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BUSH FIRES RAVAGE DUCH/D COUNTRY
STOCK PERISH IN FLAMES
Scrub Coiutry Reduced To
, Athei. ,< ;
Bush, fires have ravased„.|hpu> s
lUnde . of aoree of j gou n t ry i rf" "" 1
buoklo district the weekend; "
Sheep and other stock were.loBt.
In the flames) and! much de8truc-. '(
, tlon was ocoasioned. ,t.
The lire started In tbo Ducklo dls
tHet on Wednesday afternoon, and
getting out of control on Thursday,
It awopt through Messrs.' Harldv
Young's, Jack Qrlmley's and .'Frank
MUloiV' properilw. ;
A heavy soulli-weBtordy wind oii
Thursday afternoon fanned ah Infer
no of flames,' which , leaped across
Wllkle's Credk iuto Mr. Ooorgo
Pntntor's- property, devouring oybry-
tiling that came-; in tholr vi'ny.
On Thursdajr night "the lire 'less
ened conBldorably, but on. Friday It
again started on itfljpttih'ol dcBtiw
tion, nnd btiniL; but . tlio thick brlga-
low and'bpjdh'sblon Mr. indon'ri-
property' where 1200 bhcop .anq'afew .
horses an'' cattle, were, Ipst' , , f
Hundreds of ' terrified '.wailabiej,,
kangaroo rats, . aud oiiuis rushed
madly about the ciountry seeking tp
escape from tlid' d'ovqurihg ' flames
which careered from tree top to treo
top, 80ft'. ," 'In height, . defying the
efforts of hundreds of mon to, check
their progress. ( In a feW .lioui'B the'
heavily timbered scrub wub roducotl
to ashes.
All the fences and grass und tlm-.
her in Messrs. Painter and Condon'H
nrnnertloH WOt'O bUl'llt Ollt Oil SntUt'-
day,; and the flumes then entered
properties owned by Mrs., 13. B.
Bemiie and Messrs. E. Prlebe, Ralph
Bennle and Frederick Rokesky, de-
stro'yirig the fences.
All' standing timber In the path or
the flftmos was deinollHhod, but for-
innately none of the settlors' homes
were damaged.
The heroic work of more than 100
iirc'buuim's iiii Sunday saved thu
wool-sheds ' on Messrs. R.j Bennies
and E. Piiebe's, and Mrs. E. B. Bon
nie's properties.
Throughout Sunduy the Arc relent-
D88ly and steadily continued- to pro
gress 'towards the Broadwater road.
Settlers In the district describe
the fire as the fiercest and moat
destructive they have ever exi
perlenced.
Mr. N. Condon, who came' to Oalhy
from DuckpomlB on . Sunday, said
that tho lire-fighters, hud-'only a few
hours sleep each night,- artor :work- ,
ing inceuBantly 'day' aftor vduy In o
vain endeavour to,, check the-flamca
. ThoU8audir!bf '"'nhreq" 'of grass ' and
timber had been OtiflSliined by Hhe
Are, Ue said, and ho, considered -that
there had been much - loss ' of stuck
In the district, In additloii to fencing.
lug fence of-Mcssrs. Smith Brothers'
'tvfengUpprbperiy, hut fortunately it
. wusjextlnguiBhcd before uny damage
was done.
It Is reported that some cattle
havo orlshod. un Ml'. PHebe's pro-
"'pfert$Wt«tifb',6xocti uumbor 'wlll not
bo- known until to-morrow, when ' a
ipuster will bef .made.
' 'ShBVdgo ot petrol supplies Is
hampering tho, work of tho flre-flght-
ors, who have used up all their pot-
vol hi, going .from and to their homos
in their heroic work of endeavouring
to .stop' tho spread of -the flames.
These flrc-fightors are now drawing
on thu nviilliiklo Hunnllcs of netrol
held by. other Bottlers In the district.
. A .grador belonging to the Wiunbo
Shire . Council , was working in the
district this morning making fire
breaks. ,
Vl>, to this, morning, the Are hud
not. .entered - Mr. R. K. Gibson's
"Windermere" property. Several
isolated .outbreaks near the property
.were extinguished. >'
.. Mr. E. H. Gelsol, o'f Dalby, who
lius a. property Ave miles north of
Ducklo, stnted .this morning that
theje Jupf .been noi fl.ro . west of Duck.
Ho'pald a.yislt to his property
- on runday, and .found that everything
.there. .was normal.,
- Tho Jlro swept through Mr. J.
Grhnloy's 000 nuros In an hour, and
ho. lost fencing valued at more than
£1000. Foncing was also destroyed
at Mr. H. Young's "Langmorn" pro
perty at Ducklo..
DUCKLO, Monday.
A' teiTjfic bush »ro hue been rag-
lug throughout the district since
'i nursday' loot. Miles atul miles ot
VenccB have boon, burnt down, and
though tho corroot total of stock lost
will not bo available for somo time,
it ' in nh-Aodv known that the loss
will tie considerable. .
It Is uot Quite known how the lire
originated, hut it la believed thaL a
drover with a mob of sheep left a
lire ' burning on the roadside with
tragic results.
Tho Are completely gutted Mr. it.
Young's porperty, then, with In
creasing force, quickly awopt ovor
Messra. J. Grimley's and G. ralnteVs
proporU.es, whoro considerable dam
age was done to fences and stocki
while good fortune alouo Baved their
homesteads. Tlio tiro by this time
hod a front of from two to three
miles, and after taking iln some ot
F IVliUoi''s property, crossed Wll
kle's Creek into Condon'H property.
By Friday night the tlaiues wore
torriiic, leaping (.o u height ot easily
100 foot, and by nlglnt coUld be
seen for many, many mllos uromul.
Messrs. Ned Condon, J. and -N.
Condon and J. .Winning, after a great
struggle, wore able 'to get some
sheep and most of their other stock
out of the way of the blazing flames,
hut some 300 to 400 nro still miss
ing and no doubt have perished in
tho flamos.
The Are was travelling with such
rapidity /that no' living thing In- front
of it had a chauco of coming through
jufely. , .Kangaroos and wallabies aud
other, hush onimolg oould bg scuii
and 'heard rushing into the terrine
names, and ihoir cries of anguish
were 'pitiful to hear. Tho blazing do-
uion hod respect for -notbing. Trees
.and fonco posts wero swept -to the
ground and fencing wire woo twist
ed 'Ilk©' pieces of string.
' Old hands hero claim 11 to ho the
jWonit Are ovor seen in the Ducklo
a (strict. What a few days ago was
thick .undergrowth of bull oak and
liuie liusli 'amongst large lorest Um
ber Is Unlay one groat plain with
uothlng but white ashes und sniou.
dcrJog togs and feuceg u's far us
tlio eyo con see.
Tile countryside Is still under a
pall of heavy smoke, aud thero is
no telling whoro the'flro will end.
Tlidso enguged in flglmng tho
olozlng flamos ou Saturday night on
Condon's property wore Messrs. Ned,
Nell and Jack -Condon junr., J. Winn
ing, W. Campbell, and E. and T,
Wright, while other men worn scat
»ered fighting the Are on otner pro
perties. There ta 11 tie doubt there
will be u big loss of sheep and
cattle,, while many miles of fencing
have been burnt to the ground.
Dairying will have to bo suspended
on many properties as not a blade
uf gi?u» has been left.
$