AUSTRALIAN BUSH FIRES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume L, Issue 9002, 26 January 1906, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN BUSH FIRES.

FURTHER PARTICULARS. " THE SCHOOL TEACHER'S HEROISM. TERIBLE EXPERIENCES. [PEESS ASSOCIATION.] (Received January 26, 9.37 a.m.) MELBOURNE, January 26. Mrs Welsh, returning from a visit to hex mother accompanied by two children, got off the track in the Warren district and wandered aSout in the dreadful heat. Both children perished of heat and thirst but the demented mother was rescued. The* country from Hfllend to Neerim was laid waste on Tuesday ; practically all the settlers are homeless. The heroism of schoolmaster Mr Vales at Toora saved 28 children. Hei collapsed again and again. He went through a veritable, furnace to get water to pour on the Blankets. Air Vales, interviewed, said the children obeyed him and lay flat on the ground. Another man and he kept the blankets wet. He got water from the burning school till it collapsed an 3 then 1 went .through blazing scrub to. a creek. 'The boys helped •him. When the fire was at its worst, they ran into large logs and covered themselves with wet blankets, and , as the logs ■caught they shifted to othelr logs. The school children stayed with him till night. Nina .bodies were burned at Toora yesterday. Scales, and party, laborers, while scrub cutting at Binginwarrie, were surrounded by fire. Their horses were ridden fiercely but were so injured by fire tTiat they had to be shot. The mem found refuge ;im a water h»le, which gradually filled with burning brands. They were in th© wate* four hours, one man who became temporarily insanse was prevented by force from 6uicide. AJI ultimately escaped, but were nearly blinded and scalded. CAN TIMARtJ SEE THE SMOKE? TIMARU, January 24. A thick brown haze in the atmosphere of South Canterbury to-day, veiling the mountains, has been cattributed to the smoke from the Australian bush fires.