DISASTROUS FIRE IN VICTORIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11855, 6 January 1902, Page 6

DISASTROUS FIRE IN VICTORIA.

TOWNSHIPS SURROUNDED. j Melbourne, December 29. The fierce heat and abnormal duststorm ] whi;h were in evidence in Melbourne on wtajyi Sat*rday morning appear to have been ex- ... perhnced in an intensified, degree in the in- j land districts. In- the city up to 158 degree? in tie feun and 103 degrees' in the shado were registered, nnd the strong wind kept the dust in motion but in the country the heat was j registered up to 105 degrees in the shade at Stratford, 107 degrees at Ecliuoa, and 110. degrees at Sale, and the duststorms were, dp-''. > I scribed'; as terrific. Other districts were still , more unfortunate, by reason of outbreaks of bush fires, which in several cases assumed alarming proportions. In the districts of Benalla tho bush fires were even more disastrous than those which devastated the district a year ago. From t!>j-' early nironing the heat was intense. Tho thermometer at eleven a.m. stood at 106 degrees in the shade, while a' north-west wind blew with hurricane force. • The whole dis- |"S trict was cnvelopd in a cloud of. dust, and it was utterly impossible for. any living thing to face the fire. While the fire was still & mile outside the township the heat or the flames; and smoke made the atmosphere un- f-:. bearable. The tales of devastation are ap- • >, r palling. The, loss in fencing alone is en- t ormous, and it is possible to ride 16 miles in a straight line without a fence intervening. Culverts and gates have been burnt in every : direction.', . ■ The township of .Thooua, which stands on a little eminence, surrounded by fertile plains, was completely surrounded by fire, i, and to-night the surrouncjjng country is one' y, mass of flame, a magnificent but disastrous sight. i' / Here and there is a brighter patch caused ■ by : buildings or . a 7;stack on fire. _V Scores of 'settlers have been burnt ; out, , in- p volving heavy losses of. live stock, machinery, grain, . and general farm stores. . Happily there is no loss of human life.. '7* ■';>y" The district of Kilmore was also the sceno , • of disastrous bush fires, which:,were fannod into renewed life on- Saturday by the strong northerly wind, which,. blowing at times at ;? : 5'V the rate of from 60 to 70 miles an hour, drove the flames along through the country at an alarming rate. 'Hundreds: of r workers 1 found it almost impossible ;in " many cases; to make the slightest' attempt ■to : cope with tho fiery element.' \ The fire at Goldenveirt, : Morandiug, which had swept some thousands : "' of acres 011 tho previous day, 1 ; obtained re- oci newed life, and crops, stacks, : barns, and outhouses were swept away in a very little timo, while many narrow escapes, of .life were reported.- V - ' ' . . Further eastward immense destruction was' v used by the fire which broke out on Strathmore Estate. Over 4000; acres ; of Strathmore have been ; swept bare of : every vestige of-sgt grass. The woolshed, sheepyavds, stable, '" etc.. were all burnt, but the homestead, for- • tunately, was saved. The fire is still burtiiug in some of the scrubby portions of ho estate. At Mr. William laylor's .Westfield L Estate, oil Friday, the fire burnt a part or his pro- ©>;|i perty, . but - Saturday's hurricane blew tho 1 ; -;.] flames through ' the' grass and stubble in a sheet of flame. The homestead, - barns,; and stables, with farming implements, wera totally destroyed, as well as a considerable amount of stock, including' some '■ stud . rams 'ypJ and miles of fencing. Several other properties were also devastated. r ;; j To-day the fire is raging towards' Glenai rona, and at Torn' Gully immense volumes of; • I smoke are rising'. Very few?of the- farmers had their crops-insured, consequently they will be heavy losers. For. many miles thousands of acres now present -.a'^ pitiable r sight, nothing but blackened and charred ; ground, ruins of.stacks, buildings, and fences remain- * ing. | In the churches to-day prayers were offered ; up for rain and; for tho unfortunate victims ; of .: the I disastrous S fires^||g|g||^ ' The damage done amounts to many' thousands of pounds. - ' ' - *— : • ■ • i . V" 'A A NARROW ESCAPE. ■ ! - ' ' ; Gundagai, December 30. A young man named Smith had a narrow ! .'