AUSTRALIAN BOSH FIRES.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 1600, 6 February 1906, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN BOSH FIRES.

TRAGIC LOSS OF LIFE. i THE FIRE FIGHTERS' AWFUL TASK. The Sydney and Melbourne papers to hand by Thursday's mail contain graphic accounts of the terrible bush fires which swept portions of the Gippsland district on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, the tragic occurrences which followed in their train forming an appalling record of lives lost and homes destroyed. Old residents of Gippsland who have had experience of many bush lires (according to the special correspondent of the Sydney 'Daily Telegraph' at Foster), describe the outbreak as the most terrible they have ever seen, the week's conilagration transcending all in the tragic loss of lift? which has attended it, and in the awful swiftness with which the destruction of lift; and property was wrought. When the lire started in the Hoddle ranges, a few miles westward of Foster, on Tuesday afternoon, the wind was blowing a gale, and when the fire had gathered a perfect tornado of llanie, destroyingall before it. in its rapid and irresistible progress. The fire, travelling with the speed of an express train, ] swept clown upon the town of Foster, enveloping tile residences of Mr Alex. Fleet and Mr Thomas, ami reducing them in a few moments to a blackened heap of ruins. Snarks were actually falling upon the, State school, ami the whole township appeared to be doomed, when, by a providential dispensation, the direction of the wind changed, and Foster was saved from destruction. Turned aside by tile wind, the fire pursued its fearful course with appalling viL'or, across Mount Square Top, blotting out homesteads and fences -with ruthless rapidity, cattle, horses, sheep, and domestic animals falling victims to the flames where there was no escape from them. Mr William Clem son. president of the Shire of South Gippsland, had a sensational experience.' which, through thrilling and sensational enough to be unique, is, however, only typical in its main outlines of many more. Mr Clemson was working in a piece of tilled land some distance from his 'home, when lie saw the lire advancing towards his home ill a wall of solid flame at the speed of a galloping horse. In the house were his wife and three young children, his mother, and a female relative. and two more children. He rushed away at once to save his home, and two teamsters camped at the roadside, and, with them, two employes, came to his assistance, but before they could realise it the home was doomed. No human power could sf ay the advance of the lire, and almost before till- inmates could escape from tile house it. was wrapped in llames. There was a galvanised tank, which, being empty, had been blown from its stand, and was lying outside a short distance from the house. Into this haven of refuse Mr Clemson hurried ■the women and children. Rushing back to the house, he seized mid carried over to the tank a barrel of water. Three of tile men rushed away to save themselves, while Mr Cl-m.-on and an Italian named Albino Clavarino remained with the women and children. The whole place was surrounded by (ire. The heat was so intense that two horses standing by siiccumbcd from the heat alone. The iron tank became h<»l. and it was only by keeping tile blankets in which tile females were wrapped damp with water from the barrel that their position was rendered endurable.

Tin- tank was contiauous to a small outbuilding, which on several occasions took lire, but each time Clavarino rushed from the shelter of the tank, scraped up a few handfuls of

earth, and threw it on the burnim; timber, and each time lie came bail; with his clothes on fire. In the meantime "Mr C'lemson saw his doe-s and two pet sheep, which were 1 by, fall dead with the. heat. The Ileal became so intense that the women started to scream, became hysterical, and had to be forcibly restrained from running straight into the flames. "Clnvarbio acted like a true Briton." Sir ciemson says, "and if it had not been for his heroism and self-sacrifice, ] don't think we would havo hr-n alive to-dav. \ novcr saw anvthlnu like it although \ unit through tlx-un-at lire of IM>S. am] I hope nrver t<» liavo another

At Woorarra West, Mr 11. Pcarso founti the (ire swooping down H]>on him suddenly. As it wtfs impossible to save the homestead he directed his efforts to save the lives of his wife and two little girls. They were removed to the centre of a cledrod space, where, with the aid of a wet blanket, their sufferings were mitigated. Conslant attention was needed to save his wife and children. Mr Peavce ke|H. the blanket eool by obtaining water from a tank. The elder girl directed her attention 'bravely to her sister, extinguishing the sparks as they fell 011 i the little one's, hair and dress. Suddenly her own dress took lire, but she bad the presence <>l mind to unbutton it and to allow ii to fall off her body. The family were in this predicament for several hours, never expecting to survive, but they pulled through. In some cases women were left to the battle alone through their husbands being cut olf by the lire. This was the *ase of Mrs Elphiek, ot Woorarra West. Her husband ami son were sjmie distance from home cutting scrub when they saw_Uie lire approaching. They get home with all spied, but vencd, and with great difficulty they in the meantime, had to her live children from her to the residence oi a neighbor, had ' escaped the llames. 31r Peter ay, of Wonga. with his family, had to take refuge in a well which he had recently excavated, and at the bottom of which there was about two feet of water. Their home was in ilames, but the well proved a sate, if unpleasant, refuge until the fury of the lire was past.

A sick lad named Williams, who was being carried through the burning bush by two men, bad to be abandoned, the men themselves being severely burnt, and only escaping by taking refuge in a creek, where burning debris was continually falling.

.Mr Frank Lonsdale, of Mount best, had six of his children suffocated. They were in attendance at the State school, near Toora, when the lire broke out, and the teacher, Mr H. B. Vales, recognising the danger, dismissed the scholars at noon. The six children, whose ages ranged from twelve years down to three, were blocked by the lire, the bodies being found along tinroad at intervals just as they had fallen when overcome by the heat. Their unhappy father was the lirst to discover ihem. The march of ludf-n----dozen men for a couple of miles through lire and burning timber bearing ilie corpses, was a heart-breaking sight. The other children at the school took refuge under a large fallen tree.

Mr \ nlVs, whose house and content with the school . were burnt to tl. "'round, collapsed attain and atjai. ■while attempting to save tin' lives <> tlv* twenty-eiu-ht children who remain ed in his charge. He went thi-ouiil what was u veritable furnace to Lt'c water to 11< 111 ron blankets. Once In put down the bucket for a Few sec onds. ami on takine- ji up tli handle burnt (lie skin oil his hand I lie children obeyed his instruction and lay llat on the n-round, where hi covered ihein with wet blankets. All other man, named Sanules, and h kept the blankets ivel. He uot walei from itie burning school till it collnp sed. [|e then went ihrousrh the blaz inn scrub to the creek. His boy: helped him. When the lire uas at it worst they ran into loe's am covered themselves with wet blankets and as the loirs caniflit they shifted t. other lo;rs. The efforts of the Vales father and sons, and of Sanu'li'-s. ti save the school children were crmvnei with success, yet as y»un<r Vales, ; youth of sixteen years remarked, "liv minutes decided it. The change <. wind cam;- just in time." Yottn Monty \ ales put out lires on th school children's frocks ivpeatedlv wit his hands, and he said that had on child succumbed they would all hav ffiven in. they were so thorough! spent by tile heat anil smoke and ai xietv. Over the loLr in which tile Soiielil shelter three trees vomit! snares and burninc- coals, and tl, children scurried like rabbits front lon to lotr.