An Exciting Race.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1621, 29 January 1886, Page 2

An Exciting Race.

The Nelion Evening Mail has the following account of an exciting race by the,driver jof the Nelson arid Jiteef- i ton coaoh during the recent bush fires :— '■ ) Tie coach' left Nelson at the usual! hour, buY on reaching the Metupikp Valley, it was found that an extensive fire was raging to the right of tlie .route. Mr G. Newman, however, continued I; his J course, thinking that he could keep! ahead of the flames. But m this he was mistaken ; for after proceeding a few miles, and reaching a portion of the roadwnere it was next to impossible to turb vthefcoacb, he; found , that. the i fire was of greater extent than he imagined} and beganoto realise, gravity of the d anger i which "threatened 5 'Kirn . " • The councry behind him he knew to be all iqi flames* and therefore all hope of retreat m that direction was cut off. His only ] hope then consisted m "his chance of) heading the fire, and he accordingly put the horses at; top spesdj'and.then/com-f menced a race for dear life. The smoke at this time was such as to almost enr tirelv shut out the leading horses' from j tlie driver's view, and the he'ati growing | more and more intense as the great column of fire rolled down the hillside towardsthe road. The flames were now within a whip's length of the. roadside, and the paint on the coach began to blister, and give out a strong odour, which caused Mr Newman to think that the awning was on fire. But being himself almost Wiffocated with the heat and smoke, his only thought was of reaching a point ahead where there was a break m the. country* and v, small stream into which. ,h« migh throw himself, for his whiskers and hair had already been + badly singed. To make the narrative short, the coach swept oh at a terrific pace until reaching the point on" the- route al-r ready referred to, where; as expected, the fire had taken another direction, and the danger:. wajf:.o yen. vA glance at (the and the^f6aming_hqrses then roraaled how terrible had; been the ordeal Sffßugb which tliey had just passed " for the lkst mile. The horses were singed fearfully, tlhe^paijit-^had pealed off the i "coach, and the*6nly wonder seemed that the awnIngs^bad not ignited. Mr Newman will not forget Ma cxparience m a hurry^ and iew bthej jrien have* unii|rg6ne.such a firiiat'wtWoutiloosing^hei^^^ !"a burning tree f alt^ii^across^hie trpad to "stop the traffic, vin.ihe, greatf speed at Xvlnbh'it was goihfirr'had-an^ accident happened to. the coach, there, would have been no possible escape from a terrible = <death;io%to driver and^.horses.^ After i'iaij*iffipien^ spelbthe jpurtfeV^Wjai; p~, sunied. and completed' withon^ ' further difficulty-., ,« „-- „"X ■