THE COLONIST PUBLISHED TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS, AND SATURDAYS. NELSON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1874 NEWS OF THE DAY. MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE AT WAKAPUAKA.

Colonist, Volume XVI, Issue 1721, 21 February 1874, Page 3

THE COLONIST PUBLISHED TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS, AND SATURDAYS. NELSON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1874 NEWS OF THE DAY. MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE AT WAKAPUAKA.

On Thursday morning, Mr Puller, a very old and Inspected resident of the Wakapuaka district, met his death under tne following unexpected and melancholy circumstances. Tho day was a general holiday, but few persons were about, and this in a great measure accounts for the disastrous svent which followed. Mr Fuller sat himself outside his house oloso to a gorge hedge, and lit his pipe, casting aside the lighted match, which ignited the grass around him without attracting his attention. The fire presently reached the gorse hedge, and then, but too late,'Mr Fuller was aroused to action. Having nothing beside him to beat out the lire, he had to expend some little time in procuring an instrument for the purpose, and appears to have left the spot and returned with a grubber, with which he endeavored to check the progress of the flames. In doing this, the excit d and feeble old man twice fell into the burning gorse, and became enveloped in the flames, for upon his reaching the house shortly after (giving the first intimation they had of the occurrence) it was found that his trousers wero reduced to tinder ; his general clothing destroyed, his back very badly burnt, the skin was peeling off his hands, and he was terribly burned in various parts of the body. Such of the neighbors as the holiday had left at home assisted to put out the fire, and some passers-by rendered valuable aid to the efforts that had to be made to prevent the fire extending to a gveater extent amongst the adjoining properties. About forty chains of fencing and gorse hedge were destroyed, but the house escaped. A messenger despatched for medical assistance brought Dr. Furrelle promptly to the spot with all the usual medical appliances, but from the first, the case was a hopeless one, and the sufferer died at six o'clock yesterday morning. Deceased wa3 a very old settler, having arrived here in 1841. The funeral will take place on Sunday next.