The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-06-14
MRS. NEWTON SAVESFAMILY
ANDlHUSBAND SAVES HOME
BRAVE WOMAN PROTECTS DESERTED FORESTRY
PROPERTIES FROM ANGRY FLAMES
State Has Not Yet Rewarded Heroine for Protecting Valuable
Property-Late Forest Fires Did Heavy Damage to
Sois-Some Farms Hopelessly Ruined-Fne Victims
Not Generally Satisfied With Relief Measmes-Daily
PAPERS Protect Governor and Spread Misinformation

Their questionable record of the Mime
sofa Forestry Service was brought to
light.
have been asked by dozen OF
more men whether the state would re-
ward Mrs. Newton for her bravery and
her heroic rescue Of her six children,
or whether her services to the state
in saving the property that its serv-
ants had abandoned, would be recog-
nized in fitting way. [ have trans
mitted these questions to men better
informed ON the subject than l, and
the invariable reply is that the para
site institutions, like the Forestry
in the state capitol, will never recog-
in the state capitol, will never recog-
nize such service, but perhaps in a not
far distant day, the people will.
The disastrous effects Of the fires
on agricultural development are pretty
we'll seen all over the fire-swept area.
The extent Of damage to the thou
sands of acres Of soil that have been
made practically useless, has not been
taken into consideration thus far.
have talked, state that this damage
will amount to more than all other
damage combined, in which event the
aggregate loss has been placed at only
about one-half Of what it should be.
AS result of this heavy soil dam
age, hundreds of farmers have re-
fused to return to the land, and many
of those who remained last fall as a
result of Gov. Burnquist's empty prom
Uses to back state rehabilitation pro-
gram, have since concluded to aban-
done their fields and seek new homes
elsewhere.
Evidences of this condition can be
seen in all parts of the district. l
have travelled over county roads where,
for miles, perhaps only a single habita-
ton would be seen where formerly a
dozen or more prosperous farm homes
stood. There are many rural COM
munities where no more than one or
two settlers out of five have returned
to the land.
Some distance out of Cloquet, I
found farmer who had become so dis
couraged because of his fire loss and
so disguised with the fragmentary
methods of Col. Eva and his relief
organization, that he decided to sell
his stock, desert his farm and remove
his family of ten to some industrial
community where livelihood could at
least be made. This farmer told me
that he had been urged to seed his
land and that the relief commission
had sent him fifty pounds of seed for
this purpose, but that he would have
difficulty in finding an acre of ground
on his entire farm of fifty-five acres
that now was worth seeding.
A few of the farmers who were for
tunate enough to have insurance on
their homes, are building modest
houses or barns, but the predominant
ing habitations and stock-shelters are
those of the dissolving Insolite variety,
referred to by the Rip-saw last win
ter as "Baron Backus' paper-covered
shacks.' That these shacks are really
dissolving under the heavy rains was
proven to me at Twig a few days since,
where a fire sufferer pulled part of
the wall out of the side of her relief
shack and asked me to inspect it. The
pulp residue from which this Insolite
is manufactured was in no more of q
state Of eompactness than flake from
a newly-opened bale Of hay, the
Cylinder" having been entirely washed
out Of it. A few more rains would
turn this house into veritable soup.
This Insolite is the material out of
which Baron Backus and a few enter
prising Duluth jobbers made "kill-
ing" as result of the fire.
All hope of substantial relief for the
farmers and village fire sufferers at
the hands Of the present state admins.
tration and the so-called public-spirited
citizens and business men has about
been given up, and group organized
of fire sufferers in the various COM
munities is the order Of the day. In
one rural community center I found the
farmers accomplishing wonders through
organization and cooperation, not
outstanding their limited means.
These farmers who hold a business
meeting every Friday night, have
adopted group system of purchasing
building materials, farm machinery,
etc. Through their combined efforts,
they have succeeded in saving from
$500 to $1,000 per thousand feet Of
lumber and from Is to Is per cent on
farm machinery. The prices that these
organized groups Of farmers are able
to get from manufacturers present q
decided contrast with the prices paid
for like materials by the Relief Com
mission. When it is shown that =
wagon for which the Relief Commits
sion would pay 500 and frequently
sell to the fire sufferer for this price,
could be purchased by the farmer
through his club for SIS less, one can
readily understand the feeling Of dis
satisfaction that prevails among all
classes of fire sufferers.
There is prevailing opinion
throughout this fire area that the
forest fire came a. Q great boon to
the business interests Of northern Min
nesota. It is freely charged that the
only concern that the big wholesale In