FATALITY FEARED
STUDENT-TEACHER MISSING.
CLIMBER AT ARTHUR’S PASS.
CAUGHT IN A SNOW SLIDE.
(Per Press Association). CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Grave anxiety is felt for the safety of Mr Edgar Russell, of the Teachers’ Training College, who has been missed from a party which attempted to climb Avalanche Peak, Arthur’s Pass, yesterday. He may have been caught in a snow slide which injured two others. His absence was not noticed until the party was returning to the township.
BLIZZARD PREVENTS SEARCH.
FEARED BURIED IN SNOW SLIDE.
CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Up till 1 p.m. there was no news of the missing climber, Mr Edgar Russell, who is aged 23. A search party had to turn back while on Avalanche Peak owing to wretched weather this morning. They found a snow slide 150 yards long, 90 yards wide and 8 feet thick. It is about 200 feet from the peak. Mr Russell, it is believed, is buried in this snow, but a blizzard, now raging following frost, makes search impossible. In fact, Guide Coberger says the body may not be found until the thaw in the spring. More snow fell last night. -Ashburton Guardian, 31/7/1933.
SEARCH PARTY RETURN.
RUSSELL GIVEN UP FOR LOST.
By Telegraph—Press Association CHRISTCHURCH, July 31. After searching at Avalanche Peak, Arthur's Pass, under blizzard conditions, for Samuel Edgar Russell, a party to-day had to give up hope of finding the young man alive. It has since been almost definitely established that he was lost in the snow slide which injured two other climbers. Until the weather at the Pass changes it will be impossible for the search to be continued, and members of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club, who were at the Pass, returned to Christchurch to-day. There was some doubt when Russell was first missed whether he had actually been with the party when the snowslide occurred, but it is now known that he was seen well above the snow line, and was therefore almost certainly among those who encountered the snowslide not far from the top. The party to-day made as thorough a search as was possible under difficult conditions, but found no trace of Russell. During the night there had been a heavy fall of snow. -Timaru Herald, 1/8/1933.
HOPE ABANDONED.
No Prospect of Finding Russell Alive.
STORMY CONDITIONS AT PASS.
(Special to the "Star.”) ARTHURS PASS, August 1. The search for the body of Edgar Russell was continued this morning in bitterly cold conditions. Three students, who arrived from Christchurch at midnight, set out early to follow the route taken by Sunday’s party, in the hope of finding Russell below the woodline. Weather conditions prohibited them from going higher as it was blowing a blizzard on Avalanche Peak. They stated before they set out that it was not their intention to go above the bushline. It was pointed out that uncertainty existed as to whether Russell ever left the bush, and it was thought that the missing climber might have gone off on some climb of his own, and in this case was not involved in the snow slide which caught his companions. Speed is essential if the search for Russell is to be an immediate success, for fresh snow may fall and bury his body still deeper. Happening as it did in a basin, any new avalanche of snow will tend to pile up over the scene of the accident, thus increasing the hardships of the search. It is feared that the present nor’-west weather may turn to south-west and bring a heavy fall of snow with it.
A Big Effort. Guide Oscar Coberger said this morning that a determined effort would be made on Friday for, should the weather improve, a big party of climbers under Mr John Pascoe would proceed to the Pass from Christchurch on the Thursday’s express. He expected that there would be at least twenty climbers taking part in the search. The tragedy has cast a gloom over Arthur’s Pass. All hope that Russell might be alive has now passed. He could never have survived two freezingly cold nights in the bush, with wet clothes and without a fire. He would not have been able to light a fire in any case because the undergrowth and bush is soaked as a result of the heavy rains. The members of the party which set out this morning were Messrs R. Clark, A. S. Griffin and W. M. E. Mirams. They are sanguine that something of Russell may be discovered, along Rough Creek, and it is also their intention to search the ridges about the Avalanche Peak track. The trio set out shortly after 9 o’clock, and intend to return late this afternoon.
Small Parties. One aspect of mountaineering to which the fatality has drawn attention is the necessity for climbers forming themselves into small, wieldy parties, from three to five persons. Sunday’s party actually consisted of three parties, which joined forces and gave a total of 18 climbers. Though this number included experienced mountaineers, they could not be held responsible for the fact that Russell was not missed, because the experienced men did not know most of the other members of the party. Messrs Felix Harvey and Leith Wade were to have gone out on a search this morning, but as they intended again to investigate the snow-slide area, they had to abandon their plans. Mr Harvey, who was formerly a guide at the Fox Glacier, was of the opinion that it would be impossible to negotiate the upper reaches of Avalanche Peak in the prevailing weather. The snowcap of the peak was shrouded in vapour this morning, and it was apparent that it was blowing a blizzard there. In Arthur's Pass township, after a beautifully clear night, to-day was overcast and freezingly cold, with rain falling heavily from 10 o’clock. Snow fell early this morning at Cora Lynn and Bealev.
