davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07
LUMBER CAMP EXPERIENCE
DISPLEASED DULUTH Man
Train Did Not Take Workers Near Camp and Timber Was
Thin-Found Poker Game in Camp, Redight Girls
in Bwabk and Blind Pig Booze in Eveleth.

January 8, the clerk of the camp went
to Duluth and those who quit in his
absence either had to 60 without their
time checks or wait for his return. The
former inspector knew the law, so he
demanded and received pay for time
that he lost while waiting for the
clerk g return. Some of the married
men wished to draw against their
wages so as to send money to their
families, but that had to await the
return of the absent clerk.
Aino E. Rajala, Marcello Brassengli,
William Tomassoni and Fred Walcome,
all of Eveleth, declared that they hired
under an agreement of $65 month
and board. They objected to certain
uncomfortable conditions in the sleep
ing camp, therefore quit. The foreman
paid them off at the rate of $50
month and, it is alleged, he boasted
before the cook and cookee that he
would beat the four out of $15 month
from their wages.
The former inspector found a poker
game at Camp 8 during the few days
he worked there. It was especially
warm on Saturday night, lasting until
a. m, Sunday. One timber worker
dropped $24.
There also was a deputy sheriff sta
toned there to nip any radicals or
expressions of radicalism. A goodly
number of workers belonged to the
I. w. w., but did not seem at all
malignant or redly radical.
The Duluthian reported on his return
that he found booze flowing freely in
Biwabik and he was wondering why
the county attorneys office was not
doing something to sop up the exces-
sive wetness. There were plenty Of
redlight attractions, too, for those who
had the inclination. The incident in
the restaurant was fair example Of
the way in which Biwabik redlight
folk flaunt their signs before weak
males.
At Eveleth, booze was found easily
and in goodly quantity. One blind
piggery there has fitting board under
the bar, on which bottles, pitchers and
glasses used in dispensing the illegal
stuff are placed. If an officer with
hostile mien enters the door, the man
behind the bar can trip a trigger and
send all the booze, bottles, pitchers and
glasses down chute into the base
ment. When the board tiltsS back, it
is bare of every indication of booze.
Down on the corner, close to the de-
pot, one "Pete' sells raisin whisky
over the bar. He pours it out into
glasses and sets the fiery stuff right
out before the whole world. Just be-
fore the train left, the Duluth man
and another from Proctor had two
drinks each at Pete's bar.
"Me no 'fraid Of lumberpack, de-
clared Pete. "Me watch man with
white collar and grand coat"
The Rip-saw has the names of the
two pilgrims who liquored up to the
extent of two glasses each in kindly
old Pete's place before the train
pulled out.
If few of about forty federal
booze-hounds who were in Duluth last
week would take little jaunt through
Biwabik, Gilbert, Eveleth and even
Virginia, they would get liberal edu-
cation as to what little respect is felt
for the law up there.
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07
PR0FITEERS HARRY HIBBING
People in Richest Village Earth Go Sugaress-Local
Merchant Profteers in Underclothmg- -Enterprising
Duluth Jobber Adds War Tax on Tea.

that you get $1,000 for them. '.s,,~-
"Pretty good, ehf That certainly
was going some. You see that all the
commercial hogs are not penned up on
Michigan street.
"When the war broke out, there was
some talk Of putting a tax Of two
cents a pound on tea, but nothing ever
came of the proposal. A Hibbing mer-
chant ordered tea from Duluth job
bing house. When the consignment
arrived, the merchant was amazed to
find that two cents a pound extra
had been added to the regular price
and designated in the bill as "war
tax
"The merchant not only roared loud
ly, but he deducted the two cents a
pound from the bill when he made
payment. The jobbing house explained
and made the excuse that 1T was a
mistake by the billing clerk How
sorry I feel for the poor billing clerks.
No wonder that they 60 around with
stopped shoulders as result of hav-
ing to carry the blame for all these
peculiar mistakes
"Again, why all this candys Are
the candy makers any better than the
general publicf Should candy manu-
facterer have a liberal supply while
common people do not have it for cof.
fee, sauce or baking purposess Many
family is sauceless this winter be-
cause the candy makers got the sugar.
Some that they did not get went to
make 'Nu-jell,' profitable compound
for the seller, but something that few
families ever would really miss. :
"Such incidents as these may help
explain why the local consumers are
tumbling over one another to take ad-
vantage Of mail-order house offerings.
There's one such house offering 800
pounds of sugar with every $75 order
Of groceries and that same sugar is
billed out at half the price asked by
local profiteers. Why and how is It
that such firms have sugar while Du-
luth's jobbers have monet Can it be
possible that nearby jobbing houses are
boarding their sugar for some of these
high prices of which we hear so much
and then blaming such prices onto
New York speculators' in sugarf I'll
bet a sugarless cooky that such is the
case and I feel confident that there
will be no takers"
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07

