BUSH AND GRASS FIRES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 52, 20 February 1908, Page 3

BUSH AND GRASS FIRES.

IX -NORTH TARAXAKI. j A IKYI.SG TIME. j ilii- tirea 1 ngciidi ->vd uii iiii'-d;!' ! ewning by liit- rising gale and the iii i creasing density ot the smoke wliicl | imaded tue town were ii"t ilI found' il I Yesterday Hi l »lnil!;: alarming IrjjOrl: were current concerning the havoc cans ] vil by the tir-.'-. Amount o!In -t.ue ' ments was that llii' Kguiont road >.nv | »;iill hid been burned. together with ;i number of settlers' homes. A •'Daily News" r' porter wa, to the scene, and found things (pike hail enough. though not (juitc so l.latk as painted. Tlif smoke was wry thick and pungent along the .function toad, and ' I''-' was ex treui''! v limited. A lire illicit easily have raged within a quarter of a mile of the highway without the traveller being aware of it. The fir-t Mazing logs were seen to the eastward of the Junction road at its junction with the Kent road, Imt the lire did not seem to have reaehed any Serious dimensions there. Pushing on to Kg tnont \ illagc it was ascertained that the Finns weri: uacixc on the l'pper Egmont road. Jt was appertained that several of the who usually supplied the I.epper road -reamery hid that morning turned up tt the "•Village" creamery with their nilk. and the rumor gained ground tint u? Upper road creamery, us well as the few Plymouth Sash and ])oor Com.any's mill on the Kgniont road hid ieeii destroyed. Thicker and thicker beanie the smoke as the fires were aproachd. and light ashes were fallin.' in II directions. Settlers who were"acosted at the lower end of the road old harrowing tales of the difficulties f their neighbors, and of the TERRIBLE FIGHT AtiAIXST FIRE II the previous night. It was not un--1 Air. George -Mar-li', num, however, nd been reached that any damage was Jthenticilly reported. ihe lire.

rapidly travelling Hum log to log, trw to tree, right through the sections. Two haystacks had gone up in smoke, and Mr. Man ley Marsh, close liy, had had a trying time in warding o li the llames from liis farm buildings the night before. The II. lines approached within a few yards on several occasions, but by strenuous efforts the buildings escaped. From this point onwards there was fire on cither side of the road, t.'reat ] logs were blazing from end to end, onsmouldering and emitting great volumes of smoke, whilst everywhere little ilame-i could be ><vn travelling through the grass, catching up every twig and helping the lire fiend onward. Fences were alight, ill many cases destroyed, and the progress of the tire could be gathered from various «ign=. The fencing po-ts hud in luany cases first Wen ignited at the liase, and had burned upwards, until there w.is presented the peculiar spectacle of a piece of blazing wood suspended from tiie top wire. There were chains and chains of FENCING DESTROYED

lin this way. At Mr. Gib.son's the loss | of stacks was reported, in addition to | the destruction of grass, this latter being none the less serious from the fact that it was general. And all the way to the sawmill, near the corner of the' Lepper road, the tale, was the same. And here, where on the previous day stood a well-equipped mill in full working, surrounded by—so the- settlers estimate— upwards of 250,000 feet of timber, with th* usual men's wli ires and "■beds, there was now a s'mouldering I he»p of ashes, having in its midst 4 tumbled pile of engine and machinery, and on its road frontage two small stacks of timber.

