BUSH FIRE TRAGEDY.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 March 1918, Page 8

BUSH FIRE TRAGEDY.

DEATH OF A FAMILY. OVERTAKEN BY FLAMES. The grimmest feature of the dreadful bush fire in the King Country so far is the death of Mr. and Mrs. Aekerston and their five-months-old daughter Edna. There had been no news of them since tlie Are swept through the district. A search party was sent out on Wednesday, but were unable to lind any trace of them, reports the Auckland Star. Another party went out yesterday (Thursday), and discovered the bodies in the forenoon. Surrounded by flames, they had apparently started for the bush in the hope of finding safety there. They bad a lantern, and were accompanied by a young; man named Syd. Scott. Coming to v ridge, Scott went to one side and the family to the other, the latter taking the lantern with them. What followed can only be a matter of conjecture. One can picture the desperate struggle to reach the green bush some little distance from the houseThey readied the bush and staggered some two chains among the trees when, possibly, Mr. Ackerson, who had no : doubt endeavored to shelter his wife and child as much as possible, dropped to the ground in the last stages of exhaustion. The wife, with her child in her arms. . appears to have thrown herself on her husband's body in absolute despair, or perhaps in the hope of shielding him and restoring him to consciousness, or it may be that she, too, was in the last 3tages of exhaustion and fell across his body. Jn any case, they were found in that position and had perished together Green bush had been no protection, and the bodies were charred almost beyond recognition. Had they gone about six. chains further they would have struck a stream, where they might possibly have survived. Improvised stretchers were immediately made of pieces of timber and roofing iron. The bodies had then to be carried about two miles, .where they were placed in a 'buggy and taken to Itaetibi, a distance of some ten miles. The sad procession arrived at the latter town about 5 p.m., and the remains were placed in the Drill Hal) pending an inquest-

CORONER'S IXQUEST.

Ractilii, March 22. At tlie inquo?t held before Jlr. W. G. L Hewett, S.M., on the remains of the deceased family, Sydney Scott, lurm laborer, stated that lie was Iving in a whare at the back of deceased's house. A fire came over the hilk at about 4 am., and Akerstqn decided to leave the house and get into the bush. Deceased, with his wife and child and witness, eresed the road and went into the bush. About fifteen minutes later they were cut off from the house by flames. Witness asked deceased to come further back into the bush, where there was not so much fire. Akerston replied that be was not going back that way, but ,«<un:r down to the creek. Witness then left them, and went about four chains and climbed up a tree, where he stayed till 3 p.m. He then went to McArtlrar's place, and stayed there until joining the search.party, which he led to the place where he left the family, and where the bodies were found. Deceased was lftanager for Messrs Scott and Connor, and i had been there since.June last.

A correspondent to the Auckland Herald writing on Mr. Webb's case says lie ascertained during a visit to Taranaki that the contention that no one else could take the place of an elected M.P. has been disproved to the complete satisfaction of a constituency down that way. A member of Parliament is now in .the fighting-line, and during his absence his wife has been very active Jn communicating with various Departments, on behalf of some of her husband's constituents. The effect, so it is said, is magical. 111 that district now-a-days one never hears that "the matter will be kept steadily in view." On the other hand, a most commendable promptitude is displayed by the authorities. ';Possibly," says the correspondent, "the hint may be taken by Mr. Webb. .MoralIn some instances a married M.P. is worth two bachelor ones." Perhaps some enthusiastic suffragette will say there is another moral, which may be pushed home when next election comes