printed matter of any kind. Orders
for outside papers mounted high and
sold quickly. The crying Of the news
boys was very noticeable by its alb
sence during the entire week.
Three carloads of newsprint arrived
in Winnipeg Thursday morning, Jan.
%. Editions of the papers appeared
next day. The evening edition Of the
Manitoba Free Press is called the Free
Press Bulletin. It was impossible to
print the first issue after resumption
rapidly enough to promptly meet de-
mands. Although two big presses shot
out 10000 copies an hour, many GUS
toners had to wait, so great was the
demand and so quickly were the print
ed copies absorbed.
Under date of Saturday, Jan. "a, the
three daily papers of Winnipeg joined
in a "Statement to the Public" as
follows, viz:
"One week ago, by reason of cir
cumstances over which they had no
control, the three Winnipeg daily news
papers were forced to suspend publ
cation temporarily, through lack Of
supplies of newsprint paper.
"The suspension arose purely out
Of the fact that the Fort Frances Pulp
and Paper company. had refused to
obey the order Of the paper controller
to supply to Winnipeg and western
publishers their full requirement of
newsprint. Following its refusal to
obey the orders of the paper controller,
this company defied the orders Of the
government itself, resisted the sheriff,
tore up a switch connecting it's rail-
road with the Canadian National Rail
ways and suspended shipments to west
ern publishers entirely.
"When it became clear that sus-
pension of publication was inevitable,
the three Winnipeg daily newspapers,
cut Of sDirit of cooperation and out
Of a desire to extend the fullest pos
sible. service to the public, pooled their
available supplies of newsprint and
made it last as long as possible, sus-
pending simultaneously when supplies
were exhausted.
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07
HLNTERLAND RESIDENTS
COMPLAIN OF ROAD WORK
Herr Bert Won Krbsback, AgerSmhs Bony Teams Double
Engineering Crews, Big Excess Of Bosses and Camp
Help, Critically Discussed By Taxpayers

see where the dear old county profited
at all.
The real workers out there, the buck
privates, so to speak, were paid so
cents an hour, if information is cor
rect, and were charged $1.35 day for
board in the camp. Finally, the men
quit because they were forced to eat
cold dinner, out in the cold open,
being denied hot coffee and even the
privilege of making a camp fire. That
crippled the progress of the work and
left cook, cookee, blacksmith, time
keeper, stable boss and straw-boss, to
say nothing Of commissioner Naughton,
superintendent Herr Bert Won Kribs-
back and Leftenant Mccormick with
nothing to do but to twiddle their
thumbs.
Herr Bert Won Kribsback did at
tempt commendable economy, however,
by cautioning the blacksmith to be
careful in the use of horseshoe nails.
That blacksmith, by the way, was real
ly the cause of Herr Bert Won Kribs-
back getting his needings from Nick
Schwartz. The latter was charged
$3.50 for having his team shod by
Herr Bert g blacksmith. When Schwartz
declared that he could get better job
done in town for Sc and that he did
not propose to be held up for $3.50,
friction was the result. Later, Schwartz
polished off Herr Bert Won Kribsback
as was told in a recent issue of the
Great Family Journal, as the result of
said friction;
One hinterlander tells how the coun-
ty has been bled by trespass on land
of the Cloquet Lumber company. Tim
Der was cut, without permission, for
corduroy purposes, from land belong
ing to the Cloquet corporation. It is
stated that the county will now be
made to settle, at trespass prices, about
$500, when the timber would have been
donated if the proper request had been
made in the beginning.
That may seem a small matter to
the honorable commissioner and Herr
Supt. Bert Won Kribsback, but the
small matter makes a needless leak in
the kindly old county's treasury. Many
little leaks make one whopping big
leak.
1t certainly was a glorious old day
for the Second district and the help.
less taxpayers therein when Herr Bert
Won Kribsback was given the running
of the road work.
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07

