BUSH AND GRASS FIRES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 53, 21 February 1908, Page 2

BUSH AND GRASS FIRES.

A'OUT 11 -J-AIIAXAKI. The south-easterly wind lell during V.eduesilay nijfiit, and yesierday there was a iiyiiL l>l'eeze I'rum Llie norUiward iur '.lie greater pari, ot" tile day. This iiail The elVwl ni eheckin;; liie lires a little, and certainly cleared the aunosjdieru lit' smoke oil tlic ciia.*-!. In the al'ieriiMunj ho\s'c\s'r, llie u-uid huxed tlu 1 ei iii|)ass and relumed to tin- dread-d siiuUi-caslerl.v point of the coinpass. Ikr.' it did not rise beyond ■' /ephyr. and was nol snUicK'iit (o canse anxiety. Won! from the Mangorci dislricl i< Id the i-lleit thai Messrs. 11. 11. llcrliert, and I'arsons hail ereat. dilliciilty in their Iniihlines on Tuesday night. Fences ill the locality were ! destroyed, and the lires swept the paddocks 'of almost every blade of gra-s. On the L'pper Cairington road the lo;; tires are still burning, but no losses ,It her than ihese of feeil and fencing arv rcnort* 1 '!. 1 Un ibc VriUiklev ro;ul M'ver.U I hiivt* had iin iinxions U-w days. I lie iiivs appro,ichc.l close to the factory, but at latest advices the building was safe. There- is no conlirination of the reported loss of the Kahui and N;'w,i!l -cluiols.

IX Till': MAN AM'ATI'. I'almerdon North. Li>t Nij»ht. j l-'in-s have been causiair a deal j anxietv to llaxownors in the Shannon , and >iakerua districts during the past , few davs and on Wednesdu.y la-t th" work at all mills in llie locality wi* brought to a standstill., the mill-hands beinjj employed lighting the <lame>. Yesterday there were throe rsejiarave tires. One occurred in the hills at the hack of the Seifert Company's Miranui mill It swept down a gully «uul had just reached the libre-drying paddocks When its progress was stopped by the men hastily picking up the libre. -Nbout ei*»htv acres of .Mr. Creig's llax lan.l was ~wcpi by the lire. Another outbreak uceurivd'in the Tokoiuaru swamp. It is believed that » considerable amount «f damage has been done there, although if is nor definitely known to what extent, and at Union Craw's mill was threatened and the employees had a hard time saving the building. , Latest information from the Toha-* ugina valley says that the lires arc still serious. >lv. Eglinton'ri property suffered very much from llie lires, and the homestead was only saved after a hard light. Wellington, Last Night. Fires arc still very serious up Ihe .Manawatu line, the outbreak covering a wide dislrirt. 1-orlunately it is not in one mass, hut at intervals. F.xtraordinarv precautions have Wen taken io minimise the danger and loss. It is now believed the danger ol the whole valu- - able Makcrua llax swamp being swept ' has passed, and at latest advices the ' lires appear to be fairly under control.

IN KAWIIIA DISTRICT. j Per Press Association. | Auckland, Last, Night. The lire,4 in Kawhia district have now practically burned out. Mr. Elliott, nf Oparu. hail nearly SOO sheep destroyed and 1500 acres of grass swept. ROUND WOODVILLE. Woodville, Wednesday. Hush fives were started again yesterday fhvough the wind freshening. In the Manawatu Gorge the hills arc blading for miles. A fierce (ire is raging ill the bush near the freezing works, but 110 danger is anticipated. This morning the smoke has cleared from the town, the fives having apparently Imrnt out. Auckland. Thiir.-day. At Waiuku, as a result of Hie lives the land has been divested of every ve.sligc of green except in the swamp. The surrounding hills are a mass ol burning embers. A large i|iianlity of valuable timber has been destroyed at Mar-hall's Bush.