BUSH & GRASS FIRES. ENCOURAGING REPORTS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 14, 17 January 1908, Page 7

BUSH & GRASS FIRES. ENCOURAGING REPORTS.

.WELCOME FALL OF RAIN IN .WELLINGTON. REPORTS FROM~THE COUNTRY. At 2.30 this morning a welcome ddwnpour of rain was recorded in the city and the districts northward. The fall continued for two or three hours, and at ono time it was particularly heavy. To-day the atmosphere was delightfully fresh and invigorating, and vegetation throughout the district has been glveit. a new lease of life. '",.', SAWMILL AND OUT-BUILDINGS DESTROYED. ' ' '; [BT TELKGBAHI. — PBBS3 ASSOCIATION;}* DANNEVIRKE, 16th January.' Gamman's Rakaiatai No. ' 2 ' sawtoiU» near Makotuku, and the whare«, stables, and cookhouse were burned down tb|» afternoon. , -..'•!« Two men got through the-iirg, and-.re--poyt that there are three, >tfomen,-- tiHttfe# children, and thirty* mci eticO|n^l^lji#' ' by fire and without food" or wa^^Tv^v ' ■ FIRES EXTtNGOTSHBDi 1 '-"^ * ' > /; .' "' ■ ~r > CARTERTON, this pay., ,^ Welcome rain, fell -Here last night 'for several hour?, and as a consequence the bush fires have been greatly ch'ecjn|dthough not. cxiinguishe/d:' '""' „ ' /'- \ Early yest>e>r"day hi ferndon^ & ■ »ti r db£ , wind fanned the. dying fires into ,'vijffjrous life, Arid 'at nightfall the hil&ufe« were in a .blaze.' . sfany anxious 1 farm- . • ers watched the progress' of the flanies, and' the outlook was becoming is>ts^s& rious when the first -shtfwe*' ofj"j»ia fell. Later rain fell Very- heavily," *aiut now only the densely-timbfcrs 6T. rjprfipii of the hilb is burnjng;- 'This' ia--ito4' considered serious. " > % • • ' ( ' The temperature- Aer^'iua' faile^tt 58 degrees^ • ' - /"';'-"■' '• ! 'THE.SALvSqJT.'OIL^HB,:.' I 1 < ■ DISTRICT." 7 ~ ■• : -I M AST! ERTON; , ,TlnVfl*# ' Rain set in< at an early ;hon.r_ this morning, 30 points beings registered' up till nine o'^cloclc. " " , ~' ' The downfall proved the salvation, of the district'/ as the' breeze which sprang up at- sunset, increasing' almost .to x gale at times,'' Janned the 7 burrtiilg: loss, > and spread the fires- rapidly.- - Tha heavy columns- of smok^, almost-obtdur-f d thft scene, and completely enveloped I the town. I The rain, relieved the- anxiety*, xfelt throughout the* district lest widespread devastation should result- The Eldest ! residents do not recollect such a-.pro-longed period of drought and int^nsr host. .The -temperature has fallen by several degrees since yesterday. . Details of actual losses through 'th*' bush and grass fires, are very difficult t* ascertain accurately. [Bt SafiUSGBAPII.— SPECIAL "TO TSR-PW.I GHETTO WN, This Day. Splendid rain set in last night, and "doused" the bush- fires. Jt may. still save the late crops. - • ' Inspector Ellison has received particulars of Ihfe "fire which occurred at' '" Pongaroa on the. , 12th January and '- destroyed a cottage occupicc 1 by ' Air. L Hobert M'Alistir, a settler. ' .The- fir» • was caused by the prevalence, of .burning bush in the neighbourhood;- .ami resnltea '•' in the- total destruction. of ■ the k -cottage and portiQfi of'the 'fuVniture, ', ; Tjit house -was valued at £300, and 'the- fur« niture at £100., Tha loss over insup. N ance amounts t0 £226. / '.\ In the case of another fire whiclj resulted in the destruction, of a woolshed (already reported in The Post) .the valii* - of the property lost is set down at - £400, as follows :~Shed, vaJqs-',SBO} ' woolpress, value' £20 r and T 24"" bates- o| wool of thp value of £3^o. Tho wool- \ shed was Uninsured, . but the. wool wall covered, ■ with Messrs. 'M,teay, .^Roberta > and Co., oa the- basis of " last" yoar'l value,. " " ' ,' NELSON DISTRICT .SUFFERING. s MORE FIRES REPORTED. [ET TELESBAriI. — rHE3S ASSOOIATIOK.]. NELSON, 16th January. Bush fives continue in various- part^ of ths district, and^much - Hatnage to crops and fencr s is reported. - ThS Wai' iti correspondent of thfc-Colonisfc ,statp» that) the lange of Bills * between thai place and Bellgrove. is now a blactfenri mass. Another fire has started' in a Government reserve of 6000 acris, at' th» head Df Trass Valley,, near- Wai-iti. ' Ths shortage of water throughout' Ifto dis- _ trict i 3 becoming very geriouq. '--Wells, water sonfo3s, and opringa oni.whi<^i settlers have been dependent' qre? l fl6w «x- — " hausted, and unless tfain comes gbpn th» ' position 'will be grave. '"'""li* •. The millt supply Is falling' off- to att alarming extent in • consequence^ xjf th» dryness of pastures,' .' ' V " ''• — At Stanley Brook" Mr. Wilkinson 1 ! property was swept by flre"on \VednßS- ,' day. Ihe oat crops and hqmestead wero • • saved with, dilfiqujey. ' Two^.bijslimeri't , camps, with contents/ \wera de&troy*a. GOOD NEWS' .FROM 'THE.,SOIJTH', " ' ■ ASHBURTON,. 16th January.. A wElcoine' change' in the „\s»th« occurred this- afternoon shovren. began to fall, and by 7 -o'clock heavy rain set in, \vith*o\ f iry proSti^^'of cOn«H" v 1 tinuing. To all appearances ttl^lall' is S'jl general thvoughout> - th's- county^' aad,;^] though it cannoit;.,now kSlp-t^- crops, 3jß<fj feed and pasture aiid' ,toot. I cVorS w -wil|^^ be greatly beriefiWd,' and, it js oxpiictcd^ that store shsep will advance int^pce^^ inimediatelj'.- - / «^^ OAMARU, 16fh January. "M Rain commenced to fall heavily a* 4'ss? p.m. to-day, and continued- till % withj '3 prospects of a further fall. ThV^ rooft^.l crops and pastures will be benefited, but \ ' •' the cereal crops, even without rs>ia, f, promise good yields, 1 in most * part* of the district above tho average. Tha >/ wheat crops, with goo 4 ,we*tfeer, will--' be considerably above thto average, and ( the oat crops aro good. DIED FROM BURNS. ,' * ' CHRISTCHURCH, This "Day. ' f . W. J. Moon, who was badly ,buraed in the Cashmere Hills grass fire, died m hospital early this morning. 1 'Moon, who was caretaker of ' ' Park, leaves a widow and four children. THE WAINUI"~DISTRICT. ' \- ' Tho hills on either side of the 'Huti; :': ' Valley presented a magnificent" sight lost ' night; the graaa and bush fix&s throwing } out a lurid light, whilst a blinding . smoke waa brought down into the vat ley by the strong wind that was blowing. Some of tße larger trees, whictl ' had fired, stood out plainly, and dis* tributcd showers of spwki, which wen caught by tha wind, and c*rricd in aft directions. Just ofter 7 p.m. Intimation . was received at th» local lira ! station that the valii4bl». bush *d)ojniii^ Mi*. Jennes^, seaierr'r, Tesidenea} on, Belmont, was iti danger of beinj d*stroyed. and Atr was feat*d th« itv would- enveloho tlte house itfleif- U Whiteman's valley and *t Wainui firej ■ broke gut, l)»it v %-ram

