THE BUSH FIRES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 130, 25 February 1908, Page 7

THE BUSH FIRES.

SAVING DAY'S BAY RESERVE.

FICHTINC THE FLAMES. • DANGER PRACTICALLY OVER. '■ During tho past week a heavy bank W smoko liuiig tho Wainui /Valley, ans underneath the hazo a firo crept up tho ridgei and finally burst into flame at York Bay 01 Thursday last. Sinco 1 then a continuous! balUo lias boon waged with the destroyer,; unci \ the employees of tho Ferry Company' havo.boon working night and day to savo tin. magnificent reserve of bush which clothes the' hills ororlooking tho Bay. Tho CompanyV hands, , seven-, in number, with Mr. C. E Zohrab, general manager,' as supervisor, wcraJ disposed., along; the ridgo, and. with axes an? slashers worked strenuously, to stay the pro gross of tho five. - THE CRITICAL. Tho situation 011 Saturday night was very critical indeed. Fanned by tho strong, southerly wind which had spruug up, and . which in. somo unaccountable way seemed to drivb' tho flames towards tho Company's reserve; instead of, as ono might naturally have supposed, inclining the course of tho firo in',, tho other direction, the angry element raged ' along tho ridgo towards the Bay, and alb through.tho night men, blackened and'weary, blinded by tho smoke, and every , now and then dropping from sheer exhaustion, battlec in what at'times ' appeared . toi be a vaii struggle. It was hoped that by cutting si ■ traick encircling tho fire area, which by thiss! time had stretched over,.an area, of 2£ it , would bo, possible to beat - out'tho 'fad as it entered tlio cleared belt, but successive ■ autumns and winters had laid upon the ground so thick a covering of doad leaves peat that tho enemy crept along underneath, reappearing in a dozen places beyond, and! spreading with inconceivablo rapidity. 'PERILOUS EXPERIENCES. The situation was not without peril. Oil. ono occasion a party of four wero forced to fly for. ■ their lives, from tho flames, which threatened to surround them. Every now and then a groat totara tree, glowing fiercely in the- - wind, would sway to and: fro in its death agony, and • then ; como l; crashing to tho ground; while myriads of sparks flow upwards and around, spreading further destruction among the decayed wood, dry astinder, which lay about. '' ' 1 " ;A■ •-. commissariat • base was , estab-' , lishcd lip on - the ridgo, and sup ' plies for .the men were taken. up, on a,"' pack-horse by Mr. C. E. Zohrab, who per-' ■ soiiaUy saw to the comfort of tlio men. Filially the-destroyer'was subdued and got.' under, control,'and tlio flames flickered their! way'/through tlie'-underscrub towards G6l- j lan's Valley. The danger still existed, how-' ever, 'and throughout tho wholo of Sunday . and yestorday the men were kept hard flork. keeping the fire, area within limits. REINFORCEMENTS. \ Matters ■ looked rather feerious yesterday , morning, and a gang of 23 men, collected'} from tho crowd about, tho city wharves, was - ' engaged at £I.rxjr man per day of 12.hours* I to supplement tho little party' of toilers, whol wero, by this time,- quite worn out. Ono or' two of them were completely prostrated, hav* ing, been oii duty [almost continuously. Thai .advent ■ of reinforcement's . lent fresh energy,to" tho struggloj and by about 6 p.m. yesterday tho danger-was practically over. -■- PRECAUTIONS. Tlio Eastbourne Borough Council has taken.precautionary measures to safeguard tlicßor-' ough's resorvo of about 500 acres of standing ; bush, the site, of'their proposed-reservoir foi tho local water supply. Preliminary survey? havo been, taken for the .necessary tracks,, and a man lias been detailed to keep an ey<>< 1 on-Gyent3 and, if necessary, give the alarm..' /Tho standing bush about tho Bay hills? contains some very fino totara, rimuj and " rata, the remainder being principally blacks birch,'tree ferns, manuka, and ti-palmsJ Since, tho first outbreak on the Wainui sidr 1 it ( is estimated that about. 200 acres of stand" ing hush along the firo area have been do* stroyed.. ' . ,

'■ V/AINUI-O-MATA BUSH CATCHES. A: serious outbreak of fire occurred in tliet , City Corporation's bush reserve at Wainui . Reservoir'yesterday afternoon. A;party of. . men , was immediately dispatched to the scene of tho fire, which liad broken out about, . half-way up the side.pf.the reservoir. After. some strenuous efforts the* outbreak was gofci ■ under control, aiid,' acc6rding_ to the latest! i reports, the danger ;was practically over. 1 • An extensive grass fire caused some ax- ; citement at; Karaka Bay on Saturday. The groater portion of .the population of the Bay, ; both male and female, waged war against the ' flamos, which were .'dangerously close to 1 dwelling-houses on two occasions. After ;. hard fight tho fire was got under. THE RAINFALL. A LARGE AREA COVERED. i :' (BT . TELEGRAPH.—PRESS,' ASSOCIATION.) ./, i . ' . Auckland, February 24., Heavy ram fell last night, and . th' weather is still showery. i i : Stratford, February 2-}: Light rain fell here during Saturday night, and the weather is now threatening. In tho back country about fivo hours' Steady rain 'occurred. .. ' ■ •'■' New Plymouth, February 24. Light rain f6ll on Saturday night' and Sunday- morning, and again : this morning. It seems general over. North Taranaki, and though insufficient to benefit pastures much, is quite enough to remove all anxiety about fires, The . sky is still overcast and threaten. - ing: • ''•':. ' ■ ' '" ■ . Eitliam, February 24. Rain fell at Elthain on Saturday_ night, but only' a light shower—not. sufficient to benefit, tlio,grass..'- - '/ .' : / : ■ Feilding, l'ehruarv 24. ' ' Light rain fell, oil Saturday liight and Sunday morning. -at Kimboltou. Over' an inch of rain fell, yesterday in Apiti and Rangiwalna. The rain quenched tho bush fires. ■: ; The, count 17 is ' looking better,: but- mora ram is required yet. : . . , ■ Reefton,- February 24. . Rain ou Saturday checked tho bush fires. The town -water supply has: been . t-cmpor- • arily repaired, but a good deal of damage was dono to tlio fluming.- .. I -;.- ~ Napier, February 24. Tho best rain experienced since Christmas .'fell, yesterday, it is still not; enough. Tho weather has again cleared. .: ; (ill TELEGRAPH—SPKCIAt, . COnRKSPOKOKNT.I . .. Pahiatua, February 24. " -Steady rain sot in late: : Saturday jiight, continuing till early, on Sunday, morning. It; was much needed, and appreciated by local agriculturists, although so far as market gardens are concerned it is feared that the rain .is too late and that there .will'bo practically no green", vegetables available until.' about Novomber next. A shortage of potatoes is also anticipated in tho district'. (FItOM OUR SrKOIAIi OORBESFONOEKT.) Shannon, February' 24. Rain has fallen lierp,, but not sufficienf to do any material . good. . Firca in the district aro under 'control,';'and the countryside is much clearer of smoke. ; . . POSITION AT CAMBRIDGE. (BY ASSOCIATION.v ... Cambridge,; February 24. Owing to tho drought the amount paid \ out to suppliers in the past month by the ; local dairy company is £700 less than in the similar period'lust year. There aro indications now that tlio drought is breaking. up." Bush fires on tho Maungakoua Ranger;; caused considerable alarm-to the sanatorium ; patients, and the Firo Brigade worked hard to check their spreading.' • Danger ,is how averted. ■; ' . ; '