St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-05
The PEAT IS BURNING
And the Smoke Rising From
1t Is Laden With Fodl
0doP.
An Excellent Explanation Of
the Stencil in East Min
neapolis.
The Council Again Gives
Harlow Gale More
Time.
Capt. Harvey Said to Be in
Duluth--The Standard
Roasts AmeS.

of nature for ages, would naturally be
supposed to make bad odoT. There
is no question but that Just such a
burning waste is the cause OF the foul
OdOr that East side people and Second
ward aldermen have been bothered with
OF late. surprising that the bad smell
was the alleged tainted breath OF the
crematOry. In Southeast Minneapolis
there is a tract OF Low lOId. adjoining
the Omaha tracks. and lying between
Seventeenth avenue and the Union
elevator. that is a solid bed Of peat. and
for an indefinite time past it has been
burning. sending OF an OdOr all but
pleasant al the best. and at times nauSe-
ating in the extreme.
The property is owned by the Omaha
Railroad company and George A.
Bracket. and lies in the Second ward.
clOsly neighbOTing the residence pOr-
ton.
Health Inspector Briggs, of the East
side, unearfhed the matter. A few days
ago the following complaint was re-
ceived by Dr.. kilYington, and led TO
the investigation:
The cause OF the obnoxious OdOr you
are in search of is in the burning Of
peat boys near the new st. Anthony ele-
vatOr. 4 ride on the short line Will
>
the university. When the wind is in
the direction it blew last night it fans
the fires 10 a flame and sends the dis
gushing air 10 our hemes.s
After satisfying himself as to the
matter Mr.. Briggs yesterday got up a
party, consisting OF Aids. Grey, Sterling,
Potter, City Comptroller CalderWOOd
and GLOBE reporter, and they drove
TO the burning peat boys. The after
noon was bright and clear. the air dry.
ana the wind was blowing away from
the city.
The bog appeared as a smoking tract
extending away from the point OF the
paTty's alighting for a half a mile
back 10 the woods which flank the city
on the east. The nearer portion of the
tract appeared to be well burned out,
but back in the woods the smoke was
rising copiOusiv, and flames were here
and there distinguiSbabie. Passing over
the burned tract. il showed itself to be
field of ashes. At first the turf pre-
dominated, and there were large holes
with smoking edges where the peat had
burned out. They were two or three
feet deep and contained foot or more
Of light ashes. red or brOwnish in color.
These pits marked the field thickly
and gave il a smallpox appearance.
Passing further on. the pits grew closer
together. and finally closed 50 upon
each other that there was only here and
there a spot Of turf. In many places
the earth was so lnhrm that an uncOn-
SciOuS investigator would ind himself
knee-deep in warm ashes. Arriving at
a high ridge of land. about midway, the
party stopped 10 look around. The
space over, which they had just come
VE-lll ltrnp
slightly. a thin winding wreath rising
here and there. To the left the ground
was a literal ash heap for 100 yards.
and white heaDS mingled with the red.
To the right the peat was burning much
more vigorously and behind them to
ward the woods clouds OF white smoke
we're raising. ana flames were PLAYING
here and there. here was unmistak-
ably a strong OdOr-nO one could dis
pUte the fact.
II could be easily understood why the
Second ward people were complaining
and now the air was dry and the wind
bearing the main smoke away rather
than toward the party. With little
moisture TO mix the smoke into a paste
and wind to bear il down 10 East Mill
neapOlis, and as Aid. Potter put it ga
little erematOTv prejudice TO receive it,
it could be made to smell very rank in
deed.
The party went back through the
burning region.
"Well young man. calculated Aid.
Gray. as he got through wrest-
ling with a good strong Whit of the at
mOSphere as they passed through an as
cending wreath OF smoke, You were
never any nearer hadeS than this be-
fore. we're you?"
Aid. Sterling. too. expressed himself
fully satisfied with the investigation be-
fore he got out of the burning patch.
The ground was quite hot under foot.
and the ashes were kicked up at every
step. One could readily imagine him
self transported far from Minneapolis,
and in the midst OF a volcanic region.
1t seemed like coming back into the
world as the carriages whirled the party
onto Fifth avenue southeast.
A party of railroad men stated that
the dry bog had been burning fuTiOuSiy
for The past two weeks. and had been
smOuldering. with more or less smoke.
all summer. They were quite posi-
tive that at one point the peat had
been burning all winter.
This quite satisfactorily explains that
much talked of East side stink" 1t
has been very strange that the COM
plants should all come from the corner
of the city composing the Second ward
if il was the cFematOry that was causing
all the OdOr. 1t is equally strange that
If il was this institution of the health
department that there were not similar
complaints from the residents OIL the
west side of the river 1t has been
noticed. too. by unparalleled observers,
that the OdOr was greatest when the
wind was blowing the breath Of the
crematory away from the East side.
There was some talk on the part OF the
aldermen OF ordering the FIRE depart
ment out to drown out the worst of the
fire. 1t would be big task. however.
and the probabilities are that it will
have to burn until heavy rains come.
THE COUNCILS DOINGS.