THE BUSH FIRES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 113, 5 February 1908, Page 7

THE BUSH FIRES.

APITI TOWNSHIP IN DANCER/

DESPERATE SITUATION,

SETTLERS RESCUED "WITH * - DIFFICULTY.

(or IELEOBAtH—SfifiiAL COBBESPONDtNI.)

• ,r. , ....' . feildillg, February 4. ~ . A cottier from Apiti informs mo that heivy bush fires are raging m the district around Table' Flat, and that last night the sett-lew spoilt an anxious tiniovni rembving their stock to. places ,of safety, It was necessary in many places" to cut tho fences. Mr. : Banks's sawmill was swopt away, as also was til ercsidonco of Mr. M'iMurtrie. It is reported that otlior'houses havo been destroyed,- together with numerous sheds.:. • It is not known whother the, loss to , stock will' ho sofi6liSi but. last: night the: cattlo, wore- running about, fairly.;mad. ,witl} of the, flames. - .-. ■ ■ ■ «•. :- , A strong wind is still blowing and ' tho district' enveloped.'hi siuoltoi ; • Later ropbrtfe tronl' Apiti ■statoHliafc Miv S.: Kidd's. homestead at .lUlnutoi was,destroyed. . . ( It is stated that Sottlci's have beCh on tho alert from smouldering fires for the last six weeks. "The fire is-spread, over, a considciablo aiea. .

■■■■' .V- ' V:, Later. : The fires now extond to within a quarter of mile of Apiti. A strong wind is blowing the firo rteht on to the township, which has a i population of . about, 100. As tho intervening land is covered: with .dead and fallen timber'thoro: is prnotioally no hope of saving the township Bhoiild the .tfind eontiniio from its.present (jtiArteri. •-•A'.settlor nhined ; Dally,• Who was 1 lost for a day; lifts been found 'ill: a paddock'of oats, totally blind. ' • , . - Groat difficulty was experienecd in fesciling tho M'.Wurtrie family.. The Dally family was also rescued with difficulty* The fire is-now;right.up to the township, r

THE CUMTOWN OUTBREAKS. KAPOWAI O.M. COMPANY'S LOSSES., CBT ASSOCIATION.) . • ; v • ; Auokland,, Fobruary 4. Tho bush fires. in tho .Uumtown district have been burning for nearly a mo'nth; and it is to be: feared that a'"largo quantity of kauri-timber has been damaged, Inehlding ii number of logs Which ;: were, waiting for freshes iii tlio oreeks to'bring them down to tho booms. Tho lan,ds round about Ciumtown: are. hold •• under7le&ao "by' • the '. Timber -pompany 'and the • Lfcyland-O'Urievi Timber Company, and in the eases of milling oomnamoS areas are sub-leased to tlio variousSyndicates. .. t • Tho fires appear to li&vo.bocn especially brisk in tlio . vicinity of the Ivlipowal G Ji'.' Conlpanj. As filr back, as January 7 the lWlftagef; reported that ft .severe firo had swept the Beetlo section' of the Company's property olean.of overytliing in the shapo of trains, hoppers, :and .sheds, but the machinery was; all right. On January 13 110 again reported thalt.,tlio fires had sprung up again, and that his-men and himself. li lid been fighting night and day to save the 'machinery. Ho added, ." Considering tho intense heat and thickneSs of, the'firej'Wo sucecoded: well." On January 20. ho reported that there was still 'a - considerable/area" bllrnihg, " but. lie thought that, tho initio buildings were quite safe. His last report is'to tho effect that last Friday a very high wind fanned, all the surrounding timber - into flames, and t.hts burning was worso than on the first occasion. Tho niain hopper and Bhooti- which escaped tho first firo, were destroyed this time,, together with about 7000 ft. of mining tiniher. The water Is falling rapidly in' the creeks, and it Will ho impossible to start'crushing untiPriiin sets. in. Soino of tlio men aro tvoiking in the niine, and others are watching thb buildings to Save tbeln from tho lire. A NIREAHA PETITION. \ Twontv-two' settlers' of tho Nireaha district, Wairarapa,: which was recently swept by bush ahd grass' fires,; yesterday petitioned the Minister for Lands through Mr. Hogg, M.P., for a supply of giaSS seed to be provided oil terms'for-those farmers who had suffered the • most. Settlers - who could weather; the Storm, Mr. Hogg pointed oiit, would accept no.aid, but in sonic cases families had lost heavily, and would.be distressed unless' assistance wero given; in replying, .the Minister said that ho knew lie had a duty to perform, and-ho would present the application to tho Commissioner of Crown Lands for tho pfirposo of haying tho assistance promptly rendered.