Norwich Bulletin Newspaper, May 5, 1922, Page 7

(Written Specially for The Bulletin) 1 suppose you've read about those New Jersey forest fires which have just swept several thousand acres of that rather densely populated state, doing' ddmage variously estimated at from thrée to-five million dollars. It was a little surprising te me to learn that there was a forest left in that crowded commonwealth capable of feeding a fire eighteen miles lvng and five wide Or that theré was so much as five miliion collars' worth of standing timber in the whele state. For, you sce, though dressed lumber is held at almost geak-of-war prices still, standing timber isn’t worth as much either sere by acre or board-foot by board-foot, as It was a dozen years ago. If you want whether u hundred thousand fect ngls board for a pantry sheif. you'll price foosting ‘on 1ain- bows high above any tree-tops, but if you, at a farmer, wart to Sell a fow hundred theusand feet of standing timber in your wods, you ean't get as much for it, now. as you couid have got twelye years ago. For Instance: Twelve years ago I sold a few thousand fect to a portable saw-mill which wae workire on a lot adjacent to me and wanted a little more than that loc furnished to make up an order.' I was pald $¢ a thousand for what was taken on the stump. The saw-mil! operator of- fered me $5.50 a thousand for all I had on sixty acres cf forest-clad mountain, just as i od. Today that timber is etil] standing, blgger and better than it was twelve years ago. And the boards and beams which can # sawed out of it sell for more than dowhle what similar lembor sold for. twelve years ago. Bu: 1 owner and wounld-be seller of the raw 1a terial, can get ns offer of over $§ a thou- sand for it—$1.50 a thousand less than I was actually offered a dozen years agu when rawn lumber sold for halt what it pow feiches! Now, it takes quite o few acres of pret- ty good standing timber to come to even ene miillon doliars, at $5 a thousand on the stum That there should have been #0 much lef: 15 a state like New Jersey, which cne thinks of as mostly made up of suburbs to New York and Philadebhia was matter for Tise. Anyway, it's not theré, now. The fire has wiped it out. The burning was a real disaster. Yet it was only one of the dosen or more forest fires chronicled in the dally pajers of that same week. It was the biggest and most destructive of any, bat the damage done by all the others combined must have eome close to equal- ed by it. And. as 1 thought weste and loss and suffering 1 by wnods fires, year by year and year after 3ear, my memory went ba i erfences of my own r outbreaks in my immed:ate ne{zh- berhood. Why, only day before yesterday, my ai- ent:cn was attracted to dense clouds of which began pouring over the ridge e. It was blowing a gale gusts strong enough off growing trees and whip stout | IPSWICH HOS) Tor Men Women and Ghildren o, Hen's Spswich stockings~smart in ' When 1 got within make frame houses shake to their sills. Evidertly a brush or forest fire had startec. somewhere nearby to the morthwest of me. Ard the gale was blowing straight from the same northwest. Directly in its path and extending for over three miles in a north and south course, rises a steep hill covered with forest. With a morth- west wind blowing, a fire starting under the northern end of this hill was lable to sweep it from end to end. All my own wood and timber is on that hill. Natural- ly, the sight of those smoke clouds rolling over it made me anxious. Though I am past taking any active part in fire-fighting, I hurried out my flivver and started up the road running parallel with the threatened mountain to see just what was happenins. ght of the fire, though | its fury and swift soread were daunting enough I took some courage. For the alarm had gone wherever a telephone wire reached and already a hundred and fifty men wers fighting it. It had swept over about twenty acres of brush and grass land and. when a sharper gust of wind came along, ~the flames would seem to leap a hundred feet at one jump. Fortunately for us all, however, the area which was burning was bounded by roads cn hoth the southern and eastern sides. The firefighters, conscious that no work of their could extinguish or even stAy the course of