion on detailed plans drawn up by Mr. Nelson. The main point in dispute was which of the two main tributaries of the Makatote the pair had endeavoured to follow In their desperate dash through the bush to bring help to the lost girls. “Mr. Nelson’s new map made all the difference,” said Mr. Addis, when Informed of the discovery of Mr. Stanton’s body. “It is much more accurate than the old maps in its' detail, and I could follow much more clearly the course I had taken. The fact that I had been on both branches of the river at one time or another made matters Very confusing, but Mr. Nelson’s exact knowledge of the terrain helped things, immensely. ‘Tie asked me whether I remembered ynming to a swamp after I had crossed the ridge from one branch to the other by following the survey track, and I recollected immediately. ‘Well, then, said Mr. Nelson, “that is the stream ■where you left Mr. Stanton.’ He seemed to know exactly the speed at which I was travelling through the bush and reckoned back, hour by hour, to the place where I epent the night alone, and then to the place where I left Mr. Stanjon about 100 yards up the bank.” SUCCESSFUL END TO SEARCH. Having, as he believed, located Mr. fltanton’s position to within an area 30 acres in extent, Mr. Nelson returned to the scone of operations. Meanwhile, Mr. Waters convinced the chairman of the National Park Board, Mr. W. Robertson, that a small party of surveyors under Mr. Nelson’s leadership would stand a good chance of success in bringing the search to a conclusion. ( Mr. Waters joined Mr. Nelson at Ohakune early in the week and, with two othbr surveyors, followed up the line of evidence obtained from Mr. Addis. The surveyors spent several days searching the area of dense bush which they had determined upon and were rewarded early on Sunday morning. Tbe credit for finding th# body of Mr. Stanton, when all the other search parties had failed, is shared by a Horopito bushman, Mr. D. Oannell, who joined. the successful survey party in an unexpected fashion. Mr. Cannell was found

by the surveyors on Saturday wandering alone on the mountain above the bush line, and asked to be allowed to join them. He said he had undertaken a eearch on his own account, having gone up the Mangaturuturu Stream, and had spent a number of nights in the open. He was not very sure where he was, and he was travelling very light in provisions. He was permitted to remain with the party and accomplished some very useful work. TRIBUTE TO MR. ADDIS. “I am certain Mr. Addis did the right and proper thing in leaving Mr. Stanton while he struggled on in an attempt to reach the railway,” said Mr. F. H. Waters, chief surveyor, Lands and Survey Department, Wellington. Mr. Waters said the two men had decided on the Monday afternoon, after their party of eight had been on the mountain for two nights, that unless help was obtained immediately the girls would die of exposure. They were determined to make a wild dash through the bush, hugging the streams, until they could reach the road and railway, but, unfortunately, Mr. Stanton’s strength gave out in the battle with the terrible undergrowth. “Seeing that they were out to achieve that end, it was Mr. Addis' duty to push on when his companion fell out,” said Mr. Waters, “and it is to his credit that he attempted the feat alone. Personally, I am of opinion that he would never have had the strength to continue the journey through the bush, knowing what it is like, and I believe he would have met Mr. Stanton’s fate if he had not been found. But to have remained with Mr Stanton would equally have meant death for them both, for they had neither matches with which to light a fire, nor dry wood to keep it burning, and, weakened as he was through the ojikul, M®. Addis could not have survived hi© companion much longer had he remained. He must Save perished with the cold.”

BROUGHT OUT OF THE BUSH. By Telegraph—Press Association. Taumarunui, Last Night. At daybreak to-day a party led by Mr. W. G. Nelson set off into the bush from Pederson’s Mill, Pokako, to recover the body of Warwick Stanton. They found the going better than during the search operations three weeks ago and reached the spot where the body lay just before 9 o’clock. A stretcher was improvised and the party set off on the sad journey back with the body at 9.15, arriving at Pederson’s Mill at 2 o’clock this afternoon. The body was then conveyed to Taumarunui, where an inquest for, identification purposes was held to-night, the body going on to Auckland to-night.