BUSH FIRES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2097, 25 January 1908, Page 3

BUSH FIRES.

THE MOTU FIRES

A TRYING EXPERIENCE

On Sunday last Messrs J. J. Fry and 1. (!. (J viul iiitim, of Messrs Common Shelton and Coy, left oil a business visit to Molu, arriving there on Monday. They traversed many of the back roads, owing to the fierce fires raging in the district.' The majority of the bush in the district has been felled for between ten and fifteen years, and it war. consequently in a state to ensure voiy good burns. On Tuesday they tried to gel down to Motu by the Opotiki read, but were blocked by a big lire at I’irhanl.son's. They had to take the old road, and alter going through a swamp .ami two barbed-wire fences they arrived safely at. Motu on Wednesday. Passing through Bakauroa everything was ablaze, and it- was stated that Mr. Mcboughliii had been a very heavy loser iri sheep. The party proceeded to Mr. Johnstone’s place, which is the farthest-out place on the Taranaki road. A large quantity of grass seed and general stores in a tout aland, ten miles from the homestead bad been severly dealt with by the fire. Mr. Burgess, who lives near the tent luid a bad time. He had a large quantity of firewood -tacked near his house, which he had givat difficulty in saving. At Matawai Messrs Neill, Mortleman and Clarke’s properties were smouldering, but on Thursday it westerly wind sprang up and all the properties were ablaze. The wind was very strong, and Mr. Fry says ho would not be surprised if many places had been burnt out as a result. When Mr. Fry pissed Mr. Clarke had to take liis furniture out of his house. Mr. AlcPhee, Mr. Graham and the Messrs Shaw, Rakauroa, had a very hard time, Air. Graham having men out all night to fight the flames. Mr. Fry states that while on the journey too ri.rty had a trying time owing to the dense clouds of smoke. There is one good feature about the fires, however. Like floods, fires are uncomfortaolo j list when they occur, but 'the. aftereffects are good : —if a man held 200 acres before a fire he holds 300 acres after the fire has passed through iJit land.

LARGEST FOR YEARS. Press Association. AUCKLAND, January 23. A fire involving tlib Rangihau and Kapowai blocks, on Coromandel Pen-i-.ula, have been raging for the past week. Besides standing timber, some thousand logs are either " damaged w destroyed, while timber dams and workmen’s shanties have been swept away. The fire, which is the largest f ir the past ten years, involves some ■quare miles of practically uninhabited rough country, and threatens, unless rain falls, to devastate a further area of valuable timber reserve. A MENACING ASPECT. Press Association. CARTERTON, January 23. A conflagration both on the hills ■and plains yesterday assumed a menacing aspect. The smoke was very dense. At/iiight a volunteer force, anlisted by settlers combating the flames, went out at 3 a.m., and saved Hooker’s homestead. Several sheds vere demolished, but no great damage was done beyond a loss of feed. Light- rain is now falling, and is apparently heavy on the hills, as the ire has greatly subsided. United Press Association—Copyright ADELAIDE, January 24. Six hundred miles of country in donth Australia have been swept by hush fires-. A man,- whose name is mknown, was burned in the scrub.