BUSH FIRES SUBSIDING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19255, 18 February 1926, Page 9

BUSH FIRES SUBSIDING.

STRICKEN VICTORIAN AREAS. ALL DANGER NOT YET PAST. FAVOURABLE CHANGE OF WIND. HARROWING TALES OF TRAGEDY. By Te'.ezraph—Pres3 Association—Copyright. A, and N.Z. (Received 10.5 p.m.) MELBOURNE, Fab. 17. Most of the bush fires in Victoria have now subsided, although fresh serious outbreaks are reported to have occurred at Monbulu. A. fresh outbreak has also occurred at East Warburton, but the wind is blowing .from the south and is forcing the flames back on to the burned area. The danger is not yet past, but if the wind continues from the Eouth it will soon be over. Reports to hand this morning from the chief fire areas showed that 30 bodies had been recovered. A number of other people are believed to be dead. Twelve persons are seriously injured. The following is a list of the dead so far as has been ascertained at present:—Mr. E. J. Walker, Mrs. Walker and two sons (aged 3 and 5, respectively), Mr. Carl Hay, Mr. Lindsay King, Mr. S. Johns, Mr. H. Johns, Mr. Hanson (or Anson), Mr. E. Bull, a boy named Duncan (aged 3), Mr. A, Lurnson, Mr. V. Walsh, Mr. L. Roberts, Mr. A. Sandham, Mr. Thomas Donald, Mrs. Mabel Donald, Leslie Donald (aged 4), William Donald (aged 6), John Donald (aged 8), Mr. Allan Hume, Mr. Olsen, Mrs. Olsen and their sons Walter and Thomas (aged 14 and 9, respectively), Mr. James Lang, Mris. L. Mitchell, Mr. Thomas Franklin, Mr. John Armour and Mr. William Fisk. i' The persons who are missing are: —Messrs. Joseph Johnson, W. Collins and B. Bennett. Those who are seriously injured are: —Arthur G. Walker, Harry G. King, Florence Hodges, Sidney N. Leeman, Vera Hodges and Dorothy Hodges. Missing Man Found Burned to Death in Hems. Although further loss of life is reported, in a number oi: the reports coming to hand there are conflicting statements, and it is difficult to estimate the actual extent of the fatalities. One resident of Nayook, Mr. John Armour, who was previously reported to be missing, was found burned to death in the ruins of his home. Unconfirmed rumours from the Noojee area suggest that a number of additional bodies have been found there. Another body has been found in Powelltown, and there are still a number of people unaccounted for in the more outlying settlements. Communication with some of these isolated parts has not yet been restored. A report that 12 more bodies had been found in the Warragul area is not confirmed. ' Many Tragic Scenes Amid the Blackened Ruins. Many tragic scenes are still to be witnessed amid the blackened ruins of homes and villages. Women and children, with their eyes still strained by the terror of their awful ordeal, are still to be seen tragically viewing the remains of their homes. Many of them were found clinging to some cherished possession which they had managed to salvage from the welter of destruction. The material damage caused by the fires throughout the State has been incalculable. A number of timber mills have been destroyed, and the extent of the damage and the interruption of the milling industry will result in serious unemployment. The position is accentuated! by the fact that many of those who have been thrown out of work are married men with families. They have lost everything but the clothes in which they standThe total value of the mills and mill tramways destroyed is £300,000. The output of hardwood timber will be reduced 50 per cent, until the mills recommence. Eight hundred mill hands will be idle. This figure does not include a number of unemployed men in the townships who are dependent on the mills. Two Hundred Refugees in Mountain Country. A revised casualty list issued this evening shows that 30 people are dead, two missing and nine seriously injured, but this will probably be altered from day to day as the searchers continue their work. There are 200 people in the Horsfall mountains without food or shelter. Pack horses laclen with food were sent to their assistance, but as the roads are strewn, with burning logs it will be some time before they can cut a way through. A man' and his wife, who had their baby with them, at Fumina, drenched themselves with water and sheltered in an outhouse until the first flames had passed. They then returned to their potato patch and dug a hole in which they lay covered with earth until the worst of the fire had passed. They then stood in a creek for the remainder of the night. Reports from Beeac, beyond Powelltown, state that there has been a fresh outbreak of fire there and that the position is dangerous. The wind threatens to carry the flames through heavily timberea country which has so far not been touched by the flames. Toward Noojee the wind is still rising, and the women and children have been ordered to leave the township. King George Expresses Sympathy and Concern. The Governor-General, Lord Stonehaven, has received a message from His Majesty the King, stating:—"lt was with the deepest concern that I heard of the devastating bush fires. I truly sympathise with your Government and the people of Australia in this calamity. I would ask you to convey my sincere condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, and at the same time express my admiration of the heroism displayed in. combating the danger. The Victorian Government has decided to subsidise the rebuilding of the bridges and timber tramlines which have been burned. It will also guarantee the funeral expenses of the victims, and authorise the distribution of supplies from, a store in each burned-out hamlet. In the House of Representa/tives, the Prime Minister, Mr. S. M. Bruce, said he had communicated with the State Government with a view to meeting cases of immediate necessity by supplying blankets and tents from the Defence Department's stores. When the full facts were available, the Federal Government would consider giving assistance.. The fires had aroused a great wave of public sympathy. A feature of them was the wonderful heroism which had been shown, Mr. M. Carlton, Leader of the Labour Party, endorsed Mr. Bruce's remarks. Numerous Offers of Assistance Forthcoming. The acting Premier, Sir Alexander Peacock, stated to-day that offers of assistance for the distressed people had been received from every State in the Commonwealth and also from New Zealand. New South Wales and New Zealand had already offered financial help, but at present he did not propose to accept any Government's money. The Victorian Government would do its part in endeavouring to rehabilitate the homeless people, andjto prevent them drifting to the cities. Already the public subscriptions in Melbourne have made over £IO,OOO available for the relief of distress. Supplies of clothing, bedding and food have been rushed by the State Government to the areas where the refugees are congregated. The Cabinet has also appointed a sub-committee to report upon the question of rehabilitating the settlers who have been burned out.