The Mankato free press., 1922-06-09
fires RAGE
OVER NORTH STATE
MORE THAN 800 ARE BAT
LING FLAMES
SITUATION IS SERIOUS
Damage To Timber Tracts Is Re-
ported Heavy; Several
Towns Threatened.
IAssoaated Press Dispatch.l

Duluth, Mimi, June 6.-Today
will determine whether it will be
necessary to make a wholesale
conscription of men to fight forest
and brush fires raging in north
eastern Minnesota, along the north
shore of Lake Superior. This was
the announcement made by forest
rangers before they left at day
light to assume command Of the 800
men now working on the fires.
So far the damage has been con-
fined to valuable timber tracts and
a few shackers' cabins, but rangers
fear several small settlements may
be endangered unless the spread
Of the fires is checked soon.
All of the fires are in Lake and
Cook counties with the exception
Of a small blaze near Beaver Bay
in st. Louis county.
Wind and weather conditions UP
to last night had been the same for
three days, placing fire fighters at
a disadvantage. The heavy under
fering with suppression work and
several narrow escapes were re-
ported as a result of guards being
trapped while working on fire lines.
A heavy rain is the only thing
that will reduce the present hazard,
said forestry men They expect to
take advantage of the first break
in the protracted dry spell to deliy-
er a telling blow to the. flames.
It is estimated that between five
and six thousand acres of land, hall
Of it having stands of virgin tim
Der, have been covered by the fires.
Fir. at Whiteface.
Ranger Percy Vibert at Cloquet.
reported to district Headquarters
here at nine a. M, that two fires
men are laying fire lines around
FIRE near Whiteface about forty
miles northwest Of Duluth. This
fire started yesterday. 1t is burn
ing in cutover lands.
The second fire is near the Wales
branch of the Duluth and Iron
Range railroad. There are forty
emergency guards working on this
blaze which started Sunday and
night but was whipped into life yes
terday by stiff northeast wind.
The patrolman in charge at the
split rock on the north shore re-
ported early today that the fire
there had been extinguished during
the night by a large force OF guards
This fire had been causing trouble
for three days.
Reports from the isolated region
near the Baptism river where a SER.
ious fire ragged for four days stated
fire line along the entire two mile
front of the fire during the night
and expected to halt advance of the
flames. The Baptism river fire COW
cred about 1000 acres of cutover
and second growth lands.
Other Fires Reported.
Fire guards have control OF a
small fire near Finland.
A crew of men has been dispatch
ed by motor boat from the Cramer
district to run up the north shore
of Lake Superior and work on a
small fire Eve miles south of Beaver
Bay.
4 small fire was reported near
Westover.
Ranger Percy vibert reported
new fire near Fairbanks in district
No. 8. Thirty men have been as
signed to this blaze which is not
considered serious.
Guards extinguished small fire
on al lSldQQ III EdSlc N6SL ldkS III .
district No. 49, Another small fire
is burning on. an island in White
Iron lake.
A small fire on the Duluth and
Iron Range railroad four miles
south of Ely was suppressed before
serious damage was done.
Rapidly Gaining Control
Complete reports from District
No. 19, the center Of forest and
brush fires in northeastern Mime
sofa, at noon today, indicated that
the state forest forces augmented
by approximately 500 emergency
guards, were rapidly gaining con-
troll of the situation. Weather con-
ditions are favorable for the fight
ers today for the first time since
the emergency arose. There is lit
tie wind and the fighters are CEN
tering their attack on the very
heart of the largest fire which have
swept over large areas of virgin
timber, second growth and cut over
lands.
Barring strong winds which have
famed the flames for the past four
days, forestry men hope to be in
position by night fall to take men
from the smaller fires to reinforce
the forces stationed on the larger
fires in the valleys of the Manitou
and Caribou rivers.
Fires elsewhere in the north end
of the state are under control, ac-
cording to reports reaching district
L.. u