| History: | The tram road of M. T. Jones bringing sawtimber from the forests to the Sabine River had originally been owned by Thomas McDonnell. The Galveston Daily News reported in 1900 that “The Bancroft lumber company bought two and a half miles of steel rails from the M. T. Jones lumber company this week and sent the steamboat J. B. Griffith to Beckham's Bluff, where the tram formerly operated Thos. McDonnell, was taken up, to load the rails and deliver them at Tram Arthur. The rails will be used in extending the Tram Arthur's main line and will carry the end eight and a half miles out from the landing. The extension of the main line and feeders being put down will open up enough standing timber to run the Bancroft lumber company's mill a year, without further track laying.
“No drive will be attempted from the upper river this month, but as Tram Arthur is dumping over 90,000 feet a day and by the end of September will have abut 4,000,000 feet of logs in the water at Whitman's landing, there will be a drive started from there on that date if they get water to float freely. Slight rise was reported from Belgrade and Whitman's this week, but it soon subsides.” |