The first week of 1906 was busy in Orange. 

Timbermen were in town discussing business. The river was as busy as a major highway, which it was in those days. 

A high-ranking Hoo-Hoo was in town and there was a new day clerk at the Holland Hotel which was advertising rooms for $2.50 a night. 

A.A. Harvey and D.L. Knight of Rosepine, Louisiana were in Orange to discuss putting in timber at Anacoco, Louisiana under a contract with the Orange Lumber Company. They were pioneers in the logging business on the Sabine River.

Ike Meadors of Merryville, Louisiana was visiting Orange to discuss putting in a tract of timber for the Orange Lumber Company.

C.M. Hunt, the river foreman for the Orange Lumber Company made a trip to Hemphill to communicate with the men in charge of the timber interests there for the Orange Lumber Company. There was to be a big drive of timber starting from Myrick’s Ferry downriver to the Orange mill.

One of the new dry kilns of the Orange Lumber Company was reported as being completed and ready to go into service.

A recent visitor to Orange was G.M. Duncan, Secretary of the Texas-Louisiana Lumber Company of Houston. Duncan was the vicegenerant snark of the International Order of the Hoo-Hoo for South Texas. 

Duncan advised the Orange Hoo-Hoos that he would be glad to hold a concatentation in Orange at any time they would advise him of their desire to have one in Orange.

The Hoo-Hoo Lumber Company reported an increase in the local demand for lumber. A lot of building was going on and their yards had been busy sending out wagonloads of building materials.

J.W. Link, General Manager of the Miller-Link Lumber Company became one of the new directors of the new Kirby road, to be known as the Rockland-Browndell Railroad. The new road would connect with the Orange and Northwestern, Santa Fe, and other roads going in and out of Orange.

The tug Katherine left Orange with a load of timber in tow for Port Arthur.

The sloop Cora Price from Lake Charles came to Orange from Johnson’s Bayou with a load of farm products and dressed hogs. There were also one or two live hogs. Captain Anderson carried a stock of groceries on the return trip. The stock was for J.E. Peveto who was planning to open a grocery store in Johnson’s Bayou within the next two weeks. The Cora Price was towed by the Berry, Captain Rollins launch. (The Cora Price was a sailing launch and wind was not always dependable. Sloops were often towed across Sabine Lake)

The tug George Sealy of Orange with Captain Belile in charge towed a loaded barge into Orange. The cargo was furniture belonging to Mrs. Sons, who was moving from Niblett’s Bluff to Orange.

Captain Smith’s vessel, the Eliza, was in Orange to load a cargo of lumber for Johnson’s Bayou.

The gasoline launch Sabine belonging to A.K. Smith came into Orange from Beaumont where she had carried some lumber crews. The Sabine only stayed in Orange about an hour. She hooked up a tow of logs for the shingle mill at Cypress Bayou.

Bob Lane of Lane’s Transfer Company of Beaumont was in Orange to buy some hack horses.

F.W. Coolidge of San Antonio was in Orange to work up a new register for the Holland Hotel.

O.Y. Perry of Ardmore, Oklahoma arrived in Orange to accept the position of day clerk at the Holland Hotel.

Messrs. C.H. Peveto, A. Lamair, J.E. Davis, and J.W. Higman returned to Orange from a quail hunt at Johnson’s Bayou. They reported a successful hunt.

Higman had intended to buy some cattle while on the trip but had been unsuccessful, for some reasons he was unable to make any deals.

Captain Pavell kept his tug, Mississippi, at the wharf all of one day, overhauling his machinery and getting read for a tow. He was scheduled to go downriver and bring back a barge load of cattle for Peveto and Lamair. 

W.E. McCorqudale went to Beaumont to purchase 23 pairs of ball bearing skates for his skating rink. 

“The expert speed skaters can have their swing now,” said McCorqudale.

 

“And now you know.”