TWO MILLION DOLLARS WORTH 

 BURNED IN ONE DAY 



By GEN, C, C, ANDREWS 

 State Forestry Commissioner of Minnesota 



(If yet another proof is needed to show the necessity of full patrol against forest fires, 

 here it is. September i, General Andrews tells us, the ranger service in Minnesota was discon- 

 tinued for lack of funds. On that very date a Minneapolis newspaper stated editorially that 

 the fires in Minnesota forests had already destroyed property this year whose money value 

 would have sufficed to cover the cost of the proposed extension of the state ranger service for 

 50 years. And as early as July 22 press reports from Bemidji tell of the dangerously dry 

 condition of the forests in the region devastated on October 7. — Ed.) 



AT THE request of American For- the fires burned into bogs and proba- 



cstry, Gen. C. C. Andrews, state bly all of them were not wholly exting- 



forestry commissioner of Minne- uished. 



sota, made the following statement, Just where and how this fire origi- 



under date of October 13: nated I am unable to say, but the latest 



The disastrous forest fire in Minne- reliable information I now have is that 



sota on the 7th instant in the vicinity it came from south of the Canadian- 



of the Lake of the Woods and Rainy Northern railroad. 



River was driven by a tornado, and In some cases the land of a new 



destroyed the villages of Baudette and settler in such a region may be partly 



Spooner. The loss of life probably covered with refuse from logging or 



will not exceed fifty; the number now windfalls, which he is strongly tempt- 



known to have perished is twenty-nine, ed to burn in dry weather. The 



I am unable now to estimate the loss of country is also more or less frequented 



property, but am convinced it will ex- by other persons who are liable to 



ceed $2,000,000. The area of the fire cause fire, 



probably did not exceed 300,000 acres. How shall we prevent the negligent 



The country swept by the fire is use of fire in the forest? By our pres- 

 generally level, covered principally ent system in organized townships the 

 with Norway and jack pine, spruce, three supervisors and clerk are fire 

 balsam, white birch, and tamarack. It wardens ; they are paid 25 cents an 

 is traversed by the Canadian-Northern hour for the time they are employed; 

 railway and is mostly destitute of they are expressly required to take en- 

 wagon roads. While quite a number ergetic precautions to prevent fires 

 of new settlers are scattered through and may call help to control them, 

 the country, there are as yet only about ^"d every person called upon to help 

 ■ ■, ^ 1 • • u^. „_ must do so unless he has a justifiable 

 SIX organized townships m what ap- ^^^^^^^ Wardens can be specially ap- 

 pears to have been m the track of the ^^.^^^^^ ^^^ unorganized territory, but 



"^^- it sometimes occurs that in such ter- 

 Considerable timber had been cut m ^.j^^j-y ^^ere is not a suitable resident 

 the region and much brush and refuse for the position. Fire fighters are paid 

 left unburned. The whole season 20 cents an hour for their time, 

 from April ist has been remarkably Wardens, in a dry season, may pa- 

 dry. Numerous fires occurred which trol their districts or employ patrols, 

 were fought- by the settlers; some of The minimum penalty for setting fires 



655 