Previous Accidents. On two previous occasions the treacherous Avalanche Peak has been the scene of accidents. A Mr Turner broke one of his legs when he was making an ascent about two years ago, and just before that another climber, Mr H. M’D. Vincent, was injured and had to be brought down. Not long ago Miss Lorrimer was caught in a crevasse on Mount Rolleston and was severely injured.
COVERED IN SNOW.
Injured Climber Makes Statement.
(Special to the “Star”) DUNEDIN, August 1. W. S. Gilkison, a student at Otago University, who was a member of Sunday’s climbing party on Avalanche Peak, Arthur’s Pass, has returned to Dunedin. Mr Gilkison was injured by the same snow slide which is believed to have buried Edgar Russell. He received a severe cut on the left eye. Mr Gilkison was able to make a statement to-day. He said: “The climb is a comparatively easy one, entailing an easy ascent to the lower peak and then another shorter climb to the main peak. About forty or fifty people made the trip on the excursion train and set out for the climb, but by the time the party had reached the lower peak the numbers had dwindled to about eighteen. The final slope was being negotiated when it was swept by a snow slide. Most of the party were covered in snow, but managed to extricate themselves, and were inclined to treat the occurrence lightly. Every effort was made to ensure that all members were safe. It was then decided to return to the train, and the party broke up into several smaller groups, so that the loss of the missing man was not noticed for some time, each party thinking he was another.” -Star, 1/8/1933.
SEARCH CONTINUED
THE LOST MOUNTAINEER.
FIFTY MEN AT WORK.
(Special to the "Guardian.") ARTHUR'S PASS, August 4. To-morrow 30 searchers will scour the snowslide on Avalanche Peak which is believed to contain the body of Samuel Edgar Russell, the Training College student who was lost there on Sunday last. The weather at the Pass to-night is clear with a hard frost, and conditions on the peak in the morning should be favourable to the search. Eight parties, of from three to five climbers each, and totalling 31 in all, will leave Arthur's Pass at 6 a.m. and should arrive at the slide by 9 a.m. At least 15 more will leave the Pass at 9 a.m. and should arrive at noon. The members of this last party are from the Canterbury Mountaineering Club and will be under Mr Stuart Meares. They arrived here late tonight. Operations will be under the control of Mr Alf Brustad. The early parties will collect the shovels, food and steel rods at the bush line cache 4000 feet up, and carry them to the scene of the fatality, at 5400 feet. A trench will then be dug along the foot of the slide and probing operations will be commenced with the rods. A cookhouse will also be made in the snow. The excavators . in the trench will work upwards, filling in the old trench as they proceed. An expedition carried gear up Avalanche Peak to the bush line this afternoon, but hopes of breaking a track through to the slide did not materialise. Under Mr Brustad, six men climbed to 4500 feet and then turned back, partly because the going was in soft snow and partly because time was getting short. An icy south-west wind lashed the snow across the ridge up which the climb was made, making conditions anything but pleasant. It is hoped that to-morrow the weather and snow conditions on the peak will have improved.
HEAVY COST OF SEARCHING.
AN ART UNION PROPOSED.
WELLINGTON, August 4. The heavy expenditure involved in conducting searches for lost trampers or persons who meet with accidents in alpine country was emphasised by a deputation from the Federated Mountain Clubs which asked the Minister for Internal Affairs for permission to take part in an art union for the establishment of a search fund. At the conclusion of the conference, the Minister said he could make no promises, but he thought a case for consideration had been made out. Later the Minister brought up the question of the control of trampers, and suggested that trampers disregarding warning notices might be made liable for damages or for part of the search fund. The whole question of searching would have to be controlled. Mr A. P. Harper said that contributions would be made only to properly organised and properly-equipped search parties.
PROCEDURE AT INQUESTS.
WELLINGTON, August 4. A statement that the Justice Department had already communicated with coroners in reference to certain aspects of inquests arising out of mountaineering fatalities was made by the Hon. J. B. Cobbe, replying to a deputation from the Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand, which requested that coroners be asked to give every facility to the Federation being represented at such inquests. Mr Harper (president of the Federation) said that the only way to prevent accidents was to point out how they could be avoided. He suggested that it be pointed out to coroners that the Federation be represented so that all the facts might be elicited. In some cases the coroner was not concerned with what led to the fatality as long as he knew what had caused it. The Minister read a memorandum which stated that a communication bad been forwarded to coroners drawing their attention to instructions which have been issued to the police in regard to mountaineering accidents and requesting them to afford every facility and enable the police to give effect to the instructions. -Ashburton Guardian, 5/8/1933.
BODY FOUND
IN SEVEN FEET OF SNOW.
AVALANCHE PEAK FATALITY.
(Special to the "Guardian.") / CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. The body of Samuel Edgar Russell, the Training College student who was lost in a snow slide at Avalanche Peak, Arthur's Pass, was found by a search party early yesterday morning. Haying already dug deeply over an area of about half an acre, the party of 50 found the body seven feet down in a position which indicated that Russell's death had been almost instantaneous. He had been completely smothered by the avalanche, which itself covered him with four feet of snow. The body was brought to Christchurch last evening and given into the charge of the police.