Food Hogs, profiteers and common
crooks in business are found even in
Hibbing, the Richest Village on Earth,
if a critical citizen of that municipal
ity is not afflicted with bad hearing
and eye-sight. Says he:
"Will some scientist please explain
the origin and meaning of the word
sugar that I recently encountered
when looking through my dictionary.
It must be of very ancient origin and
to refer to something unknown to peo-
pie in general, if at all.
"Some say that there is sugar in
Cuba and that the Wilsonian govern
ment could have secured the crop for
1919 at price that would have saved
the consumers at least $3.50, ,000, ,000-
nearly a billion dollars, but failed,
neglected or declined to do so.
"The advance agents Of the cloth
ing and underwear profiteers now are
making thei:. seasonal rounds Of the
retail trade. They most solemnly tell
the unsophisticated and helpless coun-
try merchants that underwear now
costing $42 dozen will cost $S4 next
fall; tfat clothing is going to advance
IS to 100 per cent. over present sky
high prices.
Gan this causes me to inquire if
wages have advanced that much and
that rapidlyf They have not, 80 far
as my poor eyes can see. Has material
advanced that muchf ] wot not.
"Listen to this: There is a young
man in this rich burg who sometimes
is called to help as an extra clerk in
a local store. While engaged in that
capacity last Christmas. he served a
customer who desired underwear. A
suit was shown that pleased and the
marks on the box plainly said that
the price was $500 garment.
"Just as the underwear was being
wrapped up, the. manager Of that
branch came rubbering along and
asked the clerk what price he had
made to TIE customer. The clerk re.
piled that he had made a sale at $500
why did you sell at that pricef
Indignantly exclaimed the manager.
"The clerk replied that he asked
exactly the price marked on the goods
"'Say! Don't you know that you
should ask $1,000 for these goodsi
yelled the manager. Hereafter, SEE
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07

A Duluthian, headed for a lumber
camp, was compelled to wait in BIZ
wabik for means of conveyance
While eating dinner in a restaurant,
the waitress smiled sweetly at him
and said:
"Are you going to stay in Biwabik
tonight"
81 expect so,' was the reply.
"We have some nice rooms for lodg-
ers,' continued the fascinating crea-
ture. "Would you like one tonight"
eff the room suits me, I will be
glad to engage one for the night, >"
said the Duluthian, decent man Of
family.
"We furnish these rooms with any.
thing you wish," added the waitress.
The mere man then began to prick
up his ears, and bit of a judicious
inquiry developed the fact that the
pulchritudinous and very sociable
young woman was one of the pieces of
furniture.
There were four girls of assorted
sizes, colors and degrees of beauty in
that restaurant and the stranger with
in the village gates was given a very
strong hint that at least three of them
went with rooms that were available
for lodgers who desired and who pos
sessed the price.
"Biwabik is one of the most hos
pitable burgs ever was in," that
Duluth man informs the Great Family
Journal.
On January 7, eighteen men shipped
out of Duluth, through an employment
agency, for work in Saari Brothers ,
camps near Biwabik. Mr.. Fleming,
walking boss for Saari Brothers, is al
legged to have told he men that the
logging train would meet them at the
Summit and that they would not have
to walk single step in getting to
camp.
Arriving at the Summit, the Rip
saws informant, who formerly served
the Great Family Journal as an in
spector at the Head of the Lakes,
called up Camp l and the clerk told
him that the logging train would not
be down that day, therefore the men
were instructed to walk nearly three
miles to Biwabik, carrying their
packs, and that conveyance then
would take them out.
The clerk agreed to pay the bus
hire Of 70 cents per man from Biwabik
to Camp l. They were put on log
ging train and started for the landing,
where the brakeman told them the
camp was three miles further through
the woods, which distance the disillu-
stoned workers were compelled to walk.
Some of the men hired out to cut
timber at IL cents a log, the COM
pany's representative telling them, it
is alleged, that cutting was good, with
little brush and little swamping. When
they got at it they found that over
two-thirds Of the work was swamping
and less than one-third cutting.
Feeling that they had been lured to
the work by misrepresentation, they
quit the job and returned to Duluth.
Several Of the men threatened to start
legal action against the company.
At Camp 8, the former inspector
worked few days, but conditions
were not satisfactory, so he quit. On
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07

