BUSH AND GRASS FIRES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 322, 24 January 1908, Page 2

BUSH AND GRASS FIRES.

IN TASMANIA. Hobart, January 23. Through the prevalence of bush fires lie west coast has been isolated for - ume clays. Several mining camps .round JJcchan have been destroyed. IN HAVVKE'S BAY. Per I'ress Association. Auckland, Thursday. 1 The country is obscured with dust and I smoke from the fires in Southern llawke's Bay. AT COUUMANDEL. Wniroa, Thursday. , A 1 lire involving the Rangihau and I Kapowai blocks on the Coromandel peninsula has been raging for the past week. Hesidcs standing timber, some I thousand acres of logs have either been damaged or destroyed. Timber dams and workmen's shanties have been swept away. IN THE WAIKAKAI'A. Carterton, January 23. The conflagration on both the hills an the plain); yesterday assumed a menacing aspect. The smoke is very dense at. night. A volunteer force enlisted by the settlers is combatting the flames. The force saved workers' homesteads. Several sheds were demolished, but no great damage was done beyond the loss of feed. Light rain is now falling, and apparently there is a heavy downpour in the hills as the fire has greatly subsided.

DESTRUCTION IN POHUI DISTRICT. SAWMILL AND DWELLINGS DESTROYED. Napier, List Night. News was received in town this afternoon that the bush fires at Pohui had destroyed the Fairburn Timber C'o.*s mill, together with about £3OOO worth of stacked timber, and three cottages occupied by Messrs Williams, Colvey, and Simonsen. The fire is still raging? The mill, timber, and cottages were insured in the Phoenix office for £3955, and the engine in the United for £3OO.

ABATEMENT IN DANNEVIRKE DISTRICT. Dannevirke, Last Night, The bush fires have now abated, but considerable damage has been done. Light rain fell to-day. IN STRATFORD DISTRICT. SETTLERS' LOSSES. yesterday's Stratford Post says:— "Of late some very serious fires have occurred in the localities near the Bird and Robson roads, the fires sweeping over several properties completely, and damaging others to a more or lees extent. Yesterday the area covered was estimated to be something over a thousand acres in this particular locality. Messrs. Breen and Moffat both lost tluir haystacks which had just been built up for the preservation of their winter feed, and in common with other settlers had a considerable quantity of fencing, gates, pig-styes, and other woodwork destroyed in addition. Many other settlers lost their grass completely, and several properties will require to be resown. The feed outlook for the winter will be a serious problem for many of the settlers to face. The lire swept over the whole of Mr. M. Gernhoefer's holding, his homestead only being saved with the greatest difficulty. Unfortunately, here, as in most of the other place.* round about, the tanks and wells had all run dry, and no water was available to combat the spreading flames. On Saturday last the fire was at its worst in this neighborhood, and roared like a big bush lire of the old days. It swept along with violence into shelter bush and shrubberies, doing a tremendous lot of damage. Cattle were severely scorched, and although every effort was made to keep them gnway from he fire, many animals were severely burnt about the hide by pieces of flying fire. A number of ,pigs were burned to death, and several larger animals may be seen now walking lame on account of having trodden on some hot places. In consequence of the fires and the shortage of teed, the milk supply lias fallen off, in some instances by no less than fifty per cent. One settler's return "was this week 10001b of milk per day leßs than on the highest return that the same nuinlxT of cattle this season gave, and another settler found he was taking 7001b of milk less per day to the factory. Some families had to remove tlieir furniture to a considerable distance, their nouses being for a time in imminent danger of destruction. This danger is not altogether over, and 'is the wind from time to time changes, new fires spring ,up and spread rapidly in spots which have hitherto escaped. Rain is earnestly looked for by the settlers, who are having a very anxious time."