The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-12-03
RED CROSS wins
EXCITING RACE
BUILDING BEES" BREAK ALL
RECORDS. NEW HOUSES
co UP LIKE
MAGIC.

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 ana dying plant life grad
ually accumulate i'm the forests. The
rains and dense shade keep the mass
damp. Moses grow on the surface of
the decaying vegetation. The half-rot-
ted stun settles down and hardens.
Trees spring up and their roots take
hold i'm the peaty substance.
Then comes a season of drought, and
the dampness slowly evaporates A
hunter or woodman or farmer builds
fire. or a railway engine drops n
spark. The dry surface of the ground
is ignited and a slow cancer of fire
eats deep among the roots of the trees,
smouldering 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 tin
der-like material. Flames burst out in
every direction, and, like a flash a
forest fire is in fun sweep.
The forest fire which occurred in
Northern Minnesota last fall broke
out i'm many places at once. because
many of these smouldering fires were
simply awaiting the gale which sprang
up on October eth. In this fire about
1000 square miles of country We're
burned. The thriving villages of Beau
dette with a population of 1900, and
Spooner, with $50, were swept out of
existence in an hour Hundreds of
"homcsteaders," carving their farms
out of the forests lost their homes and
saved their lives by lowering them
selves into wells, or plunging into
streams or ponds. Thirty lives more
lost. and 5000 persons were left home
less, with food, live stock, farm crops
and machinery all gone.
When the agents of the American
Red Cross reached the burned district
they realized that winter was at hand
| i'm this north country and that their
| greatest task was the swift construc-
ton of a large number of shelters. II
was a big job. and it had to be quick
| ly 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 pa
per took the place ofshingles and plas-
ter. Lumber was rushed in from
Canada, the secretary of the treasury
at Washington having waived the
customs duty on supplies required 10y
the Red Cross A half-dozen carpen-
tiers were hurried to the scene. Then
building bees" were organized, with
lone carpenter in command of each. A
half dozen neighibors, with saw and
hammer, would help ole Olson build
his house. Then all, including 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
lhurrying into the fire district from
Duluth and st. Paul and Minneapolis
big orders of doors, windows, stoves
bedding, chairs, kitchen utensils and
provisions. AS rapidly as the little
houses were ready they were furnish
ed and stocked up with food and th'
families moved i'm.
1t was a desperate race with winter
land the Red Cross won. While tn,
Trace was at its swiftest there was no
la buster spot between the oceans thar
Ohis black and desolate stretch o.
country along the northermost rim o
minnesota. Much remains to be don'
but nobody is going to freeze o.
starve.
The generous people of Minnesota
sent i'm supplies by the carload and
what is more, they sent $4,000 in harC
leash to- the Red Cross for the help o
the hardy and brave people who arr
starting all over again with charac
teristic pluck.