THE BUSH FIRES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 95, 15 January 1908, Page 7

THE BUSH FIRES.

r SETTLERS' PLUCKY -FIGHTS. ■V.,.further, damage feared. ESTIMATES OF THE LOSS TO DATE. (BT TELtGKAPH—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) , Pongaroa, January 14. There is a lino of bush fire,s rumiiijg ifrem Korora,. a few milt}? north of Popgaroa, to within reach of Weber, a of jnile?. In somo cases the conflagrations have beon burning for nine daysj capping and in all "iij obodiencu to the \viu(.l ; Imt, they haye bc,cji exceptionally severe .during t.l:e past fpur' days... 1 - Settlors' houses aro surrounded by fires in a " .directions. At Korora, Wnione, aijd Hpfqeka, tjyo sawmills aro m .danger, ju^d fresbpning -gales will practically njean a ploar pweep pf a sooro of dwelling?. The wind at, presentis from tho north-east, a quarter fromwhich residents state fierce winds' are not '; usual. Still, , spttlers- are i preparing for a_ fight, and, \varned by. tho experiences of tho past; few days,- in which four houses have 69.n0 ,up insmPkei aro taking every: precaution, to, save their' homes and slock. ' A-notable example in this respect is that of the lyaysers, a German family. For days tho father and mother, with two boys, liayo been' rising'at threo o'clock in the morning and working' Jjy moonlight at tho cutting I and ! ; thrpshmg pf their grass-seed,' with the fire hovering;- all pbout theni. The' sturdy I *p)d man' is a picturp as h.e; stands amid' the I smoke, labouring ceas'elossly''at. his Hail like ;■ some against timo. - Half .a ■ friilo further'.' along the road to Koroma, 1 is. nn ugly' razorbacked ridge, four hundred feet high, blackened, then scarred with' tKo '.white ashes .of thousands of trios. Twice; has 'thp'firp ravaged ..this area.- "It Wa? like tlii?, 1 ' said Mr.' Sherrard, a settler in the yicimty, who -jyas busy mustering his sheep,, and , who had just cut and buried all the long round about his house, ' 'there wero two: .one near Pongaroa, and one near .Waioh.e. . Tlioy travelled north-west at a great ,rate. Now they are coming back from the : east■ 1 am prepared for a.ba.d time." Still further 'on one notices a cottage with a covering ofJ'.wet sacks. tacked outside the joists, tp prevent sparks frpjn 'getting 'under, and .to kegp possible . dwelling. /-'' / 1 Through the' grass on the other side of . the rpaa,'>yh'erg v ,thp smoke is thick enough to-'mak.p'; oiid's -eyoswatoiyat Miv M'lntyre's wenjpn and children are busilv engaged carry* jnen folk .are chopping : dpjvri ih^ : -.|)ig tre.es ( "yrhi.ch - are at present 'standing-near'tho house! ! "We. are so short of water,' 1 said Mfs. M'lntyroj "that if thp wind we shall have "a stiff fight for it. .-.There's not a safe placo about for the furniture." " Dpwri thp T.oa.d are the 'smoking ruins of Mr. M'Alister'? .cottage,* Farther on, at Waioiie,*aro' thp. <u}lics of what was'once'Mr. M'ljardy's homestead. The firo attacked this plac'o 'gt, nigVtj'' and tho' family; comprising i three women, a young, girl, and !two boys, got out pf the burning building just in timo to save their lives. ' thirteen miles from Pongaroa'. the'settlers have had a desperate fight, and ham 'won with honours. Ono dwellinghouse, ypjvnpd ijjy Mr. Porte.ous, was alight three • time's, and three times tho flames were extinguished by a brigade'of willing helpers, ; comprising all the able-bodied men of the settlement.' ' Between. Hprpeka and Waipne • hoiiso % in considerable danger, : \as is also thenew sawmijl owned by .' There is little firje between Pongaroa and ißa'ukanuij . 'hut farmers in the Haunui ien miles north .of'Tiraumea,' hayp had • a,, very rpugli time. ' i Trayplling 'oyer tho ranges last-night, your borrespon.di'nt noticed b,urning : lights showing everywherp .from • thi? trees and heights of ' Pukotoi; down ; to the plains beneath! On inquiry „it", was loarned that the residents had had a tremendous- fight. During tho last two or , threo days'arid nights the wholo bush .was a 1 ni?ss of, flame; The wind blew myriads of sparks I ''over' 'the'roof? 'of the : buildings, Bomb of which' liarl'only 'shingle coverings. ■ "-Water .w'a?' jo' scarce," 'said Mr. John Blake,-one of "tho farmers there, -''that all we could do. was to stand by with buckets Hid' saclcs. Mr. houso caught alight, but" we luckily put' it out. Some of us were mustering sheep at lialf-past one in tho': morning. Onp night wo. slept in the fields,'waiting and. watching, but not'sleeping. )f VVp havo had a rqugh time. Last wint.er.it was all mud, and now it is all fire." 'slr'..;A'. Burling has lost spmg st.ock in this ' district. Another loss' is that of ,a wpolshe'd near.'Pongairoa and't'wcnty : two bales of wool pwned by Mr. A. Jleccli. Tho dwellings burnt , down go far aro those of Messrs. R. M'QardleJ Korora, W. Peck, Mc.Hardy, Malmanche,'of Waione, and a woolshed owned by -Mr!-Cross, *" Sherrard, a Pongaroa settler, states that ' his less will amount tb £200 thrpugh . fire ruining his fattening pastures. ' Tho total losses are estimated at £4000.