The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-12-18
Work Done Under Forester Cox By 80
Men, Mostly Sufferers, Who Now
Benefit By Clearings.
5 WATCH TOWERS CONSTRUCTED
Highest Cost for Acre Found to b
SIS, But Land Thus Develops
Now Earns $l25.

Baudette and Spooner, bigger, bet
ter and buster than before flames
from the forest laid them low in Oc-
tober of last year, can now go for
ward with their improvements, Sc
cure in the knowledge that never
again will their property be in peril
from fire springing out of the tim
Der, for fire break, constructed by
80 men-mostly fire sufferers-With
funds gathered by the Red Cross,
has been completed, the safety line
extending rs miles and for seven
miles being four rods in width.
The current issue of the Baudette
Region tells of the work as follows:
Affords Welcome Protection.
'The villages of Baudette and
Spooner that were practically wiped
Off the map in the great forest fire
of Oct. 7, 1910, and which have been
rebuilt better than ever, are now
protected from future disasters Of
that character by an immense fire
break or wide clearing in the forest
from which all combustible material
has been removed. The work was
recently completed and it affords a
welcome protection from fires hereaf-
ter.
Last June, the forestry depart
ment of the state of which w. T. Cox
is the head, took up the matter of
building a fire break around these
two towns with a view of prevent
ing a repetition of the disaster.
Get $4,000 Red Cross Funds.
There having been a surplus in
the treasury of the Northern Mime
sofa Red Cross society, they agreed
to allow $4,000 to be expended in the
construction of the break the work to
be done under the direction of the
.SIdIC lOICSCIy
'The money was granted in Aug
-ust and instructions were issued to
Forest Ranger William Kilby in the
early part of September Actual
work was commenced on Sept. 4. The
work was delayed owing to the adj
yersity of the weather and to the
scarcity of labor. The majority of
1aborers secured for the work were
fire-sufferers so that the expenditures
as we'll as an important addition to
the roads which are badly needed.
Roads and bitches, Too.
"On the main break which is sew
en- miles long and four rods wide,
all the debris and timber has been
burned and is a demonstration of road
work as it should be- The ditch, al
though only small one, is an, excel
lent example of what can be done
with small bitches in the way of
drainage, it also shows the wonder
full quality of the soil forming the
Murkegs. Several small roads, one
and one-half rods wide, and aggregat-
ing eighteen miles in length were al
SO constructed, their objective point
being a watch tower of which there
are five, the highest being 70 feet in
height.
Highest Cost of Clearing is SIS.
'The cost of clearing the ground
ready for seeding even in the thick
est timber has been shown to be $7E
per acre. This at first glance may
seem to be high but this land viii
produce, ESQ, bushels of potatoes
which if sold at so cents would bring
1925 and this cost does not include
what revenue may be derived from
the sale of merchantable timber
there on which in itself will otter
more than cover the cost of clear
ing. = ---. ~
1.-THE total length of lines, OF
which clearing has been done, in
Guiding the main break of sever
miles, is rs miles. This represents !;
clearing of II acres so that apar
from any benefits to be derived in tn,
event of fire occurring the clearing
is alone we'll worth the money ex
pended. NJ. :
Makes Settlers Boosters.
Opening up these lines gives tn,
settlers an increased interest in theil