A TERRIBLE FIRE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1793, 19 March 1888, Page 2

A TERRIBLE FIRE.

A TOWNSHIP DESTROYED.

a * v., , Waipawa, Maroh 17. A terrible calamity has happened at the Seventy-Mile Bush, Norsewood, a village aettlement, was destroyed, being swept away by fire. Dwellings, oharchea, aohool, and publio hall are destroyed. The aettleis are rained and m great distress. ft „.. c ffAPiHR, March 18. On H r iday afternoon a fire broke oat at Norse wood and burned all day and far into the night, destroying nearly the whole township. Owing to the wires being down full information has only last been reoeived. About ten o'olock a furious gale rose and brought sparks from a dealing some distance away. The wlnda prevailing on prevloua day H had dried everything to tiuder, and the sparks set the grass and logs on fire, which noon spread, and m a short tlmo the fire waa raging over the country towarda Noraswoud village. Unfortunately there woro very few men at home, the majority being away at work, many of them at conaiderable diatanoes. The women and the few men m the settlement were powerless to oheck the spread of the flimea. and It Is dojblf ul If all had been at home whether they oould have been more BUcoesaful, ao eparka were flying on the wings of the gale aa thick as hall. By dlat of almost soperhuman efforts a few places were saved by draping them vrlth bJaokets kept contlnnolly wet 'I hg was an arduous task ; the snffocatlng smoke and the intolerable heat being aggravated by the torrifio force of tho wind, which had now become a hurricane. It was goon aeen that to Btay m the village waa Impossible, and the women and children began to hurry a way by tho road still left open. They oould take nothing with them, and the fire waa left to work itu will. and news coming of the disaster the school waa dismissed, but a9 some of the ohildren essayed the task of returning home, and were driven bdok by the smoke and flames, the schoolmaster with commendable disoretion reassembled them and marched them to the To Whiti clear ing, a mile away from the school towards Kapua, Here they and several f umilies remained till rain came on m the nicht. when they Bought for shelter, with the settlers round about or returned to Noreewood and obtained aholter m tho hotel building, which was crowded with women and children, now without house, or home, or raiment. It is impossible to detail the progress of the fire, for it seemed to break out simultaneously m all parts of the townBhip, and many places were burned after the people left, The following places are known to have been totally destroyed :— Lutheran Church,— a finebuilding, WesleyanObaroh, Public school and master's residence, the Club and Scandinavian Library, Temperance Hall, Hern's bakery, Paterson's blacksmith's shop, Hegle'a Btore, Thomasson's saddlery, "Vfceslake's store aod dwelling, small store, occupied by Mr J B. Dunk, Sanders', Oleen's, Boworman's and Magmissen's bouses, Mortensen's accomodation house, Rev Bees', Rev [ Christoffersen's, Rev Neilsens, Ole , Christoffersen'B Karvi's, Jobansen's Nicoli's, Hanson's, Tonkelsen's, Ingle-' [breden's, P. Sorensen's, Joseph Moran's, 1 Mrs Ingwoldsen's, Olsten's. Wqolstea's and BolmeB 7 houses.

Besides these, many barns, outhonaes, stockyards, and miles of fences were deatioyed, and it Is feared that news of further disaster from surrounding oloarlngn will yet be received.

Ormondville was next attacked, and an Important country bridge was destroyed. The church Boomed doomed, when a heavy downpour of rain set m.

At Mangaioroa ihe fire reaohed to the railway line, and a strong party of men were set to watch the b!g trestle bridge, which waa iv some danger.

The new country bridge at Papatn waß threatened, and was also anxiously watched. Tlie buah on both sides of the line atKapua was all ablaz*, and famished a grand sight to the paasengera by the late trains.

4t Ashley-Clinton the settlers were threatened with a devastating fire, and aa It was two dwellings were destroyed — those of William Oook and Christian Jonaen. A large stack of hay waa blown completely over durlug the gale, And was afterwards destroyed by the rain; The thunderstorm at this point was truly awful, and the residents of the Ashloy Oiinton district had but little sleep through the long wild night.

Great as the disaster waa, it certainly would have been greatly magnified but for the proviclental occurrence of one of the most terrific thunderßtorma ever experlenood m the district. The rale literally poured down m torrents. The whole country waa almost Incessantly lighted ap with vi.vld lightening thanes, while tho thuader crashed immediately overhead with awe-inspiring violence, AH night long the Btorm raged In fury, and the rain obliterated the last smouldering embers.

Dczhib of poor settlers vrlth wga families have been made homoless, orhave suffered severely, and publio subaoriplons aro already being raised to allevlatt tho distress.

The Insurances on tho bulldicgs, sto,, destroyed are not yet known, bat at) not large, considering the magnitude 0 the fire.