The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-06-14

CLOOUET, MIMI, June 12.-(Spe.
cial to the Rip-saw. )-One Of the most
narrowing experiences born Of the great
forest fires of last fall and the re-
sultant thrilling tale Of woman 8
bravery and heroism was given to
your correspondent by friends of Mrs.
Eli Newton and modestly verified in
part by the central figure Of the story
in interviews had last Sunday.
That Mrs. Newton is deserving Of
hero medals and praises far greater
than a Carnegie hero fund could pro-
vide, will be admitted by your read
ers once they have read the story Of
her experiences with her small chill
dren during the night of October H.,
last when, after almost the entire
country around Cloquet had been de-
serted by the population and given up
to the flames, this devoted mother
stood her ground against the fiery
flames on all sides and, with the ap-
proach of dawn. found herself and
children miraculously saved from
death which had been the fate of hun
dreds Of others.
Half mile away, the husband and
father had valiantly fought the fires
all night to save the little home from
destruction, mindful every moment Of
the long night of the possible fate OF
his family, from whom he was sep
arated by a roaring furnace of flame.
Exhausted, nerve-racked and singed
from the flames contact, he found
to his great Joy on the approach OF
hot ho nf
wife had saved the family from
destruction.
The buildings of the State Expert
ment Farm, or more properly the For
estry Station, are located on Sec. 20,
Twp. 40 N, Range II W., or near the
northeast corner of the tract of $500
acres devoted to the highly aesthetic
pastime Of ee-gardening. To the
northwest about half a mile Of the
same township, is the humble farm
home of Mr.. and Mrs. Eli Newton.
On the evening of October IL, last,
at about o'clock, when the flames
of the great forest fires were within
scorching distance Of their place, Mr..
Newton valiantly fought back the
flames so that the home might be
saved, while Mrs. Newton gathered her
little family of six about her and, with
the aid of one of the smaller boys,
made her way through the half-mile
swamp that laid between the home and
the Forestry Station to the southeast.
On arriving at the station, Mrs.
Newton found the place completely de-
serted, some of the doors of the state
cottages occupied by the Forester 3
staff having been left open and ex-
posed to the fire draft by Forester
y. H. Kenety and his brave fire
fighting assistants, in their wild flight
for safety.
Then began the all-night vigil Of
this young woman and her six small
children in the midst Of the sea Of
flame that threatened every moment
to envelope them in its fury. Sep
arated only half mile from her hus-
band, with an impossible barrier Of
fire between them, Mrs. Newton could
net believe otherwise than that he must
perish in the flames. Likewise the
father and husband all night long pie
tured to himself only the charred re-
mains of his dear ones somewhere in
the forest wreckage.
It was impossible for Mrs. Newton
to describe the feeling that came over
her in the midst of the roaring flames,
only that she gradually felt the feel
ing Of fear leave her and the COM
plete resignation to her fate, whatever
it might be, take possession of her.
So, too, did it appear to affect the
children, with the exception of the
eldest, girl Of fourteen, who showed
signs OF extreme nervousness.
During this all-night vigil, the
burning of the city Of Cloquet was
plainly visible at all times to the
northeast, yet little did Mrs. Newton
think that the city where her par
ents lived, where she had grown to
womanhood and brought most Of her
children into the world, was being con-
sumed by the fiery elements. With
the break of day the news of Clo-
quet's destruction was brought to her
and the reunion Of the father and fam
lily took place.
Mrs. Newton modestly disclaims
credit for having saved the Foresty
Station buildings from the flames, but
I have the positive assurance Of at
least four well-informed men that had
it net been for her presence at the
station after the Forestry staff had
started on the way to a place Of safety,
the states property would have been
a mass of ruins. This, they say, would
surely have happened since the occu-
pants of the houses, in their wild fear
OF the approaching fires, left suddenly
without closing the doors of the build
ings, thus exposing them to the very
drafts that would have carried the
flames right into them.
Up to this time, the fire-fighting
record OF Forester Kenety has been
very carefully suppressed, as have
been really all Of the more important
features Of Minnesotas terrible holo-
sanst. With these disclosures, the far
p Z