Bush Fires in Tasmania.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11665, 26 January 1901, Page 2

Bush Fires in Tasmania.

AN EXTRAORDINARY SIGHT.

GREAT AMOUNT OP DAMAGE DONE.

United Press Association. — By Electric

Telegrapb.--O<»pyri|rht. Received January 23, 8.40 a.m.

Latjncestoh, January 26. — Serious bush fires, the result of the hot weather, are raging in the vicinity of Qoeenstown. When the fire Was at its height an extraordinary sight was witnessed. The fire was beatipg uj» a, hill, away from sofcie: houses when It encouutejTed a fierce whirlwind, whioh c%ugb2 the fire and beat it to a thin column ;,ot flame and whirled it down the hill towards the Rouses. As it reached the first hut the widd seemed to blow the fire right but, bat the force of the gale was ' scarcely less disastrous, rt unroofed the hut and hurled the building a distance of some yards against a house. A few minutes later the hut was on fire, and the house was speedily demolished. , The whirlwind, which lasted throe or four minutes, unroofed a number of other buildings in the neighbourhood. At North Lyell the fire was most serious. Rows of boarding houses and some thirty miners' dwellings were destroyed, as well as the dwellings of two mine managers. A certain amount of damage was caused to the Mount Lyell Company's haulage line. The South Tharsis concentrating mill was only saved with difficulty. The most serious damage done was to the new Queen River tram line, which was destroyed for a considerable distance, together with a number of bridges.'