Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1910-12-02
WHEN THE GROUND BURNS
Exciting Race With Winter Won
by Red Cross.


by Red Cross.
One of the strangest facts observed in
the forest fires which occasionally sweep
over the woods of Northern Michigan
and Minnesota is the burning of the
ground. Falling leaves, bark and twigs
and dying plant life gradually accumu-
late in the forest. The rains and dense
shade keep the mass damp. Moses
grow on the surface of the decaying
vegetation. The half-rotted stuff set
ties down and hardens. Trees spring up
and their roots take hold in the peaty
substance.
Then comes a season of drought, and
the dampness slowly evaporates. A
hunter or woodman or farmer builds
| fire, or railway engine drops spark.
The dry surface of the ground is ignited
and slow cancer of fire eats deep
among the roots of the trees, shoulder
ing for weeks or months. Then one
day strong wind springs up. The
trees, undermined by the fire, topple
over, their roots throwing out showers
of sparks and burning masses of tinder-
like material. Flames burst out in
every direction, and, like flash,
forest fire is in full sweep.
The forest fire which occurred in
Northern Minnesota a few weeks ago
broke out in many places at once be-
cause many of these smouldering fires
were simply awaiting the gale which
sprang up on October 7th. In this fire
about l 900 square miles of country
were burned. The thriving villages of
Beaudette, with population of 1900,
and Spooner, with $50, were swept out
of existence in an hour. Hundreds of
''home-steaders, carving their farms
out of the forests, lost their homes and
saved their lives by lowering themselves
into wells, or plunging into streams or
ponds. Thirty lives were lost, and
5000 persons were left homeless, with
food, live stock, farm crops and ma
chinery all gone.
When the agents of the American
Red Cross reached the burned district
they realized that winter was at hand
in this north country and that their
greatest task was the swift construction
of large number of shelters. 1t was
big job, and it had to be quickly DONE
Here is the manner in which the Red
Cross met the emergency
Two simple designs for houses were
prepared, of one and two rooms re-
spectively. These required only few
standard sizes of lumber, and tar paper
took the place of shingles and plaster.
Lumber was rushed in from Canada,
the Secretary of the Treasury at Wash
ington having waived the customs duty
on supplies required by the Red Cross.
A half-dozen carpenters were hurried
to the scene. Then building bees"
were organized, with one carpenter in
command of each. A half-dozen neigh
bors, with saw and hammer, would help
Ole Olson build his house. Then all in
GLIDING Olson, would move along and
build Hans Hanson's house, and so on.
The speed with which these houses
were erected, where several "bees"
were "humming' at the same time, was
startling While this was going on the
Red Cross was hurrying into the fire
district from Duluth and st. Paul and
Minneapolis big orders of doors, win
dows, stoves, bedding, chairs, kitchen
utensils and provisions. AS rapidly as
the little houses were ready they were
furnished and stocked up with food and
the families moved in.
1t was desperate race with winter,
and the Red Cross won. While the race
was at its swiftest there was not a
buster spot between the oceans than
this black and desolate stretch of
country along the northermost rim OF
Minnesota. Much remains to be done
but nobody is going to freeze or starve.
The generous people of Minnesota
sent in supplies by the carload, and,
what is more, they sent SIS, 900 in hare
cash to the Red Cross for the help OF
the hardy and brave people who are
starting all over again with character
istic American pluck.