ACTIONS DEFENDED

Taranaki Daily News, 27 May 1933, Page 4 (Supplement)

ACTIONS DEFENDED

TRAMPING PARTY’S REPLY. THE LIGHTING OF FIRES. Explaining that they are reopening the discussion because they consider it necessary to reply to Mr. F. W. Vosseler, president of the Federated Mountain Clubs, three of the four members of the tramping party which went missing last month have issued a statement. Replying to a letter from Mr. Vosseler, published on May 2, they state:— First of all we must express our great admiration and deep appreciation for the excellent staff work done by Mr. Vosseler in organising the Wellington search parties and in co-ordinating their efforts with those of the Masterton search party committee. We must also thank him for the way he reassured the public as to the probable safety of our party. We feel it was only his longcontinued and varied experience as a tramper that enabled him so effectively to do these things. The public also knew this and rightly had confidence in his assurance that seasoned, experienced trampers such as he knew were in our party do not easily succumb even in the most difficult of weather conditions. We have no doubt that Mr. Vosseler based his criticism of our tramping tactics on some of the erroneous and selfcontradictory press reports that appeared in New Zealand dailies. In justice to Mr. Vosseler we feel that a few more of the actual facts of the case should be made known to him. Mr. Vosseler made specific mention of the following points: the party selected the worst possible route; the Mangatarera valley should have been chosen; bright fires should have been kept going by night and heavy smoke fires by day; directions should have been left at our. camps; and we should have noticed the smoke from the fire at Sayer’s Hut at Totara Flats.

Mr. O’Keefe’s accident was not of such a nature'as to necessitate our leaving the ridge; it merely delayed us a couple of hours. It was not a question of selecting any route. We were going to Holdsworth, but after an hour’s , going through increasingly heavy mist and rain, we found ourselves descending on the west side. This was where we had left the high ridge leading to Holdsworth. Night was coming on, the gale increasing in violence, so we carried on to the bush which was reached after nightfall. We “camped” on a precipitous wooded slope intending to retrace our steps the following morning. At daybreak conditions had definitely altered for the worse and as the night had proved that we could remain on the valley-side only in a sitting position, the one possible course was the alternative route to Holdsworth, via Francis Creek. Though we traversed the shingle beaches of the upper Waio-hine-iti at a rapid rate we soon found that the incessant rain made it impossible not only to ford the river, but also to pick Francis Creek from among the other smaller creeks that had by now assumed swollen proportions. We were therefore trapped. As Mr. Vosseler evidently expected us to light huge fires, we would remind him of Dr. Kidson’s weather report for severe spell of westerly weather. From the 14th to the 27th, there was scarcely a day without strong and’squally winds, from a westerly quarter. They were especially boisterous in the ranges, the night of the 18th to 19th and the 23rd being the roughest period. On the 23rd a very deep depression crossed the Dominion and the strong southerly winds which followed it brought a severe cold snap. On this day and the next there was heavy snow in the ranges, and many places experienced hail showers. The whole period was a very wet one for districts with a westerly aspect. Thunderstorms occurred in some parts of the country on the 18th, 19th and 21st to 23rd.”

This report should be sufficient, but one or two additional facts are apparently necessary. Often owing to the heavy rain, sometimes because of the hail or snow there were days when, even with [ the assistance of candles and chemical fuel, we could not light a fire big enough to heat a cup of water. After she had discarded her sleeping bag, Miss Williams carried dead beech in her pack., The men carried beech twigs with them and resorted to tire old bushman’s dodge of sleeping on branches at night so that a fire might eventually be made. This will indicate the efforts we made to light fires, and the slight difficulties under which we were working. We did not leave directions as to our movements because of the absolute futility of the procedure. We knew that searchers could not possibly locate our camp sites in the bush, situated as they were in depressions to protect us from the weather, or under fallen trees, or in creek beds.

At Totara Flats we made a big blaze —our first opportunity—knowing that search parties should be near. Our camp was half an hour upstream from Sayer’s Hut, which we must have passed about 8.30 the next morning. As We had noticed footprints and cattle we were keenly on .the alert examining both sides

of the river not only for signs of the searchers, but also for some indication as to the track used by the cattle to reach the fiats. Our detailed examination in clear weather of our surroundings revealed no clue, as to the whereabouts of the searchers. We certainly saw no smoke. ’ ■ ■ ■ - If Mr. Vosseler would like any more detail we are willing to give it to him, but we earnestly desire that it should hot be done publicly. There has been too much misrepresentation, recrimination, and controversial argument already. It is fitting that we should be tried at the bar of public opinion, but we wish it to be an informed public opinion. We have not consulted. Mr. O’Keefe about this letter as we do not want to retard his recovery any furthef- by inflicting the unnecessary pain that Mr. Vosseler’s letter would cause.—We are, etc., E. HILL. W. B. SUTCH. M. M. WILLIAMS. Palmerston North, May 9. \