BUSH AND GRASS FIRES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 51, 19 February 1908, Page 2

BUSH AND GRASS FIRES.

biEUIOL'S OUTlillfiAliS LN ALL mniiCTioiss, SETTJJiKS LEA\L\Li XIIEIU HOMK-J. The gradually increa-siiig wind je.s- | terday uioniing aroused much apprciieii- j -ion throughuul Hie province, and by I noon, when the occasional sharp cjisln j had settled down to a half gale, the | worst fears were speedily realised, eve.'y | minute increasing, (lie density of the j sinuke. from the southward, and telling ils tale unly 100 vividly. As the afternoon wore on. the heat and smoke in town became almost, unbearable, and

lo the. diWomfort was added one of the most disagreeable, ilust-stovnis expevi- I .•need lhi- summer. What imisf have been the condition- in the districts being r.ivi-hed by the lire licnd, il is scarcely i possible to conjecture. To the lire- ! liMliieiv' distress llirough smoke and 1 boa! and anxiety was added siill'ocalin;! j i-loiuls of i gem i'liisl and ashes swept

on before the gale. The greatest dilliculty was e.xpericieed by our reporters last night in procuring authentic news regarding the I aiea all'cci-,1 and the damage being oee-i----ionu.l. Within the Kgmont radius line 1 , tlic bu.sh in the Xatioual Park seem,, .o be uiiall'ected, but in almost every direction on the slopes of the mountain below the line the lire seems to have raged with more or less ferocity. Late la-i night news was received Unit the children at one school in the Eguiont road district were nimble lo reach their homes. Around Egmout Village the lires were reported 'lo l:e particularly severe, and were rapidly -pleading around Muiigorei. Ihe Hills, niirough dairy factory was reported 'o ■iumi mil

linns on 11,.- t'pper tarringinn mad l-'i-t nigbl. and some Vogolluwn and 1ir,,...;i.inds resident- were busily making arrangements for safeguarding their"" nroperlics. '

Down Hie coast the il,-e< are purlieularly severe. Inland from Oaoniii the thine- were ravishing the countrv, sneeping acios, (he roads in everv direction.- \o deliuif.. information' was ("•"•■"'•able at II p.m., except that the position was one of great gravity, and He wor-t yet experienced. One enroll - n-ier described the conditions oblainin" as ■■dreadful."

On the Puniho and adjacent roads Ihe iocs were very lien,-, and a number of filler- sent their wives „,„| eliihlren nilo the town-hip fur safely. Mrs. Henry and infant. Mrs. li'mnv Mrs .1 '-'«»!■ and their himilies were'amongst 'lii'iMi-lie.-t to arrive, and renorte.l th-v bad lo e,-cape huriicdly with onlv their ""■"'"' : apparel, leaving i.h,. menfolk 1" balile for the -afelv „f their honi-s \'".-y many of ,he ],„„«,, „,, rc „, ~,_, )-»"-ntc-l peril, and the worst is auiiripaicd in imiiiv cases.

'■' i'"m Warea, just hefore iiiidni-ld '"'no u,,r,| that |!,e Kahtii roa-l s'aw- """.■; ,7' ri ' ""n-ounded by lire, and all ■'liable assi-tuiic- had been eummoned. '■" l>-'.-il H'c ravener back. The countrv "" '"'III sides ,„• ,:„, x,.wnll road was ;l '' l:,/: '; ' , , '' i '" |,! - "'•■'■>• l»'iag made to -ive tin. ..ehooi. which ti:e children were : '"; i ' : '' toalteno ye-tenlay. The upper ""■'■" t„e N'ewall road was dc-eribed as ""I' Y- 1 " ,;!Z< '- : ""' »'«i'li loss i. feared. . ]■■■<<" """'- I'l'oui the lJaholu dislri-t '•"'■'";- Him the position on the Kalini i 0.'... I.- nio-t -enous. and settlers wc-o ''''"''"<■' i,ll<l liiiiiotu tor safelv. The "" k '""H.v '".....■ io I'un.rarelu, vi, l ; :|:! "'» »'st before midnight: The ~r,si. ' : "a«ueii Ibex left wa^vn,el."thetir"i';-"'- ',' "' - M ''- '" I'"' '•«»!■ ami the smoke being overpowerine 'iothenoithuard. the ,n,,,?re reoo.-t, Obtaonable indicated a serious affairs, Fires were general through,,,!! the fJroti d.striet. while (he conditions all around Tongaporntu were no le alarming. On Mouni He55e,,..,.,- th'o smoke wae euffocating, and yi,". s, ini . van and thn younger inmates ie U | iIcave their home and come into the »»n,sh,p The house and dairy were Wateued. ""li men were puttin., lm a flight I„ save ih,, bttildi,,,,, b ,r t „!;„, "■l>al suece- w :l , ~„( known.' Along the Oka,i n ,.„| (ivo W;K ;,,,,. hereely ;,,,,[ continuously )„, t 'J "'-I of the other places.',,,, „„,'. w!ls .;„ "r ir,"; 0 " "'""'.'•■"""■■iH- the extent "' '". '"-- "'"'-I' is believed to be ~,.,,. ''''.'■' "gill "it lo Mahocnui.

