Many Settlers Rendered Homeless

Feilding Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 152, 26 January 1906, Page 2

Many Settlers Rendered Homeless

BraVery of a Schoolmaster How He SaVed the Bchool Children Marrow Escapes Recorded Received Jan 26, 9.87 a.m. Mblboubnb, This Day. The country from Hill End to Neerim was laid waste on Tuesday. Practically all the settlers are homeless. The heroism of Schoolmaster Vales, of Toora, saved 28 children. He collapsed again and again. He went through a veritable furnace to get water to poor on the blankets. Mr Vales, interviewed, said the children obeyed him and laid flat on the ground. Another man and he kept the blankets wet. He got water from the burning school till it collapsed. Then he went through some blazing scrub to a creek. The boys helped him when the fire was at its worst. They ran into some large logs and covered themselves with wet blankets, and as they caught fire they ran to other logs. The school children stayed" with him aU eight. Nine bodies were buried at Toorab yesterday Scales and a party of laborers, while scrub-cutting at Bingenwarrie, were surrounded by the fire. The horses were ridden fiercely, but were so injured by the fire that they had to be shot. The men found refuge* hi a waterhole, which was gradually filled with burning branches. They were in the water four hours. One man who became temporarily insane was prevented by force from suicide. AU ultimately escaped, but were nearly blinded and scalded. The Government is sending £1000 to relieve the immediate necessities of the sufferers in Gippaland.