BUSH FIRE IN CARTERTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1290, 30 January 1883, Page 2

BUSH FIRE IN CARTERTON.

Bash fires in Carterton during the last few weeks have been more frequent than, pleasant, but that' which occurred on Saturday and Sunday threatened the town with greater danger than any that hna oocaned lor years parti.' it-seems to have originally sprang up late oh' Friday evening near the junction of the Belvidere and Lincoln roadi, on the western boundary of the Town Board District, and. the first buildings were the two on Mr Lang! property,': These however ' were saved, though the fire ran right ;Up to the garden's, and speeding-obtrude- swept acron Mr Moore's ten acrepa'ddock where the timber had been fallen, akd .then got into the bush near the! railway line', and in the rear of the goods'shed and station-., master's residence. .There,! were also, a couple of whares, and .on: Saturday, for three or four hours iti/seeiped almost an impossibility that tbeseicould be.saved. Being daylight, it was theflyine debris that had got' alight, till it broke out etWliereJ and ran like I wjld fire through the long pass,, thistles',' and trash lying about where %?bus)i~Md" been fallen. When Vilobk came down, all around thritatioirwaßa mass of fire, arid it almbit impossible to stay on the plstform-Jor the smoke, This fire thnMtravilied ioto > iKe':hush iligjit pi(wd t tuns half a mile of so'in the rear of'the •tbwdßhip., EarlyTpn/SulvffayJ morninglT breeze, sprangytip- id 5 ktrength as the day wore_on, and was evolved intoVheavyioh~J)(ew.Tal V" ineitwithout (tlnll froin:'tleV«n till'be'

I tween thrWi=and iour.AThe. timber in this liush \tras.for ibma' < cut >o*er to supply the milljii^^lfiWughout and debtis were every where scitteted over ih<i a largoftduil of; dead tiiber xleft. • by the JiSaVwesfflfly windiv- th&; hold of this and swent'rapidly on towards the main road, ant the whole of the buildings from the Belyidareroad to Mr Strang's housaiwere-.fof^»somehouH-in imminent danger of falling victims to the devouring element. The Brigade engine, and that of Messrs Booth' & Co. were early on the ground, and did good service in protecting the houses and shops that were threatened with, the greatest danger. About 12 noon the fire bell rang out. . Fire broke through onMrE. B. Jones' house, and'but for the plentiful supply of water at hand and the promptitude with which it was applied, the buildings Would soon;- have v;been\ar,-maMsof! James, About 1 the same time divine' Bar-' vice,had to he out short in the -English Church, aa.the smoke, began Jo'inffndate 1 the. sacred edifice, and rendered a prolonged stay in it undesirable. The buildings most in,danger were,Mr .Elliot's,and the private tionae and adjoining buildings : . formerly belonging to Mr A. Armstrong, and Mr E., L. Wakelin'i mill,; and from tbeitw.o former it was Adeemed' advisable to remove the furniture and household effeots. -The ,heat .was ing, and the smoko blinding and choking. Along the whole line of road people might be seen mounted on the; roofs 5 applying. water, while others- were on the ground doing their level best to keep the firesfrom travelling.round tlie walla and b&se-: ment, in fact' nearly everyone ' near was either,protecting his own property, or if that were out of danger, helping. biß neighbors to protect - theirs. the wind lulled and bhang'ed/and bjr live o'clock had pretty well diedimmediate danger was averted, and the r he'avy '; rain whioh fell during the night materially' "damped the. * fires,'. The , principal damage done! hsibaen confined •to the'destruction oi-'a lafge amorint of 1 fencing, though but for the energetio and . continuous working.of a', larger bodyofmen, there dan be' but little 1 doubt that ■several buildings would have been totally destroyed. At night time ; the Bight was , 'grandmas beyond the fire with nhioh we . have dealt, ho less than nine others lit 1 up the horizon at all points of the compass. :