Ed them later on, and, possible damage was averted. Tho caretaker afc the Wainui water works states that the fall of rain was very heavy for a time, but it made no appreciable- 'difference in the vat or m the reservoir It was raining at Waiutii again afc noon to-day. THE LOSS AT RAKAIATAI. • ' ' ' DANNEVIRKE, This Day. The damage, owing to the destruction of Gamman's mill at Rakaiatai, must be "close on £4000. Two thousand pounds' worth of timber was destroyed. A slight shower of rain fell last night, but it was scarcely sufficient to stay the "course of the fires, which are still general. Tho temperature is considerably roduced, and there is every prospect of further showers. . MINIMISING THE DANGER. ) 'PALMERSTON Kf., This Day. Reports from. Pohangina to-day show that the ahseuca of wind yesterday, and light" 'showers of rain during tho night, greatly assisted to quell tho fires in the valley. Settlors havo been lessening the danger by Tembving gra&» and logs from, the. vicinity of their houses and outbuildings. 2 IN NELSON~PROVINCE. "TIKES i>T MANY PLACES. HOMESTEAD~S~IN DANGER. NELSON, This Day. <_The dry weather and fires continue, though tho weather is now cooler, and inclined to .ho: cloudy *" Fires have traversed tho Belgrade, Wai-iti, Stanley Lrook, Wangapeka, and Baton districts. It - is', feared that Mr. Bromell's house at' The Baton has been burnt down, though it is impossible to get detaih. Eire is raging in tho .Government Reserve of five thousand acres at Trass tValley,t Valley, near W«ri-ili. , t , There is much shortage of water in various places, carting Saving to bo done. There is a considerable fallingoff in the milk supply 'owing to the aryne'ss cf the pastures. Permission to use hoao for gardens has been suspended at Richmond and restricted here. 'Hops are Buffering from the drought, and the yield will be light, as the bines are very stunted. Bush fires raged fiercely at Stanley Brook on Wednesday. One traversing Mr. Wilkinson's property on the right hand branch of the river swept through half a mile of green fallen timber against the' wind, and two camps, with their contents, wero totally destroyed* The Tare traversed an old clearing of Mr. Wilkinson's, and reached within a quarter of a milo of his house. Several times during the day th& oat . crops caught, and it was only by the strenuous efforts of the settlers that they were saved from destruction. The extent of the damage is not yet ascertainable. Regret was caused amongst Hutt resi-' dents last night when it became known that a large tract of bush at Belmont, specially noted on account of its scenic beauties, was in danger of being destroyed by fire. The fire, which had been diminishing for tome time, \ftts revived by yesterday's strong nor'-wester, anc subsequently 'spread dangerously, near to the property of Mr. Jenness (senior). The Hutt Firs Brigade, on arrival, concentrated its efforts upon Mr. Jennes^'s house, which was soon out of danger. The bush fortunately, only »s slightly damaged.