The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-09-01
timber BLAZE AFRESHs
MENACING 70 FOREST
SPREADING OF DANGER
FEARED BY RANGERS
PEAT BoGs IN FLAMES
Effects Recent Rains In Sections
Are Rapidly Disappearing; 4
Work Kept Up
Associated Press Dispatch. ]

Associated Press Dispatch.
st. Paul, August 30.-With the
effects of the recent rains in North
ern and Central Minnesota fire
areas repidly disappearing. these
sections are again becoming men
ace, and fear of spread of the
fires is held by forestry officials,
according to w. II Cox, state for
ester.
In view of these conditions, Mr..
cox today again renewed his re.
request for an appropriation Of
100000 by the board of relief. to
help finance fire fighting in. those
districts.
Mr.. Cox today advised R. P.
Chase, state auditor, and member
of the board of relief, of the ne
cessity of immediate favorable &C
ton on his request for the. $4,000.
Unless this money is forthcoming
Mr.. Cox will be compelled to dor.
row extensively from the $125,000
Legislative appropriation" which
has been set aside for forestry
work.
Although the fires which have
been slnoldering for the past sew
eral weeks in the various <Are zones
both in Northern and Central
Minnesota are not gaining any
Roadway, according to early reports
today, forestry officials fear that
W Gather might rekindle the fires
and start. them running rapidly.
The department has not in any
way reduced their forces and every
precaution Known to forest fire
| fighting is taken to keeps the fires
within their own areas.
Although some of the fires in
Northern and Central Minnesota
were of incendiary origin the fires
for the most part are no doubt
result of carelessness with fires and
from natural causes, according to
w. T. Cox, state forester.
ly state what would be the motive
for anyone starting forest FIRE,
unless it was that some Of these
persons except TO deveiope base
for a claim against some financially
responsible parties. in those sec.
tons.
Rangers are of the opinion that
the recent settlement of fire claims
resulting from the Moose Lake
confiagration in 1918, has given
some of these incendiarists the idea
that they can lay claim TO losses
through forest fires.
Danger From Peat Fires
Duluth, Mimi, August 30.-Peat
bog fires in the vicinity Of KELSEY,
smouldering for the last two weeks.
have reacher the roads and are now
Threatening the highways IN that
area, according to word received
today by A. B. Gibbs. state, forest
ranger.
The county engineer has enlisted
the aid of $50 men in fighting these
road fires, while the state forestry
department, with approximately !.
500 men in the, entire area, is still
on duty to prevent any possible
spreading of the fires. The nres are
all under control but the continued
dry weather in the underground
peat beds causes them to spread
undel roads.
Ranger Gibbs estimates that fifty
small fires are burning along the
roads in the vicinity of Kelsey,
Cotton and Whiteface.
The national guard units and the
three airplaues ordered into The fire
arranged by Governor Preis have
not yet arrived, according to II: g.
Weber, district forestry supervisor,
The planes will make their head
quarters at Pike Lake, fifteen miles
northwest of Duluth. They viii be
according to, the order received by
MI. Weber. There is danger from
the fires at present Mr.. Weber said
today, but high winds may cause
serious damage as long as the pre-
.sc--+ I--- weather continues.