j THE LAST OF THE MILL. As n'ar as can be ascertained, the mill disappeared in flame and smoke somewhere between seven and eight o'clock on Tuesday evening. There was Ho suspicion of danger in the morning, j and the men wer e at work as usual. At I about mid-day the wind freshened and ! gradually increased to a gale. (ire.it volumes of «moke now commenced to roll down from the south-east—from the direction of the Durham road, where fires had been raging for some days. Only a narrow strip of eountrv separates the Durham and Egmont roads at the upper end; and, spurred on by the gale, the flames travelled with astonishing rapidity, eating up the bush and tram-lines as they came. Late in the aflnntoon it became evident that, unless tin- unforeseen ocurred, the mill was doomed. Smarting in the smoke, and in "reat discomfort from the intense heat, the men made I'REPARATIOXS TO '• FLIT.'' The manager. Mr. Hamilton, anil Mr. Lilley sent their families to the Village, they lieing unable to bear the awful smoke any longer. The mill hands gatli- j ered Up tbeir in the wliares. I and buried them in the ground for Safety. And then they set alnnit doing what thev could to save the mill. 'But no army of men. unless equipped with the most modern fire appliance? and an inexhaustible water supply, could have successfully waged war against the advancing wall of flame, and its vanguard of sparks and flaming frajpients of the forest. An eye-witness described the scene as one of appalling grandeur. I Away to the southward wa- a great red wall of smoke and flanie. In !h" foreground, lags ablaze, grass blazing, and flames surrounding and surmounting the tallest pines. From their tops rained a continuous shower of sparks and blazing twisrs and branches, hurled hither and thither by the gale. It was a pyroteclirfc disjfiay unequalled in Ill's .15 years' experience of New- Zealand bush life, for at one time there was presented almost a solid sheet of FLAMES ABOUT A HUNDRED FEET HIGH. And the slacks of timber in the yards, the mill buildings, the whares and tramlines. once ignited, w*re consumed in a few minute 5 , roaring furiously. As giving some slight idea of the density of the smoke, settlers less tlmn half a mile away, commanding as a general rule a full view of the sawmill, knew nothing of the destruction of the buildings until informed of the disaster vesterday. Tt is reported that nearly the whole of the bush tramlines and bridges we're destroyed.

At the j,ost office Mr. Peters, senr., | informed our re|«orter that during near- j !y the whole of the. night lie and Mrs.' lVi.-t- hail to watch tile house and around, putting out the Mazing pie«-« by drenching tlieni with water. To the windward of tlip house was !t talF and thick pinus in-ignis plantation which it was thought would have caught and cooled the sparks, but -Mr. Peters -tated tliat the sparks show p red through tjjj trees I.IKE A HT.AZIN'C; HAILSTORMTlie 'tnoke was so dense that upon one occa-ion. wVii only a lew yards dist int. he mi-took for a lamp ill the window a flaming l.ramli that had lurched it->'f on the -ill. an.l \\a- in a fair way t.. 111.- hnu=e. 1 m MiHii.iirii si-; i\ n.\Ni;Ei:.

.\? tlir -cho"lhou-.- Mr. 11. !{<i(ci c l v , tli»- tmdi'r. \va> found t«> U- s-ulTerinjr I'rum siiKjke-ljlindiu-- in ;t jminrul »k'jrrtv. iluc to the fact that ii;»lit thronj-h t!w night he h »«1 lipen <n;wi] in fiphtin;: hack the lire from tin* hank of the c-re«*k at th« rear of the n*>itl«*nw. 'lh' flames cr«*(»t through the gra s s to within a frw fVi't of the door.

HALF-KILLED BY THE JSXWKE. Mr. Taylor. the manager of the Manj*nr»*i Dairy Company's Leppor road creamery, wa«> stupefied l»y the smoke. hour- and hour- li** hadjieen i>f\ iduiv fighting the llatne- whii-li ln»rc i down direct on the creamery and the 1 manager's residence. Some ot the | majinitnde Of the *tni«glp could be ulv ■ tained ye-terday by a plance at the 1 limning lo£- and blackened patches in | tV- gra.-- clom- hv. But hy alnio.-t | MirH-rliuniati effcvrt* the building wvr« ! samd when ino*t ]>eople would have I pi - .' it thrm up for Laie at nij*ht ! poiiii' npyilH»r* found Taylor in a state ( of -.Mni-tupidUy. btuuderin<£ here jind i tl:; )'•. pni'ti'-nllv -moke-Minded. It was 1 wf.,-11 that he «.*'rionslv il'. and a ' in ~,r *»al!o|H'd through a mile and I ,i-ha!f «•? liani*' to for medical aid. Dr. C.ault arrived at midnight. ! Hi<* man ws\< nowhere io h- found. wn- eau-'-d. Init was . prouptly relieved when it was a>eer- . tained lh.it Tavlor had h»vn taken to a hoij.s- war hy. Ye-|erdav morning . ]i E . via- -till in a critical condition, til. imnt i- fairly ehw» at thU point, and . n-aim-ry and cdtajfe. school and v-i !i li--.-. p<.-;iMa-f» i'- lmti-e. and' M r,. 'Swamf- and 'A. ShYh'r'A f,\imhou-e. h.-irw wit Inn a -I -lie's 1 thvov of one another. "Mr. Shi'kei- >\h« 1 f.'ii rd flu- lo— of • feed. hut, hav-1 a J500.1 u itr-r -upjdv. svv.'d th°l h iii.lMl-.-. T1,?.. however. entailed n • full M?'_'ht \i-il hy all hand-. On llif ; ■ - "l (!)'■ r..ad Mr. Swann hid \ .» n:iri"iv e-c.ip". The iiiv 'ntered lii> . pi ><v under a in-i.irni.- ludt. and I j i ; r>'pt l<>n;r near the flout of the house. l ! At tin- rear if cauie ovr the paddocks, '' The farm buildm;.'- helper much scatter- ; id it va- im ta»k, practically uu;ui!»*d. for Mr- and Mrs Swaun to keep the place uuder the survWllaiiec

