THE BUSH FIRES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 102, 23 January 1908, Page 8

THE BUSH FIRES.

EFFECTS OF YESTERDAY'S GALE. fCREAT.DAMAGE IN HAWKE'S' BAY. ..'■V'v; NINE FASHLIES. HOMELESS. -, , • HKAW LOSSES . OP PROPERTY. '(Bt'TEIiEGRAPn—SPEOIAIi.COnRBSPOIifDBNI.V . . Napier, January 22. • KepQrts: ;reoßivcd.-'.ii]i,-.Jfspier to-day, 'show that"the Ngambko. fire:caused great damago yesterday, and the loss is estimated at between /£6OOO and £7000. - , —Nino families,are. homeless.. .The names,.of. tho sufferers,, together with au estimate of tho loss, are as follow;:— , ' Mr. i.' .Anderson,!" £200; pjgst-ys, sheds, .-rMr.' 'Chris. - 'Anderson,'" £500;, houses and sheds. ; ■.. .. ; ' . ;Mr. Veal,. £300; house's and sheds. Prior;' £250; chouse, shed, and haystacks. '■ -Mr; Olaf-Thorcson, £700; house and sheds. Mr. Harris, '£150; haystack and cow-shed. ;,;P. N. 'C'cjhr, £100 ; stables (house and shed safe). "'" v " •■**. t Mr. Harry-Fred Rickson', £400 ; house and buildings. • ' ..Mr. P. N. _Cohr,: £1500 sawmill, '•! • : • • 'Mr; Parson, ;'sawniiil. v . ; ;Mr. Halliburton', £600 if.'houso and sheds.' Air. Brieske; £50;'hay-slied and hay. r Mr. Larson, and hay. . Mr. J., Huchiiison,. : .£3o : ; hay-stack.. ~ Mr/A. Thoreson, £15; shed. "Mr. Aldorshaw, £30,;,whares and shed. • Mr. Lars 01sen,"£50;' wharo and cow-shed. . ; ..The Ngamoko' bridge:.-is?destroyed: The creamery is- still as also ;is the school. Tho fencing from tho creamery .to. Mr.-Jack Huchinsqn|sf:.about two and a half, milos, is..burnt' on either side, of the road, llio bridge to .Mr.i Cohr's : mill.has collapsed'. :v At, :J present .-. the firo , ,is abating, and the worst is;-oyer.----Itris--hard to estimato the loss, as it to muster stock. 'The lire. started from ,the Government reserve at;Garfiold."-Mr.:'Fell's shed and haystack were destroyed. > V— - A privat&iwiro received in town this morning stated-that Mr.-W. Parsons' mill at-Nga-inqko, in/ which Mr. 'W. Ward, of Napier,' is nterested, had been destroyed. Tho place vas. uninsured. V,.-,-,,-Bush fires aro still'.raging at Pohui. -The )laze commenced nfc , ' I t'en , 'Vclock yesterday riorning,' and "continiied throughout"tho day md.jiight:!' v.-' . , The FairbunrCompany's Pohui mill was n grave danger of'dcstruction, but'was saved )y a, number of willing hands, who had mnchlifiiculty'in'ipreserying'tho. hauler -and'tram inoS; from the flames. 11 The men were at vork a|l last night. - The'firo was still raging his morning, and if the wind changes from t£ .present''direction'there'will* be no chance if.saving"the-iinill;and lines. . The country-' for'miles-wound is obscured ly. stilling smoke. - NO DAMAGE " AT'HASTINGS. (BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL. CORRESPONDENT.) •PI U un January 22J t.he bush fires which anxietv in 1 lastmgs proved to be away in the country fld no-damage was-'drniev-mthin a- radius of hirty miles."VM. ' v . EKETAHUNA AND NIREAHA. ,'. IIRES FRESHENING AGAIN. FURTHER DAMAGE REPORTED. V (BY - TELbGIIAMI —PRESS ASSOCIATION.} Eketahuna, January 22 , ■ Tiie' wind changed' from tho south last to northwest again, and tho fires, ' •Inch had teased''dofrn,' are now freshening. • -i J r rg "' a / ?a -'erass. bas. been burned ' nd fences destroyed at Mangaroronga. ■Mr) Busst's'.liouse>was'ndt burned at Nire- ' ha, as Sported: but, ; 'is'in' r dnngcr. . A party i. l spraying i 'it:to'.'pi'cyeH't- iF catching. The clieeso factory thorois still threatened. : Tiie youtli W.iterens, reported' as missing, urned up,safely : at Newman. '' The :fire t is again; approaching the Rongookako "factory." ; , -Large fires''.'lirb' 'reported in the Ihuraua istriut. ' - ■ . . Tbe - whole^district' there * is. now covered ' :iUi,. smoke.' ""Early,"this morning it was so liqk that' it' was iiiipdi'siblo to see for. a ' istance of more than-, half a chain. .-A, 'largo >vol'umq' of;;firo is approaching ikefalmna,'- r aiicl it' will bo -dangerous it le wind- 'alters rfiore 'Wthe west. The county-Toadmen '.'were watching tho • ridges all.Tast'iii'ght","Several caught alight ■ csterday;' hut "tho : fires' .were extinguished. On the Saunders-''.Road, Alfrcdton, Mr. iirliiig-hhd 1000 acres of grass burned, and .lot . / Mrs. Owen "lost Va and its mts.At Putara "the • (ires are; fierce. Settlors ive'beeir wb'rlnng night" and daj'. . An old house owned by Mr. Gunderson as burned,; and''a 'new one caught alight iveral -times, •• but / has- been saved up to id prescjit." -'• ' . Jinny people in .the;-borough have been"'ting ii ater for daily use. Most of tli6 inks, are-dry. ; There is no indication of tin: . ■ """ " Later, still spreading throughout tho strict this'afternoon,;'and have worked up pse to Park'villo, "in 'Eketahuna borough, id fears are-entertained for tho safety of vera! houses'- and''tiie New Zealand Farers' Dairyi-Union butter factory. A large idy of workers, provehtcd tho' nearer ap-' •oacli of tho" fire.' 1 Hoses have been conplaying on'the factory, and it will ■liavo to .be • carefully hatched all to-night. The, wind; is -vdry tricky, and this makes the work-much harder; It -is impossible to say whoro the firo will stop, if tho - present .weather continues. ... - . THE TON,GAROA LOSSES. ' ■ ■ .(Bt- TKIEGBAriI—SPeCUI'' COhIIESrONORNT.I •' Pongaroa, January 22. Serious bush fires swept the district yesterday,' ;• early, r doing . considerable damage. Settlers lost sheds, wool, carts, and harness and numbers of sheep.and cattle have been roasted alive. Miles of--fencing, plantations, orchards, hundreds ol' acrcs of grass, bridges, : and culverts; havo.- beeii ■ destroyed. . Messrs. ..Gardner, and- Yeomans lost £600 •worth ,of.. sa.wji..timber,;.and miles of bush 'tramway lino. Several.,families/narrowly escaped with their live::. . -. Mr. Fired. Shadliolt,. fl,. settler, fell insnnsiblo for -10 hours. Constable Cattauach galloped-..round rousing., tho settlers, andwarning thvn of -tlieir...-danger,, and afterwards rendered aid. 'J'lie townsfolk also assisted. - In many'cases: Wttle?v are without water, and the creeks-are-dry. > , Mr. Peter' Robinson deserves thanks for tho' mannor in which' lie risked his lifo in rendering aid to settlers and their children. The district is desolate, and the fires aro still spreading. . There are no signs of rain.