Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1901-08-22
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READ MINNESOTA PAPERS.
Natives of Norway Get Them FIR.
Their Friends Here.

Natives of Norway Get Them From
Their Friends Here.
Minnesota newspapers are found ev
erywhere in Norway. They are taken
by people who have friends in the
United States, and are read with avidi-
ty. This is the statement of William
e. Curtis, special correspondent for the
Chicago Record Herald, row travelling
in Norway.
While stopping at Drammen, Mr.:
Curtis was entertained by the station
agent, who at first was inclined to be
grumpy and sarcastic over the fact that
the farmers Of his country were so
anxious to purchase American nachin.
cry that they starved themselves to
buy it, and then left it on the platform
of the station for days at time to ad-
vertise the fact and make other farm
ers jealous. Later, however, the agent
insisted on Mr.. Curtis going inside of
the station office, SO that he might
show him newspaper he had received
from his son in Brainerd, MINI. The
agent also expressed great surprise
that Mr.. Curtis was not acquainted
with his son, inasmuch as, according
to the paper in question, he was taking
a prominent part in the church work of
Brainerd.
The Chicago correspondent finds that
Norway is being rapidly shorn of her
timber wealth. The forests are rapidly
being diminished by the savage as
saults of lumbermen and pulp manu-
facturers. So great has been the loss
Inflicted that the government, not long
ago, appointed an expert commission to
to TT woS ShOu-n nv ira rpnOrt
that three trees We're cut down annual
ly for every one that grew by nature
or was planted by human hands. A Pc
culiar fact is that in Norway it takes q
hundred years for Il pine tree to grow
big enough to furnish log twenty-five
feet long and ten inches in diameter,
which is the minimum available for
saw mill purposes.
Mr.. Curtis says:
"It was shown by the last census that
the standing timber in the kingdom had
been reduced to 6S,179 square miles. or
81 per cent Of the entire area where
as, in 1855. IS per cent of the country
was covered with forests. The lumber
men are doing an immense amount OF
damage, but the pulp manufacturers
are doing more, because they destroy
the small trees only. There are now IN
Norway 1872 saw mills, employing H.
073 people, and 1876 pulp mills. employ
ing 1920 people, with at least 25,OOt
other persons engaged during the Will
ter season in stripping the mountains
and turning the forest land into del1b-
crate wastes. They take everything.
The big trees go to the saw mills and
the little ones to the pulp factGsies. 1t
is estimated that within the next half
century the timber resources of Nor
way will be practically exhausted at
the present rate of destruction.
"Drammen, pretty town an hour
and a half by rail from Christiania, is
the Headquarters of the pulp trade. 1t
is an ancient city, one of the Oldest in
Norway but, during the present gen
Grafton, has taken squirt and doubled
Its population. 1t now counts 2l,OOO IN
habitants, the greater part OF them en-
gagged in the pulp mills. The city Is
located at the head Of beautiful t]oro
which admits the largest ocean steam
ers, and is surrounded by one OF the
most fertile valleys in Norway. Ac'
cording to the legends. the picturesque
ford was the scene of a tremendous
battle, like that of the giants against
Odin and Thor, as related in the elder
Edda. and the result showed how I'M
potent was the power OF paganlsll'
against Christianity in the early days
Of the kingdom.
'"The giantess Gyvi, representing his
satanic majesty, determined to destroy
church that had recently been erected
at the little suburb of Steen, put was
no more successful than other women
who try to throw stones. She stood on
ton of one of the neighboring noun
tains and let fly, with all her might
hut. of course, the church was miracu-
! lously protected by the saints, and she
couldn't hit a thing. Every stone she
hurled fell short or went wild and Tell
into the lake, and now remains. a pref
ty. rocky island as evidence of the truth
of the story, She is said to have be-
come so exasperated and reckless that
she flung one of her own legs, although
that is asking people to believe gooo
dea, There is. however, no other way
pf accounting for an island in the fJoro
which is shaped exactly like the limb OF
a lady. Lots of queer things happened
IN Norway in ancient times, and this is
only one of many, and it occurred long
before the beginning of the WOOD pup
business, which is as unpoetic as any
modern invention. but is growing rap
idly.
| "The mills of Drammen now produce
about 1900 tons per day, or total oi
100000 tons per year. MADE from logs
that float down from the mountains 10
destroy the beauty of the rivers ana
the lakes that lead to the f1cro. me
pulp is loaded upon steamers that Tie
up alongside of the factories ana -
sent to all parts of the world-sohe 70
Tho United States. but she greater part
to England and France.
Nctcs of General Interest.
Herman Bang. the Danish author. is
a.......l,. I'll The worst is feared.