TRAGEDY AND DISASTER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 January 1939, Page 5

TRAGEDY AND DISASTER

DEATHS IN THE VICTORIAN BUSH FIRES Many Stories of Epic Heroism and Endurance SETTLEMENTS AND FORESTS SWEPT AWAY By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright. (Received This Day. 9.55 a.m.) ( MELBOURNE, This Day. The latest count of fire deaths on Friday was 38. making 72 for the week. An earlier report that 20 were dead and 118 injured at Wood’s Point is unfounded. Rain begain to fall in the fire areas early this morning. Many stories of epic heroism and terrible ordeals are emerging from the tragedy as refugees reach safety and rescue parties return. A terrible’tale of horror comes from the Matlock Mill, where a relief party arrived to find the settlement swept away and the bodies of fifteen men huddled in a sawdust heap and one in a 12 foot tank, where the man apparently jumped as flames roared through the mill. The water was. still boiling when the rescuers arrived. This disaster occurred at Mr J. Fitzpatricks mill, the victims including Mr W. P. Fitzpatrick, brother of the mill owner, and his two sons. Only the fact that the mill had not reached its* full capacity after the holidays prevented a worse tragedy. A mill hand. George Sellars, is the only survivor. His escape was a miracle. “We had no dugout,” he said. “We got behind the engine house when the mill was alight. fl he others rushed to the sawdust heaps. I found a drum of water in which some blankets were soaking. I wrapped these round myself and rushed to a burnt-out clearing through which the flames had passed and tolled on the ground.”

COURAGEOUS WOMEN.

One group of 24 at another mill, near Matlock, sought refuge in the only brick house in the settlement. Women and children dashed into the house, while the men remained outside as long as possible, dashing water on the window frames. When the heat was too great, they retreated into the house, where they held out until the roof began to fall. Then they had to leave the hut in dense smoke. One woman was not found. The survivors were then able to dash through the still burning trees to where the fire had passed. An amazing feature of their escape was the fact that three young babies survived the ordeal.

The men paid great tributes to the courage of the women, who kept their heads and bent all their energies on saving the babies and helping the men.

W. Frances, one of the survivors, said: “We marvel that we are alive. We kept our heads and remained in a brick house, which gave the fire time to clear a space and burn itself out before we rushed there.” ESCAPE OVER BURNING LOGS. Three mon, two women and three children were killed at Tanjil. Assisted by rescuers, thirty-seven survivors walked eleven miles over burning logs, up and down steep inclines, to waiting cars. The victims were Mr and Mrs B. Rowley and their three children who were burnt at their farm, and Mr and Mrs A. B. Saxton and Michael Gorey, who died in a dugout at Saxton’s mill. Mrs Rowley’s skeleton. clasping the skeleton of a sixmonths old baby against a tree, was found today by the refugees from Saxton’s mill. Their beautiful mountain home w*as built only six months ago. Six men were saved from suffocation when a water tank above their dugout burst just as they were almost overcome. These men gallantly endeavoured to save men in another dugout, but the victims were suffocated before the fires passed. Trapped between two blazing barriers of forest near their car, in which they were fleeing from Hall's Gap to Stawell, five members of the Habel family of North Hill, were seriously burned, one, Eric Habel, aged thirteen, fatally. Mrs Habel and another boy are in a serious condition. The charred body of Charles Cattanach, a farmer of the same district, aged 59, wasffound today. Three young hikers, including a daughter of Vance Palmer, the novelist, escaped death near Warburton by jumping into a river. While flames were destroying part of Omeo, a baby was born in a hotel, to which the mother was removed just before the hospital was burnt. Terrible experiences were suffered by residents of Buckland Valley, in the north-east, where two men lost thenlives and a township was destroyed.

MILITIAMEN SAVE TOWNSHIP.

Two hundred and fifty militiamen camped at Seymour went in a special train to help fire-fighters protect Bright, an important mountain tourist town at the foot of the road to the Mount Buffalo Chalet. Bright was saved and guests at the Chalet extinguished a fire there.

Lawrence Pickard staggered to safety on Saturday afternoon after a terrifying foot journey of seventeen miles. He reported that he had lost everything and asked rescuers to go to the assistance of a party of refugees on the way, including a woman of seventythree in a barrow. Pickard said they sheltered in a creek for four hours on Friday until the water became too hot. Before daylight they battled on until Evans, who was pushing the barrow, was blinded by smoke and had to be led by Mrs Evans, Then Pickard went on alone for assistance. Rescuers brought them over the last eight miles in a car. after they had been fourteen hours on the track. Two men named Lary. an uncle and nephew, lost their lives in the Brickland Valley, while trying to save their home. When they realised that the task was hopeless, they dashed for a creek, but the fire overwhelmed them when they were ten yards from safety. Thousands of cattle and sheep have been burnt in various parts of the State.