Narrative of an Auckland Visitor.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 138, 23 January 1886, Page 4

Narrative of an Auckland Visitor.

The Stratford- Wanganui line passes through some exquisitely pretty bush country, which, when cleared, will form an important factor in the future prosperity of the country. Stratford, like other places, is but a bush clearing, circular in shape, with a diameter of say two miles, covered here and there with fallen logs. During the intense heat of the late fire, all of these were burning and adding their quota of unwelcome smoke. At the back of Stratford, as of all the other townships, are clearings ot a more or less extended character. On one of these the writer happened to be on the afternoon of Wednesday, the 6th inst. At 3 p m., a noise as of wind seemed to be coming through the bush. This proved to be the outward progiess of the devastating element, which, backed by a strong 8.8. gale of wind, furiously made its way through the green standing bush, which hitherto it was not believed possible to burn in this country. From the upuuake Road— now a scene of the most utter desolation — its course was direct for the above clearing, which, like so many others, was clean swept of everything — fences, grass, stacks of posts, sheep, cattle ; every mortal thing. The heat and smoke were unendurable ; the very air|seemed burning. The sun was entirely obscured during the afternoon, and it was with difficulty id was possible to see to get sufficient water to put out the fire in the house and palings leading thereto. The maddened horses and cattle wildly rushing to and fro to avoid the fire made it dangerous to move about. The fire and flames crossed this clearing, and fired the standing bueh on the other side, and so made its way into the township of Stratford, where the town hall and many tenements were levelled with the ground. At night the awful scene was grand in the extreme. Every fallen log and every tree stump were burning, giving the place an appearance the grandeur of which it is impossible to describe. On both sides, so far as the smoke would allow, the tops of burning trees could be seen peering dimly through the " blackness of darkness," like the masthead lights of so many ships. The sound of falling trees crashing to the ground, one per minute, was the music day and night for a week. Constant battling with the fire this night and the whole of the next day had to be kept up incessantly. Blindness for three days, a heavy cold and bad coughing were the results of this experience, which the writer does not wish repeated. It was nob possible to leave the clearing for two days. From the immense quantity of fallen ash the ground had the appearance of being covered with snow. There were many hair-breadth escapes. One poor man, after seeing his wife and child into the creek for safety, returned to save what he could. The fire now surrounding him, he had to take refuge in a well, at the mouth of wfcich his favourite mare, which would not leave him, lay down and was roasted. While in the well the windlass was burned and the barrel fell in upon him, which he was fortunate enough to avoid. 'Ihis is but one incident in many. I was told thpt in Plymouth, during the fire, it was not possible to see the Sugar Loaves from the roadstead,* on account of the smoke. — "Star."