FIT. FRANCES, Ont, Feb. 1.-(Spe-
cial to the Rip-saw.) )-Baron Backus,
the untamed autocrat of the border
land, has been halted at least tempo
rarily in his career of ruthlessness on
the Canadian side Of Rainy River.
Baron Baekus ran afoul Of the Do
minion Government on January IL,
when the Ft. Frances Pulp and Paper
Co., a corporate creation of the aggres-
sive Yankee, refused to ship newsprint
to publishers of Western Canada.
J. L. McNicoH, local representative
of paper controller r. A. Pringle who
was stationed by steam heat and on
soft cushions at Ottawa, on Jan. II
ordered the Backus corporation to ship
the monthly allotment of 1906 tons
of newsprint to publishers OF Western
Canada. ...
When the retainers of Baron Backus
refused, an effort was made, through
the sheriff, to enter the paper mill
and to commander enough stock to
fill the allotment.
The bullies of Baron Backus, having
defied the governmental order, also re-
sisted the proposed entrance, and the
sheriff did not persist in his designs,
alleeing that he felt some doubt as to
his jurisdiction.
The bullies of Baron Backus eontin-
ued their Bolshevistic actions and atti-
tude by tearing up the tracks connect
ing the paper mill with the line of the
Canadian International Railways.
There was true British Indignation
at Ottawa when official information
os to Baron Backus' contumacy was
received. Official feathers involun-
tarily ruffled up like the spines of an
angry poreupine. An embargo was
quickly slapped onto the export OF
paper pulp until such time as the Do
minion officials might wish to remove
it, and Baron Baekus might humbly
agree to ship the required allotment
OF 1,3O6 tons per month, as well as re-
store the torn-up side-tracks.
Paper controller Pringle took excep-
tions to the drastic action Of the Do
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07
AN IDEA FOR SCHAIBLY.

An old darky minister announced that
he had invented an automatic collec.
tion basket, which would be passed
around by the deacons of his church.
cit is so arranged, my brethren" said
he, "dat if you drop a quatah or half
dollah, it falls noiselessly on red plush
cushion; if you drop in a nickel, it will
ring bell dat can indistinctually be
heard by de entiah congregation; but if
you let fall button, my brethen, it
will fiah off pistol. ''-Pittsburgh
Press.
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07

A tall, spare, bony, black-bewhis-
kered woodsman bulged through the
door of the Rip-saw sanctum, leading
a short, stubby, stopped, red-bewhis-
kered companion.
in the woods!' exclaimed the pilot
to the head-sawyer.
"I'm listening. What's the trou-
ble' replied the expectant editor.
The black -bewhiskered man stood and
the short, red-bewhiskered man sat
down. The inquisitorial probe devel.
oped the fact that the reddish lad
bore the name of Joe Davis; that he
came to Minnesota from he West last
fall; that on Wednesday, Jan. IA, he
shipped for work as a swamper at
camp Sc, under Walter Boyce, for the
Virginia & Rainy Lake company.
The camp is about Is miles from
Lake Junction, if Davis statement
was properly understood. He claimed
that he walked in to that camp and
then walked out again. Leaving Gus
son, if the visitors statements were
understood, he claimed that he went
into a caboose and was promptly
chased out by the conductor. He and
others were required to ride in COM
mon box car. When nine miles out
from Cusson, the train halted and q
part of it went off somewhere, leaving
the timber workers on the track in
the cheerless box car.
"We will be back in couple Of
hours" the conductor is alleged to
have said. There the men waited and
the head-sawyer got the idea from Da-
Wis., story that the box car stood there
much longer than the conductor prom
ised.
Davis complained that he found
Camp Sc in poor condition.
"In what way9" queried the head
sawyer.
"Hay hunks, no bathhouse and moth.
ing but tin cans in which to boil our
garments when washing them," was
the reply.
Chow was the cookg" next was
asked.
"The cook was very good one,"
Davis admitted.
"Have any fresh meat'" was the
next query.
eyes, fresh beef, but no fresh
pork"
"Any vegetables9"
eyes, vegetables, fresh and canned,
both"
"There was plenty and it was
good,' admitted Davis.
"Did they serve any pie9''
eyes, and cake, too," was the un-
expected admission.
"Any puddings"
Eyes, pudding, too.'' --~-~s---~ --
"How about sauce?''
"There was sauce, but no sugar, ex.
cept on Sunday morning."
"Humph!" exclaimed the head.
sawyer. "We do not get sugar here
in Duluth, even on Sunday mornings.
You had syrup on the table, didn't
you?"
eyes, there was syrup"
"Did the boss kick the men and
swear at them9e"
"No, I didn' It see him do anything
like that"
"Did he look o. K.9 Was there
anything about him that did not please
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07
WEARY WObBLY COMPLAINS
ABOUT CAMP NEAR CUSSON
Hay Mattress Lack Of Bath and Tin Can Laundry Tubs We're
Not Offset By Kindly Foreman, Good Cook and Varied
Bill Of Fare Unexcelled at Spaldng Hotel