iieee-siry. Hut 11.1 buildings were destroyed. though newly every M.wl" of (jr.is, on tlie place was swept away. CIIIWJKX IX l'Kl'.lL. When the tile lii'oku out on tlie I'.mn .Mr. Swann w.i» a'wnt in Inj-U-wuod, and .Mrs. Swiuin s>ni her two little hoys til l.'iing in the cows. Tile lires c:.t them oil, and they eoiunu'iieed to make a detour, intending to appro.u-li tile ro d by the tram-line loner down. In a 1' w minute-, however, llley were ilhn'isL ,'iitirely surrounded by lire us ihey vr'osss.,l Mr. Uscar l'etei:-' mini, and the smoke iiml the fright upset their ideas ol' direction. There was hut one thinfor wee eliildren lo do, and they did ii llley fried. One collapsed. Ml', t'eters was out in his piddoeks, mustering his cows and them hom'-wanK AV'hilt wa* his surprise to upnii the two little lads there! They were practically powerless to proceed- leaving the cattle to their fate —as it eventually proved, to die—lie snatched lip the children. one under each arm, and made l'oi his lmn.se as fast as leys could earn tlicni. Ahv.Osl evevv vestige of pi'a-s sihont here was destroyed, and the vegetable j:anlens had to he invaded to provide food for thf eattl-'. Tahle turnips and pumpkin leaves were greedily devoured.

HEAVY LOSSES. At Mr-. Patterson's a slack of Inn was destroyed, and "Mr. Walter I'ctei" lost, stacks, transited, cowshed, and :i number of hi* dairy 'w. -Tus) in tin nick of time he removed his trap and harness to a place of safety. "Re had for many years been building on a herd of .Tersevs. and was (he regular toptester at the creamery. Yesterday, otit of n herd of thirty, lie could only muster eight, whilst he found eight or ten roasted carcases amidst the burning logs. Mr. IT, Taylor also suffered the loss of liis stacks and fencing, and his cows suffered severely. Yesterday only six of eighteen cows could be counted, and there was little doubt of the fate of the remainder. Mr. ("has. TCiker. on the Albert road, lost liearlv all liis feed, he and Ids -wife savin? the homestead after sending their little children lo a safer locality. Messrs Coldrick. fash. ■T. Williams, and Jack and Joe. Tavlor were heavy losers of grass.

BURNED OUT. But (lie greatest hardship of tlie fire was the total destruction of Mr. Shoe, marks's house and contents, his tran shed and outbuildings, containing his store of hay and oits fust gathered in from four acres. The house was about 11 mile and a-lialf from the radius line, and Mr. Shoemark relates that, the smoke and heat, were almost insufferable even before the flames reached the immediate vicinity of his home. There were in the house Mrs. Shoemark and five children, Mrs. ,T. Williams and three children, ami two littTo children left there by Afr. and Mrs. Tavlor whilst they took another sick child into Tn»lewood. When the house was no longer enable he placed these behind a live hedge 011 tile roadside, but the sparks set that alight, and they started for the freshly-cut oat field on (ho other side of the road. Sparks cauaht their clothing on the way. Lying there, with fans to the ground, with cattle lowing piteously around, the children sorcamino smoke and heat terrific. Mr. Shoemark saw the glare as his house and building* 3™* "'<• fearful conflagration. What to do with the women and children was his principal anxiety, but this load was taken off his mind when Mr A. Standish brought them in to New Plymouth with his mountain party, sixteen years hard work gone in sixten minutes," sighed Mr. Shoemark disconsolately, as he viewed the ruins. The

insurances wcre:-O n the house, £l5O in the State and '£loo in the South British: on the furniture, t'so in the State; on the sheds, £l5O in the Sun office.

