The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1910-11-03
Printer Declares Flames Which Reared
About Him for Day and Night
Proved Blessing.
WILD ANIMALS BECOME TAME
Many Rabbits and Porcupines are Gre
mated While Hungry Beasts Block
Public Highways.

E. P. Sphinx, formerly foreman
Of the Crookston Times who has
accepted a position in the Pioneer,
job department, gives graphic
description of his personal ex.
perience with the recent forest
fires.
Mr.. Sphinx has just returned to
Bemidji from Malcolm, in the
northwestern part Of Beltrami
county, where with his wife and
P. E. Sphinx, his father and Mr..
and Mrs. Kriger, he has proved
up Oh a claim. Mr.. Spink's pro-
perty is thirty-six miles southwest
of Baudette, the nearest railroad
point.
Fire Roars For Day and Night.
About his claim shack Mr.. Sphinx
has clearing of about nine acres,
and all about this the fire ragged and
roared for part of a day and night.
Part of the fence posts we're burned
out, but aside from that Mr.. Sphinx
states that he suffered no loss from
the fire, excepting half his hay, but
rather figures it a benefit to him,
having cleared his land of under
brush aud leaving him one of the
prettiest birch and poplar groves in
the vicinity.
The fire, as a rule, burned only
the tops of the birch and poplar
trees, and the underbyush and grass
beneath, leaving the large trees
standing bare and clear.
Cedar and Balsam Topple.
Among the jackpine, Mr.. Sphinx
states that much damage was done.
While the cedar and balsam were
burned at the roots and many of
them have toppled and are thick
through the burned territory, but
are not seriously injured for fuel.
In speaking the fire about
his claim, Mr.. Sphinx admitted that
there was a time when he would not
have given fifteen cents for his
chances for life, but after the danger
was past he was able to enjoy the
beauty of the spectacle.
All through the night of the fire
about his claim, on looking east he
could see nothing but a solid wall
of flames while the light in the clear
ing was so brilliant that he could dis.
tinguish the time at any time during
the night when holding his watch at
arms length from him.
Flames High in Air.
The birch and the balsam, he said
made a noisy fire, but for beauty
the hollow cedars made the mos
spectacular effects, the fire roaring
up through them as through a grea
chimney, and throwing flames fo1
ten feet in the air.
Many of the wild animals of thu
forest have been driven out by thu
fire and have become so tame through
hunger that they can scarcely be
driven from the public roads along
the little ridge. in the center O
which grows about the only gras!
not run over by the fire.
Wild Animals Tame.
Deer are very tame and there
are many of them. There are also
many cartridges and plenty o.
porcupines. Many of these were
caught by the fire and are to bt
found in the burned over woods
as are also some rabbits, and Mr.
Sphinx called attention to the fac
that he was not so SLOW when hi
could escape fire that not even
the rabbits were able to outrln.
He says that there will be grea
killing of domestic animals in tina
country this fall, as there were praC
tically none of the settlers who wa
able to save his hay, and will hav,
no. feed with which to winter hi
stock. 49, s.,
With the exception of the loss o
feed, howeve:. but little harm wa
done by the fire in his vicinity ant
there was no loss of life nor of homes
the large clearings saving them, with