The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-07-05
BEAUMONT.
Its Immense Timber and Lumber
Milling Business.

Milling Business.
Beaumont, Texas, is city of 2OO0
inhabitants and the county seat of
jefferson county, which county forms
the southeastern corner of Texas. JEFF
ferSon county has an area of 1892
square miles, a population of $500;
embraces the port of Sabine Pass,
| which will become of Importance as
soon as the government will have
succeeded in obtaining deep water at
the bar, towards which efforts are
being made now.
The Texas and New Orleans and
the Sabine Pass and East Texas rail-
roads pass through the county. Lum-
| Der milling and stock raising are the
principal industries. The valuation
of taxable property in the county is
about $2,2OO,OOO.
The county is Watered by the
Neches river and smaller streams.
The Neches is navigable about four
hundred miles, and on this river
Beaumont is located.
Pasture lands in Jefferson county
are assessed at 80 cents per acre. i'm
proved land at from $3.50 to So per
acre. Pasture land can be bought for
81 per acre, improved land Tor $40 per
acre.
The rate of taxation is 81 per 500
10 cents county tax, 80 cents state
tax.
The debt of Jefferson county is
$500. Warrants are rated at par.
The city of Beaumont is out of debt
and is conducted on a cash basis.
There are eight school districts in
the county and seven public schools.
In Beaumont are seven churches,
two Catholic, one Presbyterian
one Methodist, two Baptist and one
Episcopal. Several secret societies
have flourishing lodges here-Free
Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of
Pythias and Knights of Honor.
Beaumont has well organized fire
department and a lively weekly paper
called the Enterprise.
The courthouse is decayed build
| ing, but as soon as the county is out
of debt new, substantial courthouse
will be erected. There are about thir-
ty business houses; they derive almost
all their business from the large lum-
Der mills in operation here, which
mills ship enormous quantities of
lumber all over Texas and into Mex
leo. Among the largest of these are
Messrs. Long & Co. They are pion-
GERS in the business. having begun
work at Beaumont prior to the war.
They have built up and operated the
most extensive single mills in Texas,
having at present capacity of 100000
per day, and soon will make improve
mentS on their mills which will in
crease their capacity. Mr.. w. A.
Fletcher, one of the firm who con-
e,fr Tod fhnir
troduce some new features that will
increase the capacity, improve the
quality and cheaper the production of
their cypress shingles. Long & Co.
are the principal stockholders of the
Texas tram and lumber company and
the Village Mills company, both of
which were organized by them. They
also do an extensive mercantile bust
ness and supply the stores of their
branches, altogether amounting to
about $10O,O00in merchandise, carried
principally for their employees, num-
bering about five hundred men and
their families.
] The Texas tram and lumber compa-
! ny has capital stock of 100000, and
the officers are, w. A. Fletcher, presi-
dent; r. I'll: Cousins, vice-president;
John Keith, secretary and treasurer,
all Of Beaumont. They own $4,000
acres of pine land, all in a body; have
a steam ,tramroad on same, pulling
saw-logs, railroad ties and heavy tim
Der to the Neches river in Jasper
/ county, forty miles above the city of
Beaumont; present capacity of tram
road 100000 feet per month, besides
large quantities of railroad ties This
company expects to ship also to for
eign markets as soon as twenty feet
of water can be obtained over Sabine
Pass bar. They are laying plans for
great future business in addition to
their already extensive business.
The Village Mills company, Village
Mills pcstoffice Gncorporated), capital
stock, 100000; John Keith, president;
Frank Keith, vice-president, and S.
F. Carter, secretary and treasurer.
Principal office at Beaumont, Texas.
The mills are situated on the Sabine
Pass and East Texas railroad, at Viii
lage Station, in Hardin county, thirty
five miles north of Beaumont. All
the latest Improvements are used in
these mills. These mills get their
logs from their own lands, thereby
securing the best timber.
The Reliance Lumber company,
Beaumont, Texas, VIM. Wiess mana
ger, dealer in long deaf yellow pine
and pasture lands. This sterling COM
pany employs from fifty to seventy |
five men, and make heavy, long tim
Der a speciality, such as is used for
railroad bridges, etc. The capacity of |
their mills is $4,000 feet per day. They |
have also fine store in connection |
with their mills.
The Beaumont lumber company,
Beaumont, Texas, manufacturers of |
all kinds OF rough and dressed yellow
pine lumber and shingles. These
mills employ about seventy-five men.
turn out daily about $4,000 feet of |
rough lumber and 10000 feet dressed;
also 10000 shingles a day. They run
also store, with good stock of mer-
chandise
Beaumont planning mills company,
manufacturers of flooring, ceiling,
siding and finishing lumber of all de-
scriptiOns, of long leaf pine and cy-
press; also, dealers in shingles. Mr..
Mark WieSs, president, and Mr.. E. L.
Bacon, secretary.
About four miles from this place
are "sour" springs of wonderful wa
ter. Persons who have tried it say it
will cure invalidS suffering of kidney
troubles, etc. Several parties claim
the ownership Of the lands on which
the springs are located. The matter
is before the courts and is expected to
be decided at an early day.
Beaumont is blessed with a good
hotel, called the Crosby house, Gen.
John B. Gosthue, proprietor
There is a eneral complaint in re-
gard to the freights charged by the
railroads. The Sunset and Morgan
roads charge enormous rates. To
prove this 1 mention the following
fact: A certain firm shipped from
Beaumont eleven carloads of lumber.
The lumber amounted to. $167772;
the freight amounted to $1712.15.
The freight was thus 1874 43 more than
the value of the lumber, and as the
lumber was to be delivered at S2o per