NORTHERN BUSH FIRES

Otago Witness, Issue 3342, 3 April 1918, Page 23

NORTHERN BUSH FIRES

BELIEF MEASURES. At Ohutu on the 21st (says a Press Association telegram from Taihape), Mr Robert Campbell returned after mustering his sheep to find his residences, consisting of a fiveroomed house and a four-roomed house, in ashes. Everything seemed perfectly safe when he left, but the freshening wind carried the fire to the building, leaving only two heaps of ashes. One house was insured for £220, and the furniture for £IOO, but the other house was not insured. Mr Campbell is a considerable loser. That dreams sometimes come true was specially evidenced in the case of Mrs Brady, of Mangaturoa Valley, Waikino. In tho course of a story related by her she said: "At midnight, I think, I was awakened partly by the roaring of the wind and partly by an awful dream. I had just had dreamt that the Mangaturoa Valley was on fire from end to end, and that our house was burning. I dreamt that I suggested to my husband that he .*hould take the water tank down from the stand and let the baby and I get into it, and he should use the water 'to soak blankets and things in to put over the tank to keep it cool. I dreamt I grabbed up everything I thought valuable and placed them in the tank. Just as the baby and I were getting into the tank I awoke with a terrible start. 1 thought I would tell my husband of my dream, but on second thoughts J decided not to, because he might have thought me silly, you know. Well, in an hour or so, sure enough, the valley was on fire, and so woe our house. I did exactly what I did in my dream, and that was how we saved our lives." ACTION BY THE GOVERNMENT. WELLINGTON, March 26. The Minister of Lands is on his way to the Raetihi district, to set in motion machinery for affording relief to the settlers who suffered from 'the recent bush fires. The scheme is to supply on liberal terms grass seed, fencing material, eto. Mr Sandford, a Lands Department officer, will be stationed in the district for a time, and it has been arranged that all authorised supplies will be made through him in an expeditious manner. Mr Guthrie states that the Government highly appreciates the splendid response from all parts of the dominion in the interests of-the settlers affected by the fire. THE NECESSITY FOR ASSISTANCE. WELLINGTON, March 30. The Raetihi Relief Committee has issued the following statement to a number of people throughout the dominion: "We are somewhat at a loss to assess the amount of damage done by the recent fire. Consequently we are unable- to arrive at the amount whioh they feel they should donate toward the relief of sufferers. The following information will be of interest: Our sawmills have • been completely burnt out, at each of which a large number of families were affected. Nearly all the mill wharves were destroyed, and with them the whole of the furniture and effects representing in many cases the all of the workers. In Raetihi township over 50 homes were completely wiped out. These homes were a tangible representation of years of pioneering toil. The insurances in all cases fall far short of the amount required to reinstate them. The Crown Lands officers state that an area'of 35,000 acres were swept by fire, and in the vicinity of Raetihi 1700 acres of grass, representing in value £26,000, have been practically destroyed. Three thousand sheep, valued at £50,000, have been burnt, and 40 homesteads and a large number of woolsheds have been completely destroyed, also fencing to the value of £20,000. The Efficiency Board during its recent visit to the district called for a report giving the individual losses to both settlers and workers. When this report is to hand a comprehensive statement will be made to the press of the dominion. A strong committee of professional business men, thoroughly organised for the distribution of relief; and with valuable assistance from a number of Salvation Army officers and Y.M.C.A. men, is giving immediate equitable relief to tho main sufferers. When It is remembered that tho Waimarino is the back-blocks district to which the best of the pioneers emigrated with a view to hewing homes out of the bush, that they struggled for years, and after these years of strenuous endeavour they saw 'the light of financial stability ahead, yet in one night all their toil was rendered as nought, it is felt that the people of the dominion will realise that there is urgent need of assistance, and that this will be immediately forthcoming."

. -THE FIRE AT OHAKUNE. Our one-time Duntroon correspondent writes from' Ohakune under date March 29, as follows: • _ "A heavy pall of smoke has been hanging around ever since the great fire. We only registered 1.02 in rain for the 48 hours on the 19th and 20th, since when we have had very hot weather with light winds up to yesterday. About 10 a.ni. very light clrizzle set in until about 2 p.m., when it gradually became heavier, and had fallen at dusk. By 9 a.m. to-day 3.03 had fallen for the 24 hours and yet a large number of of dead red pine trees are still well alight. "We thought when we lived in North Otago rhat the drought was pretty bad, but when one has to fight firo from 3 a.m. all day to keep his home from being burnt, it is pretty rough. However, that is past for the time being. It is just 10 years' since the last fire occurred in this district. I was very lucky myself. I have a large ehed full of hay and. oats for winter feed. There are some very big logs quite close to it, but they did not ignite, or I should have lost everything, as all mv out-houses and the dwelling; house are in a row, although a good distance separates them from each other. It is wonderful how the firo went in strips close to us. The ground is bare for a quarter of a mile or so, then the next quarter is nearly the same as before. I do not think anyone who was in the fire zone had the full use of their eye? for two or more clays afterwards. Horses seem to have be<ln most unset with the firo ami smoke. Thousands of the sheep that were saved are blind. I was speaking to a friend of mine on Monrliv who has seen grass fires in Australia, and he reckons that the fire went faster. Just near my own place, wherD the bush is all felled. th<-> fire went three-quarters of a mile while T was dressing. Although it has left mo short of feed for the present, the rain which fell last night will soon make the grass

which is left grow quickly if the frosts stop away. The weather is very warm "There are numerous tales of escape which would take up columns. Take for instance one man's experience. His home caught fire, and he worked until done and had to give in. He had a shed to windward of tho house which appeared likely to escape, and he got on top of the shed. In this shed was a tin of kerosene. It blew up, threw tho man off unhurt, and tho concussion blew tho flames out, and tho house was saved. "I am afraid the local fishermen will have poor sport for the coming season, as the local streams where the fir© raged :s nearly depleted of fish, thousands of which, weighing from 41b to 4oz, were to be seen floating on the water. I was having a look in the Mangawhero River last Sunday and saw only two fish where one usually sees a dozen. "We have seen nothing of the wind storm predicted for yesterday. It has been calm for tire last three days, also at the present. The rain has ceased."