FIRES IN THE GERALDINE BUSH.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2143, 30 December 1890, Page 3

FIRES IN THE GERALDINE BUSH.

On Friday afternoon some careless person lit a fire on the N.W. side of the Geraldine Bush near Mr John Dean's, and aided by the strong wind blowing, the flames rapidly spread towards the bush. The fire brigade turned out with the small hand engine, and succeeded in putting oat the flames before the main portion of the bush had caught.—On Saturday afternoon a dense column of smoke rising from the back of the large bush park drew everybody's attention towards it, and a speedy examination showed that a fire, which had been lit the previous day by a picnic party and left smouldering, had been fanned into a blaze by the strong nor'-wester blowing, and had now got a good of the underscrub. The fire bell was rung, the brigade turned oat, and the engine was taken to the water race a short distance above Mr J. Williams's bakery. 380 feet of hose was run up the face of the hill, and a start made to pump water into a barrel, from whence It was carried by means of buckets to the hand engine, which was [ deing good service in the bush, The

i} hill up which the hose had to be laid was, however, so steep that it taxed b the power of the engine to itß very utmost to send the water up. Mr i W. Postlethwaite, with commendable i forethought, sent over from Eaukapuka a dray with the tank used for I carting water 10 his engine, and a start was made to cart water up the i hill to keep the hand engine going. The firebell having rung a prolonged alarm, and the smoke being so conSDicuous, a large crowd had assembled, and Mr White, chairman of the Domain Board, put on a number of men to beat out the flames, fall burning trees, carry water, Ac. Moat of those present also lent a willing hand to fight the fire, and succeeded fairly well in keeping the flames in check. a. number of firemen and others were told off and the fight went on daring the whole of Saturday night, bul the extreme dryness of everything made it next to impossible to completely subdue the llamas,which ran along the dry underscrub and dead leaves in all directions. The wind freshening on Sunday the fire again began to make headway. Two more teams with tanks were got—one from Mr Groundwater, of Woodbury, and one from Mr J. Fifield, of Geraldine. This time the larger engine was taken to the top of the hill on which the bush grows, and was kept supplied with water by the drays. Some 30 or 40 men were engaged in the work, the fire brigade under Captain Walton doing good service. The result proved very satisfactory, the engine being able to reach the fire running up the trees, and by night nearly all danger was over, but not before several acres of the bush [ had been destroyed. Had the wind not died out on Saturday afternoon and remained calm till Sunday afternoon there is little doubt but that the north eaßt corner of the bush would have been completely destroyed, and in all probability the township from the saleyards northwards also. As it is, an irreparable damage has been done, and the Domain Board, which already is in debt to the extent of £l2O, put to a very serious expense. Considering the extreme dryness of everything it is nothing less than criminal that people will light fires during a howling nor'-wester m such olose proximity to the bush, and unless the proper authorities take ! very stringent measures to have such people punished with the utmost severity this beautiful piece of bußh, the pride of Geraldine, will some day be left a wilderness of blackened ■tumps.