MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE AT WAKAPUAKA.

Colonist, Volume XVI, Issue 1727, 10 March 1874, Page 4

MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE AT WAKAPUAKA.

On Thursday, Feb. 19, Mr Fuller, a very old and respected resident of the Wakapuaka district, met his death uurler tne following unexpected and melancholy circumstances. The 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 iiia house close to a gorse hedge, and lit. his pipe, ousting aside the lighted mutch, which ignited the grass around him without attracting his attention. The fire presently reached the gorse hedge, and then, but too late, Mr Ful er was aroused to action. Having nothing beside him to beut out the flre, he hud to expend some little time in procuring an instrument; for the purpose, and appears to have lefi the spot and returned with a grubber, with which he endeavored to check the pi ogress of 'the flames. In doing this the exeit d and fen'ole old man twice tell into the burning gorse, and became enveloped in the fl tmes, for upon his reaching the house shortly after (giving the first intimation they had of the occurrence) it was found that hi' trousers were reduced to tinder; his general clothing destroyed, his buck very badly burnt, tho skin was peeling off his hands, and he wus terribly burned in various parts of the body. Such of the neighbors as the holiday had left, at borne assisted to put out the fire, aud some passers by rendered valuable aid to the efforts that hurl to be mudo to prevent the fire extending to a greater extent tunongsi the adjoining properties. About forty chains of fencing and fjorse hedge wore destroyed, but th* uouse escaped. A messenger despatched for medical assistance brought Dr. Furrelie promptly to the spot with all the usuul medical appliances, but fiMin iht> fir-u, the case was a hopeless one, and the sufferer dim! at six o'clock yesterday morning. Deceused was a very old settler, having arrived here in 1841. The fui-eral will take place on Sunday next.