AVALANCHE VICTIMS.

Wairarapa Age, 8 July 1936, Page 5

AVALANCHE VICTIMS.

DIFFICULT JOURNEY MADE BY AMBULANCE. OVER SNOW-COVERED ROADS TO INVERCARGILL. DRIVER’S GALLANT EFFORT. ►> INVERCARGILL, July 7. The story of a dash through the night over snow-covered made from Cascade Creek, 147 miles from Invercargill on the Te Anau-Mil-ford Road, with two seriously injured men—Messrs J. McLauchlan and W. Mac Ka y—was told today by Mr. J. H. Whitmore, driver of the camp ambulance at Homer Tunnel. The men were injured in the avalanche which yesterday crashed down the Homer Saddle and engulfed a crib house in which Percy Leigh Overton was trapped by a great mass of snow and ice and five other men were injured. The fall of snow and ice, which occurred at llds a.m., was an exceptionally heavy one. It slid silently from the top of the saddle down the face and crashed across the mouth of the tunnel. About 20 men were working in the tunnel and 20 more were outside the mouth. The men had no warning of the approaching avalanche. Overton was in the crib house at the month of the tunnel, the building being directly in the path of the avalanche. It was completely engulfed and was smashed to pieces and it was not until an hour later that Overton’s body was recovered. Just out of the direct line of the avalanche was the recently erected wineh house, in which Mclauchlan and Mac Kay, carpenters, were working. McLauchlan was thrown into the air over a bank and 20 to 30 feet down into a pithead. Mac Kay was jammed against a winch wheel.

Dr. Bell, of Lumsden, who went up to Cascade Creek yesterday, would net allow the two seriously injured men to be transferred to the St. John ambulance from Invercargill, which had to retrace its steps. It ran out of petrol and had to be left on the side of the road all night, the driver and assistant taking shelter in a roadman’s hnt. The other vehicle is fitted up as a camp ambulance canteen and ambulance and is fully equipped with ventilators and interior lights. When news of the accident reached headquarters, the camp ambulance there immediately set out for the tunnel 7 J miles away. Heavy snow made the going hard and after the first mile the ambulance was towed by a snow plough, five miles of the way being covered in three htmrs. The two men, who had been attended to by Mr. 8. N. Shaw, medical attendant at Homer Saddle, were then placed in the ambulance and made comfortable with mattresses, blankets and straw and the return trip to headquarters began. Dr. Bell had arrived there at 7 p.m. and was awaiting the ambulance. While he was examining the injured men, Whitmore and Shaw made their preparations for the journey to Invereargill. They left Cascade Creek at 3.20 last night and passed through Te Anau at 12.30, eventually reaching the Southland Hospital at 4 o’clock this morning. The road to Mossburn was covered with snow to a depth of about four inches, but the car was fitted with chains and, despite falling snow, good progress wits made. Near Castlerock, however, it seemed as if they would get no further, as water across the road reached to the running boards. This was safely negotiated and at Dipton the snow ceased and gave place to rain. The chains were discarded and all speed was made for the city, with only one stoppage when a policeman looked out of the darkness and halted thenar to make enquiries before allowing them to proceed. This occupied only a few minutes and the injured men were safely placed in the Southland Hospital, where full preparations had been made for their reception. The distance of 147 miles from Cascade Creek -to Invercargill was traversed in 6 j hours. During the journey down, the injured men, who'were kept warm with hot water bottles, were well looked after by Mr. Shaw, who had thermos flasks of tea and other forms of nourishment. A converted Public Works ambulance was loaded with stores and equipment and Mr. Whitmore set out on the return trip this afternoon. He has had no sleep since Sunday night.—(P.A.)

CONDITION OF INJURED. ALL WORK SUSPENDED TEMPORARILY. INVERCARGILL, July 7 The condition of John McLauehlan, of Mandeville, and William Mac Kay of Caversham, Dunedin, who were seriously injured in the avalanche at Homer Tunnel yesterday and brought to Invercargill during the night by ambulance, was reported to-night to be satisfactory. The other five injured men are evidently being treated at the base camp. As A result of the accident, all work has been suspended temporarily while there is any possibility of further falls and the camp has been removed to a place of safety. This afternoon an en deavour was being made to bring out all women and children from Homer to Cascade Creek, but everything would depend on the state of the road, which is said to be covered with snow to a depth of over three feet.—(P.A.)

SAFETY OF TRAFFIC. DISTRICT ENGINEER’S OPINION. Invercargill, July 7. When the District Engineer of the Public Works Department (Mr. T. M. Ball) was communicated with at Dunedin ffiis evening and asked to comment on the safety of the Te AnauMilford Road, he made the following statement: “There is an element of danger from avalanches on all mountain roads, but when the Te Anau-Mil-lord Road is open for traffic this danger will be minimised by the fact that there will be surfacemen on the road to give travellers ample warning when conditions are such that it would be unwise to proceed. This should occur only a few times in winter. If the risk of an avalanche is serious, motorists will be prohibited by fhe surfacemen from proceeding. These surface,well y ersed in conditions making the hazard of proceeding too great—a thaw caused by rain following on a heavy fall of snow on the mourn * ai ° s,de ~-bu t “ S 1 have P revi °usly said, ■uch conditions will rarely occur. On ■Il mountain roads there is the same

risk. The Milford Road is a departure in road construction in New Zealand, but there is no need for alarm about the safety of the road when it is opened for traffic. This is my considered opinion, based on the knowledge that the surfacemen will protect motorists from undue risk when the conditions are unsafe.—(P.A.)