| A BRIDGE IN DANGER. By tlie continuous exertion of Foremail lloskln, -Mr. Taylor, and several others, t|ie Lepjier road bridge was saved, though alight several times, STILL BURNING, The fires were still burning al a laU; hour last night, and as the wind is still in the same quarter, the danger is bv no mc-ans over. JN AUCKLAND DISTRICT. IV- ''less Association. Auckland, Last Niglil. From all over the country accounts are received regarding the damage don® by bush tires, and the city is still enveloped in a haze of smoke,' To-day a fire threatened the Cambridge Sanatorium. 11l the Northern Wairoa district miles and miles of country are burning. At Ifclensville a six-roomed hou~e, occupied by Air. Itevlands anil familv, was destroyed.. having caught lire from sparks carried from the burning bush. The Waitere bush in the Wuihi district, containing millions of feet of valuable timber, has lx-en blazing since the end of the week, and the Mataura Yallev bush is also on tire. NEAR IXGLKWOOD. The lnglewood Record of yesterday's date says:—The fires all round the district seem to be culminating in very general disaster, the whole country round Tariki. and both northwards mid southwards at midnight last night looked like one sea of flame, apparently every standing tree in the district, as Well as l-ecumlient logs, lieing on fire the swampy land near Tariki beinf specially hazardous fur driving from the ad mil (lame as well as the dons ft smoke. Reports from nearer home are terriblv crnel. The house on Mr. Grant's farm at present occupied by his tenant, was burned down with everything in it, there being no time to remove anvthin" after the n ame was )ir4 o i,g erv(l( f Messrs Brown and Co.'s tram-line has also suflered materially, one bridge being utterly destroyed, and two others more or less damaged, but, fortunately the large building over the Piakau is so far safe. Mr. Brown, with a party of men, having successfully fought' the flames in tlie vicinity and preserved the bridge, though it was actually alight Considerable numbers of sleepers are destroyciJ, but, of course, being a metal lilie, the fails are all right. DEVASTATION' IN HAHoTU. SETTLERS' FAMILIES DROUGHT TO THE TOWNS in P. Our Raliotu correspondent wired last that the tire on the Kaliui road on Tuesday was very bad. A house owned by Mr. U. \Y. llemuiingwav was completely destroy,-,!. The house was iii-ure,l with the Aew Zealand limi:--•in... Company for UMM. It was with on! rem.- dilli.-ulty tln.t tli:' Opunakc Sawmilling Company's mill was saved. A large bridge and "several chains of tramway were completely destroyed. Firewood in the mill yard was burned, but willing help was responsible for saving the mill. A fowlhouse belonging to Mr. Morgan was burned, le.it the house, which caught lire, was saved.

. So M-riou- wn< Un> iiiv that V,w \vr>:non ;iinl t-hlhlivn l;ik<-n away in a A ilvivcn hy Mr. WilUuirliUy luil »rv,u tUH'-nlty in tiuir through tin* lire.

A r-lronjr wind i-. Mowing. and it U ikcly that -till further damage will done. Th<- place is <>o thickly •nvduped in siuoko ilint it is almoA iH}»»--ii>lc I') M-c aero-- the roa 1 at, il'ahotu. "Mo-d «vf the women and cliilIrni l>i'< 'iiiflil down from the Kahui road ia\e heen accommodated at Hood's lottd. ix Tin-; ujwki; maxawatl*. Per Press Association. Wellington. Uud V\y*>- have made their appearance in tho Otaki di-triet. and aiv minli dama<:<> in other districts a ion;* th" Mmawatu lino. I'ropi-rties along the hills are a mass of smoke. and <<re:it alarm i- Ml for tin- M-ttlers in tin- hack blocks. At Waikanae I lie mill-hand? have obliged to »\\o up mil) \vi»rl and turn th<dr a 11« : nti«hi in saving t)i' ptint. and -wamp and town U ouv«dopi»< in smoke. IVtwvx-n Otaki bridge am Te lh.ro, at ahnii; I lie railway liilf. Die place U practically free o. smokv. hut the hills ;ire all smoke covered. Smith ol Waikanac lire threaten to do an immense amount' o damajjf. and have crossed the railway eau-iiij? wholesale destruction to tin fence- and «arryiny all Uefoiv them. It is reported th.it the tires have de vtroyvd Taylor's house at South Mann kail. Dunn'* residence am! lievan' ihle- at Otaki (Jorjro. and OwenV am V-'iltcr ( i.iter's at Ueikioran-i. The wind has now dropped, and Hi: MiY-iir-* danger appeal- to lie over. A( Levin. Davie-' hou-e was huni".l and the tin-- are ... ilnnh-nin- ; continuous watch Ins to he kept. Rtf rrnr \v \m uuxo district.

