GRASS FIRES IN MARLBOROUGH.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 22, 25 January 1872, Page 2

GRASS FIRES IN MARLBOROUGH.

The tremendous fire .-that for the last week has ■beenj and still is devastating the Awatere district, is, from all accounts, , ihe most disastrous ever—known- in 'New Zealand. Commencing on the Starborough Run it has- swept the whole country, including, the Blind River and- Flaxbourne runs, to Cape Campbell, destroying in its course thousands of acres -bf grass, and enormous numbers of sheep, and, we are

told, has now crossed the Awatere River and is sweeping Dr. Renwick's and Mr. Redwood's runs. Between these and the Meadow Bank station, tho property of Mr. Richardson, a small river known as " the Taylor" intervenes, and a u umber of men are now on the watch in the hope of preventing its crossing this, but should it once succeed in obtaining a hold on thenorthern side there is no knowing where it may stop, as there is nothing to prevent its destroying the whole of the runs in the Waihopai district, nor iudeed would ibe Wairau Valley or Plaiu be safe, as the i Waihopai River is in many places very narrow, and in the present dry state of the tussocks, a spark carried across would very soon create a flame that ifc would be beyond .ill human power to slay. On the Starborough aud neighboring runs alone, the properly of Messrs. Beaumont and Wharton, we are told that 20,000 sheep have been destroyed, while 23,000 more that aro now confined in a paddock near the home station run the risk of being starved, even should Ihey escape being burnt, as every blade of gr,.ss within miles of them has been destroyed. Several years ago a large fire swept over this same locality, but in (hose-times there were no obstacles to prevent the unfortunate animals escaping, whereas, now there are, or rather were, miles upon miles of wire fencing which would prevent their getting away, and render them an easy prey to the flames. Cattle and horses, as well, are being destroyed in all directions, and the loss of these, together with the destruction of the fences, will entail a ruinous loss upon the stockowners in the district. As yet we do not hear of any houses or sheds being destroyed, but this is probably owing to the fact that the land round most of them- has been ploughed and laid down with English grasses instead of the dangerous native " tussocks," and the sheep having been recently down ou the flats duriDg the shearing season would have cropped the herbage so close that the fire -would have little or nothing to feed upon in the immediate neighborhood of the stations. We have seen a letter from a gentleman who was on the neighboring hills, at the time when the fire was ragiug. He says ; — " I could almost imagine that I was looking down ou the infernal regions. Over the whole country there hung a dense smoke, through the rifts of which I could see tho fierce flames travelling onward with racehorse speed. Every now and then an immense mass of flame would leap ahead of the burning grass nnd, seizing hold of the dry, tinder-like tussocks, greedily Jap them up with the voraciousness of a starving man. In advance of the flames there were to be seen with a glass whole flocks of affrighted sheep endeavoring to escape the destruction that threatened them, while every now and then scores of them might be seen to drop blinded and stupefied with the smoke, and in a very few minutes their doom would be sealed as the hungry flames passed over them and left them shrivelled corpses. When aud where ifc is going to stop God ouly knows. The losses that will be sustained by sheep owners in the district is really terrible to contemplate." The following telegram from a correspondent at Blenheim, dated to-day, 2,g0 p,m., reached us just as we were going to press, and as no mention is made of tbe fire having crossed the Awatere, we are in hopes that we have bean misinformed on that head: — "Grass fire commenced at Blind River Run on Thursday last, aud burnt all the grass on Starborough and Fiaxbouroe and Cape Campbell runs. Stockowners had opportunity to save some of their stock. The flames were checked at Richmond Brook, where men were, engaged for 36 hours in beating them back. The amount of damage is not ascertained. Starborough has suffered severely. Rain is now falling."