“INTENSE COLD IS PARALYSING.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18971, 21 January 1930, Page 5

“INTENSE COLD IS PARALYSING.”

WHAT A BUZZARD - MEANS TO CUMBERS. A glowing tribute to the work of Student-Guide 0. Ililgendcrf is paid by Mr Roy Twvnehani. solicitor, of this city, who returned from Mount Cook last evening. Mr Twyneham has had extensive climbing experience, and was at the Hermitage when the news of the tragedy was brought in. “When 1 saw Hilgendorf at the Hermitage on his return, he was all in,” said Mr Twyneham. “After the awful day he had put in, he was i:i the last stages of exhaustion. "It was a wonderful performance,” Mr Twyneham continued, “Hilgendorf had to crawl for five miles on his hands and knees. It was only his superb fitness and strength that enabled him to get through at all. I climbed with him a few' days before, and know what he wa» like.” That there was nothing that could have been done to prevent the tragedy, is the opinion of Mr Twyneham. He says that everything possible was done by everybody concerned, and that the tragedy was due to the severity of the weather. Mr Hilgendorf who had stayed behind at the Malte Brun Hut to clean up, left for the Ball Hut as soon as his work was finished. His first intimation of the tragedy was when he stumbled over the ruc-sac which was carried by Student-Guide Blomfield. Then he found the bodies of the four women, and he pushed on to the Ball Hut with the news, the journey being most gruelling and including five miles of crawling over the ice. From the Ball Hut to the Hermitage, the news was taken by Dr J. C. Bradshaw, and immediately a party of guides, student guides, and packers was sent out under Chief Guide Vic Williams to recover the bodies. In spite of the terrible journey he had just made, Mr Hilgendorf accompanied this party from the Ball Hut to the place where the bodies lay. At that time he knew no more than that Blomfield was missing, as he had not seen him, but when the body was discovered, it was only 150 yards away from where the women lay. Blomfield was practically naked, all his clothing having been given to the women. He was apparently on. his way back to the hut to get blankets for the rest of the party, but was able to get only 150 yards. “Blomfield was a most skilful guide,” said Mr Twyneham, “and no one at the Hermitage, guides included, knew the Glacier better than he did. The weather was moderately good when they set out, but a blizzard - comes on with wonderful suddenness. They must have been dead within an hour and a half of leaying the hut, as they were only four miles away when found.” Mr Twyneham describes the part of the glacier where the tragedy occurred as almost flat. The party was on the regular route from the. Ball Hut down the glacier. There is no track, as it is all solid ice, but the route down the glacier and across the median moraine between the Ball and Tasman Glaciers is the one always used. No mountaineering knowledge is needed to traverse this route. It is possible for anyone who can walk to do it. “None of the girls were experienced in climbing,” said Mr Twyneham. “But all of them were fit. One of the girls was found to have a blackened face, and this gave rise to the suggestion that she had been struck by lightning. It was probably due to frostbite, however, as her clothing was not burned.” Mr Twyneham, who has experienced blizzards in the Mount Cook region, says that the one on Sunday must have been as bad as any that has ever happened on the glacier. It was unusual in that it combined a blizzard of extraordinary ferocity with a most severe electrical storm. “It is only by practically running, and jumping crevasses, that you can hope to maintain circulation,” said Mr Twyneham. “The intense cold is paralysing, and if you stop, you freeze. A blizzard is a wind of high velocity carrying hail and sleet, and to cope with it one needs to be dressed for the Arctic regions. I have come down the glacier in moderate blizzards, although never in one as bad as Sunday s. By running you have a chance, if you manage by luck to miss the crevasses. To get_ through a blizzard .perfect physical fitness is necessary.” WERE THEY STRUCK BY LIGHTNING? GUIDE ADVANCES THEORY FOR TRAGEDY. (Special to the “Star.”) THE HERMITAGE, January 20. The party left the Hermitage on Saturday morning for Malte Brun hut, where they stayed the night. They left cn Sunday morning on the return jourGuide C. Hilgendorf, who went to the hut tailier in the week, left to return an hour later than the party, having stayed to tidy the hut. The other five were overtaken by a severe blizzard near de le Beche Cor ner and perished. Here they were found by Guide Hilgendorf. i he theory of Mr Williams, chief guide, is that they were struck by lightning. as one of the bodies was black. Blomfield gave most of his clothes to the women and went back for help, but perished. A party of seven guides went up on Sunday afternoon to recover the bodies, but it w'as too late in the day to bring them back. A big party went up to-day, but were only able to get within half-a mile of the bodies. The storm was the worst for twentytwo years. An inquest probably will be held to morrow. Mr W. Williamson left for the Hermitage yesterday afternoon with Mrs Keane, mother of the late Miss Helena Keane. ' VIOLENT STORMS STILL RAGING. BODIES ARE NOT YET RECOVERED. Per Press Association. TIMARU, January 20. h?*test news from the Hermitage, received at 11.30 to-night, is to the effect that an effort was made to recover the bodies, but the weather made it impossible to reach the scene of the tragedy. It is understood that a relief party will be organised to-morrow morning. The weather in the district is still bad. and violent storms are raging. The tragedy occurred as the party were making their way down the centre of the glacier, the most difficult part

of the journey having been traversed. Guide Hilgendorf advances the theory that the party was struck by lightning. An inquest probably will be opened at the Hermitage to-morrow. Considerable difficulty is being experienced by motorists endeavouring to reach the Hermitage from Timaru, as heavy rain has made some parts of the route almost impassable, many cars being held up in the mountain regions.