the fire in the brush had wisely formed on these roads and sayed nc more than to prevent its crossing them. 7t was a Tervous quarter of an hour for at least one on-looker ‘as the swirling line of smoke and flame bore down on them, temperarily shutting them quite from sight. But they stood their ground. The roadway stciped the creeping ground flames, and such brands as the wind car- ried across it were promptly ex!inguishedl before they had time to set fire to a thing. In fifteen minutes the danger was over —that is the danger to the several thou- sand acres of mountain forest which lay to leeward of the fire. Before nightfall it ha2d burned itself out in the area to which it had been restricted, and all the watchers had to do was to go over it ard extin- guish small blazes in stumps or fence cor- ners. Investigation showed that some people just moved in from the city. had chosen that windy day to burn some rubbish in the pasture back of their barn! nd of course, what they had started as a mere bon-fire was roaring over five acres of brush and small woods in about five rain- utes after they had nonchalantly scratched the match. In the last thirty years I have, either alone or with neighborly help, put out four woods fires on that mountain. One was caiised by lightning striking a2 dead pin tree around whose base had been thrown & heap of brush from some woodcutter's job. The other three were all due to care iessness or recklessness or ignorance—as as this last one of two days ago. One of the three was started by ‘wad” from an old-fashioned muzzle-lo ing shot-gun, which fell in some dry gras and lighted a blaze which the hunt T\ COPYRIGHT_HARRIS & Representative from Wyoming and floor-leader in the House. coolly ignored, going on as if it were no concern of his. This finally necessitated the hard work of seven men to stap it, and then not until it had burned over several acres of brush and young woods. A sccond was due to the earelessness of some one unknown who built a small fire, evidently to warm his coffee and then went on without extinguishing it, leaving it to spread or go out as luck might chance. A third was due to a combination of carelessness and stupidity. A farmer on the other side of the mountain. burning some brush in a pasture, lost control of his fire and it got into the woods. He sum- moned help and in about four hours hard work got the fire out, after it had hurned over some thirty or forty acres. ghifall came on, and ‘“chore time” call- ed. The volunteer firefighters gave the woods a final hasty look, and unanimously departed, went home, did their chores and went to bed. That night about nine o'clock two of us, on this side of the hill broken out We climbed up to it. Luckily for ere was no wind and the two of us ¢ got it out by midnight. Then we ized a two-man patrol and went all ind the fire lines. old and pew. The It of this inspection was the finding of three big, old pine stumps, showing no fire on the outside, but literally a mass of smouldering, half-rotten punk within, aft- er the outer shell was torn off. It took vs nearly two hours more to extinguish these, each one of which had in it the start- ing ot new blaze on the invitatien of any wandering gust of wind. Tt is stated that the second outburst of the big New Jersey fire, which did more damage than the first, was due to a smouldering stump which the fire-fighters had left, thinking it couldn't start any- thing. Well, thinking over these and many oth- woods fires, I can’t help but see that a at majority of them were not only pre- table but inexcusable. They were ther the results of human carelessness, hich is always a form of selfishness—or discovered that the fire had/ ag r of = dunderheadedness—or sheer stupidity. I used to hear the old people say, some- of et 122 sssmaimis ERY o i " e 71 i | e 2 e 1 g i RS = 1) il o i B :‘1 3 r‘ il 2 eaiina: T i H e, T T B = 4] S T = s et o T g E ; H B .sf H g g B EHHE | & i i jial i FEEEHE [ : i) sallil ki ! H TR L appearance, fashioned o full sizes and long in wearare the result of ‘@ century’s hosiery experience. Optainable af most good stores in - silk . worsted heather, mercerized and, cotfon 2 for men, women and children. LAMNEE 8 0 SOSTON NEW PHILADELPHIA SAN FRANCISCO LONDON EAG. i reckless “don’t-care-a-damativeness”— simple, | THE DIME SAVINGS BANK | The 105th consecutive dividend of this bank will be payable on and after May 15th, at the rate of four per cent. a year. - Deposits made on or before June 1st will draw interest from tll:at date. Checks and Liberty Loan Bonds accepted as cash. We welceme new accounts; and our customers are urged te ¢all on us for any information or assistance they TTO IS “CHEERFUL SERVICE” ¢ ' HE standard of excellence is set by the difference between mediocrity and merit. A mediocre coffee may be ““‘wet™ and hot, but it cannot satisfy desire for a real rich, true coffee . flavor that you can be sure of getting when you ask for and insist upon ~ JaTouraine (offee 42 cents per pound Put it on your [ist today and azk your grocer to grind it fresh for you! “It's the Bean’’—selected, blended and roasted according to the famous La Touraine “Fire is a good servant but a bad Considering the universality of its use, it is hard to tind any adequate ex- cuse for those who mishandle it. “We've all heard it said, also, that a man is not to blame for what he doesn't know. That iS not quite true—at least, not when put just that way. A man ought not to he blamed for not knowing that which he can’t find out. But he ¥ to be blamed for not knowing the simp overvday facts of nature, which are as clear and self-evident as the nose on one’s face. The man or woman who doesn't know that fire burns, or that a blaze started in dry gr¥Ss or leaves will spread before the wind—uweH, such a persen is un- fit to ilowed to have matches, or a flint and stecl and tinder-box, either! There's no apparent calk for any more law on the subject. But there is call for a campaign of education regarding out- door fires, I don’t recail the figures of fire losses in this country. But I remember enough tc know that they run up to many hundred million Collars every year. And three- quarters of all this loss—perhaps more—is due®to the ‘capelessness or recklessness or stupidily of human beiags. The Boy Scouts are being taught wis- dom in the matter of campfires, ete., but ERTY HILL Miss BeSsie Sheffield, of Worcester, Mass., was a week end-guest of her cous- ins, Mr. and Mrs. John Clarke. ‘William F. Harvey of Norwich spent Sunday with relatives here, \Mr. and Mrs. Willlam Cochran of Web- ster, MaSs., visited Mrs. Cochran's sis- ter, Mrs. Winthrop D. Davoll over the week end. Mrs. B. A. yes accomipanied by her son- n-law and daughter, Mr. .and Mrs. George A. Trotter arrived at her home here from Needham Heights, Mass.. Sat- urday afternoon. Mr. Trotter went Sun- day to his parental home in South Man- chester to visit his father and mother, Mrs. Trotter staying with her mother, who expects to spend the summer here. Supt. and M F. A, Verplanck of South Manchester were guests of Mrs, E. A. Noyes Sunday. . Rev. William 8. Woolworth's household £00ds have arrived and -were unloaded and put in the parsonage Saturday. The C. E. society is to have a social at the church rooms Thursday evening. " HEBRON Rev. Howard Champe, Randall Ten- nant and Warren Thayer attended the old- trere is more need of the teaching among ey . . rowrinsa. Tt 1n e Who are ald. nougy | O LS, Conterence in Rockville Friday Fonu. and biz enough to know better who mos: Lo deserve birching. If our foolishness only | , The C: B soclety is to hold a soclal at W. S. QUINBY CO. resulted in the buraing of our own woods | the home of Mrs. Gertrude Hough Friday Boston Chieago or barns it would not be so bad. Sy But when we endanger other by it we're com- |, Vvien Hebron grange met Tuesday ev- . , ; o T R M ing perilously near the line which Qivides | S7Ine the first and seeond degree was con- e ~ mere numbskulls from actual enemies of | ferred on & class of six. 6 ) . e et i il A social and dance was held at Am- ¢ ston hall Saturlay evening. ' Rev. Mr. Kelley, of Wilson, Conn. s SALEM preached in the Congregational charch ot _ = Sunday morning. in . exchange with the e e A large crowd attended a kitchen | pastor, Rev. Howard Champe. dance at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Tim- othy Dixon Tuesday evening, May 2. Guests were present from Norwich, Yan- tic, Bozrah, Fitchville, Colchester and other surrounding towns. Sandwiches, cake and coffee were