The Pine Needle (Silsbee, Tex.), Vol. 4, No. [50], Ed. 1 Thursday, December 14, 1967 Page: 6 of 8
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Lamar University.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
PAGE SIX
5m IhiCRKT
(Continued from Page 1)
THE PINE NEEDLE
DECEMBER 14, 1967
steam skidder took their place.
I’m told that what the loggers
didn’t cut, theskiaders destroyed
One of my earliest recollec-
tions was snuggling under the
covers on cold, rainy mornings
way before daylight, listening
to the mournful music of the
woods train whistle - and being
thankful my daddy worked under
shelter in the planermill and
didn’t have to leave until an hour
later. We don't have sounds like
that anymore - just raucous noises.
The deep roar and scream of the
powerful saws had a musical
ring, and mingled with the un-
dulating whine of the planer’s
knives, made a. singing whose
rather plaintive strains drifted
for miles through the piney woods
on still days.
The logging trains brought the
logs in and they were rolled down
the skidway into the millpond.
Keeping the logs in the water
prevented insect damage and
made selection of certain logs
much easier than if they were in
piles. Fondmen were quite a-
dept at running over these logs
arranging them in the desired
order and feeding the chain wh-
ich carried them up to the big
carriage. Ben Cooper and I vis-
ited the Allan-Peavy sawmill
at Kountze and watched as the
sawyer manipulated the controls
which slammed a big log onto
the carriage, clamped it in pl-
ace and shuttled it rapidly back
and forth into the big circular
saw. The slabs of lumber quick-
ly fell away, reducing it to a
4”x4” or 4"x6". The saws must
be perfectly installed and accu-
rately filed and set and the saw-
yer really know his business, for
these big saws revolving at th-
ousands of r. p. m. could really
do a lot of damage should they
fly apart. Ben Cooper remem-
bered hapless workers cut in
halves by broken saws and others
impaled by .slabs hurtled from it
like missiles. I don’t think he
regretted that his 60 years be-
hind the carriage, when he cut
an average 75,000 board feet a
Gulf State Utilities day, were over as we turned a -
way from it. It was certainly
an exciting, frightening operat-
ion to watch.
These slabs were flung down
rollers through an edger which
trimmed and squared the edges.
& to
HemisFair Bonus Books
and tickets. Athis-year-
only gift. Available at:
Chamber of Commerce
HEMISHUH
19GB WORLD’S FAIR
SAM ANTONIO,APR G-OCTS
LOGGING AT NOW
The one handling the’big 4"x4'V.
or 6"s was called the bull edger.
Conveyers carried them still
further where they were graded
and sorted into stacks on dollys -
two-wheeled carts on which
lumber was carried from place
to place. Dollyrunswere elevat-
ed runways between sections of
the mill but some mills laid
tracks and used large 4-wheel
dolly pulled by mules. A favo-
rite Sunday afternoon pastime
for children was playing on the
dollyruns and running logs on
the millpond (strictly forbidden
by parents).
"Clear” lumber ( b grade or
better) was taken to kilns to be
heat dried, while all other was
stacked in the lumber yard for
air drying. Handling'greerf'lum-
berinthe yards was done by ne-
groes. Later kilns were heated
by a system of steam pipes com-
ing from sawdust-fired boilers,
but in early days, the "Arkansas
kiln' was used. The heating
chamber, fired by slabs was un-r
derneath the kiln and the lum-
ber stacked in the building over-
head. Many a kiln of good lum-
ber, building and ail, went up
in flames with this method. The
final touch was given dry lumber
when it was taken to the planer-
mill where revolving knives pi-
ned and dressed it to a smooth
finish and accurate size.
In early days, these steam
-'V
ABANDONED SAWMILL TOWN OF DEARBORN. About 1915
ftS1
■
j
> -
§
.r-*
v - ■"
V-J9 ;•..*** ..
LOGGING BETWEEN SARATOGA AND SOUR LAKE, About 1931
boilers provided power for the
mills and, after 1900, some e-
ven added AC dynamos so the
mill and town could have elec-
tricity.
This is all rather dry back-
ground information, but if one
is to understand the people and
events of that era - all which
have an important bearing on
conditions in East Texas today -
he must begin at the beginning.
W„ T. BEAN WINS ELECTION TO HEAD TAX
ASSESSORS Th„ ,
The purpose of the association
Hardin County Tax Assessor is to improve the standards of as-
Collector, Willie Bean, has been sessment practices, assist other
elected President of the Piney tax assessors, government offici-
Woods Chapter of the Texas As- als, to inform the public of the
sociation of Assessing Officers of true nature and importance of
the State of Texas. the work performed by all tax
Mr. Bean has served as Vice assessors, to inform all individuals
President and Secretary of The or agencies interested in improv-
Texas Association of Assessing ing tax administration in every
Officers during the past two years, possible way promote justice and
and as Tax Assessor Collector of equity in the distribution of the
Hardin County since 1959. tax burden, Bean said.
TRACT LAYING GANG AT DEARBORN
Jay's 5 &
IN THE HEART OF
DOWNTOWN SILSBEE
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Barrington, Peggy. The Pine Needle (Silsbee, Tex.), Vol. 4, No. [50], Ed. 1 Thursday, December 14, 1967, newspaper, December 14, 1967; Silsbee , Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth662607/m1/6/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Lamar University.