THE DROUGHT AND BUSH FIRES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 125, 19 February 1908, Page 8

THE DROUGHT AND BUSH FIRES.

-4 " NEW PLYMOUTH.ENVELOPED IN SMOKE. HEAVY LOSSES FEARED. (or TEI.EGBAriI—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) N3W Plymouth, February 18. ' Tho.town and district have been in semi-; darkness all tho-afternoon. Tho sun has been ■ completely obscured by smoke, and the heat has been stifling. , It lias been impossible to V . distinguish . buildings distant oven ono , ■■ hundred yards. A gale from :the south has boon-blowing • all day, and is now increasing in volume. It seems to bavo re-started the fires in all directions. ■ • .... So far it is impossible to get any parlicti- .• lars. of tho. losses',; but reports'' now reaching the town indicate that dairy factories are in, . danger, and ;that' several : families 'havebeen - burnt out, and are being brought into town; Heavy losses in stock are anticipated., , . SITUATION INCREASINGLY SERIOUS. . Lator. Latest.reports (11 p.m.) indicate that the fires are very serious, in ,the country, but communication- is cut off in many cases, • and details aro not procurable. , , At Oaonui fires are raging in all directions, and settlers are lighting the flames' .y under distressing conditions. • Reports from Egmont /Village are meagro, i ; but'- it 'is 'understood' that- children have., been unable- to got home from some schools in tho .locality. Many sottlors, with" their wives and ' families; have left their homes, and have arrived in tho townships for safety. • The Hillsborough Dairy Factory is reported : 'doomed. ■ ■ ■■■ Fires in tho Ratanui district aro within four miles of New Plymouth.. The Uruti .district is ■ one huge. forest of fire, and ;v eveiyono• is preparing for tho worst. Fires are raging'fiercely in all directions , .at. Tongaporutu. . At: Puniho the settlers . •havo/sent their families out of the danger- -,- zone, many lo'aving their homos with their wearing apparel only, and (trusting to good fortune to save the homesteads. The Rahui : Road, sawmills -are threatened, and tho ! Nowall. Road_ School is,in the midst of a'fire, '< zone and in.imminent danger. , . . All \tho upper roads aro ablaze, and; the 1 v fortunes' of > .settlers are . unascertainable; 1 , ': .■■■■, Tho wind shows no sign .of 'abatement; and ] ■ the volume of smoke; is'undiminished.-; Sub-; i urban . taking'.precautions in- S :■ , case of fire during the night, and the Fire i ■ Brigade and telephone ofDco staffs 'are being kept on duty. ■, IN CANTERBURY. ! ■ (BY TELEGRAPH—SPECIAL COBBESPONDENT.) " ' Christchurch, February 18 j Threshing was stopped.for some time dur- ] ing last week in somo of the country dis- c .; tricts':owing' to tho very; high. wind.'.' Tho , weather throughout the ■ province' continues: E very dry, and the rape crop is already ex- i v hausted. In some parts the outlook for the; < 1 winter is decidedly bad. In tho Dunsandel . : . district 'old vew'e's that' were, worthlos.' or t -12s. last winter are now being sold in largo j numbers from 2s. upwards. ] 'A brisk business mightbo'done in selling J water, if :.anyone had a surplus for.sale, on - r some, of the higher levels near .the .'city. A ', suburban 'housewifej doubtless one -of many,' ' was recently much perturbed on the subject of the week's washing. No water was .avail-: : able, .for, .the::process, .and a cloudless sky ; glared-inexorably; ;"lift not' your hands'.'to f mo for help," it seemed to say. In despera- r tion, tho . whole week's washing was sent to a 1, ■ laundry in town, and, including costs of trail- t sit, either way, the expenses of that purifica- c tion totalled 30s.Even'-personal: ablutions ( have had to bo/conducted'with caution and b ; .discretion lately,' and'• men;.wh'o\cannot start fi the day' Without a "shower" or "dip"'have I had to go as far as the city baths, to enjoy t the, luxury.. The last happy day which was h blessed ..tv ltu. really . heavy N and - continuous ■rain was November 11, more than three ■ months ago.; Unfortunately there seems no sign of -the ■ drought breaking. Yesterday afternoon. tho barometer' showed to despair- : ing,eyes something like 30.26, highest : reading it.has given for weeks. • :

