PAHIATUA.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4678, 28 March 1894, Page 3

PAHIATUA.

' (Prom Our Own Correspondent,) Tuesday. The most extensive bush fires known in Pahiatua for seven years past ocenrrpd yesterday. Favoured by the past continued dry weather and a strong gale blowing nearly everyone made a last ofkt to burn up logs and rubbish and at about 2 o'clock the fires were spi ending in every direction and at 6 o'clock in the evening the whole of Pahiatua was enveloped in dense smoke, and bills opposite the township towarda the Balfour estate, for fully three miles were one mass of fire and the roar of the flainoa ami crash of falling trees was Runietlimj; terrin'callygrand. Fully 1000 acres of the Balfour estate was alight and tbe loss in sheep must be connidorable. On the western side of the main road commencing at Macro's farm up to Bigle'B property, tbe whole fiat was alight, and assistance had to be'procured from Mnkakahi end other plaoes to assist tbe settlers in saving their homes, Fencing and stock, dwellings and sheds were constantly on fire, and only with great difficulty and risk to life was property saved, the scarcity of water being a serious difficulty. ThoScarboro' township as seen from the hill opposite was a grand and awful eight.' Tbe whole township, i.e., the flat, was one mass o_fjireT There are sever&l-st!tflerß*on the flat whose houses were in the midst of it, but they were very fortunate in receiving assistance from the saw mill hands from Yule's mill, and also from about twenty railway hands wboate camped under the hill. From Wallace to Scarboro the whole country appeared to be on fire, and several horsemen coming from that district state that they had great difficulty in passing through owing to the dense smoke, tho heat, and the danger from falling limbs. Large fires were also to be seen in the Book road direction and it is reported that dwellings have been destroyed, but the report lacks confirmation, The damage to fenc-' ing and buildings, and loss of stock and grass destroyed must be' enormous, but will be counterbalanced to a great extent if rain falls soon, as the extent of country cleared will enable settlers to get under grass many large areas hitherto a waste. The residence of Mr Thomas Miller, of North Tiraumea, was destroyed on Monday evening during the absence of the owner, Mr Title's house, near tho old mill site at Pahiatua caught fire, and was only saved by the exertion of neighbours. Geneial News has been received by tho Wairarapa North County Council that a 60-foot-span bridge on Alfredton road, was destroyed on Monday. An officer has been sent out to report on tbe matter, Mrs Riogard's house at Mauriceville was insured with the N.Z. office for £125, but the furniture and farm implements were not insured. Her loss is estimated at about £3OO over insurance, Messrs Tumor and Co,, butohers, bad over 200 sheep burned at Wi Waka on Monday, Hiii'drede of trout were floating dead on .> streams round Eketahuna yesterday, particularly in the Makakahi river. It is supposed they were killed by the dense smoke. Last night over 70 people were stopping jn Carter's Temperance Hotel, Eketahuna, and all the other hotels were full. , Settlers, whose homes had been destroyed, flocked into the town, and many others were also driven out of the bush by the dense smoke, Even in Eketahuna it was almost unbearable, Tbe targets and plant of the Pahiatua Rifle Club have been burnt, - Mr Goddard's house was insured for £6O in the Loiidin and Lancashire office.

From Masterton to Eketahuna. (By fin Occasional Correspondent.) Several scribes have at various times contributed to your columns 1 articles under the above heading. I 1 do not purpoßO describing in detail ! the journey, but simply to narrate' events of" fiery" importance more j especially with regard to Eketahuna. We left Masterton by buggy at G.3oa.m.' on Easter Monday, the ' weather at the tirrb being moderately 1 windy with Bigns of more wind, Wo 1 notice ere we reach Mauriceville several lines of smoke asoendiug and 1 opine that the weather is .not con--1 ducive to the safety of the townships, as it bad now become evident that a ' furious gale was coming. Having ' appeased our appetites atacommod- | ious accommodation honse (where by J the way we could not get" ham and eggs") we proceed; on our journey. t At times wo have to take refuge under j our handkerchiefs from the blinding ' Bmoke. A merry time we think is in Btore for us and in this we are not ' mistaken. Eketahuna is reached after a boisterous journey and we are thankful when we are safely located at Host Garter's temperance ' hotel. Weather-beaten a3 we are we ' invoke a partnership with cold water ' hair and clothes brushes, and make • ourselves presentable for dinner. We !• were ravenously hungry, but I don't 1 think out host noticed the dieappear- | ance of his eatables owing, to the ' crowd seated at'the table.'Onr meal 1 over • we .-turn ; up .tororder. to sail j through the breeze and smoke, for by ! this time we are beginning to feel ' anxious for tbeaafety of.Parkville. : At the back of Parkville smoke is ', rising in tremendous volumes, sweep? '> ing over Eketahuna and maljirig one 1 and all feel worse than; at a'smoke ! concert in 'a small 'roonr with the [.doorasbyt, ;/'.';■.' ''-- v'Af