Although the weather was fine yesterday and on Saturday, the cold was so intense near the top of the peak that the searchers had considerable difficulty in carrying out their work. The digging, which began early on Saturday, was continued all through the day till 4 p.m., without success, but about 10 o'clock yesterday morning the body was found, near the foot of the slide. The big party had begun its search about the middle, worked toward the top on Saturday, and then downward yesterday, finishing after three-quarters of an hour's work in the morning. It was an unenviable task shovelling in snow that in some places was as deep as 15 feet. Members of the party took turns, two at a' time, to keep watch in case of further avalanches, which might endanger those who were working. The air was too cold for two men to remain on watch for long at a period, and frequent changes were made.
Well-Organised Search. The body was found under seven feet of snow, three feet of which had fallen during the week. The other four feet had been brought down by the avalanche when it overwhelmed Russell. The body had been frozen. It was carried down with no great difficulty, on a stretcher. The excellent organisation of the search made the work much less difficult than it would otherwise have been. The big party of 50 searchers included members of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club and the University Tramping Club Guide Alf Brustad, formerly chief guide at The Hermitage, Mount Cook, supervised the operations. The splendid organising work done by Mr B. A. Barrer, of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club, was especially notable.
Nearly all the searchers returned to Christchurch by the excursion train last evening.
A Doctor's Evidence. An inquest was opened before the Coroner (Mr E. D. Mosley) at the Christchurch Public Hospital, and after hearing the evidence of Dr. Brian T. Wyn Irwin, of Dunedin, who identified the body and described its finding, the Coroner adjourned the inquest sine die.
Dr. Wyn Irwin said he was with the rescue party when Russell was found, at 9.30 a.m., lying under the snow at the foot of the slope. He was under about seven feet of snow, four feet of which had come down with the avalanche, and was fully clothed. A rucksack was strapped to the body, which was lying on its left side, with the head facing up the slope. The face was completely covered with a woollen helmet, and both arms were raised as if to protect the face. There were no signs of a struggle.
The witness said he made a thorough examination of the body at Arthur's Pass. The face and chest were suffused, but that was principally due to lividity which followed death. There were no outward signs of injury or shock, and witness considered that death took place almost immediately after Russell had been overwhelmed by the snow.
The body was adequately clad, he continued, and from the position of the body he did not consider that Russell had made any move which could have been seen by searchers at the time, nor could he have been located by any means other than an organised party digging over the whole locality.
Russell's body will be taken to-night to Dunedin for burial. -Ashburton Guardian, 7/8/1933.
MEMORIAL SERVICE.
Students Pay Last Respects to Dead Climber.
A short memorial service to the late Samuel Edgar Russell, victim of the snowslide tragedy at Arthur’s Pass, was held in the College Hall, Canterbury College, last night.
It was attended by members of the professorial and tutorial staff of the college, the rector and a large number of students from both the Training College, where Mr Russell was recently a student, and the University. The Canterbury Mountaineering Club and Canterbury College Tramping Club were also well represented.
The first lesson was read by Mr B. A. Barrer, of Canterbury College, and the second by Mr W. D. Williams, president of the Training College Students’ Association. The service was conducted by the Rev O. W. Williams, who read selected portions of the burial service, together with appropriate prayers. Two hymns were sung, “O God. Our Help in Ages Past” and “They Whose Course on Earth is O’er.'’
At the conclusion of the service the coffin was carried out by members of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club and the Canterbury College Tramping Club to the waiting hearse. The coffin was despatched by the night train to Dunedin for interment. -Star, 8/8/1933.
The funeral took place yesterday at Anderson’s Bay Cemetery of Mr Samuel Edgar Russell, son of Mr and Mrs J. Russell, of Highgate, Maori Hill, whose death occurred as a result of an accident at Avalanche Peak, near Arthur’s Pass, on July 30. The service at the Maori Hill Presbyterian Church was attended by upwards of 300 people, and about sixty motor cars were included in the cortege which followed the hearse to the cemetery. Among those present were representatives of many educational, religious, and other organisations, The pall bearers were Messrs R. Scott Russell, G. C. N. Johnson, G.C. T. Burns, W. Hawkesworth, C. M. Mules, and Dr B. Wyn. Irwin. The service at the church was conducted by the Rev. A. C. W. Standage, assisted by the Rev. W. Hardy Johnson and Principal Dickie (of the Theological Hall), and at the graveside Mr Standage was assisted by Dr E. N.Herrington (Master of Knox College). Before the church service Mr W. Paget Gale played Handel’s ‘Largo’ on the organ, and at the conclusion he rendered ‘Comfort Ye My People.’ Among the bodies represented were the Christchurch Training College, at which the deceased was a student at the time of his death, the Otago University Students’ Association, the various faculties of the University, Knox College, Selwyn College, the University Tramping Club, the University Cricket Club, the Otago Tramping Club, the Canterbury Mountaineering Club, the congregation of the Maori Hill Presbyterian Church, the New Zealand Alpine Club, and other organisations with which the deceased had been connected. -Evening Star, 9/8/1933.
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