IN ( THE RANGITIKEI.■ . (BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL- ' Marton, February 18 -. Immense .volumes of smoko in'and around .. ■Marton' iridiqatb - serious, 'fires to-daV: It "is difficult to ; determine" in - what : directioii they are,-but there aro,no fires in tho immediate I neighbourhood. • The dry .weather: is causing alarm, arid I farmers aro practically giving' stock away. At. to-day's, stock: sale a. lino of. sheep was 1 offered at one shilling a head, but found no buyor:', RAIN AT CARTERTON. . :;(by-telegraph;—press Vassociation.) ' ' _: • . . Carterton, February 18.', ,' : I' le weather has turned southerly, and is . colder. Rain, is falling, and thero is* every appearance of its continuance. IN, POHANGINA VALLEY.' : ? :r ,(BY;"TEI,EGR^H.—PRESS ASSOCUTION.) ' Palmorston North, February 18. ■ .Reports froiri Pohaiigina this, morning state that .the township is enveloped in a dense cloud of smoke,-and it is impossible to sco i ■ ■ any distance. The fires are still -Jburning vigorously, but no : further damage is ; repor- .. ted beyond the continued destruction of feed and . fences reported. ' '■ .', v The ;fear still existsthat' if the wind rises the valley will be swept by fire. : It is'now blowing fresh from, tho .east with a tendency .to increase.• , (by .telegraph—special correspondent.) ' .<■ Palmcrston North, February 18. Latest reports, from Pohangina state"'that tho fires are .worse than ever, and are spread--mg m all directions. The valley, is full -of dense smoke, and a strong wind: is blowing. It ■is feared ..that..the ■losses-before, morning . will bejconsiderable.- Both sides of the river aro. under, fire, and.it is; abnost;>impossible to see for.smoke. Very little-news'is available .'from .Pohangina,. as: settlers aro strain- . ing.uttermost. effort to save their homes.-.<o . -'-••• • are : coming: down from ranges in all. -.. directions. .... ..... ' . -Telephone connection nwith Linton states that 'fire's have surrounded McGregor's mill, but so far the, mill remains intact. . - - , .'A fire is. working 'towards Craw's swamp,' a 1 continuation of the Makerua swamp, and' 'may, reach it. ■■i : ■ . , ( REPORTS FROM FEILDING. ' _ (BY. TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL' CORRESPONDENT.) mi . F ei '^ n Si .February 18! " ' ...' - lho . .Star s . Tapuao correspondent';st'ates that, in' spit-0 of,.the continued spell of. dry, weather, the. grass is fairly 'fresh,arid green,] and is. not. scorched up like it is in: some ■other districts. . Ifi rain comes this -month the outlook, for.'■ winter•,»feed • will' be'' very ; satisfactory. .. Water' is exceedingly . scarce,• Slid tho. washing of clothes is'entirely out-of •tho question.. . ~,. j.'. Around Ruahine the spejr of'dry weather continues in unbroken monotony, and tho daily tomperature' is ruiining at 86 degrees in tho-shade.-"Fires are.burning throughout the district. Tho country . on! the Karewarowa flat and main south road, being very heavily: timbered, has suffered; most.' Some : farmers have not a., blado-of-grass and very little fencing left, and many have'had great difficulty in saving their homesteads.. The general, opinion is. that i: tho. creameries hereabouts will have to close down by the end.of March, as the supply of: milk .is : decreasing with remarkable rapidity. ' , ..... FIRES FRESHENING AROUND PALMERSTON., (BY telegraph—special; CORRESPONDENT.j, Palmerst'onl February. 18., , A strong south-east gale sprang up this morning, freshening up the bush fires, and pouring volumes of -smoke , into: Palmerston; At the time of writing no news, has como to . hand regarding the damage'done, but it is the destruction, will be great, as the fires, have now such a complete nold. ' V

