SUSPECTED INCENDIARISM.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 599, 23 March 1876, Page 2

SUSPECTED INCENDIARISM.

We exceedingly regret to have to notice oae of those dastardly outrages to which the setler is peculiarly exposed, the attempted destruction of his house and steading by fire, though, in this instance, the damage wasfortunately confined to a Biugle stack. On Tuesday night Mr Reid, the pn>prietor of Woodside farm, on the Hamilton and Cambridge road, retired to rest with his family at the customary hour, everything about the place being safe and in proper order as usual. About one o'clock yesterday morning Mr Reids son^ who was sleeping with the window of his bedroom open, and being unwell was fortunately awake at that hoar, heard a crack liug as of the burning of straw* and hastily getting up found that an oaten hay stack containing oome foarteen toni of hay — the outer of several stacks and the nearest to the road, and to windward of the others-— was on fire, the flames having hold of the stack about the eaves and commenoing to run rapidly over the -Took He at once alarmed his father who •oailleA out all hands, and the whole -of the £*&% and a working man living in tike footiSe turned out to save fhe 'property. It was seen at once that with t"h6 Weans and appliances at hand, the stack then on j fire could not be "saved and the exertions of the family were turned to saving the remainder from destruction. One hand was .posted at the well, and the othem were employed in passing the water im buckets from the well to the adjoining stack, the roof ani face of which, and th© roofs of the others had been covered with wet blankets. The little band worked bravely at keeping these coverings well saturated with water till the well at lasfc gave out. Fortunately, however, water was again procurable at a little fuither distance, and after great exertions the tire burned itself out without communicating to the adjoining stacks> which contained amongst other produce a remarkably fine crop of some seventeen acres of wheat. The value of the stack destroyed was about £60 and it was not insured. It was only in July last, it will be re* menibered, that Mr Reid was the victim of an incendiary fire, his mills at Tamahere being burned, and by which fire> though insured to the extent of some £300, he was a loser of nearly double that amount. There could be no doubt the fire on thai occasion was the act of an incendiary as a previous attempt had been made and discovered, and from what we learn, but which, for obvious reasons, it is not desirable should be published, the fire of yestetday morning iB not only the act of an incendiary but of the same incendiary as on the former occasion.