[■ escape of being burned to death, owing to his horse knocking up whilst galloping . be- ' fore the fire. Seeing that the flames were -yj; rapidly"' overtaking him ho sprang off the horse, and plunged into the Billabong Creek, and escaped with a scorching, 1 his horse being roasted.'. . : It is supposed that a. swagsman lost his | life, as his swag was picked up, but there was j no trace of the man. I There is some difference of opinion regard- " ing the origin of the fire, tho use of phos- , phorus being advanced by some, others be- , lieving it ,to be the work of an incendiary, . ~ as a bottle was found in which a > lighted candle had been placed. , 1 FURTHER DETAILS. Junee, December 30. The bush fire which broke out on Dangar and McDonald J Brothers' Wantabadgery station on Friday has proved to bo the largest ever known in the south districts. The Oura -Testation fire joined it. and hundreds of thousands; of acres; have been gutted. ■The fires . crossed Murrumbidgee at Cabtree, Wanta- • badgery, Nang Nangus, and several other places, and is reported to have readied Kimo, ' ' near Gundagai. The fire-fighters - have had a fierce battle. A light fall of 'rain on ; Saturday afternoon allayed the demon for tho time being, but the winds since gave ft fresh start, and whirlwinds, carrying the "' burning debris hundreds of yards, re red j the efforts of the men almost futile. : Wantabadgery station consists • of -.40,000 * /'! acres, and every bit was -destroyed, with 1 the exception of a corner of 1500 acres opposite ' Mr. David Weir's Wandool property. The station management -.-has a difficult problem to face of finding fresh pastures for 1)0,00!? ' j sheep. , , Thousands of sheep were destroyed in the ' flames, and a large number of those shifted were badly singed. j-" 1 i SCENE ON THE MOUNTAINS. y ' L.vwsox, December 30. Further reports of the bush fire* from thu i,. surrounding districts show that there were many narrow escapes. At Hazelbrook the "-, residences of Messrs. Ixliniy and Glennie only escaped destruction by. the exertion of . willing workers in the sweltering heat. Tho stables, sheds, and fencing at Glennie's were all destroyed. One of the helpers at this place named Hanson was burned a good deal' about the face - and . arms, ' but he manfully - ffr stuck to his work. At tho residence of Mr. Lloyd the fir© was so menacing that tho '• furniture had to bo hurriedly removed. At Lawsonv on ' Saturday night the sight from ? the park was a magnificent one, the fire on the ridges resembling some vast illumination, f while the roaring of the flames and the crack -. V of falling timbers made the scene one of " awful grandeur, and a number of people viewed the sight from different points of , ' vantage up to a late hour, while those whoso places were in any danger remained un all ■ night guarding their places against attack. Yesterday a cool change set in with a little rain, which was welcomed by everybody, and had the desired effect of ' extinguishing the "-V fires, arid there is now an abundance of water for domestic, purposes, although the railway supply is getting very low. - ■'. . Jj THE DRY SEASON. " The dry season is making itself felt in various ways, both in the metropolitan and \ suburban areas, A walk into the 'j various £$& parks gives abundant. evidence "of the fact.v|!f| The grass is seen at its driest, and the ornamental trees have suffered considerably. Housewives are affected to a considerable extent, the prices of living having -gone up. .Recently fruit, vegetables, and other necessary articles of food have greatly increase, '; > ■ in price. The cost of living to the ordinary : working man has thus been added to as a dfo.v| rect ' result, of the present dryness , of the V;v weather. Referring to prices;' we are - informed that peas and beans—vegetables that at this season of the year are largely : con—were last week 1 as ' high , ! as 4s- 6d per. peck, cabbages Is, and other articles \ were at correspondingly high rates. Flower , gardens have also suffered from the want of ; ■? rain. ':Av - SGHOOLHOUSE STRUCK BY- ... & LIGHTNING. . Baeranald, December 30. • Five-mile Lagoon ■ School, near here, was destroyed by fire last Saturday morning during a heavy thunderstorm. An inquest was held to-day, and a verdict was returned that the building had been struck by lightning.' • <■ /.v • -.it'l'M