I ; .' ' THE 'WAINUI LEVEL. The ' level' of' the'; water in the Wainui basin falls •sensationally. : At 8 a.m. yester:day the water'was 23J inches below tho bywash;'; and,, it jis;. estimated, will continue to fn'l at. tire rato of-about throo inches per . day.' At this': rato' the ..'level of .tho water should 'reach ' the'fa'teful point—throe foot ■ below the by-wash—on Saturday, provided no rain falls in .tho meantimo. Then the water-using- industries,' hydraulic elevators, etc:, >ill haVe-tlleir'supply cut off in conformity, with'tho City Council's rosolution to *' that'effect. It -has'been'urged in some quar--1 tors that -the: lifts'-that depend on watori 'power should be stopped at onco. It is no , greit'hardship'for" most'peoplo to walk up- , stairs instead of using an olevat-or when such a serious issuo is at stako. - AT KHANDALLAII. , : . Tho south wind yesterday blew- the firo at Kharidallah back on its tracks. Only the edge of. the,;Domainohas been affected, and : ;tho dp'ad.;trees there,.are still smouldering. ; While the'; wind" remains as 'it-is settlers , contiguous to the reserve will feel no appre- ; hension. • Yesterday: a;-hugo rata tree standing 'a ! few 'yards' from"''the : rear of Mr.': J. Alexander's houso was'-'felled by order of the l Borough'; Engineori^o ; -lessen the danger to the house ; -sh6uld. the; wind 'again change toi the north-west'and drive tho'fire back.The members of the Permanent Artillery who were stationed-at'Khandallah on Sunday have now left. :o : ' V THE WAIN.UIr.O-MATA. The City Engineer (Mr. W. H. Morton), said yosterday that so far no reports had roachcd him'regarding i fire in the Wainui-o-m'ata; catjchment area.''-The caretaker 'there bad : full' 5 power'to employ any 'labour required should th'ero, bo danger of .firo travel- : ling along to tho bushf WILTON'S BUSH. One of .tho bost.portions-of that .very fino scenic reserve,-Wilton's ; Bush, in the neighbourhood of Wadostown, has been very seriously damaged by the', fires which got 5 amongst xit last week. This occurred in' ' spite ', of y t strenuous •. efforts to prevent , it. When first-.starlidd; on Saturday the Commissioner' of. Lands (Mr. Strauchon), instructed by the Under-Secretary for Crown L'a'iids ;(Mr.., , ;Koiisingt6n), 'gave, the caretaker carte blanche to employ as many men as necessary, to fight'the flames. Twelye. in all have-since.: thin'.bMn', at, 5 work with'bucket,, 'spade, flail,' arid "axoi Four of the constabu■lary from Mpunt Cook: Barracks were among the number ; 'tlie :m6ii "could only, .endeavour, to" prevent further: conflagration; Trees, were felled, old logs on the ground woro' k'ept : saturated by water from a handy, stream, '■ and when any firo got amongst tho grass, it j was' beaten out. 1 Tile danger was'tliat an ! area of grass -connecting the burning bush. ! and anotlier'-porUon would establish . comImunication. .Yesterday .ovening. the men had i been' successfur''ift-kcepihg the fire back from, i here.'- It was hard workj , however, and' ne : . cessitate'd .' constant . vigilance.' The -'men i w'brked ■iri'.'i'elays/V'.'Last .night a gang/was. ; spntj out',;,and'.;)yjirb.Q'"relieved.this'»morning ( by. another. * .. ] . ( Though;'impossible; to : extinguish ~the. fire i —only a'neavy fall 'of.. rain, could .accomplish , this—strenupus -offorf3. have offectually : lield it' in. check. - Yesterday's wind' helped to ) keep' the .flames.. from\ spreading to new ) ground.' It is extremely regrettable'that so' { fine aiportion .of Wellington's dwintlling bush f presorts- should have. beeir : badly damaged. : - OUTBREAK AT PARAPAR'AUMU.. ' 1 DWELLING-fIOUSES IN DANGER. ■['/ c .: _ It was reported by .telephone latelast E night that bush,arid,,scrub fires in the val- ( ley behind Paraparaumu were causing set- ] tiers much alarm'. ;Mr. Lynch had been 1 compolled to remove, his .furniture,, and Mr. Cartor's houso was in''dangor. Taylor's ■ handsome Native..bush had been swept by fire. It was further reported that at '. Rikiorangi, up the valley from Waikaiiae, three families had camped in the school- c house. I