BUSH FIRES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 106, 28 January 1908, Page 6

BUSH FIRES.

TROUBLE ABOUT RANCIWAHIA. ' CREAMERY IN DANGER. J • (or cohbesponmhh.l • Palmerston North, January 27., A. Rangiwahia " settler informs that 1 ■■ bush 'fires' are still■■ prevalent -in ithe.district around Rangiwahiaj .and on-Fnday and Sat« i. urday somo of tho settlors had a somewhat anxious time;;i:Fencos >have been destroyed, but mo i damage: }s reported- .to , .buildtpgs. • > v- . Messrs, Poggs 3ud M'Rcuns, settlers, have Buffered considorabty ■■■' The creamery, on. the -main South Road w c-. was in. danger, "but this was minimised.by ! ; -i the wind dropping. - Shoijld . the ~velopity. ofi . the wind iiipicsse, there is still considerable danger, in tho absence qf 'raw. " ' v No serious losses t{> stock have been re« - ported. - F About £40 worth of protective:works was , destroyed by fire ou the banks-of tho SJana- . watu Rivor on Satmday, NELSON SETTLERS' LOSSES. / SAWMILLS BURNED. • . (nv TEiiKonAPn—rnESs associatkinj)> - • Nolson, January 27. Saturday was one of. the worst,days yet . experienced with the bush and grass, fares.. \ \ H; JJaigent's sawmill at u Aorere, with ; . . twenty thrusand feet ■ ofv timber, ..Baldano a dairy at Blonhqun, With: a nnlkmg machine, ■ „■■■. and Vrancia• Baigent's sawmill 'at Pigeon : ...« Valley wore destroyed. ' . Other settlors lpsfr.sheep,- firewood, .and fencing. Many thousand 'trees in tho timber, districts. have, been burned.. > /, The fires have revived at Stanley Brook, Doyedale, and other -localities. . Grass fires alpng the railway lino ,at AVai-iti - ■ were started by sparks from an engine, •fwo thoysand acres of grass wero destroyed at WhangarQ. At tho Croixelles - settlers; and Maoris had ]iaid work to prevent a .; from bqing . . : > Later, •■: The Takaka Long Plains, Creamery /was v destroyed by a bush fife, this THOrnißg" There are no insurances; , Reports of destruction by the bush fires are still coming to- hand, . ,v .- . - -At.Upper.Tadmqv the-felling house qf • Air. E, Phillips/jun., ; was burned on Saturday evening.. The fire is still spreading :n . , this 'neighbourhood; and tho settlers along the lino, have packed their movable-. effects,. and are ready, to leave .at., short Notice... At Korere the country, for miles on each ' aide of the rqad is ablaze, Mr. E. Newport? homestead at Korere is 1!) great danger., A number of sheep werp overtaken by fire hemg driven M|long. th§ ro&d-rS? Povedale to a place of safety, and < were destroyedM'Phedran 'Bros;-' at - Kohatu was \ burned this planting. A large, sum in bank , notes was also destroyed; There was i} 0 ,. 11 !" surance pit the but the bui'dimi was insured for £200 in the Commercial TJnien. ■ ■ '■• •'>■; ' ■ • \ . ' running the gauntlet, • {F'BOB' oup. opkwwpohpbht*) \ ' Mount Merchant, January 26,"No, I don't think you will get through* There is-too.much fin)-', -r- 1 . ,■ > ' I wanted to get .throuQih from Htn<?mpa t*> Mount JUrchaut. U was about three iruleu aoro§s country; fourteen; or thcreabgiits. by road.: A farmer gaye-jn©. tho above opimpi}. There Wl:beeit a bush fire .the previous day, and as it had spread to tho. adorning -.sections, he thought it would be useless to try to get through. However, I set off to make . the attempt.' It was a very hot_nde oyer the hills, First I had :b> take off my coat and strap it to the saddle. .Next niy >est had to come off, ■ .'■ •. n „„„ ■ By this time I was among the fire, Dense smoke had to be' entered, and. I oould only see a short distance ahead, Then I f°und l was blocked; the track .was tlirough a .bug® mass: of fire. Al! of a sftdden the TOj chopped rpund to the soutlt, and in less than five minutes I had to put on my wf, vest, for the air became, bitterly cold, and, my fingers wcre quite numb, t 'p . and fire were blown m an: opposite direction and A covering my' nose -Wl mouth a handkerchief, I managed by making _a dash, to get past the worst pUce.v.Soon alter, a slicht drilling rain began vO tail, . , T T ot safelv on the l'uketois, and reached Mount Marphant, Which is 2000 feet up. FROM OTHER PLACES. DESTRUCTION OF A CHEESE FACTORYi (FBOM OUR SPECIAL. COREESfONpEXIS.) A grass fire on Saturday, write? our Greytown correspondent, t]ie i cause of 3 oheesf, factory at A\liiti-llamika being destroyed. Tho factory, belonged to,Mr-J. JKimpton, of Groytown, anl was £200 in tho State Fire Qlfiioe. iTWfW^ all the contents, includiiig about one ton ot choose, was destroyed, Mr. had the factory some few months, and reek on&'to lose about £100SHANNON. ! While two brothers of tho 'narno of Robb were clearing their sectioa m the ranges ere, abu h five destroyed their f w all tl4r - and £50 wqrth of grass-seed-OTAKI. ■ Rnin still continues to hold off. Last night the %'e.-bed yesterday afternoon several children set alight to sonte rubbish, and for ft mo it appeared as.i .the flames would quickly sprcSll to adjoining land, Luckily, a beaten pathway proceedings. PAIUATUA, . ( • Although bush firos havo been raging all round us.during tho past.week, little or no lamaire has bcoin done in our, immediate vicinity. Reports in fvom tltn baokblocks aro, howovcr, very different, ami doubtless conaidorable loss will be suffered by tho settlers. One settler alpno is reportifl to have ost 700 sheep in the l'ongaroa district, while two sawmills have been destroyed. Few in tho district havo come off scathlcss, and many havo suffered considers,Wy, either from loss'of homestead, stock; fencing, or feed. FEATHERSTON. • A large fire was raging at AMhangariloana oil Saturday, and at one period tho liomostead was in (latter. Assistaflte was obtained from.Martinborough, ami air Saturday night was spent ill fighting the flames. The fire had subsided on Sunday, al houch it wa? thought then that the homestead would go.