Removal Of The Bodies Easier In Fine Weather

Wanganui Chronicle, 1 November 1948, Page 6

Removal Of The Bodies Easier In Fine Weather

OHAKUNE, Sunday, ‘•Chronicle” Staff Reporter).- -1 he ideal weather which prevailed yesterday in the Mount Ruaehu area was one of the main factors responsible lor the success in bringing 12 01 tiie 13 bodies ol vicfims of die Electra smasn to the ease at the top oi the Mangat urutuvu Valley. Heavy rain in Ohakune shortly after midnight made conditions ior the trip to the wreckage unpronii...ng and when the wind increased ana heavier rain fell- it was thought tnat there would be little hope oi the panv moving on. Conditions on die mountain on Friday night wcie liiglitiui, according to members of the paity. Most ul the trampers had settled down when rain began io xall suddenly and it was not long be*ore everyone was drenched to tne skin. The strong north-westerly wind auded. to the unpleasantness oi the night and no one enjoyed any sleep. There were ample supplies of firewood in'the vicinitv of the camp and large lifts were kept burning ail night. So baa was the weather that many local residents thought that tnere was a possibility ol another fall of snow. The weather cleared early in the morning and when the advance party moved off to the wreckage, the weather was line with a lair amount of cloud. As the morning progressed the amount oi cloud decreased until during the afternoon the mountain was silhouetted against a cloudless blue sky. The dav was one ol tne finest experienced in the district ior some time and lull advantage of it was taken by the advance parties to get the bodies of the victims as fai down the mountain as possible. “We were wrapped in our blankets, loking up at th e stars and discussing astronomy when the rain suddenly began to fall,” staled a member ol the party. He added that the rain Tell m torrents throughout the night and no one was able to snatch a wink ol sleep.

Last night conditions on the Manga'turuturu plateau were good, with a clear sky and a warm temperature. More food was available and most members of the party spent a comfortable night. Some of those who had been to the scene of the crash and assisted with the removal ol the bodies were so weary and worn that they could have slept anywhere. This morning there was a light fall of rain on the mountain about o a.m. but it merely served to waken the sleepers. For a while the western slopes of the mountain were shrouded

in cloud, but before daylight they were clear.

Employees of the State Forest Service and Army personnel brought the bodies down to the foot ol the mountain at Cowern’s Hut. From here they were -brought to the mill on

trucks oii the mill tramline. CcnuTions on the mountain were fine today and a party ol six civilians, all 'members of the district with an intimate knowledge of tlie mountain, left for the wreckage to look lor the missing body. It was thought, that it might be located as the snow melted away.