THE BUS

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 90, 9 January 1886, Page 2

THE BUS

THE STRAT^gKD FIRE. &A BLAZE (kF A MILE SaUARE. FIRE RA&INgTtOR TBtenT MILES^-^ : JKIETEEN _,ACRES^OE ?^ARI^rSf' - BURNT. ~~ ~ " ■ ? '>? — r*-~ "i'yf" tyr [pee VSITZi) ' r_dss3 l .AssbbiATio_V:j' ' ; 7 ;r " Hawera, Januarj»?a_aa A special to the Hawera Star gives the ; f ollowing additional informationjwitK reference, to- tlie fire at Stratford : \- — The fire which only seems to hiy£ ilastßd fdnf^t'fiyb Rbiifs, e4me^ross> ithe cleared space forming the township ifrom the mountain, from' which diiieo*jtion it had been blowing all day. It jmußt. have been teErijfij-^inits g^arej^to J J jjiidgie by the appearance of everything:. IJaiagmeaspaceoneniilesquarecoveredi with logs and stumps iii one inge blaze, with smoke rising -in dense volumes, land sOmerfde&ean be obtained -of what jit was like. It was 6hly by the con- | stant watching and battling with the element. by constantly pouring water |on the logs that ?t ( was- kept down, and I even _thi» was 'rfeeft. yreimmg ... out the energies of ,the wmb^ants,whq> ;Owiing tq j;he joint effects qf r smoke .and ;fire, 'blinded ahd >; suff6v jcated; in fac V if- ' the Vind bad not changed, the- whole/ place must have gone. So far, intelligence is to a greatextent; uncertain, «c.v people hi* [«upr posed to be camping put, in. the grjeei. bush to save their lives, and not .aft of them have cdme inu<: It lis difficult at. present to estimate, but it must riminto £7000: or. £8000. atith^jesst' The fire appears, toi have started; up the Dpunake road kit .week; wh^n; it spread, and Mr' James had a „ narrpji^ escape of having his place bu^t]dc%n^ Animals are reported to have beej^ burnt in all directions. Nearly all the cattlo arid horsea f shifted for themselves :and are- massing, the fences: being 'burnt down 1 and -the animate ; having tp clear for their . lives.. ' Forti i unately, however, *no cases of death or | mutilation are reported, .although one' •; or two are missing. f .Nearly everyonj_p i that pa^edlhr^uugh the fire is^bliwJ ; or partially so* and this morning I j have ; witnessed a sad spectacle Jfft , ; strong men being led into the.toWn tgr || those more fortunate than themselveßy A\ T_ot being a6le ; to open their eyes at. i all. Hhey hctfdtrp lively, howevei^ . under their . misfortunesy although in ,' many cases' so dazed by the- smoke c and 'excitement that they, reel Etea * drunken : men.: . My. own eyes are | badly inflamed, and I can ihiagihe j lirom that what it must have beep for ■! those in the thick of it.?/ Places des-v i troyed':— Town HaU,Stanley?s' house, r Bowman ? s house,;; Hunter's house, Curtis' s kerosene store, dontaining; gunpowder and/ kerosene j Mulree'S' I ' staugbteryard, Kirkpatriclf 8 out- ! ho^s j^dfen^ toythfr doors,-* Brannigan's outhouses,, and yards, Roger's house, Collins stable and fencing, . and Hayes's ..outhouses;, ■ fences, ; &c. . Pembroke . road:: Hili. j Bros' house, M7 Moore's hpusd; Wbodl ruffs house, Friend's outhouses; 7 &&„ I and W. Moore's new house and timber- ; for 'same. '''.Opiinakeroad : ;Snarrbci_-Bi ' house, Nbrthcqte'shoiis » house-, and Stanford's housed East road: Baird r s outhouses, &d.,.'j^tf» house.. -Flint road : Parrett's house. Brook road: A. bridge- .beuag' erected . by Standing and - Turner, t nearly finished, and all the timber and plant,. t McMullen's House and- outhouses, Kennedy's outhouses cattle, and.everyI thing but the house, Mehaffy's house- ' ; grass i'tee'd and . contents.- Near the i township ; SaytarV boardinghouse. Later. — The' de&nietioh- to property is fully .£10,000;: Tl_sfirejs said to ! have cofhmeheed "afresh this morning *it 'Midhirst/ Tiiere are no signs' ' of rain, although the glass is falling hero. 'P.epplft.atr§t^ffdrd cpuid nbtiiinderstahd why "no help" came from New: , Plymouth. The railway ; authorities. i' here could not be. stirred, and .the ,fire> 'brigade iistdibo waii 1 till the regular 4. '>'' pan;' train. . -' 1 -:- ::S '" V' yjyy y yy .77 y y, yi^test.News received Here from bush 46wh- , 'ships is so > far satisfactory: that no fur.'ther damage . was : done last ■ evening.' , There asintenso. sympathy throughout. ' this district, and all are doing ,then* utmost to help the distressed., ' - Committees-, to raise subscriptions, and parties .are at work making clothes./ 7 ' •' '*' "J : 1 : '"--'J :i -'jA. Nbmon, 'January 4* There are large Imeh fii-es in tha district aaid 'liie atmosphere is' ftfll of smake. In the Clark and' MbtupiKo Valley a fire is raging for ü BO miles, iand the West Coast had to -put back to-day, being unable to. get through. CHBisTCHukcH.Ylanuary 7. By a tussock fire at :I_.akaia..yester- ' d^y fifteen acres of barley belopgihg to a farmer named Harrison waej. destroyed by, fire, and a c|ean sweep rua'de of the fences.and past ui*age for miles. -The fire is supposed to JbiaveJbeeh caused by a farmer starting to burn the tussocks. 7