Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-29
LAID WASTE BY FIRES
Forest Losses Enormous in
the Northwest.
DANGER NOT YET OVER
Long Rain Only Will Stop the De-
struction.
CITIZENS FAILED TO HEED
Town Of Chisholm Might Have Been
Saved, Says Agent Pullman,
in Report.

R. w Pullman Of WASHINGTON. who
has been in the lake states recently IN
vestigatng the forest fires for the bureau
of forestry, has made report from Du-
luth. MINI.
He stated that September % fires were
still breaking out every little while over
the burnt-over areas and starting in new
territory wherever a spark falls in the
brush. A vast area Of the country lies a
desolate. smoldering waste. and until q
long rain comes there is little hope Of re-
lief. Mr.. Pullman says:
''The people In this part of the state
say that it Is the driest year that they
have ever known. The woods and the
brush growth on cut-over land are as
dry as finder and fires can be seen in as
many as half dozen places at one time,
starting from what no one knows The
natives give various causes Of how the
names start. the most popular of which
are sparks from engines. hunters and
campers. careless brush burning by home
steaders and incendiaries. One man adj
vanced the theory of spontaneous COM
bustion. In many sections UP here the
ground Is of peat bog formation, and a
spark may burn for weeks after it finds a
lodging before it is famed into flame.
4|000S0s
''It is hard and practically impossible to
figure losses accurately at this time, and
it will be weeks before even an approxi-
mate estimate can be made. Cruisers will
have to be sent over the burnt-over areas
before close figures can be obtained and
the timber owners say that it is absolutely
useless to do anything in this line until
| heavy rain comes and the end of the
fires is assured.
Putting the losses low. to be conserva-
tive. they are commonly agreed to be
$5OO0,OO0 to $1OOOO,OOO The majority of
people say about 100000. At 5 per cent
yield $4,000 year. This is worth con-
trastins with what the state forestry
board now has to spend for protection.
1t has an appropriation of $11.500.
THE burning of the prosperous little
town of Chisholm, on the Mesaba iron
| range. nearly three weeks ago is the item
of loss which figures most prominently
in conversations with all who have any
thing to say about the forest-flre destruc-
ton to date. The people in this country
are used to fires. and hardly feel at home
| unless there is the smell of smoke in the
air. Until the flames menace a town
| or very valuable stand Of timber they
are fairly Indifferent to the danger.
People Failed to Take Warning.
"a striking evidence OF this overconfl-
dent feeling of safety was given on the
day of the Chisholm fire, the losses ir
| which are now conservatively estimated
at H.2JO.OOO to $1,5OO.OOo including real
property. stocks Of merchandise and every
other item Of direct loss. The same fire
that destroyed the town had been burning
In the forests nearby for more than q
week. 1t was at o'clock on the after
noon of Saturday, September 3, that the
| fire entered the city in the clutch of a
| in ruins. Up to within half-hour before
the flames caught the town the people
| were confident that there was no danger
| and with few exceptions went about their
business usual.
When the fire came all were panic
| stricken. and grabbing the few things
nearest at hand. which. in numerous
| cases. were not articles of the greatest
| usefulness, fled the town. many making
! for the iron mines nearby. Had ordi-
| nary precautions been taken even as late
| as the forenoon of the fire, 1t is said that
the place could have been saved. AS it
| was. all that was spared by the flames
| were the two churches. the beautiful
| $125,OOO high school, the grammar school
| and two blocks of dwellings on opposite
sides of the town. which were saved be-
| cause of peculiar shifting of the wind
Caught With Their Eyes Open.
Zone of the fortunate things about the
| fire was that 1t struck Chisholm awake
in the afternoon, instead of at night after
| all were asleep. There was no loss OF
| life Is 1t was, but had the flames swept in
in the darkthe holocaust which would have