! t ','.'"'.'' 1 " , ".'' ! ' 1 ." V< '° v ' i,|( ' '"'' ,n °f I'"' J'" 1 '"."" , "! h "'' l " "'''t t'i*- "Ullook. „„- T- the wi„,| ,|,,ps mill ~,„ /uII «'""'>; in ll>e extreme. and (he exltaitsl<f I'""!;' »t the unfortutuit,.. seUlor , alllio-t pitiable, =<-"lu..

u,;",,""*' "'"''- "''l-'iaiildc from (ho U..,,.,,,,,.,,,,,,,,,,. ~|,nra. „,- Awakin-, :I;;;;;;;;'---'"tiu'cak-h:,vep 1 ,,b,,b i y '"1 !'*lil 1" ease of emergency.

l.\' KOTOIU'A IHBTRICX. Per Press Association Uolorua, 1,,-( Xi.,,1. Ill' Healllel' i- eseeeiliin.!,- ~ .. vi , ssiirin. 11,'. s " "..";.* , " v, ' l "l"'<l in smoke. H,,,), liii'''''ai Uamaku! ''""" '" """'""" " ""

|v - Till-; \I.\XAW Alt. Wellington, Tue-daw ;': n ;; r '";'"- in "'; \ ] <>- <■».»•. «■»* «i,„ ( ,,f '•".iir, di-lnm-d !,, lire. The „|.,, e «..- ~ l.o.emniei,t reserve, and uas gl'Mlly piiyed oy the citizens. It Wls pi'.i'-ti.-iills t!ie only piece of native l,„,l, '';t"'HMN..g v. i 11,,,, easy .li.tanoe „f t;,e

l'a!niei,t„,i North. Last y\„h{. ! I'alnieivlou North is cns|„,,u,le,l | u s'u„|.r: „o i, c'cilding. Many settlers' Home „i tlie ranees are in peril. The Mauawatu nver at Moutoa ts lower than has evov before heeu known, There is only throe, feet of water at the'dcep , |,h ""'- "" ""' ""«■» -l<M««-r* can no l" n r" r •- t ' l "!'• IJ ''''-cd llax is ;,ceun,uli'lMie ,ii the mills, and there j* d-umer iVoni lire. The miller- have p,,i „' „l n , rope anus* (lie iner-nod. ami are -end ■«:■ -.'III! I,al,- ,„■ ti1,,.,. „ VIM . , i| ,„ h , ui|| ■art'i.e. II down |„ foxi,.),. The '\l,ili„. ■•>■■' swamp i._l,ei„., p,,, r „||,,| ~„,, j «'■'.'!e!" . : s ,, iir'.T"Mi u ! o, ' k ''' l l " '" ,l11 lli< '

l'al»'"M,m »'■■ Tue.vd.iv. . lt'M«-!- from Foha-igim, lhi , „,',.„. nig -late tint the town-hip ',., ( .„ V( ,| (l|) . Ed hi a dense ,-loud ..f -moke. It j, ;,,,. lire- ~re Mill burning vigor„u-lv. but ih'-i-e is „o tuvlhcr damage bevond 111emuitiiie.l deelvurlion of feed and fence, A fear -till esi-t, thai if the wind ris.v the valley will be swept bv fire (t is now blowing ■,, fresh casterlv, will, ~ tend.o,.., (o ieciv,,-,.