STRATFORD ON FIRE. HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HOMELESS. [BY TELEGRAPH.-PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Strntford, Thursday.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2107, 9 January 1886, Page 2

STRATFORD ON FIRE. HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HOMELESS. [BY TELEGRAPH.-PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Strntford, Thursday.

Ihk hies which re ichi'd the township yesterdiy have done d.im ige not tv be estimated; but at the pieseui tune the number of houses known to be d«'-tn>yed i» twenty-nine. The whole c uintry is coveted with dense smoke, winch ph\ i lnj»<»s everything, olistiuctmg the v lew. f<>t more than a tew yaids in :uiv direction. Im.hu the entrance to the bush at Xormanbv, some ten miles from heie, all along the railway line theio 1. nothing left but Miumldeimg fires, winch need but .1 pulf of wind to fan them into flames and work further destruction. Houily burnt-ont families arrive tolling of more disaster. The eyei of those who are resident in the dtstuct are more or lois affected by the smoke, and Home are temporarily sightless. A special train came from Hawera l.i'-t night, and took away women and children supuleruentary to those who had alteady proceeded to Havvera safely by the oidinary evening tiain. At five this inoming another .special airived, and has just returned. At present there is no wind, but it is anticipated that nothing short of heavy rain can prevent further damage. The fires once isolated, now continuous, c >ver an immense area. In the township proper the town hall is totally destroyed, and the fire had a temporary hold of Cuitis' store, and seized for a time the stabling at the back of Tuttin's Hotel. Nothing but a providential change of wind turned the flames. The people are many of them panicstricken. As the m >rning train c.iine from Hawera, men who had spent the ni^ht in some creek, with fires preventing their exit until daylight, were picked up. The absentees are returning to their homes anxiously inquiring the news, and in many cases disaster had to be told of. One family is missing, amidst the dense smoke, and Heard) is impossible At piesent, however, no li\es are absolutely known to be lo>.t. One woman was tiken by train wringing her hands in despm for the loss of her children, who are, however, believed to be safe. The insurances ha\o not been ascertained. It miy be mentioned that considerable alarm is felt lest the offices chould repudiate liability for do->ti uefcion by bush fires. A. special to the Hawera Star gives the following particulars concerning the fire :—: — The fire, which only seems to have lasted four or five hours, came across the cleared space forming the township from the mountain, from which direction it had been blowing all day. It must have be:m terrific in its force, to judge from the appearance of e\ erything. Imagine a sipace one mile square, co\ered with log-, and stumps, one hugo blaze, with smoke lising in dense \olnines, and some idoi can be obtained of what it was like. This is the description given by those who saw it, for they Bay that there was not a stump but alight. As they literally lie round the doors of the honses large lumps of lighted timberblewaboutevery where. It is a wonder that jvny house remains. It was only by constant watching and battling with the elements, by constantly pouring water on the logs, that it was kept down, and even this was fast wearing out the energies of the c nnbatants, who with the joint effects of smoke and fire were almost blinded and suffocated ; in fact, if the wind had not changed, the whole place must have gone. As it was, pai ties had to keep relieving one another by going to the swamp and obtaining a little fresh air, which was the only place vvheie it could be obtained. I might say, literally that almost half the honses in the neighbourhood are either destroyed or tnatilated so far. Intelligence is to a great extent uncertain. People are supposed to be camping out in the green bush to save their lives, and not all of them have come in. Up to the present, however, I have information, more or less authentic, of no less than twenty-nine different places being burnt, the damage to which it is difficult at present to estimase, but it must run into 4,7000 or £8000 at the least. The hre appears to have started up the Opunake Road last week, when itspiead, and Mr James had a narrow escape of having his place burnt down. Since then it has been gradually spieading, and when the wind rose yesterday it made rapid strides, running across the country from Mid hurst down to Eltham in a horrible manner. The appearance of the township is pitiable, those houses that are standing having all their adjuncts burnt or carried away, and in many instances the building itself is charted, and was only saved by determined dreuching on the part of the inmates. Animals are reported to have been burnt in all directions, and to have seen aheidy RRveral cases in which pigs have been burned alive, and fowls etc., scorched up. Nearly all the cattle and hoises shifted for themselves and are missing, the fences being burnt down, and the animals having to clear for their lives. Hourly peisons are coming in from the back country with sad tales of houses and fnrnitiiie buint before their eyes, and their little all torn from them, while they themselves had to hurry fiom the scene for their lives. Fortunately, however, no cases of death or mutilation are reported, although one or two are missing. Nearly everyone that passed through the fire is blind or partially so, and this morning I have witnessed the sad spectacle of strong men being led into town by those moie foitunats than themselves, not beintr able to open their eyes at all. They hold up bravely, however, under their misfortunes, although in many edses so da/.ed by the smoke and excitement that they reel like drunken men. My own eves are badly inflamed, and I can imagine from that what it must have been for those in the thick of it. So far, the following are the places that I have ascertained, as near as I can to be destroyed with all their contents :—ln: — In the town of Startford : The Town Hall, Stanley's house, Clarks kerosene store, containing gunpowder and kerosene, Mnllins' blaughteryard, Kirkpatrick's outhouses and fences right up to the door, Branigan's outho-ises and yards, Roger's house, Collins's stables and fencing, and Hacket's outhouses and fences. At Pembroke Road : Hill Brothers' house, Woodruff's house, Friend's outhouses, etc., and Moore's outhouses and timber of the same. Opunake Road : Sharrock's house, Northcote's house, Saunders's house, and Standford's house. East Road : Baird'.s outhouse, etc, Oate's house. Flint Road : Barrett's house. Broken Road : The bridge being erected by Stanley and Turner, nearly finished, and all timber and plant ; McMillan's house and outhouses ; Ken nedy's outhouses, cattleshed and everything but the house ; McHaffey's house and grassshed and contents. Near the township : Saytor's boarding-houso. On the main road, near the township : McDevitt's Kahoure House, Tntty's fences, and the adjuncts. On the Opunake road, a hole was burned in the house of Christian Bros.; and Pattersons bush-fellers lost their blankets, clothing and swags, and several smaller cases are continually coming in. It is expected that there will be several more losses between Kahoure and Stratford, as the fires are raging very fiercely. It is also expected that there will be several fresh cases on the Opnnake road, and <r> the ea°t of the township, as far as Captain Lund's homestead. No loss of human life is as yet recorded, but most people have suffered burns, and many are injured in their eyes owing to the smoke. Mrs Sharrock, a settler, who worked hard all day, and was brought down by the special here is seriously ill. A good many people are as yet missing. The Borough Council of Hawera held a special meeting this morning, and appointed a committee to look after the homeless, who have been brought here.