FIRES IN TASMANIA

Waikato Argus, Volume X, Issue 865, 26 January 1901, Page 3

FIRES IN TASMANIA

—•— % GREAT DAMAGE DON!:. | I (united press association - ). I BY TEEKGIIAPH —PRESS ASSOCI aTIdN' . 1 (Received January 26, 7.40 a in.) i Lauhceston, January :U>. S 5 Sekious bush fires, the result of tbt | dry weather, are raging in the vicinity 1 of Queenstown. (■■ When the fire was at its height an | extraordinary scone was witnessed. | The fire was beating up a hill away | froui some houses, when it eneoun ja tered a fierce whirlwind which caughtffi the fire, bent it to a thin column olEjj fiauie, and whirled it down towardsfi the houses. M As it reached the first hut the winrij|3 seem to blow the fire right out, butp the force of the gale was scarcely lesslS disastrous. &i It unroofed a hut and hurled thepp building some distance against aj& house. js! A few minutes later the hut was un| fire and the house speedily deiuo-|j lished. M The whirlwind, which lasted thieep or four minutes, unroofed a number®! of Other buildings in the neighbour-|f hood. KB At North Lyell the fire was uiost|| serious. m of boarding houses and someKj! thirty miners' dwellings were de-f|* stroyed, as well as the dwellings otg| two mine managers. E>j A certain amount of damage wasßfj caused to the Mount Lyell haulage line south of Tharsis. fog The concentrating mill was onlylS saved with difficulty. M The most serious damage done waste to the new Queen River trim line,KM which was destroyed for a consider-&< able distance, together with a number^ of bridges. |j;