FIRES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4616, 12 April 1893, Page 4

FIRES.

On Monday evening, about seven o'clock, a threshing .party on Mr E. T. Rhodes' estate, Hadlow, near Timaru, were clean-? ing up to knock off for the night .when someone observed that the top of a stack about two hundred yards away was on fire. Many, of course, ran over at once, and the firsfccomers saw that the fire was quite at the top of the stack, and saw also, a rat come away, singed quite clean; . There conld be no suspicion of human incendiarism under the circumstances, but the rat was gravely^ euspeoted,. with carelessness I about matched on the part of a stacker to assist it. The fire had: too Btrong a hold to be put out or pulled out, but Mr Ehodes' men stood by to save the second of the pair if poßßible. It waa | determined to get drays to cart it away, when the owner of the threshing plant, Mr A. Drysdale, volunteered to set beßide the stack and put it through there and then. The offer was, of course, accepted, and after the men had had some tea the shift was made, and the work done by the light of the Btack burning only fifteen feet away. The heat. was almost insupportable for the men on the stack, but it is needless to say that a good record." was made in regard to time. The whole stabk was in this way saved by about a couple of hours* work, and the grain and machinery got safely away. . The other stack- . continued burning through the night. Carelessness with matcheß waa evidenced at a neighbour's of Mr EhodesV where; the threßhera found a box of matches in a Btack. « ■■> ;' ' ■ On Monday evening, about half •past ten,' a fire was observed- in the agricultural implement shop of Messrs Reid and Gray, at Asbbarfcon. Assistance was promptly at hand, and the fire was extinguished before much damage was' done. On Sunday morning, about half-paßt ten, a stable and other outbuildings, belonging to Mr dandy, a village settler, at Dromore, were destroyed by a fire; which was caused by one of the children setting fire to a gorse fence. A number of household utensils, harness, &c, were destroyed, loaa to the extent of .£l2 being occasioned. -■■ -■