TRAMPERS LOST

Taranaki Daily News, 14 January 1932, Page 7

TRAMPERS LOST

ALPINE TRAGEDY FEARED

THREE young men missing ONE BELIEVED TO BE DEAD SEARCHERS OUT ALL NIGHT COUNTRY VERY DANGEROUS By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, Last Night. Tragedy is 'believed to have overtaken B camping party of three Canterbury school teachers in Harman Pass on the main .alpine divide. The missing men are Charles (Bernard) Bobbins, married, aged 27, residing with his wife and children at 11 Bunyan Street, Waltham, Harold .Smith, aged 25, residing at 4 Chancellor Street, Shirley, and Keith Loney, aged 06, living at Hills Road, Heathcote. Word of the tragedy was brought to Bealey this morning by J. F. Wilson,? also a school teacher, who had been out with another party. About five miles from the Carrington Hut this morning, he said, they came upon Loney, who was suffering from lack of food. Loney told them that the three men had pitched their camp on top of the Harman Pass, meaning to spend the night there. They had been enow-bound, and used up their food. (Doubt exihts as to how long the men have been exposed, but it is probable that they have been out over the weekend. Apparently Smith suffered most, and it is believed that he is dead. Robbins had wandered off, and it is not known what has become of him. • Loney attempted to get to the Carrington Hut to secure help, and was on his way there when found by Wilson and his .party. It is doubtful whether he could have reached the hut, for the party took 3J hours to get back there after he was found. WORK OF SEARCH PARTIES. Wilson arrived at Bealey in a dazed condition. He stated that the party was lost on January 6 in the ranges. They had no sleep for three nights, and did not reach the Carrington Hut, but were near the Wilberforce between the Waimakariri and the West Coast. Wilson refused to rest at Bealey, states a Greymouth message, but after a bath and food went with a search party which took supplies and food, and is not expected to return to Bealey until to-morrow. It is reported that another search party left Christchurch at noon. ■Mrs. Robbins stated to-day that the three men had been planning the trip for some weeks. They left Christchurch on January 4 for Hokitika, intending to walk back-to Arthur’s Pass, and later climb Mount Rolleston. They left Hokitika on the morning of January 5 to tramp over the Browning and White Horn passes into the Bealey. Apparently, some disaster overtook the party 'l7 miles up the Bealey River. ■Every available man at Bealey is engaged in the search, as well as parties from Christchurch, Otira, Springfield and Arthur’s Pass, but none is expected fo get .back until morning. " The route to the Carrington Hut is very rough, and from the hut to Harman Pass is very much more so, and searchers could not average more than two miles an hour. The route from Browning Pass to Harman Pass is very rough and is the way the exposed men must have gone from Browning Pass for a mile or so to Park Morpeth Hut. From there they would have followed up the Cronin River for about seven miles to White Horn Pass. White Horn Pass is a long rift giving access to Harman Pass. The country.is very rough and treacherous, and, being on the divide, is swept by storms which reach a terrific intensity. It is several miles from Harman Pass down the Taipoiti and Whit e Rivers to the Carrington Hut in the Waimakariri River bed, arid from there it is about 11 miles to the junction of the Bealey near the Bealey Hotel. A strong westerly was blowing high up to-day, and the divide between Canterbury and the West Coast is packed with clouds. It is quite probable that the clouds are low down on the mountains and on Harman Pass, where ft would be raining or snowing. OTHER MEN MAY BE MISSING. BELIEVED TO BE PROSPECTORS. Greymouth, Last Night. The latest report from Bealey is that six men are feared to be missing between Harman Pass and the Carrington Hut in region separating the upper reaches of the Wilberforce and Bealey Rivers. The three first reported were Smith, Robbins and Loney. The others include Sweeney, reported to belong to Hokitika and Lunn, of Canterbury. The name of the third is not yet ascertainable. In addition to searchers from Arthur’s Paes and Otira two Christchurch parties are en route to-night travelling up the difficult country between the Bealey and Waimakariri Rivers. An unconfirmed report is that some of the missing men are gold prospectors. The weather to-night is fine in the Bealey district. Constable J. Kearney, of Cobden, left here this afternoon by train to join the searchers. It is reported that other campers in the hush country 17 miles from Bealey have found Loney and that he is safe, but the fate of the others will probably remain unknown until to-morrow.