DESTROYED BY FIRE.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 January 1917, Page 4

DESTROYED BY FIRE.

Sixty Acres ot IfdTieat and Oats. Five-Roomed Haase Burned (Lytt lion Times,) The prog/eis of the north express from Christchurch !o Cn’verden cn Monday , was of an exciting nature. On tho train reaching Safron a fire supposed lo hevG been caused by Pfjp.tka Jrr;ro the engine phulid in a

gracs naddock on le n'r c Fe i n : , « i Liu s. u 11 e u wards oalcaun. Oa leaving Bnlcairn a grass paddock belonging to Mr 0. Smith was swept clean, and us the train neared Amberley volumes of dense smoke appeared on the property of Mr A. E. Payee,

Mr Payne, who was awaiting tbe train, first noticed the fire and endeavoured to suppress the fUmes, but they soon ran through a grass paddock and then into a crop of standing wheat. To all appearances tbe crop would be a cheok to tho progress of the fire, bat fanned by an increasing wind it leaped by yarda through the wheat aud on to a stocked paddock of oats, cieam-g the whole an"' leaving only smouldering patches in it? wake. From hare the fire burat into agul’y of gorso and broom aud made rapid stride?, A paddook adjoining Ihe oat etnbble contained stooka of grass-seed and a stack of oata, splendid Algerians. ' In the centre of the paddock stood a thresh*

ing plant, tbe property of Todd Brothers. The grass was noon attacked and also the staek, and but for the promptitude of the mill hands, who burnt a patch of grass and brought tbe mill and plant on to the blackened patch, the whole would have been destroyed. Their united efforts saved the entire plant and also portion of the threshed grass seed, By this time the farmers and buyers at the looal sale yards were on the ■pot, and neighboring farmers were also engaged in fighting the fire and confining its area. However, it swept on, and |an uninhabited house of five rooms, the property of Mr Payne, was soon in rains, From the gully a paddock of 25 acres of standing wheat, the property of Messrs M’Adam Bros., was Foan attacked. Here the fire was held in check, but 20 acres of the wheat were totally destroyed. The fiie then swept on in the gullies to the South Kowai riverbed, aud bore a bar to its progress was made. Fortunately, aoroas the riverbed green willows were iu evidence. Sparka from gorae, broom and other sources wore continually lodging in the willows, but failed to gain a hold. Mr Payne is a heavy loser as his paddocks aoroas the railway line are all blackened traces of what originally were some twenty to thirty acres of wheat, ten acres of oats and fifteen acres of grass seed anl Messrs M’ Adam

have lost a good orop of wheat of twenty acres in extent. It was very fortunate that it was a sale day, as there was a large body ot men rushed to tbe scene by motor-cars and the assistance rendered in conjunction with the neighboring farmais prevented the fire sweeping a very large area, There was no insurances on either the crops or the building.