A Second Black Thursday in Victoria.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 639, 1 March 1879, Page 2

A Second Black Thursday in Victoria.

CHILDREN, MEN, AND "WOMEN BURNED TO DEATH IN THE BUSH.

PROPERTY DESTROYED ESTIMATED AT TWO. MILLIONS STERLING.

Thursday the 6th of February, 1879, was the twenty-eighth anniversary of the frightful " Blaqk Thursday," when, for a time, the whole colony seemed doomed to destruction. The day was not in itself unlike what that fatal Thursday is said to have been, though, fortunately, the wind was less violent. The heat was, as it had been for several days, extremely great, the thermometer standing at 104 in the shade during the forenoon. The sky during the morning was overcast with smoke from forest trees which were blazing in every direction. That great conflagration that began in Mr. Sharp's paddock at Irrewillipe last week, at one time threatened to destroy the Corangamite estate of Sir Samuel Wilson, waß still raging away ; a second large fire had broken out on the Loutit Bay road, a third was in full career at Mr. Hancock's farm atMurroon, while portions of the properties of Messrs. W. Sherrin, J. F. Strachan, Tinims Brothers, Armstrong, Taylor, and many others were still in flames or were smoking from the effect of recent fires.

THE SCENE OF THE FIRE.

About six miles due south of Colac, on the Apollo Bay road, Mr. James Witchell Standley, has a large paddock of about 320 acres, which joins on one side the land of Mr. King, and on another that of Mr. Andrew Murray. The two remaining sides are bounded by roads. The land was covered with heavy timber and scrub, and had a dam on it. Mr. Standley had just built a house about 300 yards from his fence, and about another 300 yards from the dam, but he had himself been living in a tent while superintending the clearing, and a family named Turnbull, also very well known in Colac, had moved out on Tuesday last to live in the house. On Thursday afternoon, about a quarter of an hour before the fire broke out, several of the men who were working and watching in Mr. Andrew Murray's paddock, visited the house, and found it, as they believed, empty. The Turnbull family, consisting of the father, mother, and five children, ranging in age from five months to 12 years, all appeared to be absent. Mr. Standley was probably there at the time, because he states that he was taking a bath when he heard the cry of lire, and rushed out to help. The paddock was then in flames, and the fire was burning on and near Mr. Murray's land, but the house did not appear to be in danger, and the whole party applied themselves to taking in the tents and other inflammable articles, which they stored in the building. While they were thus engaged a second fire broke out behind them, cutting off 1 their retreat, and hemming them in completely. They then got out the children, and started, by Mr. Standley's advice, for the waterhole, he carrying one child and leading another, and Mr. Turnbull taking three more. Mrs. Turnbull seems to have lost self-possession, and turned the wrong way. The others fled through the burning scrub and under the blazing trees to the dam, but just before they reached it a huge limb fell from a burning tree and killed one of the children on the spot, besides inflicting a large and ghastly scalp w«und ou Mr. Turnbull. Mrs. Turnbull wasnever seen alive again, and was not found until many hours afterwards, when her body, frightfully charred and disfigured, was discovered by the searchers. Mr. Standley was brought into Colac, and lies at his usual residence here. His injuries are very severe, but he is doing as well as can be expected. Mr. Turnbull was still alive when discovered, and was conveyed to the residence of Mr. Doyle, as was one of his children, Charles, who died soon after his arrival. The oldest girl, though so seriously burnt that no hopes from the first were entertained of her recovery, lingered on through the night and day. The other child, an infant, was almost I dead when found, and expired directly. Immediate assistance was given to the survivors as soon as the sad occurrence was known. The houses of several neighbours were placed at the disposal of those attending them, and Dr. Foster was unremitting in his attention. A large body of men worked at the fire all night, Senior-constable Flaghive sticking to his post with unflagging energy until past 4 in the morning, and returning to the scene of the disaster with fresh aid immediately. The fire jhas since raged on without intermission, and will do so until there ia a decided change in the weather THE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. When the devoted little group first rushed from the house to the waterhole, Messis Turnbull and Stanley, with four of the children, reached it in safety, frightfully burnt about the faces, breasts, fronts of the legs, and hands, but still hopeful. They sat for some time in the water, probably 20 minutes. All of a sudden Mr. Turnbull called out, " Look, Mr. Stanley, a tree is falling." The tree fell almost as he spoke. It dashed out the brains of the second boy, and forced Mr. Turnbull and the two children under water. Mr. Stanley pulled out the children immediately, but had to clear away the branches of the tree before he could reach Mr. Turnbull, whom he found perfectly insensible, with a terrible wound on his head. He drew the body to the bank, procured a log, and, laying him over it adopted the usual measures for the recovery of the partially drowned. By-and-bye he succeeded in restoring animation, but the sufferer was then delirious. Presently, however, he seemed to awake to some comprehension of the situation, and Mr. Standley then decided as the fire had passed them, to try and reach Colac for assistance. He was only clad in shirt and trousers, and the ground was red hot and covered with flaming embers. After impressing* upon Mr. Turnbull the necessity of remaining still, he started. A mile or so on his road he met Mr. Simon Campbell, to whom he applied for assistance, but Mr. Campbell was himself lost in the smoke and darkness, and could not help him. He pursued his way towards the township, and had

made nearly three miles on his journey when he was met by a party of seven residents, among whom was Mr. George Stewart. Mr. Standley appealed to them to go back and help the Turribulls, saying that he was quite able to walk into Oolac. This, however, they wonld by rib means allow, and Mr. Stewart brought him in at once, leaving the remainder of the party to go in search of Mr. Turnbull. They found him fully 600 yards from the waterhole with his children about him, and it was evident that in spite of his terrible injuries he, too, had endeavoured to walk into Colac. All he could say was, " Take my child," and he relapsed into a merciful insensibility that at least relieved him from pain.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE,

At midnight Mr. Turnbull Btill remained in the same terrible state. Hit body was half-paralysed. He was quite unconscious, but delirious when roused, and his severe injuries almost forbid the chance of his recovery. Little Ellen Miller was sensible, could make known her wants, and seemed to be as well as could be expected in her critical state. An unfavorable change took place yesterday afternoon. The ralue of property destroyed by this Second Black Thursday is estimated at over two millions sterling.