AND VIOLENT STORM

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 155, 20 March 1918, Page 6

AND VIOLENT STORM

; RAETII TOWNSffIP IN FLAMES' WHOLE COUNTRYSIDE ABLAZE , HUGE LOSSES OF PROPERTY AND STOCK' PITIABLE PLIGHT OF REFUGEES ■ ■. ... The worst bush fire in tho history of the hush settlements in the centre of the North Island has swept a vast tract of country, devastating everything in its Course, and leaving behind it a trail of black and smoking desolation The whole country almost, in a face from Horopito to Rangataua, was' covered by the blaze, which swept" out bevond Ractihi and fipiriki. All this country is or has been heavily wooded, and it has been an inferno of smoke and flame. The town of I?a&tihi has lost most heavily. The residents had to-flee.in the night, taking such refuge as ditches or culverts afforded from the scorching breath of the fire, until they could bo brought away to Oha'kune in relief trains yesterday morning. It appears that this part of the ■work of relief was done with commendable promptitude by the railway people, and the refugees nro safe, but very wretched and unhappy in Ohakune. Most of them had been able to bring away with them only very small bundles of their effects. In the farming settlements the damage has been severe. Tho country was extremely dry after a> two-months' drought, and the flying Eparks lighted the logs -like tinder. In this way the fire spread thr,ougli , grass and logs to the residences, and many farmsteads in clearings were burned. The loss of stock cannot be even estimated yet, but it is certain to have been very heavy. The news is that thousands of sheep and cattle have been lost, In the sawmilling areas. several settlements have been burnt out. A village settlement on the outskirts of Ohakune has suffered considerably. Loss of life is feared.

. • Yesterday saw the most evil-looking v dawn Wellington has known. The rising of tjie sun was the signal for the illuniiningof a'circumscribed area with a, sickly, dull, yellow light,' which gave everything a weird, uncanny appearance that was not readily, explainable, by commonplace meteorological theories. At first it was supposed by many that ~ Wellington had become the centre of ; a cyclonic disturbance, so definitely promised the further north districts by Mr. Clement Wragge, of Auckland, as , the result of fierce solar storms, and this, gathered credence owing to tho hard north-westerly gale that swept over the city and harbour at an unusual velocity. As. the light grew'stronger the dull, amber glow faded into a bluey-grey haze that was easily able'as smoke, and the t eyes felt the : sting of burning matter quite percep- . tibly. Alarmiiig\rumours were afloat, before 8 a.m. that a volcanic disturbance of some magnitude had taken place ■in the centre of the island, and the thick haze that swathed the countryside was the result of the big blow-up. Telegraphic communication with tho towns on the Main Trunk line soon put. an end to the mystery. During the night a fire had occurred in the dense bush round about Raetihi—between the Wauganui River and Ohakune—and, fanned by a gale,, had reached serious and/dangerous proportions. This news had come from Ohakune, but even as the telegraphist there was communi- ■ eating with head office at Wellington he was cut off, the fire having evidently got to tho telegraph poles, which in falling had broken the wires. This meant that-the towns.in tho fire area

were cut' off' from public telegraphic - communication, the nearest station to the outbreak being' Taihape, a long distance away to the south. Tlie Railway Department, however, was able to get nearer the. seat of trouble, and the news so received soon made it evident

that tie fire was a very serious one.

First came the news that the soutlij bound express was stuck up at Horopito by the fires. Before noon the Railway Department were advised as under:—'.".'. ,' '■:"' "•

' ]*■ The down express was stuck up ~: at Horopito by bush fires. Fires .' are raging round -Raetihi. Half ' . ■. Raetihi is destroyed. The inhabi- . tants' are being brought into Oha- ' kune % The left-hand rail beam and the 'sleepers for a length of 70 feet on the Taonui Viaduct (220 miles . from Wellington) are burnt. A truck on the south-bound express caught fire. Passengers are being transferred, and the express train .is to leave Ohakune about noon, ' .': nine hours late. . The Department also , informed 'the ' Post and Telegraph Department that the north-bound express was being dispatched on time (12:45 p.m.), passengers being advisdu that they may not be able to get through owing to the , . fires or that they may have to transfer. Fate of Raetihi. The following message was received from tho postmaster at Raetihi at 2.50 p.m. yesterday:— ■ i The whole of district and part of Raetihi township has been devastated by bush fires. Many settiers have been burned out' and twenty-live houses in the township, including the County Offices, Town Board Offices, dairy factory, r.iid the Police Station Jiave been completely destroyed.. At 9 a.m. the centre of tho town and Post Olfico y safe. All telephone and telcgra-' phic communication is cut off. A . heavy hurricane is still blowing, ;! and the remaining portion of the town is still in grave danger.' From the above it will be noticed that the message, evidently written at 9 a.m., took nearly six hours to arrive in Wellington, showing that it must have been dispatched from a point in reach of the doomed township in touch with the telegraphic system. Relief Trains Running. The Postmaster at Ohakuno telegraphed yesterday morning ■ (before being cut off) :— Heavy gales and bush fires. Reported Raetihi in bad (condition. Several places there burnt. Unable get definite news. Railway running relief trains, bringing people hero. : Another telegram from Ohakuno Junction read as follows:— Raging gale and bush fires ropqrted. Raetihi in bad condition. , Portion of town burnt, but unable to get definite news. Railway running relief trains. Bridge on ■ Main Trunk partly ■ burnt four miles north of Ohakune. Expect train unable to get through: transhipping passengers and mails. • When Ohakune Lost Touoh. The postmaster at Taibane telegraphed yesterday forenoon:— "Rangataua to Raetihi mass fires. Wire all down _around and close to Ohakune. Had "Ohakuno 8.30 a.m. Was saying wireif. dowi and all in 0011-'

tact north and south of ihim. Been unable to. raise him since and lost him before information completed. Ho stated ho wis trying to get temporary men to start. Reported Itaetibi office burnt down."

In response to an urgent message the postmaster at .Taihape telegraphed early yesterday afternoon:—.

"It is impossible to give nearest point to fires. 'They are raging in all directions. I have lost all stations north of Tnrangaarere. I think we will have connection with Ohakunn this evening. The railway can get him on their tablet. Trains can run through to Ohakune."

Fires at utiku and Mangaweka.. The ohief postmaster at. Wanganui telegrapiied to the Secretary of the I'. and T. Department:—. Taihape reports ,bush fire's raging around Ohakune and Raetihi, also between Utiku and Mangaweka. _ The smoke pall in Wellington continued to lighten throughout the foienoon, and shortly after noon heavy rain ■ began to fall, and the hope was expressed that similar conditions were prevailing in, the fire-smitten district. Whether rain had stopped or checked the fires could not bo ascertained yesterday afternoon, but the fact that the atmosphere in the district completely cleared- during the afternoon, though the gale continued to blow wjth unabated force from tho same point of tho compass, gave rise to the hope that the worst was over.