served by the hostess. An enjoyable evening was spent by all. ~ The Willimantic C. E. union is to hold its spring meeting in Gilead church Sat- urday, May 6th, with services at 2 and 7 o'clock. . Mr.and Mrs. John Craig, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Belcher and Mrs. Hanna of South Manchester were the guests Sunday of Mr. Craig’s daughtef, Mrs. Frank Ray- mond. . Dr. and Mrs. Pendleton of Colchester were in town Saturday. Danbury—Sunday was a in the annals of St. James' church because of the dedeation of new parish house and m“‘u: beautiful the consecration of the memorial chapel. merchants’ annual spring Bargain day occurs May 17. AN OPEN LETTER TO MISS BRIDE-TO-BE: A particularly important thing—this furnishing of a house. You buy something to eat or to wear and it soon disappears—but not furniture. The purchase of furniture should only be made after careful consideration, for it is with you a long time. » i 3 We have furnished hundreds of homes in this city. What has most pleased us, perhaps, is the fact that we have |§ many times furnished two and sometimes three homes in the same family. We appreciate the compliment a mother ' pays us by advising her daughter to visit our store. * It is our constant aim to merit such confidence-—to keep our old friends—to make new ones, too. ABOUT FURNITURE STYLES— y We have in our store nothing but furniture effi- ciently made by master workmen—furniture that will last, please by its beauty of design and brighten the home. Any period that you may desire can be found here—whether it is a Louis XVI Bedrocom Suite—a Re- naissance Davenport Table — a Heppelwhite Dining Room Suite or a Queen Anne Living Room Suite. We may not have just what you may want in each instance —but we ask that you pay us a visit and merely see for yourself if your wants can be satisfied. i We have been in business too long and we are huild- ing our foundation too well to try to sell you something you do not want. What we shall do is give you the ben- efit of our years of experience and advise what type of furniture is best suited to your needs. This service you can get from none other than a reputable furniture man with years of experience in buying quality merchandise behind him. He alone knows thoroughly the concerns with which he deals—he alone can give that advice so needed by young couples. ABOUT FURNITURE PRICES— When it comes to prices—that is our strong talking point. You realize that you want to get the most for your money and we guarantee this to you. We stand ready to prove that we will furnish you with standard furniture at a lower price than any other furniture house, This does not mean that you cannot buy cheaper furni- ture. What it does mean is this—select any piece of furniture inthe store and compare its price with that of the same article in any other store—you will find our price is appreciably lower. You may ask—how do we do this? This is the an- swer. When you see a store with expensive fixtures, dazzling displays, complicated clerical and office sys tems — these all cost money — some one has to pay. This cost of doing business 1s added to the cost of the goods and must be paid by the purchaser before the acaler makes any profit. In our store we keep this “over-head”, as it is called, down to the lowest possible point, so that our patrons reap the benefit. Remember this, though, we never sacrifice quality for the sake of price. Ail our goods are backed up by our guarantee and that of the manufacturer. Our duty is to serve you and your wants. This service has char- acterized our store for thirty years and will continue as long as our doors remain open. ABOUT OUR TERMS— For those who find it inconvenient to pay cash, we are always ready and willing to make credit arrange- ments. We ask only what is reasonable as regards the initial payment and the weekly or monthly dues. Per- haps you, too, would like to avail yourself of this method, ; Trusting that we may have 'the opportunity of show- ing you what we can do to make your love-nest most at- tractive (if we can’t do this we don’t want you to buy, but we do invite an inspection of our goods and prices), COMPLETE HOME FURNISHERS 2 > P. S.—PERHAPS YOU WHO ARE ALREADY HOUSEKEEPING NEED A NEW-REFRIGERATOR OR GLENWOOD RANGE!