WEATHER PREVENTS THE RESCUE OF AN INJURED MAN IN ALPINE HUT

Wanganui Chronicle, 24 February 1949, Page 5

WEATHER PREVENTS THE RESCUE OF AN INJURED MAN IN ALPINE HUT

Timaru, Last Night (PA).—Atrocious weather which has turned mountain streams into impassable torrents has prevented the rescue of a t tamper who is lying unconscious in the Hooker Hut in the Mt. Cook region. He is Mr. James Butcher, of Dasent Street, Karori, retired, aged about 60, who fell about 100 feet down a steep bluff and suffered head injuries.

An eventful night and day was spent by rescuers attempting to bring him to safety, but so far the weather has won the battle. Tonight it shows no signs of abating, but as soon as it does further rescuers and equipment will be commissioned to bring Mr. Butcher to hospital with the greatest speed possible.

Between 3 o’clock on Tuesday afternoon and 8 o’clock tonight 15 inches of rain fell in the Hermitage area.

A party of seven members of the Tararua Tramping Club was making a crossing of‘the Copland Pass from west to east. The party, which comprised Misses V. Hitchmaugh and L Murison, Messrs. M. Bishop, R. Braithwaite, V. R. McCredie, K. J. Whittaker and Butcher, all of Wellington, left the Douglas Rock Hut in the Copland Valley, at 5.30 a.m. on Tuesday and at 7.15 p.m. was stationary while packs were lowered down a bluff before the trampers descended. Mr. Butcher apparently moved to one side, lost his footing and fell about 100 ft. It was a fairly step par-: of the crossing and Mr. Butcher came to rest in a creek bed al the bottom of the bluff. Other members of the party went down to him, but could not ascertain the extent of his injuries. It was raining hard at the time, but it was not cold. The leader of the party, Mr. Whittaker, decided to make for the Hermitage, a distance of eight miles, for assistance, and left the other members of the party to make the best possible arrangements for Mr. Butcher. Making the eight miles in good time, Mr. Whittaker reached The Hermitage at 10 p.m. and the manager of The Hermitage (Mr. L. S Dennis) dispatched a party of guides, unde r Chief Guide M. Bowie, at 11 p.m.

By this time the rain had been teeming down for some time and the

guides returned at 2 o'clock yesterday morning with a report that they could not take the route traversed by Mr. Whittaker because of swollen creeks, which were impassable. The guides waited for first light and set off again b\ another route, around