TRAVELLERS' EXPERIENCES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 17241, 20 March 1918, Page 6

TRAVELLERS' EXPERIENCES.

The density of the smoke caused ty the disastrous fire, and the force of tho ;rale which carried it.; may he gauged by the fact that Wellington people, on rising early in the 'morning, found the city' enveloped in something which resembled a London fog. Residents in the outlying areas were quite convinced that a', big. fire had occurred in the city proper. Then, as no reports of a Wellington conflagration came to hand, if was decided that the countryside "up the line" had caught firu. There the matter rested until some -time later in the morning, when reports weird and grotesque began to filter through. These ranged from fire and brimstone stories, reminiscent of Sodom and Gomorrah, to an eruption of Nganruhoe, which had set fire to vast areas of bush and town land. "Passengers by the Wellington - Neyv Plymouth express had a most unenviable experience. For the greater portion of the journey the carriages were filled with pungent smoke, which resulted in many red eyes. At some points of the journey the smoke was so dense that it was difficult to read. At Palmerston Nd*th the station platform was so enshrouded that the gas had to be kept burning until nearly noon.