tie men?'
"He was a good boss" admitted
the red-bewhiskered lumberjack.
"Were the camps lousyf'
"No, but there was no bath"
"Any bedbugss"
"No, not any bedbugs, but we had
to boil our washing in tin cans instead
of tubs or boilers"
"What wages were you supposed to
geta".
81 hired as swamper at $50 per
month";
Chow long did you work."
81 quit when I had 1928 coming
to me-"
"You shipped from Duluth"
eyes; my fare was advanced. It
was 1892 each way.'
GLOW many men in Camp 56a"
"About 100 men,"
elbow many of them belonged to
the I. w. Wa"
"About two-thirds of them, !
think. -
"Do you belong to any organiza'
tion?'
eyes, the I. w. W."
"Do you belong to any union under
the American Federation of Labor?"
"No, just the I. w. W."
"What is your nationality?"
"Schweitzer.'
The chap looked very much like a
German from Wittenburg, so far as
physical appearance went.
"How long have you been in this
country9"
"Seven years."
"How did you learn English so
we'll? Were you here before?'
"No, I was sailor on the seas.'
That was another indication of Ger.
man blood. The Swiss people are not
sailors as a rule. Davis may have
stuck to the United States during the
Big War to dodge service in the Ger.
man navy. Who knowsq
care you a citizen of the United
States?"
"No," replied the man who felt
abused because he was required to
sleep on a hay mattress in a lumber
camp and to boil his soiled raiment in
tin can, and whose red whiskers de.
manded "Bade-Haus," as well.
"My!" eclaimed the poor editor as
the misused alien I. w. w. went out
the sanctum door, Chow I wish could
have all those good things to eat!"
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07
A RASH STATEMENT.

At the Working Mems Institute
there rose a fierce discussion as to
whether women should be given q
chance of filling the high appoint.
ments.
" 'Twouldn't dol" said a youthful
and newly married firebrand. "Just
think of a woman as secretary of
the treasury. What do they know
about finance, anyways"
His effective pause was spoiled by
an older man, who said solemnly:
"You just 60 home to the missus
next Friday night SIS short in your
pay, and you'll soon find out!''-
Pittsburgh Chronicle Telegraph.
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07
AN ALARMING SYMPTOM.

"There's something wrong with our
girl reporter"
Chow sos'
"She positively refuses to loop the
loop. in an airplaine." .....
"Well, WELT"
''I fear the morale of our reportorial
staff is not what it ought to be. "-Ex.
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07
TIMES SADLY CHANGED.

"Before we were married." said Ma.
1am," he had standing order with a
florist to send me a bunch of roses be-
fore breakfast.
"And since marriage'" queried the
listener.
"Since marriage, he has a standing
order with an employment agency to
send me cook, /" replied Madam.-Ex.
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07
DEMANDS FRESH EGGS.

A Barnum woman not only has a
great appetite for eggs, but she will
eat only those that are strictly fresh.
The other day, feeling desire for a
fresh egg for her meal, she went to
the hennery and an accommodating
biddy literally produced one and drop.
ped it in the particular woman g hand.
That is on a par with going to Pasa-
dena or Palm Beach and picking your
breakfast orange right off the tree.
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07
HIGHLY INCREDIBLE

HIGHLY INCREDIBLE.
"Mr. Gadspur extols the advantages
Of a college education.'
"And no wonder"
"Why"
"His son spent four years at college
without becoming engaged to chorus
girl or learning low to play the uku-
lele. ."-Birmingham Age-Herald.
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07
HE GOT SERVICE.

"The people next door are very for.
tunate with their cook" said Mrs. Bro
gan.
HHave they had her long timeq"
said Mrs. Grogan.
"No," replied Mrs. Brogan, but she 3
golf fiend and the master goes out
every morning and plays golf with her,
thus getting an early breakfast. '-Ex.
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07
TROUBLE OVER NURSES.

1t is current belief that N. A.
Young would like to annex all the new
county nurses with headquarters at Du-
luth, but the county commissioners
are conveniently deaf to his plea, and
Cook will be headquarters for the
northern part Of the county.-Cook
Journal.
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07

If the people declared for an ezra
Of Good Feeling" in national politics,
by eleeting Hoover president, what
fine example it would set to nervous,
suspicious, war-wracked Europe.
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07
AN ESSAY ON MEN.

A little girl wrote an essay on men,
as follows:
"Men are what women marry. They
drink and smoke and swear. They
don't 60 to church, but women do.
Both men and women sprang from mon
keys, but women sprang farther.''
The Duluth rip-saw., 1920-02-07
THE NEW GEOLOGY.

Down in my cellar I've a mine,
Though scientists would hold
That in such soil there is no sign
Of anything like gold.
But if they have the price to pay,
III teach those "gents" new arts
IN prove that in my cellar clay
I have gold-bearing quarts.