THE FIRES. IN THE BURNING BUSH.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 41, 18 February 1908, Page 3

THE FIRES. IN THE BURNING BUSH.

MILES AND MILES OF FLAME AND SMOKE. NORTH OF AUCKLAND. In the course of an account telling of his ' experiences on a visit to the fire6\vopt country north of Auckland, a Star reporter w rites : — Coughing and choking with the all-pervading smoke which hangs over the country like a funeral pall we managed to get our reluctant h.orses A pasfc the danger zone, and a few miles further od came to the homestead, of Mr. Fawcett, which had been in most danger of being consumed by the hungry Send. Standing on a hill surrdunded by smoking fires on eyery hand, the owner showed us where the lire had swept up the valley across 7Q 1 or 80 chains of bush and clearing in. an hour and a-half. It deems to travel with, the rapidity, of thought, and the- very earth it&elf appears to burn. Lone stumps and gaunt dead trees standing in the middle of a clearing suddenly smoke in one or two placrs, and soon are streaks of flame.' The slightest spark carried on the wind is enough to awaken tho liro that; now seems latent in all nature. A solid looking stump is burned right out of the ground in an incredibly short time, and even tho spreading roots, half bedded in the soil aro consumed, leavinging the blaqkoned likeness of an evil octopus with its great body and cruel arms — symbolical of tho all devouring genius of the {Sitiless fire I "Where my stock is I don't know," said Mr Fawcett, as we gazed into the impenetrable* wall of tmoko that surrounded tho place. An almost, human cry from out the smoke across the ridges told where some poor beast had been caught by the fire, and the haunting sound was repeated every few minutes:. Some five, hundred sheep and between 60 and 70 v head of cattle were out there somewhere in tho smoke, ' and the only hope was that they were on tho other side of the ilames. Tho awfulness of it ie that nothing cap be done ; man is quit© helpless before the relentless fire. The flames leap across, ppa.ee, and tho sparks fly for inconceivable distances from tho tall trees, particularly the dead ones. Ever and anon one' of "the monsters Jails to the ground with a deafening roar, and the flames' burst out afresh and' roar with glee as- they see the destruction they have' accomplished. In former, fires tho boundary has.always been the standing bush, but this year the fiend knows no>limit.' He sweeps' away all. The standing bush goes this year like matchwood, not with the horrible crackle and rattle as of musketry, which usually marks the burning of green growth, but with tho steady and even ( burn . of fallen . timber — everything is so' patched and- crumbling dry. Such a thing has never been known here before, and this alone shows what the season has been. "And when you corit sider that it will cost a pound an acre to, get it back to its foiraer state," said the owner, waving his hand over across the acres of blackened and Wiling grass paddocks, and he broke off abruptly as though enough had been said. Even if tho fire stops now (but there is not the slightest prospect of it doing anything of tho kind) the 1033 to tho wayback settlers wall be enormous in the aggregate. While we looked, a- couple of chains of fencing 'foil flat, as tho posts were burnsd through at the bottom, and here and there a few more chains were crumpled up by huge- trees which had. fallen across it at different points. . "Add wo don't get ten and fourpenco a day., for putting them to rights," was the only comment. At ono time the house itself was, in. imminent danger of falling to the capacious maw of the fiend: Tho wind' sAVept' Mho flames' right across the bark paddocks, parallel with tho 1 homestead, and a sudden change brought them straight for the building, but -just in (ho nick of time tho wind veered a point or two, and the- flames dividing in a wide fan w.ent to, .either tide. Imagine the feelings of a l man compelled to stand idly by 1 and, watch 'the -fire slowly stealing the clear ground between him and rumor at tho very least the loss of years of labour apd 'toil. ! '"A change of wind and we couldn't stay hero five 'minutes, 1 " remarked one of the small group gazing out on the scene with tired eyes, as he pointed to the oily clouds of smoke rising to the burnished sky, where the' eun glares down on the- parched' earth. One does not- need the penetrating eye of the eagle" to look at • him 1 now. He ' bums dull' arid red like copper, casting sickly yellow beams, hardly less hot than the stiffling guste that come down on the wind from the burning bush. Occasionally the smoke is blown away to a thin veil, through which you get fitful glimpses of .the valley below, criscrossed with cultivated fields— all one dead brown) with never a coo l green spot on which to rest the blood-shot eyes. And when the breeze dies down the stilling sense of oppression is truly awful, The earth seemrs to be under some frightful incubus. Tho range of vision is narrowed • to almost nothing. Everything beyond a mile or two is seen through a mist, dimly, and Nature seems in the thrall of a horrible narcotic drug. You gaep for breath, and long for her to awake. Till it rains she will sleep this awful sleep with its nightmare •of blackened earth and awful suspense, but the brassy heavens dnny this boqn, and the blood-red sun holds out no hope as he crawls slowly overhead, pitiless and relentless ' as fate. THE POHANGINA VALLEY. • A Manawatu Times reporter, who journeyed Ihrough the Eohangina Valley states that at A-wahou South, -Mr. C. Bailey's property of about 1000 acres had 'been sm ept' by the fire which' had been burning on the farm for six weeks. There was very little of the farm that the' firo had not touched, but by dint of keeping the stock. mustered ahead of the flames, Mr. Bailey lbst very few of them." Mr. A. Keeble, a near neighbour, lost most of his fencing, and Mr. Alcers's homestead was ' at that moment •in infminent danger, which accounted for his absence from the gathering. Mr. H. Jackson lost a Aumber of stock, and >700 acres of his farm were burnt, while the firo was still raging. Mr., M'Carthy's whole place was a mass of firej -while Mr. Handley had had a very, 'bad time. The lire, starting from his farm, traversed th 2 reserve along the read, spoiling a lot of beautiful scenery and .valuable btotara. .From here the fire spredd to Mr. Didsbury's farm, and though the stock was .saved, the fences and. grass we.re all burnt. From further « field, around Komako, , and, distant Aniti and Tamaki, came further, stories of disaster. THE KHANDALLAH OUTBREAK. ' ' Taking full advantage of tho relief from -dagger afforded- by the southerly breeze, the members of the Permanent Artillery and residents of Khandall'ah put in a busy day yesterday bringing the remains of- the fire undor control. There is still a considerable amount of fire smouldering, nnd a careful watch is being kept. The members of the Permanent force returned to town last night, but the Minister for Defence has pioinjsod th.it theii ch*vice* shall be available if further io-