“Planer Will Remain,” September 7, 1906, A1.
Entire plant will run until first of next year anyway. For the past several days there have been rumors to the effect that the Sulphur Timber and Lumber Company, Ltd., had sold its timber and milling interests in this section and that the plant would soon shut down and move away. A Sentinal representative interviewed President Hodge concerning the rumors and learned that the company has disposed of practically all of its pine timber, having sold it to the Grant Land & Timber Company of Selma, and that the mill will probably be sold.
The mill, planer and all will be run right along as it is running until the first of the coming year [1907]. After that time it is not known what will be done with the mill but the planer will be operated right along as during the past year.
There has been some adverse comment in connection with the matter, many business men especially were of the opinion in as much as the town made liberal donations to get the mill located here the company is under some obligations to the town and should not go back on them. In this connection Mr Hodge authorized the statement that anyone who donated to the company and has not benefitted by the location of the mill here to the extent of his donation can get his donation refunded by applying for it. It is not the intention of the company to break any contract or violate any obligation in any particular.
It is hardly probable that the shutting down of this mill will out as such a figure in the town as some peple are inclined to think. The mill wll run four months longer, and may be longer, but if it is shut down and moved away, the planer will be run right along, the electric light plant will be run, and it is reported an ice factory will be bult on the same property and operated by the same people. A number of stockholders in the company are individual property owners and are too largely interested in the upbuilding of the town to deliberately kill “kill” one of the town’s chief avenues of prosperity.
If the mill is moved away it will not be necessary for many men to leave here to find employment, none except a few following certain trades or professions.
“Planing Mill Burned,” September 21, 1906, A1.
The planing mill and dry sheds and trams of the Sulphur Timber and Lumber Company, Limited, was destroyed by fire five o’clock Wednesday morning. The fire was discovered at 1:30 o’clock in the top of the fuel room which was filled with shavings. Efforts to put it out proved futile and it soon spread to the boiler room, cutting off the steam from the pump house. It only required a few minutes for the fire to spread to the planer and dry sheds.
The fire was confined to the planing department of the plant and did not reach the mill, yards, and rough lumber sheds. After considerable time the large pump and boiler at the dry kiln were connected when the fire was soon put out. The electric light plant was located next to the planing mill, but the building being of brick it did not burn. The plant was put out of commission, however, until the insurance adjuster arrives and takes an inventory.
Seven box cars loaded with lumber were burned on the tracks of the Rock Island Railroad. The loss on the planer and lumber is estimated at $25,000 with $11,000 insurance. President Hodge of the company is in Canada and was notified of the fire. He wired that the plant will be rebuilt.
“Planer is Rebuilding,” September 28, 1906.
Large force of men at work replacing plant that burned. A large force of men is engaged overhauling the engine and boiler and laying the foundation for the new planing mill of the Sulphur Timber and Lumber Company which will take the place of the one destroyed on Wednesday morning of last week.
All of the old machinery, expect the engine and boiler, has been moved out of the way and considerable progress has been made on the foundation for the new building. By the end of the week the place will begin to look like business again, and it is thought the plant will be ready to run within three weeks from now.
The new plant will not be as large as the one which was destroyed, but it will be modern in every way. The machines are now on the road and are expected to arrive the latter part of next week.
“Ice Plant Will Soon Be Completed and In Operation,”January 11, 1907.
Mr. LM Moorehead, who will superintend the construction of the Winnfield Ice Company, has arrived and will make his home in Winnfield. Monday morning he started to work unloading the machinery and materials to be used in the building of the plant and will go right along with the work until the plant is making ice, which it is thought, will not be long than two months.
The ice plant will be located near the plant of the Dalton-Clark Stave Company between the main line of the Louisiana and Arkansas and the Tremont and Gulf Railroads. It will have a capacity of twenty-four tons daily and besides the manufacturing of ice the company will also do a bottling business on a large scale, having taken over theplan of the Winnfield Bottling Works. The plant will be improved and all kinds of carbonated beverages will be manufactured.
Ample capital is behind the enterprise and a first class modern ice plant will be erected and that it will be a paying proposition is evident when the large territory it will have is considered.