"■.; Serious; are -Uie-regjdentsTripW becoming, and their fears are inoreasod when a huge volume/of smoke iss?en coming from the houße at the back of Mr Qbddard's blaoks'tmtu's 'shop. A 1 orowd collects, but the house is now at the mercy of, the flames, andattan- ' tion.is direoted totaving the surrounding buildings, A body; of energetic workers is now at work utid the fire makes no further progress. Water has to be carrier! a" distance in buckets, but bo well do the men work that a plentiful aupply is forthcoming. The scone now presented is one of smoke, nothing but smoke, Parkville is enveloped as also is Newman, The settlers now begin to come in from the settlements, One after; the Other with faces betokening anxiety for the safety of their homes, Mothers, fathers and ohildren all /.wearing , troubled look Carriers are going to and fro loaded with furniture, 1 every settler having to take steps;, for ; the protection of his property. Mr 'and Mrs Cafiery have just arrived and reported their loa-t to be the destruction of all their outhouseV comprising etables, oowshed, oto.Tffo pigs are also burnt, Just as night bomes. on itis impossible for anyone to exist in the township of Parkyille, and' eveiy settler has to take refuge in Eketa buna. Various reports now, gain currenoy. " AllPfli'kvillehasg.mi" says one. "Not even a pig sty has escaped," says another. In taot.we are led to believe that a devastation of the whole settlement has really ocourrtd, but we decide that daylight and the rain will decide the amount of damage. Needless to say the hotel accommodation iB taxed to the utmost, ' From Carter's, upper Btorjr the scene is simply, magnificent, but very awful. Mrs Carter has a lot of patients in a dark roonij auflVring from the effects of the smoke in fieir eyes. Doctor Baker iB also very busy in attendance, and evb'ything is done; to mitigate the sufl'eriDgs of all. What with children crying, women »hrieking,and menmoaning,it is not altogether very pleasant. We retire to bed after satisfying ourselves that watohers aru on the outlook for further, develop ment, and that our safety is not imperilled. .. , Awaking at five on Tuesday morning welcome rain is pattering on ihe roof and many a sigh of relief is.given at this happy circumstance., Rising a little later on wo scan the surroundings and soon see that the Parkyille settlers' houses are mostly still atanding, We essay [after breakfasting] a drive around Parkville and learn that three houses have.been burnt to the ground, The escape of most of the houses seems to us to" be miraculous, as most of them were situat°d in olose proximity to burning logs. Everything presents a weird appearand 1 , and it is not 1 likely that the settlers will forget Easter Monday, 1894. The Masterton road is reported to be impossible, after having got two miles on our journey home again, ■ We meet a party from Masterton who were compelled to camp in their buggy ' thepreviousnight,asthey could not get through owing to the blinding smoke and fiery elements, They were com-ing-towards Eketahuna feeling thai holidays aro not all pleasure, On their informing us that tho attempt to negotiate our horse and buggy over logs and stonos would prove an absolute failure, we reluctantly decide to turn back wondering whut our next move in life would be. However, meditation turned to amusement on onr arrival at our hotel, where, in the course of a conversation, with a gentleman he told U3 that he had been " had" for two shillings which be had given to a man the previous evening to sfrtd a telegram to bis friends, to inform them of his whereabouts, Tho man did not send the telegram, and when the subject of this notice happened to drop across him that night he was told that he bad spent tho two shillings for" lime occommodalion" Another episode was intensely amusing, A bush settler iu» formed a party with whom he had been in conversation that during the fires he had been" choked fivo times," but, he added, "I only felt a little sick." This iB an instance of a man with lives a little over those of a cat. Leaving Eketahuna by train on Tuesday afternoon we arrive at Masterton in due course, feeling none the worse for our smoky ominc, List of Houses Destroyed at Parkuille. 1 By Telegraph-Own Cwrespondent, ! Eketahuna, Wednesday. The houses burned at Parkville 1 belonged to Messrs Bossiter, lower 1 and Wallace, also the -whares of 1 Messrs Devonport and Lowe. No houses havo been burnt at Newman, but several had narrow escapos. Mr Morgan Sheehyn's house end sheep at WiWaka have been destroyed. Colonel Hasers Hmdeme Destroyd (By Telegraph-Press Association.) • Thames, Wednesday, Colonel Freser's residence at Tareru . waa destroyed by fire yesterday. Th« insurance is £450 in the Victoria Co. i_ ; _