BUSH FIRES IN VICTORIA.

Westport Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1644, 11 March 1879, Page 4

BUSH FIRES IN VICTORIA.

AWFUL SUFFERINGS OF SETTLERS. Theaccountsofthe heatandbush fires in Victoria are absolutely appalling; such a season has not been experienced sinee 1852, The whole country lias been more or iess devastated, and many deaths from burning and sun. stroke have occurred. The tragedy at Colao is foremost on the list, and is truly melancholy. It broke out on the 7th inst., some eight miles from Colac, and swept down upon .the township] burning out a large number of small selectors. It threatened a house in which a family named Turnbull lived the lather and mother and five children. A. Mr Stand ley was living in a tent on (he same section. Tue first thing done was to roll up the tent and place it in the house for safety. While they were thus occupied a (resh body of fire swept down on them, completely hemming them in. They started to run for the dam, which is situated about 300 yards from the house. Mr Standley took two children and Mr Turnhull two. Mrs Turn bull appears in her fright, to have run the other way with her eldest, son. They were both burned beyond recognition. Standley, with lour of the children, reached ic in safety, frightfully burnt ab)ut the faces, tresis, front ol the legs, feet, and hand?, but still hopeful. They sat for seme time in the water, probably fort-en'y ririnutes. All of a sudden Mr Turnbull called out " Look ! Mr Standley, the tree is lulling." The tree fell almost, as he spoke. It dashed out the brains of the second boy, and forced Mr Turnbu'l and the two children under water. Mr Standley pulled out the children immediately, but had to clear away the branches of the tree before he could reach Mr Turnbull, whom he found perfectly insensible, with a terrible wo md on Lis head, ifo drew Mr Turnbull to the bank, procured a log, and, laying him over it, adonted the usual measures for ;he recovery of the partially drowned. Assistance was subsequently procured, and Mr J'urnbull and the two children were removed and taken care of, but all of them died. Numbers of them were burned in the Dalian district. MorntDgton and Sale also suffered severely, and the settlements about Cape Schank. At the same time the Rramba people had a terrible time of it, the fire laying wns'e everything in i's course. Tho stncks, fences, staples and cow-sheds were destroyed in manv cases, and the proprietors had to work with ell tiieir might to save their houses. Mr Covert, with his men, had a hard tassel to prevent his house being consumed, and to add to his nnxiety he found a large snake in his bouse among his children. Mr Seymour, teacher of the Btafnba school had his d<.velling-house demolished, and many o:hers ios; ev< rytlnng but their houses. I The Ballarat district suffered severely The Creswick, Bungaree, and Syrathesdale forests were on fire, and what between sun and fire the beat was

frightful ; water-holes dried up rapidly and apples were absolutely rcastad oa the trees in the orchards. The folio wing, taken from tho Recorder, published at Balranald, New South Wales, shows how extreme the heat has been in the interior—' In consequence ot the intense heat of Thursday (January 30) we found ic impossible to issue on Friday morning. The present number has been produced under difficulties only known to those resident, in the interior, which it is impossible to provide" against heat, wuich has with ns been followed bv sickness as pros'ration.'