TARANAKI.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3017, 28 March 1867, Page 5

TARANAKI.

We. deeply regret to have to chronicle^ to-day a disaster. whioh hu overtaken several of our iettlers,. and, .those of the moit enterprising and energetic amongst us. Our readers will, of c6urse r , be aware, that we allude to the bush fires which have daring the week laid waster a large quantity of our crops, destroyed several homesteads, and deprived u» of .much of the results of the year's labour. It is not easy u yet to gain any authentic information of what damage has really been done, or of the extent of the fire,. but, as far as we can learn, the following account' is correct: — It is well known that for ■ several years past, in consequence of the war, and from other causes, many , of those who own lands in the country hare been living. in the town, *nd have not duly burned ,off every season the old logi remaining on their country lands. The consequence 1 is that there are, or i were, over a large extent of country six years' arrears of logs, all of which might any day have taken fire and caused the calamity \rhich has now i befallen us. On Monday last there sprang up a S.E. ,wind,kwhich continued until. Thursday, blowing a regular gale on Tuesday and Wednesday. It appears that there were several bush fires burning at the former .date, some lately ignited, some' supposed to be extinguished. These ' the wind took andi fanned until they grew to a terrific size.. Not only did the dry logs take fire, but the. standing bush was all ablaze, and thus the .flames were carried from clearing to clearing until, as we are told upon good authority, the fire extended from a point inland of the Bell Block to the centre of the Omata district. > ' Dwelling-houses -belonging to the following settlers have,> iwe understand,* - been destroyed :— Messrs, Hawke, Oliver, Batten, Waite, Burton (two houses), Hartley, and Wheeler. Ini addition to this, Messrs. Hawke, 0. Brown, and Long havelost ricks of hay; Mr. H. Brown has had his fences, hay,' bridges, and a large .quantity of timber* prepared for sawing, destroyed. .We further learn that Mr. Free has lost a horse, which, was burned to death. — TaranaU . Herald, March 16, . - " '