T;iiliii|>i'. WoiliioMlay. Strong winds liav,. tlic fivs ill tli<' W'aiiiuii'ino. Tlic fliinio-i linvc -cizcil flic Cnvprnincnt timber resprvi' round ilu. 'All tli.< vc-iidi-nts linvc imnnl out mill f.»i in r 'il ii Imikot brigade. So fur tlio fire 1m- l.oni livid in e'liook. The nat!■ >n is Tlio (own will bn ill. prwit (linger if tin; ninil become* efroiig«r, t ' 1. V

HIGH SCHOOL BOARD.

-U the Jiioillllly meeting of the S hool Hoard held lit si night there were jni'acut Messrs. J. Ji. Wilson (chairman), j:. JUockrill, S. I'. Smith, .V K. M.i.-iJiarmid, and .U. Fraser. Advice was received from the KducaliM' Depai uncut notifying tin' aiijioi 11 lmcir,-. ol Dr. i''ook(s and Messrs. !,. |}i.i-kr:]: and M. l-raser as members of the Hoard of Governors. TJio Departalso nmilied that jcti lis Sd, bchj; capitation payment cm secondary school' elan's lor drawing; and liotaiiy, liil been pa*.-ed lor payment to the Hoard. I he secretary of the liand L'ontc.l wrote asking that the school should !v Hosed ou Tuesday ami Thursday, the two chief days the eomcst' wee 1 ;. Hie Hoard decided to close the scli.iol ] in \\ edu-.-day and Thursday, thus "iv-| >"g on,, day for the Caledonian sp.uliind on<! lor the contest. _ llr. i'. A. .Mareliant (ranger") reported lavorably oil the Hoard's reserves. UKAD.UASTKK'S KEI'OKT. I lie acting-headmaster ("Mr Ji Jl Ward, reported that the attendance totalled !I,S- ,)(i boys lUII [ j.j ;l . lg.uust !i;i at ilie beginning ( ,f if ie third ll '™ > (Mr. The new assistant inastcr (Mr. Scvernci had entered on ik duties, which he was fulfilling j„ „ ■ conscientious and ellicicnt manner. The i classes under liiiu were attentive and orderly. Alter consultation with Ihe chairman lie lud arranged with Mr liil liintync t„ |„,,„ ( ~.I SSI. S ~t th< , Twli meal School 111 cookerv and dress ki'i" lor the junior girls. Hitherto only the senior classes had had instruction in these .subjects. The sewing niachiii-s used when dressmaking was conducted at the school were now lying idle, A more advanced form luiil becn'made for two boys studying for Taranaki scholarships, and in consequence of this tho teaching staff had been strained, so that it had been found advisable to take tho ! firth form boys and girls together. So lar the new arrangement had proved satisfactory. Out of eight candidates sent Hp tor (he matriculation examination six had passed and two had quale led for tlie solicitors general knowedge. o„ 0 had passed the medical preliminary. 'I weuty-l'our candidates sal ior the Junior Civil Service and fo>.senior free places, and twenty-one had been successful. Seven passed with ciedit, while lan (Jraut was eleventh on the list, out of over nine hundred candidates. The J4ducatiou Board's senior scholarships awarded on thlumor (ivil Service examinations were gained by four High School pupils. The Board decided to offer the use >f the sewing niae!;:nes at present lyin" idle at the school to tjie Technical ■M-lmol coJinnittPr. | A further twelve niuiillis' free tuition w'iis granted to Elizabeth Stwhhirt, ol' Wuitnra. Ac-counts amounting- ( 0 '£2 oB lid woiv for iiitymi'Ht.