A Race For Life.

Southland Times, Issue 90124, 25 January 1886, Page 2

A Race For Life.

Tbe Nelson Evening Mail gives the following account of an exciting race by the driver of the Nelson and Reefton coach during the recent bush fires : —

The coach left Nelson at tha usual hour, but on reaching the Motupiko Valley it was found that an extensive fire was raging to the right of the route. Mr G. Newmafc, however, continued his course, thinking that he could keep ahead of the flames. But in this be was mistaken ; for after proceeding a few miles, and reaching a portion of the road I where it was next to impossible to tarn the coach t he found that the fire was of > greater extent than he had imagined, and began to realise the gravity of the danger which threatened him. The oountry behind him he knew to be all in flames, end therefore all hope of retreat in that direction was cut oS. His only hope then consisted in his chance of beading the fire, and bo accordingly put the horses at top speed and commenced a race for dear life. The emoke at this time was such as to almost entirely shnt out the leading horses from the driver's view, and the heat grew more aod more intense as the great Column of fire rolled down the hillside towards the road. The flames were now within a whip's length of the road Bide, aad ? ho paint on the coach began to blister an 1 trive out a strong odottr, which caused M* Norman to think that the awning was on ti e. But being himself almost suffocated with the heat and smoke, his only thought was of reaching a point ahead whore there was a break in the country, and a email stream into which he might throw himself, for his whiskers and Lair had already been badly singed. To make the narrative short, the cosch swept on at a terrific pace until reaching the point on the route already referred to, where, as expected, the nre had taken another direction and the danger was over. A glance at the coach and the foaming horses then revealed how terrible had been the ordeal through which they had jtsst passed for the last mile. The horses were singed fearfully, the paint bad peeled off the coach, and the only wonder seemed to be that the awning had nut ignited. Mr Newman will not forget hta experience in a hurry, and few other men probibly could have undergone such a trial without losing their senses. Had a burning tree fallen across the road to Btop traffic, in the great speed at which it was going, bad an accident happened to the coach, there would have been no possible escapa from a terrible death both to the driver and horses.