COUNTRY SWEPT FOR MILES.

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

COUNTRY SWEPT FOR MILES.

; UEAI]JSY:'. ; VALLEY IN. FLAMES. ' (BY ASSOCIATION.) 1 Ghristchurch, January- 22. A' tremendous, bush firo is raging oil the Cora Lynn 'Estate at - the Bealey, sweeping the ,country-for miles; The homestead- arid' woolshed .-wer'o'fthreatened, but were .saved by a sudden chango of wind. . , . The firo is supposed to have been origin-,, atcd by a firo lighted' by-passenigers stuck-up,'' at Bealey, by. tlie flood in tho .Wairaakariri' last week; and which lias been smouldering since. Details to hand are meagre..., ■ REPORTS FROM NELSON. BAIGENT'S SAWMILL DESTROYED. - Nelson, January 22. Baigent's sawmill in Pigeon, Valley, AVaiiti ,'. district,' was burned down by the' bush fires yesterday, - throwing many men out of employment. 'A sudden change of wind from the south ;to the' north brought back. the flames, which there was no resisting. TitnniclifFo's mill, in Brandy •Valley, Dovedale, which'is parallel withßaigeiit's, 'and T. Price's-mill, in Trass Valley, are also in peril, as-the ■ flimes are • sweeping thitherward, b'u't-no details are'available.- ' ■ Among the sufferers in tho AVaimea Plains are Messrs:. J:,W. and Jas. Eves, F. Currin, • and T. AA r adsworth. 1 '• Owing to the density of the smoke and the great heat, 'it' is almost impossible to' muster stock,''and. hence,.great .loss is feared. ■ I if the'fires continue to spread-aud rain' Ivceps oil;,the 'outlook, will be ~vory gloomy, . and there will bo fear of depression in the ' autumir aiid, wjtyter.; . Yesterday.'-ivfisithe worst day'yet with the " ,fires ill the AVa'ngapeka and.Motueka'valleys. ;A strong,, south-easterly . breeze' l>lew.' the smouldering bush- into flames, and . a wall ' of , firo eamo-up ; and down .the .Tadmor Hills towarus Tapawera. ' Two thousand acres of grass at AA r angapoka ' wero destroyed, and. tho new settlers aro' greatly concorncd how to feed their stock, ; 'as: no feed is left. Fortunately a change of • wind iii the, afternoon drove back tho firo, otherwise thousands of acres of dry feed across the rivers would have been destroyed. The rivers aro lower than for,many years •: .past. Tho Tadmor lliver is dry in many J places. All over tho district trout aro dying in thousands. r Several fish six and eight , .pounds in woight we're rescued from the dry- J iilg pools., and nearly 700 trout were- r'o- , moved from The Brook to the Matni. Hun- J dreds in the country districts were,similarly saved. •-' v. '' ' •' ' Tlie principal sufferers in the AA r angnpeka '' and Motueka volleys; are 'Messrs. Goodall, .Moffat, ; AVells, Hodgkinson, Smith/ Paul, f Drew, aiid Griffiths. ] he sky -is cloudy, and the weather 1 moderately, cool, but rain holds off. ~ " r Tlie fires .round' Nelson, AVangamoa, and 'j Maungnfcapu' have blackened the hills and filled the town; with smoke. , 3