Terrible Bush Fires. A Woman and a Man Burned to Death. Numerous Cases of Sunstroke. Thousands of Sheep and Cattle Destroyed.

Waikato Times, Volume VII, Issue 428, 13 February 1875, Page 5 (Supplement)

Terrible Bush Fires. A Woman and a Man Burned to Death. Numerous Cases of Sunstroke. Thousands of Sheep and Cattle Destroyed.

On the 28th ult. the highest temperature registered in the shade was i09.0,deg., and in the sun I47deg. A great deal of suffeiing was endured, especially by invalids and those who have the misfortune to live in wooden hou-.es. A case of death from sunstroke is reported at Williamstown, and in Melbourne, as well as in the country dishicts, several attacks have been not uncommon, and the excessive heat has occasioned a good deal of illness fiom exhaustion. In the piovinces the universal pievalence of bush fires has added greatly to the suffering, and these visitations have unfortunately not been without fatal lesults. Mrs. Ellis, wife of a farmei and gra/ier near Inglewood, observing the fire making for one of the stacks on the faun, ran with some other women towaids it, and while in the act of beating it out, the fiie caught her clothes, and she was instantly enveloped in flames, and immediately placed beyond all help. Everything was burned off her, and she received such severe injuries that she died in a few hours afterwards. On the same day a man named Harry Smith, a farmer living about two miles and ahalffiom Beaufort, on the Dockyaid-hill load, while in the act of keeping off a bush fiie which was fast approaching his house, became exhausted and fell down, when he was burned to death. In the Inglewood district one fire binned a tract of countiy 20 miles in length, and several miles in breadth. The township of Wedderburn is surrounded by fire, and communication almost cut off. OnTeipichen station eveiything but the bare dwelling-house has been destroyed, including six miles of fencing Three cases of sunstroke occurred on Thursday. James Edwards, aged 60 yea\s, residing in Park-street, South Yarra, was struck at about half-past two in T3ourke-street. Joseph Williams, aged about fifty yeais, living in Cambridge-street. Collingwooil, a cabman, was sunstruck while sitting in his cab in Elizabeth-street, and mddenly fell back, paitly insensible. Mrs. Johnston, living in Kiidge Road, Richmond, was also sunstruck. A case of sunstroke, which occurred at Williamstown on Wednesday afteinoon, resulted fatally the same night. A ship carpenter, named James Patterson, was the victim in this ca^e whle at woik near the patent slip. He was liken to his house, and after intense suffeiing, ded shoitly after eleven o'clock.