A BAPTISM OF FIRE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 101, 22 January 1908, Page 7

A BAPTISM OF FIRE.

, . NIHEAHVS DAY OF TRIAL. ■LATEST PARTICULARS OF THE LOSSES*) ] 1 Mastorton, '10.45 p.m. j ;y>j ; :Nircaha had a .real baptism, of fire ;. 1 with nine, buildings burnt down. ■ The comj' j'ti ■ .IrQin" Stirling' at S }'[ V| o'clock this 'morning, and in a few.' hqura };•;-] covered about a thousand acres of felled aridi standing bush and stumps., . When I\visitedi.r : | . tho placo late this afternoon men w'bro guard-^ ; ■'j ing tho Tyler'Bridge, oil the road to Nircaha. '. , Farther on residents' had' carts and horsea • .:j . already "for-.flight if the worst came to tha;; .' 'l worst; : ■'■ '-•1 . Tho wind was then southerly, and not so •; mnch'daifger was to be feared.. .. r'. -Jj -.Near.-; tho Nireaba Co-operative Storo the: firo was running through tho~ Government/;. . sconic reserve, which is practically ruined.'.'•> .Between the store and tho.factory,"a .distance!'. ■ of about a mile, there has lately been bush -,\-i felled, and it is.;liere, and just south of tlmJ . factory,, that' this firo raged at its worst. Starting alonj; this mile' road one comos'. ! across tho burning,ruins of wharo residences; I -: of' Mr. Richard Goodin (marri<xl), and Mr. 0..' ; M'Donald,' factory assistant; thou to the. ' -j chimney of tho .store; all that remained of ■ Mr. Alberthson's six-roomed residence. ) Tho tents of tho co-operative labourers, • ; Messrs. _M'Loay and Manson, wore also gone. j Farther" on are the Smouldering - remains. if. :/■] Mr. T. Poole's, wharo and stable; and Mri .;.4| Alberthsen's office and smithy'.' ■ . ; Round the corner, are the sites where once :, .<5 stood Messrs. .Chris. Hansen's and .-dwelling-house.'-; The school,, a lino j large building; .and'tho s¥hoolhouse'all were "gone, : and not as much as'a bit of board was loft, It. was a pretty, good swoop. ! Thero wero men talking upon the road.- : -jj They told of'tho lisual.tiTfislits with ,tho , 1 * flames: how a settler namcdj H. Keene and -;v'| his family wero almost Overpowered by j; smoke, which mado them as sick as' they. : .-; cculd, be. Still, they stuck to their. task, - > ; ; i and by tho aid of other, settlers. pulled ' through triumphantly. . ■ / j :. They, alpo . tolA how Mr. Biddlo's liouso . | caught-alight five times, and 'was'fivo'-'times" ; 0j extinguished.;'and .of whistles for help from ; i - -Boppleton'.s .sawmill farther, up jn the ranges . i towards ilnkanui. As the wind dropped . i later, it is. surmised "that this mill escaped.' -j Along tho' road towards _ Ashdown's are a . ■ .collection.'of .small .dwellings. It seemed .■ ; wonderful that any could escape, because the 1 firy. was- all round them. Only one, Mr. ' Saey's was burnt out, but Mr. Larsen lost | Ins trap-shed. < The! bridge over tho Mangatainoka River ~i caught, - and tho fire burnt a holo, before it ' was extinguished, by Mr. J. Ashdown. Trout .'■'.' i ■aro lying dead in Mangatainoka River in ' . hundreds... Settlers stat-o that they - heard '"j cattlo bellowing during the day, but so far '.-'j they are unable to saj'how mueh stock has . been .lost. ' Very few.residents had insurances of any description on their belongings; and their loss'. ; is considerable. Misses Hutching and bimth, ' j the school teachers, and Messrs. Chris. Hanson and Saoy had no insurance. j lairing tho liro,\ which destroyed tho Government co-oporativo camp, on tho new ' ■ i road, a parcel containing seven pounds of -<| >gelignito . exploded and blew n holo, in tho < ground, as' largo as a small house. , . 1 To-night tho hills around Ekctahuna and "i Mangninahoo look liko cities ablazo with ■' ! lights. ■ . > . ■ : i It is reported that nine settlers in Manga- .'•,' i ronga wero in a-bad way this afternoon, and ; J that a settler's houso had been burned down : at Kaiparoro. ' ' .; - Tho northerly wind this morning brought '' ! tho liros nearer the Mangamahoo villago and 11 railway station than thoy have bc-011 durinc; ' '' tho past, ton da>;s. Tho conflagration ap- ' ] proachod to, within, a chain or so of several: '- dwellings,' aii'd railway surfacemen wero put j 011 hastily to guard the railway station, which . : is surrounded by dry fern, and was in imniin- ;i ont danger. Luckily, tho wind changed to '* tho south about 110011, and danger was aver-- ' ted. _. ■ ' i "Between " Mangamahoo and "Kaiparoro ! smoko abounds, and fanners wero. again < mustering early this morning, hut so far 110 " houses havo boon reported to be burned, although all in tho district wore 111 a certain ' amount of danger. . The northerly wind is driving tho fires at intervals along tho railway lino. Tho whole aroa Boomed to bo more smoko dried thaj i over. ■ v